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The Salt Grows Heavy
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 cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.
Includes the bonus short story, "And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice", set in the same universe.
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 cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.
Includes the bonus short story, "And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice", set in the same universe.
106 pages, Hardcover
First published May 2, 2023
991 people are currently reading
64817 people want to read
About the author
Cassandra Khaw
130 books2,648 followersCassandra Khaw is an award-winning game writer.
Their recent novella Nothing but Blackened Teeth was a British
Fantasy, World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson, and Bram Stoker
Award finalist. Their debut collection Breakable Things is now
out.
Their recent novella Nothing but Blackened Teeth was a British
Fantasy, World Fantasy, Shirley Jackson, and Bram Stoker
Award finalist. Their debut collection Breakable Things is now
out.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,951 reviews
May 2, 2023
This would have been such a fantastic story if it wasn’t used as an opportunity to test out every Scrabble word in existence.
It didn’t add to the story, it made it seem almost pretentious.
The only good part was the Epilogue. Loved it. Even the story was unique but I couldn’t understand half of it with the constant use of elaborate, unusual vocabulary.
It didn’t add to the story, it made it seem almost pretentious.
The only good part was the Epilogue. Loved it. Even the story was unique but I couldn’t understand half of it with the constant use of elaborate, unusual vocabulary.
May 13, 2024
‘The powerful have always made meals of the small.’
Stories have power. They pass on lessons, they can be ‘a means to conquer the terrors of mankind through metaphor,’ as fairy tale expert wrote, but they can also uphold power and enforce standards. The Salt Grows Heavy, the vicious and bewitching body horror novella by Cassandra Khaw, is full of the stuff of myths from mermaids to necromancy. Though in the wake of all the grisly deaths scattering corpses across the narrative, the darkest terrors are those who wield parasitic power over others and retain it through ‘weaponized stories’. Stories that silence or demonize those who’d dare raise a voice against them, stories that turn heads away from abuse, stories that allow evil to roam and have altars erected in its name. The stories from which nightmares are born. From the ashes of a kingdom devoured by the mouths of mermaids born to a king and his living myth turned chattel and status symbol to a mysterious cult deep in the forests of the taiga, Khaw sends us shivering along with our mermaid narrator and her companion, a genderless plague doctor where magic and myth buts against morality. Utterly impossible to put down, The Salt Grows Heavy is a ghastly and gruesome tale told in gorgeous, lyrical prose as if from the choirs of hell.
For maximum enjoyment, listen to along with the review.
‘[T]here is nothing fair or sweet about this world.’
This is not a story for the feint of heart and has teeth as sharp as the mermaids within it. Effectively a sequel to her earlier short story And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice (you can , though it is included at the end of the book), Khaw delivers an excellent frightfest and dynamic world-building in just 100pgs. It is a violent story, but the telling of it will grab you by the throat and you’ll dare not look away. Khaw writes in such an impressive and vast thematic lexicon that feels as otherworldly as it is grotesque. Some may call it over-written, and I won’t argue despite loving it, though I’d argue against it being indulgent as it is consistent and grants the story such a darkly ornate and threatening atmosphere essential to the tale. It is like a gothic cathedral with the most horrific of gargoyles, sturdy and and awe-inspiring yet ferocious and frightening. I admittedly had to look up a few words, and she uses large or antiquated and numinously-infused terms with a finesse usually associated with . Her phrasing and imagery is darkly dazzling as well, with ‘the night-bruised sea,’ a beseeching boy is described as ‘‘a priest at the death of time, evangelizing for a heaven long crumbled into nostalgia,’ or fear as ‘like a second heart beating itself to death against your temples, like love, like something not unlike love.’ Plus, Khaw can write some truly visceral violence. It would be overly gross if it wasn’t so genuinely poetic.
‘There is nothing wrong with being a monster.’
The story takes a thematic root in and all its variations beyond ’s tale. Told from the perspective of a mermaid, we find her mute as a result of her wedding a prince on his ascent to the throne as in the familiar story, yet here the circumstances are much more sinister. The myths around mermaids, we learn, are ‘lies, all of them. Myths to make my captivity more palatable.’ The story opens where the short story had concluded, with the narrator’s children having been born and gruesomely eaten everyone in the kingdom, save for a lonely plague doctor (I absolutely adore the plague doctor and enjoy the representation of they/them pronouns used for them). She is ‘the mother of monsters,’ and as mythologist points out, monsters in myth are often women. Mermaids, Medusa, harpies, the wicked witch, selkies and more. ‘The idea of a female untamed nature which must be leashed or else will wreak havoc closely reflects mythological heroes’ struggles against monsters,’ she writes in , adding ‘The female form provides the solution in which the essence itself is held; she is passio, and acted upon, the male is actio, the mover.’ The narrator (her name is unpronounceable in human tongues, though treasure having yours still attached) muses on this stating ‘it is always interesting to see how often women are described as ravenous when it is the men who, without exception, take without thought of compensation.’ This is our first glimpse at how the framing of stories upholds a narrative that serves to hold down already oppressed people.
‘The stories aren’t entirely wrong, but they’re certainly not right.’
According to a myth is ‘a system of communication…it’s a message,’ and drawing from Barthes, semiotician writes in his book, , ‘Their function is to make dominant cultural and historical values; attitudes and beliefs seem entirely “natural”, “normal”, self-evident, timeless, obvious “common-sense” -and thus objective and “true” reflections of “the way things are”.’ So when our odd couple arrives at the village, having witnessed a murder and led there with the promise witnessing a miracle, they note the behavior and speech of the locals—curiously all children—and that ‘the normalcy rankles. It reeks of rehearsal.’ Stories have been weaponized and are the three “Saints” who rule the village actually benevolent Gods as the children believe, or have they mythologized themself into power? And what are their true intentions, and curiously, what connection do they have with the plague doctor and the scars that line their face? ‘No myth can remain terrifying when you’ve seen it broken and beaten, rendered as toothless as an old crone,’ Khaw writes, and when situations become dire, will our unlikely heroes have to draw the monsters from within to find the monsters that beleaguer them?
This is a fascinating and unsettling book, with a tension and creeping dread that gives way to unspeakable horrors and brutality. Yet there is a tender heart beating and bleeding along with it. When Khaw bends her prose towards love, it is with ethereal power that casts out all the shadows and savagery of the story.
In a matter of 100pgs the readers nerves are tested, fried, and brought to life again and again as Khaw’s prose looks up at you from the page with a wryly devilish grin and licks blood from it’s lips. The ending gets a bit muddied (in kind of a fun way though) but I also love how she just rolls with it and the magical explanations at a few points are too fun to overthink anyways. The Salt Grows Heavy is a sharp tale of body horror and myths at their most violent, but also a charming fairy tale that conquers the darkness and amounts to a page-turning success.
4.5/5
‘This then is the nature of their immorality: a cruel parasitism, worse than the hunger of the hunt and its teeth.’
