Hi everyone! I’m back again with another review. Before you read this review, you can check out my review of Cassandra Khaw’s other novella Nothing but Blackened Teeth. I still have mixed feelings about that particular book. I didn’t realize how many people really disliked the first novella, though. Rarely, I don’t give authors a second chance. Some authors just need some time to improve. I have a small handful of authors who I won’t ever read or won’t read again. I don’t focus too heavily on that aspect and typically just go off of the books themselves. Maybe some of you are the exact opposite, though. It is fine either way. Now, let’s talk about The Salt Grows Heavy.

Content Warning: Violence and Gore, Body Horror, Depictions of Harm Towards Children, Non-consensual Medical Experimentation, Discussions and Depictions of Abuse

A prince found a mermaid and brought her to shore. He foolishly thought he could make her a “proper wife.” He was wrong and now her daughters have devoured the kingdom. Now, the mermaid wanders the land with a mysterious plague doctor by her side. The two unlikely companions discover a village of immortal children who are ruled by three cruel beings they call “the saints.” The mermaid and the plague doctor must embrace their darker natures to survive.

I must say that I enjoyed this book more than I enjoyed Nothing but Blackened Teeth. I liked the unique take that this book had on mermaid-centric fairytales and embraces the myths in which mermaids (or sirens) are terrifying monsters. I also like the relationship between the mermaid and the plague doctor. The biggest problem with this book is that is a novella. There are some interesting ideas in this book that I would have loved to see explore more. The book seemed so focused on these long descriptions and excessive use of words that I had to stop to look up. While I did indeed learn new words, I also learned you don’t need long words to make your story compelling. That being said, Cassandra Khaw’s writing is strong and the descriptions were both beautiful and visceral. It was one of the more gory books I have read so far this year. Overall, I’m not going to say that you should definitely read The Salt Grows Heavy but I don’t think it would hurt to check this one out if you are interested in super dark and violent retellings of fairy tales.