A review by jellybean_gene
Saltblood by T.C. Parker

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.75

I don't know if this book is intended to be YA, but it absolutely feels like YA due to the shallowness of the concept and plausibility of the entire plot. 

It's like a half-baked Black Mirror episode pitched by a milquetoast R.L. Stine. 

So *sometime* in the near future, there's now social media police and you can get sent to prison for going viral. Also, somehow, this is a shared prison program between the UK and the USA, two countries with zero overlap of jurisdiction or legal systems. Oh! And it's all run by a private corporation with zero oversight. Super plausible right?

Also, the prison is on a secluded island in Scotland where the natives are somehow uncontacted by modern day society. So realistic. 

And the monster is lame as shit. The author wasn't super clear but I think it's supposed to be a horse/spider out of myth. And it is not believable in the slightest. I'm assuming this is a real myth, but the execution on presenting it was so so dumb.