I love a good mermaid with fangs. And while The Salt Grows Heavy certainly delivers with beautiful imagery, the ending lost me a bit. Keep reading this book review for my full thoughts.
Summary
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.
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
From the beginning I adored the heavy fairytale vibe. The ways in which you can so clearly see The Salt Grows Heavy within a storybook. Additionally, The Salt Grows Heavy does not shy away from the dangerous, the sharp edges of teeth. I personally adore when stories lean into the danger and predatory nature of mermaids, so from the beginning I had high hopes. There’s no lack of beautiful imagery.
Of a world with strong magic which curses and bestows. The Salt Grows Heavy explores whether we can change who we are, what we do with the choices that aren’t ours. And while I adored the imagery, the ending felt a bit loose and lacked the emotional weight. The beginning is luscious and entrancing – both in beauty and razor edges – but then towards the middle, I felt the steam slowing.
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With gorgeous writing, I wanted to be full on obsessed with The Salt Grows Heavy. Every piece of it felt like a book which would call to my soul. And while I think there are some truly compelling elements here, I would have just liked pieces within the middle to have more space to lean into the story. Find The Salt Grows Heavy on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, & Blackwells.