Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

8 reviews

regina_184's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

2.75

Although very short, this book has a lot of interesting plot points and I liked how it included lots of mythology from different regions.

I wish this book was longer because I think the characters are very interesting. Overally this book is a little creepy and gory so it's perfect for Halloween season! However the language is a little flowery so it can be hard to understand the imagery at some points. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Pregnancy

jdieperink's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexual violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Cannibalism

uncreativeoops's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Took me a while to get into but once the main characters had an actual goal i was hooked. Gorgeous writing and creative similes; you either spend a very long time reading it to catch everything or you can find new things upon rereading it. The body horror is also very graphic in a lyrical way. I have no idea, where the setting was supposed to be, how the world or magic works. This felt like history, fantasy, and postapocalyptic at once and I didn't even mind. Also yes to violent reinterpretations of mermaids; beings from the ocean are terrifying and this should apply to mythological male fantasies as well.

Also I wasn't expecting the most raw love confession followed by torture followed by characters dying several times followed by a Frankensteinesque scene that had me giggling (??) and I still haven't processed it.

I was expecting the body horror, but not body horror mixed with so many emotions it was WILD.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

lakinlindsey's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Rape, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail

existentialhell's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Sexism and Sexual violence

cheye13's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Genuinely went into this fully blind and now think it deserves a more conscientious re-read. The tone and writing style were excellent and the imagery was extremely evocative. I think I lost track of who was what to whom because I was reading so quickly. Now that I know the story, I think a secord read will help me to appreciate the plot as well as the general imagery and vibes.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Grief, Cannibalism, Murder, and Gaslighting

Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Fire/Fire injury

physical abuse and sexual violence in relation to the little mermaid reference; the main character's human husband having cut out her tongue to control her; graphic: scenes of vivisection

leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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? No

4.0

 A Kingdom Devoured, A Mermaid On The Run👑 

↓ Similar Reads ↓
1. A Dowry of Blood by ST Gibson
2. A House With Good Bones by T Kingfisher (want to read!)
3. Any recommendations?

In this dark fairytale retelling, the prince takes a mermaid for his bride, and their monstrous daughters devour the kingdom. Only bones and ashes are left in their wake. The mermaid is now on the run, joined by a mysterious plague doctor, and the two must unleash the darkest parts of themselves in order to survive the nights ahead. Equal parts beautiful and cruel, Khaw's storytelling asks you to rethink what it means to be a monster.


As a horror newbie, I’m still figuring out which reads I am guaranteed to enjoy. However, when I saw this at the top of my library’s pile of newest additions, I actually couldn’t help but start reading it during my shift! I’ve always been a fan of fairytale retellings, especially those that bring back the stories’ original dark atmosphere. This is definitely an atmospheric read more than one belonging to the jump scare variety, which complements the hauntingly beautiful prose style. I was also heavily invested in the intimacy that grew between the two main characters as the narrative progressed. The plague doctor is depicted as a nonbinary character as well for those looking for inclusive horror recommendations!


Be sure to check out the content warnings on this title if you feel the need to do so! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Gore, and Violence

Moderate: Body horror and Blood

Minor: Sexual violence

emimli's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

2.0

I wanted to love this, but ultimately it fell flat for me.

My biggest gripe with this book is that the ending seemed very rushed and didn’t fit with the overall atmosphere of the story. It also felt very unearned. I’m not a fan of deus-ex-machina style endings where the central conflict is solved using a completely new, previously unmentioned plot/world/character element, which is unfortunately exactly what happens here. 

Additionally, from a technical standpoint, Khaw’s writing style is  pretty unbearable. Her prose reads like she just discovered the synonym tool in Microsoft Word. It’s overwrought to the point of being nonsensical at times.

The love story at the centre of this book was my favourite part, but even that needed to be built up much more.

The two MCs go from being vaguely horny for each other to expressing their undying love within mere hours. Nevermind that, as far as the reader knows, the MCs barely ever interacted prior to the events of the story, and now they’re too busy fighting for their lives against immortal sadists to have any real meaningful conversations. Am I supposed to believe these people are desperately in love when they barely even know each other? We needed a slower burn.

Overall, there are some  cool ideas in here, but the execution was sorely lacking.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Kidnapping, and Pregnancy