Stories have power. They pass on lessons, they can be ‘a means to conquer the terrors of mankind through metaphor,’ as fairy tale expert wrote, but they can also uphold power and enforce standards. The Salt Grows Heavy, the vicious and bewitching body horror novella by Cassandra Khaw, is full of the stuff of myths from mermaids to necromancy. Though in the wake of all the grisly deaths scattering corpses across the narrative, the darkest terrors are those who wield parasitic power over others and retain it through ‘weaponized stories’. Stories that silence or demonize those who’d dare raise a voice against them, stories that turn heads away from abuse, stories that allow evil to roam and have altars erected in its name. The stories from which nightmares are born. From the ashes of a kingdom devoured by the mouths of mermaids born to a king and his living myth turned chattel and status symbol to a mysterious cult deep in the forests of the taiga, Khaw sends us shivering along with our mermaid narrator and her companion, a genderless plague doctor where magic and myth buts against morality. Utterly impossible to put down, The Salt Grows Heavy is a ghastly and gruesome tale told in gorgeous, lyrical prose as if from the choirs of hell.
For maximum enjoyment, listen to along with the review.
‘[T]here is nothing fair or sweet about this world.’
This is not a story for the feint of heart and has teeth as sharp as the mermaids within it. Effectively a sequel to her earlier short story And In Our Daughters, We Find a Voice (you can , though it is included at the end of the book), Khaw delivers an excellent frightfest and dynamic world-building in just 100pgs. It is a violent story, but the telling of it will grab you by the throat and you’ll dare not look away. Khaw writes in such an impressive and vast thematic lexicon that feels as otherworldly as it is grotesque. Some may call it over-written, and I won’t argue despite loving it, though I’d argue against it being indulgent as it is consistent and grants the story such a darkly ornate and threatening atmosphere essential to the tale. It is like a gothic cathedral with the most horrific of gargoyles, sturdy and and awe-inspiring yet ferocious and frightening. I admittedly had to look up a few words, and she uses large or antiquated and numinously-infused terms with a finesse usually associated with . Her phrasing and imagery is darkly dazzling as well, with ‘the night-bruised sea,’ a beseeching boy is described as ‘‘a priest at the death of time, evangelizing for a heaven long crumbled into nostalgia,’ or fear as ‘like a second heart beating itself to death against your temples, like love, like something not unlike love.’ Plus, Khaw can write some truly visceral violence. It would be overly gross if it wasn’t so genuinely poetic.
‘There is nothing wrong with being a monster.’
The story takes a thematic root in and all its variations beyond ’s tale. Told from the perspective of a mermaid, we find her mute as a result of her wedding a prince on his ascent to the throne as in the familiar story, yet here the circumstances are much more sinister. The myths around mermaids, we learn, are ‘lies, all of them. Myths to make my captivity more palatable.’ The story opens where the short story had concluded, with the narrator’s children having been born and gruesomely eaten everyone in the kingdom, save for a lonely plague doctor (I absolutely adore the plague doctor and enjoy the representation of they/them pronouns used for them). She is ‘the mother of monsters,’ and as mythologist points out, monsters in myth are often women. Mermaids, Medusa, harpies, the wicked witch, selkies and more. ‘The idea of a female untamed nature which must be leashed or else will wreak havoc closely reflects mythological heroes’ struggles against monsters,’ she writes in , adding ‘The female form provides the solution in which the essence itself is held; she is passio, and acted upon, the male is actio, the mover.’ The narrator (her name is unpronounceable in human tongues, though treasure having yours still attached) muses on this stating ‘it is always interesting to see how often women are described as ravenous when it is the men who, without exception, take without thought of compensation.’ This is our first glimpse at how the framing of stories upholds a narrative that serves to hold down already oppressed people.
‘The stories aren’t entirely wrong, but they’re certainly not right.’
According to a myth is ‘a system of communication…it’s a message,’ and drawing from Barthes, semiotician writes in his book, , ‘Their function is to make dominant cultural and historical values; attitudes and beliefs seem entirely “natural”, “normal”, self-evident, timeless, obvious “common-sense” -and thus objective and “true” reflections of “the way things are”.’ So when our odd couple arrives at the village, having witnessed a murder and led there with the promise witnessing a miracle, they note the behavior and speech of the locals—curiously all children—and that ‘the normalcy rankles. It reeks of rehearsal.’ Stories have been weaponized and are the three “Saints” who rule the village actually benevolent Gods as the children believe, or have they mythologized themself into power? And what are their true intentions, and curiously, what connection do they have with the plague doctor and the scars that line their face? ‘No myth can remain terrifying when you’ve seen it broken and beaten, rendered as toothless as an old crone,’ Khaw writes, and when situations become dire, will our unlikely heroes have to draw the monsters from within to find the monsters that beleaguer them?
This is a fascinating and unsettling book, with a tension and creeping dread that gives way to unspeakable horrors and brutality. Yet there is a tender heart beating and bleeding along with it. When Khaw bends her prose towards love, it is with ethereal power that casts out all the shadows and savagery of the story.
‘I would follow them into the demise of the universe where every heaven and each hell is shuttered, and there is nothing of us but motings of wan light, and there is no bodily apparatus with which to express affection, no recourse save to glow weakly in worship until at last, such thing are swallowed too by the dark.
That I would love them even then.
As long as a moiety of conscious thought persists, I will love them.
I will love them to the death of days.’
In a matter of 100pgs the readers nerves are tested, fried, and brought to life again and again as Khaw’s prose looks up at you from the page with a wryly devilish grin and licks blood from it’s lips. The ending gets a bit muddied (in kind of a fun way though) but I also love how she just rolls with it and the magical explanations at a few points are too fun to overthink anyways. The Salt Grows Heavy is a sharp tale of body horror and myths at their most violent, but also a charming fairy tale that conquers the darkness and amounts to a page-turning success.
4.5/5
‘This then is the nature of their immorality: a cruel parasitism, worse than the hunger of the hunt and its teeth.’
May 24, 2024
Check out my .
My complete review is published at .
Cassandra Khaw’s new novella, The Salt Grows Heavy, is a darkly beautiful nightmare brought to life, which will drive a dagger through your heart and leave you begging for more.
The Salt Grows Heavy is narrated by a mermaid who, as in The Little Mermaid, has become mute for her royal human partner. But in Khaw’s tale, the mermaid loses her tongue in a bizarre ritual of autosarcophagy that promotes spousal fealty and obedience. As the novel opens, the couple’s ravenous daughters have recently devoured their father and the people of his kingdom, reducing the remnants to ash.
In the wake of this cannibalistic apocalypse, the narrator and her companion, an androgynous plague doctor with a raptor-like face, venture to a strange village. The children there appear to be part of a cult controlled by three self-described saints who practice the most macabre forms of surgery in their pursuit of an unspeakable end.
The Salt Grows Heavy is equally grotesque and enchanting. Cassandra Khaw’s writing is immaculate, with every word carefully chosen for maximum impact. The lyricism of her prose is juxtaposed with the horrifying imagery of the story, which includes detailed scenes of bodily mutilation and consumption of human flesh.
For all its horror, The Salt Grows Heavy is also a touchingly restrained love story. A fitting subtitle for Khaw’s novella could be, “Love in the Time of Cannibalism.” Like the classic Love in the Time of Cholera written by the Nobel Prize-winning master of magical realism, Gabriel García Márquez, The Salt Grows Heavy is ultimately a story about the enduring power of love. But in Cassandra Khaw’s case, this love story is set against the darkest of dark fantasy.
