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ruhlen's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I'm kind of glad it was so short.
I must admit that I chose to listen to this novella based purely on the cover art and the title. The Salt Grows Heavy is an awesome, intriguing title and the cover art is striking and mysterious. Cassandra Khaw is an interesting writer - I'm still not sure if she is for me. I've read Food of the Gods, so I'm not unfamiliar with Khaw's viscerally graphic style. It did make me uncomfortable listening to it in this book, though.
The Salt Grows Heavy is a first-person retelling of the mermaid myth. It also includes a Frankenstein-esque tale of man trying to achieve immortality and what reminded me of Lord of the Flies group of children worshiping the trio of immortal "Saints." If you're looking for a deep, dark fairy tale, this is about as deep and as dark as you can get.
Susan Dalian performs the narration of the audiobook beautifully. I would compare this audiobook to Circe or Piranesi for the overall tone it evokes. The prose is poetic and delicate and gorgeous, in stark contrast to what it is describing. Much like my warning for Food of the Gods, do not read or listen to this story during any type of meal.
Overall, I think I would give this more like a 3.5. Did the story and writing make me uncomfortable? Yes. Was it memorable? Yes. Did it add something new to the fairy tale fantasy space? Yes. Was it my kind of story? Undecided. Since it is so short, if you are curious about Cassandra Khaw as an author and what she brings to the genre, I would definitely give this one a try. And I highly recommend the audiobook.
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Child abuse, Child death, Medical trauma, Torture, Animal death, Body horror, Gore, Medical content, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Genocide
thatoneguyjm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Murder, Death, Cannibalism, Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Grief, Medical trauma, Torture, Violence, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Miscarriage, Blood, and Body horror
leanne_miron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Child abuse, Child death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Genocide and Misogyny
reggiethebird's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, and Torture
axel_p's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Minor: Pregnancy, War, Body horror, Cannibalism, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Torture, Blood, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Genocide, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Vomit, Child death, and Gore
librarymouse's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed the way readers were dropped into the story after the narrator had taken a sort of revenge, and it's figuring out where to set herself in the world after, and I enjoy that some things are left unexplained.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Vomit, Violence, Animal death, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Death, Domestic abuse, Torture, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Genocide, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, and Murder
sharron_joy_reads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Moderate: Gore, Violence, Torture, Body horror, Child death, Death, Genocide, and Medical content
sarrie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Child death, Death, Gore, Cannibalism, Genocide, Blood, Body horror, and Violence
erynlasbelin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Child abuse, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Cannibalism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, and Torture
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Genocide, Vomit, and Excrement