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alexandryareads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Sexism and Religious bigotry
paigehf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Torture, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Minor: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
regina_184's review against another edition
2.75
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.
Graphic: Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Pregnancy
laurareads87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.5
The Salt Grows Heavy is a horror/fantasy novella of a murderous mermaid and a gender non-conforming plague doctor travelling through a near-dead kingdom, each with a traumatic past to contend with. Very well written, though it's hard to say 'beautifully written' when the subject matter is, very often, viscera. Heed the content warnings on this one - not for the faint of heart.
Content warnings: graphic gore & body horror throughout. Cannibalism is on page & described in detail. Blood, death, deaths of children, murder, violence, medical content, medical experimentation, misogyny, sexism, abuse, spousal abuse, rape (not on-page or described in any detail), kidnapping, mass murder, cult violence / religiously motivated abuse.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, and Murder
Moderate: Rape and Sexual assault
uncreativeoops'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? No
4.75
I was expecting the body horror, but not body horror mixed with so many emotions it was WILD.
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
itsheyfay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Misogyny, Sexism, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent
booksthatburn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Khaw's style has clearly developed more since HAMMERS ON BONE (also excellent), and this is less of a romp than THE ALL-CONSUMING WORLD. It has their willingness to just let a story be bleak without being depressing, finding hope interwoven with death, plus a strange interlude into cult deprogramming. It is specifically a follow up to one of the stories from the collection BREAKABLE THINGS, called "And in Our Daughters, We Find a Voice". That story is included in the back of THE SALT GROWS HEAVY for anyone who needs a refresher.
THE SALT GROWS HEAVY is a truly excellent piece of horror. I’m very glad I read it. I hope you like it too.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Confinement, Sexism, Vomit, and Grief
Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
"And in Our Daughters, We Find a Voice" - Graphic CW for blood, gore, death. Moderate CW for toxic relationship, confinement, pregnancy, miscarriage, violence, cannibalism.existentialhell's review against another edition
- 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
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
emthemermaid's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Torture, Violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Sexism
emimli's review against another edition
2.0
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.
Overall, there are some cool ideas in here, but the execution was sorely lacking.
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