The Salt Grows Heavy feels like a hallucinatory night terror from Hans Christian Andersen. Anderson’s original The Little Mermaid is, of course, much darker than the version popularized by Disney. But Khaw cranks the darkness knob all the way to the “black hole” setting, sucking the reader into the story and refusing to let go.
Unable to extricate myself from Cassandra Khaw’s grasp at the end of the novella, I immediately flipped back to the beginning to prolong my immersive experience in her dark world. The lyricism and inventiveness of Khaw’s prose struck me even more on the second read, as many small details emerged that I had overlooked during my first time through. Ultimately, I forced myself to put the book down, so I could write this review and share the grim beauty of The Salt Grows Heavy with all of you.
The Salt Grows Heavy is a truly mesmerizing story and one of the finest works of horror and dark fantasy I have ever read, dripping with a gruesome and disquieting passion.
My complete review is published at .
Cassandra Khaw’s new novella, The Salt Grows Heavy, is a darkly beautiful nightmare brought to life, which will drive a dagger through your heart and leave you begging for more.
The Salt Grows Heavy is narrated by a mermaid who, as in The Little Mermaid, has become mute for her royal human partner. But in Khaw’s tale, the mermaid loses her tongue in a bizarre ritual of autosarcophagy that promotes spousal fealty and obedience. As the novel opens, the couple’s ravenous daughters have recently devoured their father and the people of his kingdom, reducing the remnants to ash.
In the wake of this cannibalistic apocalypse, the narrator and her companion, an androgynous plague doctor with a raptor-like face, venture to a strange village. The children there appear to be part of a cult controlled by three self-described saints who practice the most macabre forms of surgery in their pursuit of an unspeakable end.
The Salt Grows Heavy is equally grotesque and enchanting. Cassandra Khaw’s writing is immaculate, with every word carefully chosen for maximum impact. The lyricism of her prose is juxtaposed with the horrifying imagery of the story, which includes detailed scenes of bodily mutilation and consumption of human flesh.
For all its horror, The Salt Grows Heavy is also a touchingly restrained love story. A fitting subtitle for Khaw’s novella could be, “Love in the Time of Cannibalism.” Like the classic Love in the Time of Cholera written by the Nobel Prize-winning master of magical realism, Gabriel García Márquez, The Salt Grows Heavy is ultimately a story about the enduring power of love. But in Cassandra Khaw’s case, this love story is set against the darkest of dark fantasy.
The Salt Grows Heavy feels like a hallucinatory night terror from Hans Christian Andersen. Anderson’s original The Little Mermaid is, of course, much darker than the version popularized by Disney. But Khaw cranks the darkness knob all the way to the “black hole” setting, sucking the reader into the story and refusing to let go.
Unable to extricate myself from Cassandra Khaw’s grasp at the end of the novella, I immediately flipped back to the beginning to prolong my immersive experience in her dark world. The lyricism and inventiveness of Khaw’s prose struck me even more on the second read, as many small details emerged that I had overlooked during my first time through. Ultimately, I forced myself to put the book down, so I could write this review and share the grim beauty of The Salt Grows Heavy with all of you.
The Salt Grows Heavy is a truly mesmerizing story and one of the finest works of horror and dark fantasy I have ever read, dripping with a gruesome and disquieting passion.
May 28, 2023
reading this SHORT novella felt like that one episode of FRIENDS where joey writes a letter of recommendation for monica and chandler except he used a thesaurus for every. damn. word. making it incomprehensible
May 5, 2023
I liked The Salt Grows Heavy. (I think.)
But maybe I didn’t because I had an urge to put it down more than once while I read it. Only I couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried. I had to see how the story ended.
If you’ve read Cassandra Khaw before, then you know they like big words and dense prose to the point where it’s sometimes hard to discern their meaning. And you’ll find lots more of it here in their latest novella, a horrific fairy tale about a mermaid and a plague doctor who are travelling through the forest.
It’s gruesome. Disturbing. Yet sickly captivating. This mermaid has teeth and a taste for human flesh, and while on their journey, she and the plague doctor come to a village filled with bloodthirsty children and three cannibalistic saints. There is no end to the body horror.
My repulsion for the gore is why I wanted to put the novella aside. My fascination with the mermaid and her plague doctor, however, is why I continued to read what is, at the center of its dark and bloody core, a love story. One that is both sad and twisted in its romance.
So four stars for The Salt Grows Heavy. (I think.) My like for it may be questionable, but I also can’t stop thinking about it.
My sincerest appreciation to Cassandra Khaw and Tor Nightfire for the physical advanced reading copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
But maybe I didn’t because I had an urge to put it down more than once while I read it. Only I couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried. I had to see how the story ended.
If you’ve read Cassandra Khaw before, then you know they like big words and dense prose to the point where it’s sometimes hard to discern their meaning. And you’ll find lots more of it here in their latest novella, a horrific fairy tale about a mermaid and a plague doctor who are travelling through the forest.
It’s gruesome. Disturbing. Yet sickly captivating. This mermaid has teeth and a taste for human flesh, and while on their journey, she and the plague doctor come to a village filled with bloodthirsty children and three cannibalistic saints. There is no end to the body horror.
My repulsion for the gore is why I wanted to put the novella aside. My fascination with the mermaid and her plague doctor, however, is why I continued to read what is, at the center of its dark and bloody core, a love story. One that is both sad and twisted in its romance.
So four stars for The Salt Grows Heavy. (I think.) My like for it may be questionable, but I also can’t stop thinking about it.
My sincerest appreciation to Cassandra Khaw and Tor Nightfire for the physical advanced reading copy. All opinions included herein are my own.
April 22, 2023
I have no fucking idea what that was about, but I really quite liked it
June 1, 2023
THE SALT GROWS HEAVY by Cassandra Khaw (Nothing But Blackened Teeth)
Release Date: May 2023
General Genre: Adult Horror, Dark Fantasy
Subgenre/Themes: Body Horror, Immortality cult, creepy isolated village, plague doctors, mermaids
Writing Style: Fast pace, intricately detailed, luscious prose
What You Need to Know: A vengeful mermaid and a plague doctor journey together through unknown territory. They stumble upon some children playing a murderous game and follow them back to an isolated, eerie village with "ageless" children who worship a trio of sinister surgeons.
My Reading Experience: I am thoroughly flabbergasted. I finished this book with my jaw dropped open and a full-on reader's high. There is so much I love about this story, I honestly don't know what to say or where to start. I suppose I can appeal to readers who have enjoyed the cartoon, "Over the Garden Wall". This has that same "stumbled into a creepy village where the townsfolk are up to something" vibe while still being whimsical/playful but in a dark, creepy way. I hope that makes sense! It will be to the right people.
However, this doesn't stop at "eerie & creepy", it transitions quite earnestly into savagery and horror. This is not your garden variety "beautiful mermaid falls in love with a handsome prince" although there is love and the mermaid is beautiful if you're a horror freak like me and you are drawn to mythological creatures stereotypes obliterated in favor of a more realistic, terrifying version but there is not a "handsome prince". The mermaid is in love with a plague doctor with a sweet disposition, a quiet demeanor, and an androgynous sex appeal.
