The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw | Book Review
This is a dark and beautiful tale of body horror.
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
Released May 2023
Source: Received for Review Consideration
From USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw comes The Salt Grows Heavy, a razor-sharp and bewitching fairytale of discovering the darkness in the world, and the darkness within oneself.
You may think you know how the fairytale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes.
On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three 'saints' who control them.
The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruellest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.
My 2 Cents for Free!
Khaw’s previous release, Nothing But Blackened Teeth, had some mixed reviews but I really enjoyed it though not as much as their story “These Deathless Bones” which was included in the audio version of Come Join Us By The Fire and which is still FREE! Click here to get it. Deathless Bones was one of the standouts in the collection for me. A viciously dark, horrific and unapologetic fairytale. The Salt Grows Heavy is much in the vein of that story and I absolutely loved it from the opening sentence to the last. It is weird and weirdly mesmerizing and it too reads like a viciously dark, horrific and unapologetic fairytale. It’s a very different book than Nothing But Blackened Teeth.
A mermaid, who has been brutalized in unforgivable and unimaginable ways by her “prince”, is DONE with being amenable and heads off on an adventure with someone she calls the plague doctor. They’re an unlikely pair but they get each other in ways no one else can.
“What is the point of revenge if you can’t enjoy it?”
This is a novella so I’m not going to go into things much further than to say they meet up with some savage children who lead them to three brutal surgeons or saints or whatever they call themselves. They believe in transformation and that “heaven can only be bridged by agony”. I’ll just call them talented power-hungry monsters and get on with my day. They’re the worst of the worst but they’re also rather brilliant as well. Guess we gotta take the good with the bad sometimes.
Anyhow, terrible body horror happens so prepare yourselves. The writing is beautiful, even and especially the descriptions of the atrocities. It’s a gorgeous nightmare of a tale with an unforgettable relationship at its tortured heart and fuck is it ever good.
It’s getting every one of my stingy stars, my highest recommendation and is a book so good I may even reread it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
More by Cassandra Khaw:
More by Cassandra Khaw:
Oh that sounds like a creepy one.
ReplyDeleteWow I like the sound of the mermaid having to embrace the cruelest part of her nature. Yes thanks. And what is she doing on the cover there? :)
ReplyDeleteI thought for sure I had commented on this one because it sounds pretty good. Maybe my comment got lost like it does on some blogs.
ReplyDeleteAmazing review. I loved this book so much! I wish it got more hype <3
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