The Salt Grows Heavy
Ratings49
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings49
Average rating3.7
From USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a dark and deliciously twisted mermaid tale. After murdering her husband and burning his kingdom to cinders, a mermaid joins a strange doctor on a journey through the eerie taiga. Deep in the woods, the pair stumble upon a village, full of seemingly ageless children and the three surgeons who oversee them—called only “the saints.” After discovering the villagers’ taste for a sinister blood sport, the mermaid and her companion must embrace the darkest parts of their true nature, if they hope to survive. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Reviews with the most likes.
Honestly I'm completely surprised at how much I enjoyed this book. Hear me out. I didn't like Nothing But Blackened Teeth AT ALL! The writing was too flowery and heavy with purple prose. The characters were flat and nothing really happened, especially nothing horror related.
But The Salt Grows Heavy is nothing like Nothing but Blackened Teeth. The plot is unique. It screams gothic horror. I absolutely adored the theme of “the Hunt” incorporating characters like a Plague Doctor and a mermaid who eats humans. Characters were interesting and different.
She absolutely crushed it with the body horror. All I can say without spoilers is if you have a weak stomach, good luck.
Khaw's writing is beautiful in this novella. It was way less “purple” and it showcases how strong of a writer she really is. I'm happy I took another chance on her writing.
Khaw spun a love story amongst all the gore and body horror that really brought the story together showing that true love really can withstand anything.
A dreamy medical nightmare, at turns gruesome and romantic. Beautiful.
Alternatively visceral, poignantly sweet and visually striking it left me wanting more but I can see why some readers might struggle with this one. It was a little hard to follow at times, but the writing style was so beautiful that it was still a very pleasant reading experience. I LOVE a very stylized prose that forces you to slow down to really appreciate it and I think that's what Khaw delivers here.
I learned of this book before it was out and waited for it with excitement. I always love novels with fewer pages and this was no exception. From the very start, I was sucked into the story and loved the characters. The relationship between the plague doctor and the narrator was so soft and intimate especially contrasted with the story around them. Their enormous care for each other was my favourite part.
The writing was somewhat hard to understand in the beginning and I had the urge to look up a great many words but after a while it became easier and I wasn't bothered by it nonetheless. The prose was amazing and I could have saved about a million quotes from this book with how beautiful everything was described. I hope Khaw has more novels like this because I will consume them with fervor.