These two encounter a terrifying scene, some children hunting another child for sport. Eventually, they find themselves in a village filled with odd children and uncover a secret cult led by a trio of evil surgeons. The plague doctor's identity is revealed and the mermaid's inhuman qualities come to light.
Cassandra Khaw has a seductive, skillful way around descriptive words that make her characters pop right off the page. I was immediately absorbed into Khaw's setting and bewitched by the luscious, elegant prose. I enjoyed the feeling of being lured into a fairy tale knowing that Khaw is a horror writer and anticipating something sinister. It delivers so deliciously.
Final Recommendation: I love this book so much. It's only February with a whole year of horror books ahead of us but don't worry, I won't let anyone forget this one.
Comps: Over the Garden Wall, Grimm's Fairy Tales... I've never read anything like this!
Release Date: May 2023
General Genre: Adult Horror, Dark Fantasy
Subgenre/Themes: Body Horror, Immortality cult, creepy isolated village, plague doctors, mermaids
Writing Style: Fast pace, intricately detailed, luscious prose
What You Need to Know: A vengeful mermaid and a plague doctor journey together through unknown territory. They stumble upon some children playing a murderous game and follow them back to an isolated, eerie village with "ageless" children who worship a trio of sinister surgeons.
My Reading Experience: I am thoroughly flabbergasted. I finished this book with my jaw dropped open and a full-on reader's high. There is so much I love about this story, I honestly don't know what to say or where to start. I suppose I can appeal to readers who have enjoyed the cartoon, "Over the Garden Wall". This has that same "stumbled into a creepy village where the townsfolk are up to something" vibe while still being whimsical/playful but in a dark, creepy way. I hope that makes sense! It will be to the right people.
However, this doesn't stop at "eerie & creepy", it transitions quite earnestly into savagery and horror. This is not your garden variety "beautiful mermaid falls in love with a handsome prince" although there is love and the mermaid is beautiful if you're a horror freak like me and you are drawn to mythological creatures stereotypes obliterated in favor of a more realistic, terrifying version but there is not a "handsome prince". The mermaid is in love with a plague doctor with a sweet disposition, a quiet demeanor, and an androgynous sex appeal.
These two encounter a terrifying scene, some children hunting another child for sport. Eventually, they find themselves in a village filled with odd children and uncover a secret cult led by a trio of evil surgeons. The plague doctor's identity is revealed and the mermaid's inhuman qualities come to light.
Cassandra Khaw has a seductive, skillful way around descriptive words that make her characters pop right off the page. I was immediately absorbed into Khaw's setting and bewitched by the luscious, elegant prose. I enjoyed the feeling of being lured into a fairy tale knowing that Khaw is a horror writer and anticipating something sinister. It delivers so deliciously.
Final Recommendation: I love this book so much. It's only February with a whole year of horror books ahead of us but don't worry, I won't let anyone forget this one.
Comps: Over the Garden Wall, Grimm's Fairy Tales... I've never read anything like this!
May 22, 2024
“Carry me through the centuries. I think I’d like to share, just a little, in what immortality is like.”
cassandra khaw delivers a dark, compelling tale within 100 pages, beautifully woven and mystical, filled with morbidly fascinating gore, and perhaps one of the most enchantingly and achingly sweet love stories ever written.
this book feels like village folklore, passed down through oral retellings from the village recluse to wide-eyed children, filled with vivid imagery that leaves them hanging onto each gruesome, nauseating, yet enrapturing word.
the writing is somewhat sesquipedalian, with single scenes and emotions described laboriously and repetitively, but I felt that the flowery verbosity of the text created a more fairytale-esque atmosphere, adding vividness and mysticism rather than detracting from the story.
“I will love them to the death of days.”
in between the dark poetic prose of body horror and the lightness of an enduring love, cassandra khaw also weaves in nuanced commentary about the experience of being a woman in a patriarchal society. the narrator's mermaid background serves as a narrative device to highlight how women are often depicted as needing to be conquered, controlled, and victimized in stories dominated by those in power. although this was a subtle detail, a singular silver thread woven throughout, i adored when it was brought to light.
“It is always interesting to see how often women are described as ravenous when it is the men who, without exception, take without thought of compensation.”
the characters were striking (i love them), and while the relationship may not have been so openly and descriptively built up, it was the small gestures and brushes of skin and the holding of hands that eventually blossomed into a most heart aching love. i adored the nonbinary representation and the fleshing out of the tale of the little mermaid, spun into a dark and yet beautiful and endearing story. i am nothing but a romantic fool at heart (ha) and i love the idea that what makes us human, despite it all, is love.
“And it is enough, it is more than enough.”
pre-read.ᝰ.ᐟ
dark fairy tale retellings are my fave.
let’s goooo ᕕ( ꈍ◡ꈍ)ᕗ
August 11, 2023
The Salt Grow Heavy by Cassandra Khaw is a Blend of Dark Fantasy and Horror!
Fairytale or Nightmare?
A mermaid mother and her mermaid daughters with sharp teeth like hers, an androgynous plague doctor, ageless children, sinister surgeons, and everyone seems to be ravishingly hungry, in the weirdest way...
Are you curious yet?
Despite many readers not loving this author's last novella Nothing But Blackened Teeth I did enjoy it. It was atmospheric with characters that were a perfect blend between ridiculous and certifiable. It was creepy good fun, entertaining, and I was all in. I wanted more of it.
The Salt Grows Heavy is altogether different. You come to expect something dark and horrific from this author and it was definitely delivered again. The atmosphere feels apocalyptic, feral, and haunting. It felt like watching someone on hallucinogenics perhaps experiencing a bad trip. Not quite what I expected but absolutely creative and original.
The author's writing is repulsively beautiful prose that carries me through the story but often loses me along the way. The words did not always flow in a pleasing way so I didn't hear the music I was expecting or could have heard with much less effort from the author.
The Salt Grows Heavy audiobook was narrated by Susan Dalian and although her gender voicing was a bit muddled, her narration overall was enjoyable.
I don't believe I could have taken a larger dose of The Salt Grows Heavy. This portion was satisfyingly adequate and I recommend it to those readers who love Horror and Dark Fantasy!
3.25⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Cassandra Khaw for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
Fairytale or Nightmare?
A mermaid mother and her mermaid daughters with sharp teeth like hers, an androgynous plague doctor, ageless children, sinister surgeons, and everyone seems to be ravishingly hungry, in the weirdest way...
Are you curious yet?
Despite many readers not loving this author's last novella Nothing But Blackened Teeth I did enjoy it. It was atmospheric with characters that were a perfect blend between ridiculous and certifiable. It was creepy good fun, entertaining, and I was all in. I wanted more of it.
The Salt Grows Heavy is altogether different. You come to expect something dark and horrific from this author and it was definitely delivered again. The atmosphere feels apocalyptic, feral, and haunting. It felt like watching someone on hallucinogenics perhaps experiencing a bad trip. Not quite what I expected but absolutely creative and original.
The author's writing is repulsively beautiful prose that carries me through the story but often loses me along the way. The words did not always flow in a pleasing way so I didn't hear the music I was expecting or could have heard with much less effort from the author.
The Salt Grows Heavy audiobook was narrated by Susan Dalian and although her gender voicing was a bit muddled, her narration overall was enjoyable.
I don't believe I could have taken a larger dose of The Salt Grows Heavy. This portion was satisfyingly adequate and I recommend it to those readers who love Horror and Dark Fantasy!
3.25⭐
Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Cassandra Khaw for an ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review.
May 1, 2025
I was first interested in picking up Cassandra's work when I saw the cover for NOTHING BUT BLACKENED TEETH. Since the audio didn't work for me, it has been on my list to try on print/e-book. I'll get to it during next month's themed reads. Or October's.
This was a weird one, and I love weird. A mermaid comes to shore to marry a prince. We all know that story, yes? Yeah, no. She births a half-breed race of cannibals that eats their entire kingdom. Still with me?
So the mermaid goes on the run with an androgynous plague doctor. I didn't love the voice the narrator used for them, but that's personal preference. Anyway, they go on a journey. They find these little vampire children.
I'm fine with the mermaid cannibals. I'm fine with the vampire children. I'm not sure both made sense, but perhaps I'm not the target audience here. I'd like to eventually try this on print. I kept zoning in and out while listening to the audio. But I will be picking up more of Cassandra's books, because they're non-binary and I like to support marginalized authors.
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
This was a weird one, and I love weird. A mermaid comes to shore to marry a prince. We all know that story, yes? Yeah, no. She births a half-breed race of cannibals that eats their entire kingdom. Still with me?
So the mermaid goes on the run with an androgynous plague doctor. I didn't love the voice the narrator used for them, but that's personal preference. Anyway, they go on a journey. They find these little vampire children.
I'm fine with the mermaid cannibals. I'm fine with the vampire children. I'm not sure both made sense, but perhaps I'm not the target audience here. I'd like to eventually try this on print. I kept zoning in and out while listening to the audio. But I will be picking up more of Cassandra's books, because they're non-binary and I like to support marginalized authors.
🎧 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio
April 4, 2025
The Salt Grows Heavy is a good novella. The writing is gorgeously-dark, with a lot of solid body horror, but it was just a little too abstract for my tastes.
((^^^ Clearly kidding ^^^))
My opinion matters not at all. If this sounds intriguing to you, definitely give it a shot. In fact, I want to be clear, I did enjoy this. I liked it. It's a solid novella. I just could not tell you the point, or really what happened at all.
I think it is a fresh, yet horrific, take on The Little Mermaid, but I'm only pulling that from the publisher's synopsis. Honestly, I would never have guessed that while reading this story, if I hadn't been prompted ahead of time.
I think Cassandra Khaw is an incredibly smart and creative human. Khaw is most likely too smart for me. I do really appreciate their horror imagery though. It's always a bit body horror, always a bit wildly-detailed and it never fails to make my toes curl.
I am going to continue picking up Khaw's stories. Every time I am impressed with the creation. Some aspects hit, some aspects miss, but it's always intriguing.
This is a bit of a short review for me, but this novella is just over 100-pages and I really didn't understand 98-of the pages, so not sure what else to say.
Writing = beautiful; concept = over my head.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
As mentioned, I find Khaw's stories captivating, if a bit confusing. I definitely look forward to seeing what they deliver next!
((^^^ Clearly kidding ^^^))
My opinion matters not at all. If this sounds intriguing to you, definitely give it a shot. In fact, I want to be clear, I did enjoy this. I liked it. It's a solid novella. I just could not tell you the point, or really what happened at all.
I think it is a fresh, yet horrific, take on The Little Mermaid, but I'm only pulling that from the publisher's synopsis. Honestly, I would never have guessed that while reading this story, if I hadn't been prompted ahead of time.
I think Cassandra Khaw is an incredibly smart and creative human. Khaw is most likely too smart for me. I do really appreciate their horror imagery though. It's always a bit body horror, always a bit wildly-detailed and it never fails to make my toes curl.
I am going to continue picking up Khaw's stories. Every time I am impressed with the creation. Some aspects hit, some aspects miss, but it's always intriguing.
This is a bit of a short review for me, but this novella is just over 100-pages and I really didn't understand 98-of the pages, so not sure what else to say.
Writing = beautiful; concept = over my head.
Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review.
As mentioned, I find Khaw's stories captivating, if a bit confusing. I definitely look forward to seeing what they deliver next!
January 8, 2024
In lieu of a review, I'll just put up some quotes.
"The foundation, at a careless look, could pass for bones, the door for a mouth, the chimney a finger crooked at the sky, or at a wife who would not be a savior." - what does that mean?
"The plague doctor tasks themself with everything else: defenses, the replenishment of our rations, the ablutions of my mount." - the what of your what?
"They laugh, the sound refracted by keratin." - huh
"The two of us move in simpatico, keeping time with each other, always parallel, dark and light and the smell of plasma from my clandestine repast cooling on my fingertips." - if this is romance, I don't want it
"His mask is a drowned man’s blue, and his gaze, restored somehow, whole again, is the color of medusae washed to shore, all turgid transparence and shuddering villi." - WHAT COLOR IS IT CASSANDRA I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS
"...and they laugh like they’re proletariat-raised, full of brashness." - idk I just found that funny af lol, only the working class knows how to have proper fun
"The door is slammed open. The children barge in. I join the mass of bodies, craning a look around their shoulders. The antumbra reveals little: ..." - I had to Google antumbra and even then, it didn't make sense. The light you're describing is NOT an antumbra
"To my surprise, no one has come to investigate the wailing, not even at its inchoate apex." - just say incomplete or beginning, wtf is with inchoate
"It piles higher as I walk, ankle-length first, then rising to the height of my thighs." - serious question, the main character is a mermaid - does she have ankles??
We get it, Cassandra, you use thesaurus.com. I'm not bothered by more flowery writing, but come on, it's a touch too much. I also don't know how the plot felt like it meandered even though the novella was so short. The premise sounds dope, but this is the second time Khaw's execution failed for me. The chapter about the mermaid's captivity was by far the coolest and most interesting - why couldn't the novella have been about this instead of a random village of three guys killing children? If you include a cool mermaid, why not REALLY write about her?? I think the decision to instead let the story be about this largely unrelated incident was bizarre.
Since I did like Khaw's take on mermaids and the plague doctor, I'm giving it two stars. I wanna end with the one quote I found really beautiful to mourn what could've been:
"The foundation, at a careless look, could pass for bones, the door for a mouth, the chimney a finger crooked at the sky, or at a wife who would not be a savior." - what does that mean?
"The plague doctor tasks themself with everything else: defenses, the replenishment of our rations, the ablutions of my mount." - the what of your what?
"They laugh, the sound refracted by keratin." - huh
"The two of us move in simpatico, keeping time with each other, always parallel, dark and light and the smell of plasma from my clandestine repast cooling on my fingertips." - if this is romance, I don't want it
"His mask is a drowned man’s blue, and his gaze, restored somehow, whole again, is the color of medusae washed to shore, all turgid transparence and shuddering villi." - WHAT COLOR IS IT CASSANDRA I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS
"...and they laugh like they’re proletariat-raised, full of brashness." - idk I just found that funny af lol, only the working class knows how to have proper fun
"The door is slammed open. The children barge in. I join the mass of bodies, craning a look around their shoulders. The antumbra reveals little: ..." - I had to Google antumbra and even then, it didn't make sense. The light you're describing is NOT an antumbra
"To my surprise, no one has come to investigate the wailing, not even at its inchoate apex." - just say incomplete or beginning, wtf is with inchoate
"It piles higher as I walk, ankle-length first, then rising to the height of my thighs." - serious question, the main character is a mermaid - does she have ankles??
We get it, Cassandra, you use thesaurus.com. I'm not bothered by more flowery writing, but come on, it's a touch too much. I also don't know how the plot felt like it meandered even though the novella was so short. The premise sounds dope, but this is the second time Khaw's execution failed for me. The chapter about the mermaid's captivity was by far the coolest and most interesting - why couldn't the novella have been about this instead of a random village of three guys killing children? If you include a cool mermaid, why not REALLY write about her?? I think the decision to instead let the story be about this largely unrelated incident was bizarre.
Since I did like Khaw's take on mermaids and the plague doctor, I'm giving it two stars. I wanna end with the one quote I found really beautiful to mourn what could've been:
February 19, 2023
Oh man. I was so excited to request this one when I saw it - scary mermaids are my JAM and I loved Khaw's Hammers on Bone novella. But honestly the only thing that impressed me about this one is how they managed to make a 97 page book feel like a freaking eternity.
I am never one to complain about having to look up new vocabulary words in books - I am a total logophile and LOVE adding new words to my repertoire... but this was so excessive. It read like the author kept a thesaurus next to them, changing a word each paragraph to sound smarter.
Honestly this story was so overwritten that I'm hard pressed to even remember the main plot points as it was so bogged down by fluff. The characters had no personality and I could not bring myself to care about them as I felt like I was just plopped into the middle of their story with no background information.
Huge thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy - unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.
I am never one to complain about having to look up new vocabulary words in books - I am a total logophile and LOVE adding new words to my repertoire... but this was so excessive. It read like the author kept a thesaurus next to them, changing a word each paragraph to sound smarter.
Honestly this story was so overwritten that I'm hard pressed to even remember the main plot points as it was so bogged down by fluff. The characters had no personality and I could not bring myself to care about them as I felt like I was just plopped into the middle of their story with no background information.
Huge thanks to the publisher for my gifted copy - unfortunately this one just wasn't for me.
May 11, 2023
These characters had a wild ass story to share, too bad Khaw's obsession with ten-dollar words gets in the way.
March 25, 2024
BOOKS THAT FEEL LIKE BLOODBORNE!!!
The Salt Grows Heavy is a bloody, sumptuous, deeply romantic story about a mermaid and a plague doctor taking down a cult. This book feels exactly like the reverse of an illuminated manuscript - just as shiny and detailed, but with darker colors and a grubbier veneer. Khaw's ability to blend disgust and beauty is truly commendable, and I love that you can feel the weight of the book's folklore and worldbuilding on the story without exploring them deeply. This is a book that allows for many interpretations and allegories, and in that it reminded me of . Is it about the way women and monsters are both viewed as prey, something to be caught and tamed? Is it about how we insert and reinvent ourselves into stories? Is it about the cycles of life and what we would do for those we love?
I don't think The Salt Grows Heavy will hit for everyone - Khaw gets a little lost in the sauce when it comes to prose, and I do think the more obscure word choices occasionally presented a hurdle to my enjoyment. But hey, sometimes "madrigal" is exactly the word you need.
Please note I work for Macmillan but opinions are my own. I’m not involved in the production of this book
The Salt Grows Heavy is a bloody, sumptuous, deeply romantic story about a mermaid and a plague doctor taking down a cult. This book feels exactly like the reverse of an illuminated manuscript - just as shiny and detailed, but with darker colors and a grubbier veneer. Khaw's ability to blend disgust and beauty is truly commendable, and I love that you can feel the weight of the book's folklore and worldbuilding on the story without exploring them deeply. This is a book that allows for many interpretations and allegories, and in that it reminded me of . Is it about the way women and monsters are both viewed as prey, something to be caught and tamed? Is it about how we insert and reinvent ourselves into stories? Is it about the cycles of life and what we would do for those we love?
I don't think The Salt Grows Heavy will hit for everyone - Khaw gets a little lost in the sauce when it comes to prose, and I do think the more obscure word choices occasionally presented a hurdle to my enjoyment. But hey, sometimes "madrigal" is exactly the word you need.
Please note I work for Macmillan but opinions are my own. I’m not involved in the production of this book
June 9, 2023
Brb while I make this my entire personality for a while because it was INCREDIBLE. Give me all of the murderous mermaids forever. RTC
August 17, 2024
when i find you ren... (╥﹏╥) // rtc!
idk ren told me to read this so she can yap so now i'm dropping everything to read it ♡ ～('▽^人)
idk ren told me to read this so she can yap so now i'm dropping everything to read it ♡ ～('▽^人)
May 11, 2023
THE SALT GROWS HEAVY is a mermaid tale. If the horror genre needs anything, it's more mermaid stories!
In this one, our mermaid has been forced to leave her hometown ... for reasons. On her travels she meets a man in a plague doctor mask and they continue travelling together. Until they reach a town of children and saints. Will both the mermaid and the plague doctor survive their visit? You'll have to read this to find out.
I'm finding it hard to come up with the right words here. I like Cassandra Khaw's writing, but at times it is just too dense and descriptive. For me, the language often slowed the story down and messed with the pacing.
THE SALT GROWS HEAVY reflects back to us how society often treats women, and it's not a pretty sight. Not even if the woman is a beautiful mermaid. When a woman wakes up today with certain rights, but tomorrow wakes up and those rights are gone, it's hard to deny that things really have not changed. Many have been pretending the whole time. Rapists run for president now, you know?
Overall, I did enjoy the story, but not as much as I had hoped. Every book is not for every reader, but I will continue to read Khaw's work, because her books are wild and thought-provoking. HAMMERS ON BONE will be up next on my Khaw TBR!
*Thank you to Tor, NetGalley, and the author for the paperback ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
In this one, our mermaid has been forced to leave her hometown ... for reasons. On her travels she meets a man in a plague doctor mask and they continue travelling together. Until they reach a town of children and saints. Will both the mermaid and the plague doctor survive their visit? You'll have to read this to find out.
I'm finding it hard to come up with the right words here. I like Cassandra Khaw's writing, but at times it is just too dense and descriptive. For me, the language often slowed the story down and messed with the pacing.
THE SALT GROWS HEAVY reflects back to us how society often treats women, and it's not a pretty sight. Not even if the woman is a beautiful mermaid. When a woman wakes up today with certain rights, but tomorrow wakes up and those rights are gone, it's hard to deny that things really have not changed. Many have been pretending the whole time. Rapists run for president now, you know?
Overall, I did enjoy the story, but not as much as I had hoped. Every book is not for every reader, but I will continue to read Khaw's work, because her books are wild and thought-provoking. HAMMERS ON BONE will be up next on my Khaw TBR!
*Thank you to Tor, NetGalley, and the author for the paperback ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!*
April 27, 2023
Gory, crunchy, bloody dark fantasy about a mermaid princess and a plague doctor traveling after her daughters brought down their own kingdom, a town of cannibal children and everyone hungry.
It took me a long time to even understand what is going on, although it was enjoyable towards the end, plus I find this language very dense and uneven. This is two in three times a miss for this author for me, I like their short stories, so maybe from now on I won't read longer writings but only stories from them. Some authors are like that, better at the shorter form.
It took me a long time to even understand what is going on, although it was enjoyable towards the end, plus I find this language very dense and uneven. This is two in three times a miss for this author for me, I like their short stories, so maybe from now on I won't read longer writings but only stories from them. Some authors are like that, better at the shorter form.
January 11, 2025
A beautifully graphic (keep in mind, this is body horror and very very graphic) tale of a cannibal mermaid and a plague doctor's travels after the prince who took her out of the sea turned out to be a nightmare instead of her happily-ever-after.
The mermaid is an incredible narrator who uses overly descriptive language to help you picture the setting and situations in such a perfect way that it's completely immersive. I've seen multiple people complain about the writing and I know it wasn't for everyone, but it worked for me ―even if it was hard to read at times because of the words I didn't know the meanings of as a non-native English speaker. Just stunning stunning writing.
“It is always interesting to see how often women are described as ravenous when it is the men who, without exception, take without thought of compensation.”In their journey we explore multiple things: the rage that comes after being a woman in a patriarchal society; the body, its autonomy and nature; the cult-like behavior of constant sacrifice and suffering with the idea that these'll make you worthy of the "heaven" promised after death; the propagation of myths; the lengths we can get and things we're not only willing but eager to do for love (this last thing, when explored, brought me to tears), and all of this in a little bit over 100 pages and with a gorgeous gorgeous epilogue too.
The mermaid is an incredible narrator who uses overly descriptive language to help you picture the setting and situations in such a perfect way that it's completely immersive. I've seen multiple people complain about the writing and I know it wasn't for everyone, but it worked for me ―even if it was hard to read at times because of the words I didn't know the meanings of as a non-native English speaker. Just stunning stunning writing.
“I gorge myself on his pain. I eat him alive. After everything that he has done, this seems like fair restitution.”↪ ★★★★ ½ stars
April 11, 2023
4.0 Stars
This is a strange, yet lyrical narrative. As a novella, this is a short tale but impressively rich and dense in such a few pages.
I picked up this one after really enjoying Nothing But Blackened Teeth. While I loved both novellas, I will advise readers that they are incredibly different from each other. In terms of maturity of prose and complexity of the narrative, this one has the upper hand. Even if readers didn't love her previous Tor Nightfire novella, they should try this one.
I would recommend this to readers looking for a beautiful dark and luscious mermaid tale.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This is a strange, yet lyrical narrative. As a novella, this is a short tale but impressively rich and dense in such a few pages.
I picked up this one after really enjoying Nothing But Blackened Teeth. While I loved both novellas, I will advise readers that they are incredibly different from each other. In terms of maturity of prose and complexity of the narrative, this one has the upper hand. Even if readers didn't love her previous Tor Nightfire novella, they should try this one.
I would recommend this to readers looking for a beautiful dark and luscious mermaid tale.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 27, 2023
After reading a quarter of this novella, I felt as if the author had tried to stuff a thesaurus into my head. Convoluted. Indecipherable. Needlessly challenging. Excessive. Purple prose. Overly ambitious word choices. Why not just tell a good story instead of torturing readers with this word salad?
The first paragraph:
“In the penumbra, the fading dusk gorgeted by coral and gold, you could be forgiven for mistaking the ruined house a ribcage, the roof its tent of ragged skin.“
I get it, but it was painful to read. I don‘t get a kick out of over-the-top vocabulary. I never had a chance of liking the story, because I bounced off the writing so hard with almost every sentence.
How about this one?
“But I am frightened now, and the absence of my plague doctor is a mouth in the nadir in my belly, eating its way through the womb’s wolf-light up to the uncaring sky.“
Seriously, why?
The sample reviews on the first few pages of this novella are obviously very positive, calling Khaw a word wizard, etc. I personally favour less wizardry and more of a smoothly flowing and easily understood prose.
About 40% into the story I got (slightly more) used to it. It all felt pretty pointless though. Yes, mild love story. The backstory of the plague doctor was ok as well. Other than that I really didn’t care. The writing was so annoying! Too much gratuitous violence. I hadn‘t expected this much body horror.
Why the mermaid and the plague doctor felt compelled to save the children—no idea. And what follows is mostly disturbing and ludicrous. Purple-prosed body horror, really not my thing. The Little Mermaid turned bad and met Frankenstein without much of a purpose.
Despite everything I did like the epilogue. That was kinda nice. Placing the prologue as the last chapter was a good move as well. The cover art is great and the main reason I got this novella. Sigh.
1/5 bezoars, because the word salad was just too annoying and the story too simple and ultimately pointless.
I also own a copy of . Seriously considering to simply dump it. But maybe I will give it a chance and read the first few pages.
The first paragraph:
“In the penumbra, the fading dusk gorgeted by coral and gold, you could be forgiven for mistaking the ruined house a ribcage, the roof its tent of ragged skin.“
I get it, but it was painful to read. I don‘t get a kick out of over-the-top vocabulary. I never had a chance of liking the story, because I bounced off the writing so hard with almost every sentence.
How about this one?
“But I am frightened now, and the absence of my plague doctor is a mouth in the nadir in my belly, eating its way through the womb’s wolf-light up to the uncaring sky.“
Seriously, why?
The sample reviews on the first few pages of this novella are obviously very positive, calling Khaw a word wizard, etc. I personally favour less wizardry and more of a smoothly flowing and easily understood prose.
About 40% into the story I got (slightly more) used to it. It all felt pretty pointless though. Yes, mild love story. The backstory of the plague doctor was ok as well. Other than that I really didn’t care. The writing was so annoying! Too much gratuitous violence. I hadn‘t expected this much body horror.
Why the mermaid and the plague doctor felt compelled to save the children—no idea. And what follows is mostly disturbing and ludicrous. Purple-prosed body horror, really not my thing. The Little Mermaid turned bad and met Frankenstein without much of a purpose.
Despite everything I did like the epilogue. That was kinda nice. Placing the prologue as the last chapter was a good move as well. The cover art is great and the main reason I got this novella. Sigh.
1/5 bezoars, because the word salad was just too annoying and the story too simple and ultimately pointless.
I also own a copy of . Seriously considering to simply dump it. But maybe I will give it a chance and read the first few pages.
October 27, 2024
The Salt Grows Heavy is a short novella by Cassandra Khaw and she wasted no time jumping into the horror of the world she created.
I haven't read fantasy for a while. I don't think I was prepared for the level of fantasy of this book, and it took me a while to figure out what was going on. But I ended up enjoying it more than expected.
I loved the writing. Khaw weaved a tale reminiscent of the original Little Mermaid but somehow darker. Our unnamed protagonist was both brutal and brutalized. Through her we were ushered into a tale of a village full of murderous children and false gods bent on immortality.
The body horror in The Salt Grows Heavy was spectacular. Khaw can certainly paint a gruesome picture of murder, oppression, and vivisection.
I didn't like Nothing But Blackened Teeth but I'm happy I gave the author another chance.
I haven't read fantasy for a while. I don't think I was prepared for the level of fantasy of this book, and it took me a while to figure out what was going on. But I ended up enjoying it more than expected.
I loved the writing. Khaw weaved a tale reminiscent of the original Little Mermaid but somehow darker. Our unnamed protagonist was both brutal and brutalized. Through her we were ushered into a tale of a village full of murderous children and false gods bent on immortality.
The body horror in The Salt Grows Heavy was spectacular. Khaw can certainly paint a gruesome picture of murder, oppression, and vivisection.
I didn't like Nothing But Blackened Teeth but I'm happy I gave the author another chance.
March 27, 2024
A fever dream retelling of The Little Mermaid filled with terrors and unexpected new beginnings. This novella has lavish prose, fitting for its homage to fairy tales. Teeming with brutality and the cruel nature of man, The Salt Grows Heavy is surprisingly romantic, using themes of eternal love and devotion as a counterpoint to the bleakness of life. Bizarre and beguiling, this dark retelling is a compelling read for any fan of classic fairy tales.
March 15, 2025
A quick little dark fantasy horror novella to get your blood pumping. 🩸 🩸
This was an interesting story about flesh eating mermaids and ageless children and a mother on a journey. Sprinkle in some romantic love interest and this is a twisted tale. Expect some gore, this isn’t just dark, it’s messy.
If you like quick reads that give you the creeps, this will do the trick but it leaves something to be desired….
This was an interesting story about flesh eating mermaids and ageless children and a mother on a journey. Sprinkle in some romantic love interest and this is a twisted tale. Expect some gore, this isn’t just dark, it’s messy.
If you like quick reads that give you the creeps, this will do the trick but it leaves something to be desired….
Read
June 24, 2023The ending fr was like "if you think you understood the plot no you didn't"
October 13, 2023
My second novella by this author and, once again, a horror one. Though it's a bit more of a "monster" story, really.
Once upon a time, there was a mermaid. But not the cute red-head of Disney fame. Not even the one who walked on knives for the love of her life. No, this one is all teeth and righteous anger.
After dealing with her dear husband, she leaves the ruins that were his kingdom together with a plague doctor. They navigate the treacherous and dangerous countryside until they stumble upon very peculiar children and their "saints". The doctor's past has come to haunt them.
I loved getting the background stories piece by piece instead of all at once and/or in a linearly told story. Moreover, I downright adored the theme of , that .
Who knew that this ?! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Not very spooky but full of gore and fascinating anatomical lessons spiced up with fractions of different myths which I enjoyed a lot.
Once upon a time, there was a mermaid. But not the cute red-head of Disney fame. Not even the one who walked on knives for the love of her life. No, this one is all teeth and righteous anger.
After dealing with her dear husband, she leaves the ruins that were his kingdom together with a plague doctor. They navigate the treacherous and dangerous countryside until they stumble upon very peculiar children and their "saints". The doctor's past has come to haunt them.
I loved getting the background stories piece by piece instead of all at once and/or in a linearly told story. Moreover, I downright adored the theme of , that .
Who knew that this ?! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Not very spooky but full of gore and fascinating anatomical lessons spiced up with fractions of different myths which I enjoyed a lot.
August 22, 2024
I am all over the place with how I feel about this story. It was a bizarre tale that I am not really sure on. For the most part I really loved this book and the gore that it entailed. I loved the fantasy part of the book revolving around the mermaids. It was a bizarre story that had me looking up various words and their meanings. I felt smart reading this. LOL
One of the things I love about reading is learning new things. I learned what autosarcophagy is! (It means self-cannibalism in case you wondered). This is the first book I have read by this author and although I did have to look up a lot of the words, I enjoyed the challenge of reading this and I loved the ride of learning mixed in with horror elements!
One of the things I love about reading is learning new things. I learned what autosarcophagy is! (It means self-cannibalism in case you wondered). This is the first book I have read by this author and although I did have to look up a lot of the words, I enjoyed the challenge of reading this and I loved the ride of learning mixed in with horror elements!
June 8, 2023
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.
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.
January 19, 2024
3 ¼ stars
definitely a step up from khaw's previous novella.
The Salt Grows Heavy is a tantalizing novella that will very much appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman & Catherynne M. Valente. Khaw’s dark yet delicious prose really emphasizes the fairytalesque ambience of their narrative. The dynamic at the heart of this novella is captivating as we follow a mermaid and a plague doctor who, without giving too much away, have been put through the wringer. I was actually reminded of Juliet Marillier’s series Blackthorn & Grim, which also follows ‘older’ characters who slowly begin to find solace in one another.
The novella’s weakness lies in its plot. I found myself far more interested in learning more of the central duo’s pasts and exploring their present circumstances, than the whole plot line involving the creepy children. Sure, I appreciated that Khaw is able to use a fairytale lens to explore abuse, without romanticizing said abuse, there was something about it that was oddly…peter-pan-esque..and it was just jarring given the novella’s overall dark and gritty tones. Khaw’s prose now and again does seem to be trying too hard to be edgy, so we end up with these convoluted sentences that are trying to be sensual and striking but ultimately struck me contrived and purple (e.g. “The hand, this time, is flavored with copper, its cartilage fractures like glass; the heart is a mouthful of brine and fermented raspberry; the eyes burst into effervescence, peculiarly tasteless”; also, a pet-peeve of mine is the unnecessary use of the word chiaroscuro…and khaw does exactly that). But, despite these minor reservations, I still found myself engaged in Khaw’s storytelling and curious to read about the dynamic between the novella’s two central characters.
definitely a step up from khaw's previous novella.
The Salt Grows Heavy is a tantalizing novella that will very much appeal to fans of Neil Gaiman & Catherynne M. Valente. Khaw’s dark yet delicious prose really emphasizes the fairytalesque ambience of their narrative. The dynamic at the heart of this novella is captivating as we follow a mermaid and a plague doctor who, without giving too much away, have been put through the wringer. I was actually reminded of Juliet Marillier’s series Blackthorn & Grim, which also follows ‘older’ characters who slowly begin to find solace in one another.
The novella’s weakness lies in its plot. I found myself far more interested in learning more of the central duo’s pasts and exploring their present circumstances, than the whole plot line involving the creepy children. Sure, I appreciated that Khaw is able to use a fairytale lens to explore abuse, without romanticizing said abuse, there was something about it that was oddly…peter-pan-esque..and it was just jarring given the novella’s overall dark and gritty tones. Khaw’s prose now and again does seem to be trying too hard to be edgy, so we end up with these convoluted sentences that are trying to be sensual and striking but ultimately struck me contrived and purple (e.g. “The hand, this time, is flavored with copper, its cartilage fractures like glass; the heart is a mouthful of brine and fermented raspberry; the eyes burst into effervescence, peculiarly tasteless”; also, a pet-peeve of mine is the unnecessary use of the word chiaroscuro…and khaw does exactly that). But, despite these minor reservations, I still found myself engaged in Khaw’s storytelling and curious to read about the dynamic between the novella’s two central characters.
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