I finished this dark fairytale novella in one day and wished that there was more. I seriously enjoyed this read so much. It has a very bleak yet beautiful atmosphere that gripped me from the first page. For such a short read, there was a surprising amount of development and depth within this world. I would love to see the author write more about these characters or at least in this setting. Just a fantastic and disturbing read overall.

I honestly felt like I was taking a little bit of a gamble with this read, too, because I didn't enjoy Nothing But Blackened Teeth when I read it last year. The prose felt forced and entirely too dense for my tastes, as if the author chose the words to obscure the story rather than enhance it. While The Salt Grows Heavy does have a few instances of this, overall it reads much better than Nothing But Blackened Teeth did. If you're hesitant to pick this up for the same reason I was, I highly recommend giving it a shot anyway.

I finished this novella last night and I can’t stop thinking about it. Or telling people about it. I can’t even begin to describe all the intricate aspects of the story that make it so epic:
Looking for a dark, gory fairy tale? Check. Are you a fan of creepy kids who live in even creepier villages? You got it. Are murderous mermaids and unsettling plague doctors your thing? Done and done. Then take all the gore and terror and wrap it up in incredible prose and a bit of a love story, and here you are.

As with all of Khaw’s stories, I’m going to be thinking about this one for a while. It’s so unique and disturbing, this is one I want to talk about with all my fellow horror readers!

After reading the lush writing of Cassandra Khaw in their novella, Nothing But Blackened Teeth, which I read with my Book Discussion Group last Halloween, I was curious to check out more of their work. I had the opportunity to read an early copy of the Salt Grows Heavy, provided by Netgalley and the publisher in order to provide an honest review. The book had the beautiful evocative language and graphic horror elements that I expected from Khaw’s previous work, but the story itself was a very unique feminist take on the Little Mermaid story.

In this story a mermaid is captured and forced to marry a prince, who cuts out her tongue so she cannot speak. Her daughters though bring vengeance unto the kingdom with their insatiable appetites and the story begins with the Mermaid and an immortal Plague Doctor fleeing the ruins and encountering figures from the Doctor’s past. The story merges horror with a fairytale love story; it is a bit like the beautiful corpse flowers that attract flies instead of butterflies, so smell like rotting meat, managing to be both gorgeous and repulsive in equal measures. This novella would make a perfect read to curl up with during a summer thunderstorm.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for the eARC.

I heard mermaids and plague doctors and thought I'd get a little horror novella to tide me over as I looked for something to sink my teeth into. I was not at all prepared for the way this story grabbed me and sunk its teeth in instead.

It's beautiful, brtual, haunting, violent, and gory. This story focuses more on its prose than its characters at times, and while this usually bothers me, in this case it worked. I felt like a spectator to this world and it worked well. This is what a grimdark fairytale looks like - it's not an existing story just given a shadowcast, but it's been built from bones and vicera and rot from the ground up and turned into something grotesque and yet alluring to look at.

I feel like 'gross' is a true compliment here. Two monsters on this journey felt... It felt like seeing two pillars in the midst of a fire, resisting the fall. We start with them unsure of what's the come and quickly become swept up in this horror they both exist in, and yet that they find comfort in. That they find solidarity. This book stands on the foundations of 'what makes a monster, are we the monsters?' and I will always eat that up every time.

For such a short read I encourage people to go into this not knowing much. Spoiling it truly ruins the experience.

This novella does not give you time to get your bearings. You are dropped in the aftermath of destruction and are quickly pulled into the next setting of chaos and horror, learning about your main characters along the way. The horror and violence are crucial to the story, but is written in the most powerful and purposeful way. I devoured this one (pun intended for those who’ve read). If you like strong female characters, nightmarish myths, f**ked-up elitists with a god-complex, and dark romance, this one might be for you!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The story, characters, and the freaking writing! (I also loved that the plague doctor's gender was not explicit nor binary!) Beautifully done. It captured me and I have not stopped thinking about it since I finished. It feels like a definite re-read for me, something I don’t say often.

I think Murderous Mermaids is more interesting than the remake of the Little Mermaid coming out lol This was an ok read but I finished it up about a week ago and kind of forgot the entire thing.. nothing really brought it home for me.

A mermaid falls in love with a plague doctor and while traveling through the forest they stumble upon a boy being hunted by other children...

I will admit that I had no idea what I was getting into when I requested this ARC. I have not read Khaw's other work, so I can't compare this to anything, but this was like reading a dark, grotesque fairytale. If you are looking for a strange fever dream of a story, this novella will work for you.

This was not an "easy" read for me. The beginning of the story was disjointed and left me confused, but once I got a grasp on the story, it was somewhat enjoyable. The overall plot was good, but parts of the story get muddled in the writing style. While there were many beautiful descriptions, a lot of it becomes jumbled in some of the flowery word choice. I did enjoy the second half of the story much more than the first.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tor / Nightfire Publishing for an advanced readers copy.

Gruesome and gory, The Salt Grows Heavy is all vibes and sinew. A mermaid, torn from her sisters and the sea by a prince who cut out her tongue, unleashes her hunger on the world. While her daughters eat the kingdom to bone, the mermaid begins to wander with a plague doctor through the deadly wilds, encountering horrors greater than even her appetite. In case you ever forget that mermaids have sharp teeth, Cassandra Khaw is here to remind you that they aren't all songs and red hair.

THE SALT GROWS HEAVY is an elegant, fractured fairy-tale of Monsters and the monstrousness they encounter. Their world is populated with horrors, cruelty, and viciousness, but the dark, beautiful, bloody heart of this novella pulses with companionship, respect, and love.

This is a fairytale retelling of “The Little Mermaid” that leans fully into its gruesome origins, with a feminist subversion that is reminiscent of Angela Carter’s collection “The Bloody Chamber.” There is no doubt that the protagonist and her companion (who is a nonbinary plague doctor using they/them pronouns) are monsters, each in their own right. The pages are filled with brutal gore, mostly enacted by our protagonists.

This story resonated with me in part because of its atmosphere and central themes which I could relate to a video essay I had recently watched about the monstrous feminine in Bloodborne. It is a very dark novel, not just because of the violence depicted (explicitly or implicitly) but because it tackles issues of trauma, bodily autonomy and the patriarchy. It is a wonderfully queer monster love story for anyone who’s ever been made to feel like an outsider.

The language Khaw uses reminds me of an Old English epic (like Seamus Heaney’s translation of “Beowulf” or even “Sir Gawain the Green Knight”). That is to say, it’s not for everyone but for those seeking a story written with intensely verbose language and a particularly descriptive voice – here is a gothic fairytale for fans of vicious mermaids, cultic sacrifice and the cathartic release of vengeance. Great for lovers of epic female revenge stories like “Lady Snowblood.” Can you tell I loved it a lot?

The only issue I had concerns my reading experience. Oftentimes I would come across words I was completely unfamiliar with where context wasn’t helpful for suggesting a meaning but rather implying that the word I didn’t understand was essential to the image that was being constructed. Therefore I would have to stop my reading and go look up words so that I could adequately visualise what was happening or being described before continuing. Either way it interrupted my flow and made it harder to understand at times. I had to start over about halfway through the text because I was having a hard time visualising what had happened so far. The second time through I had a much smoother experience, heavily utilising the “define” tool in my phone to quickly search up definitions. It didn’t impact my connection with the story but it was slightly frustrating. Still, I am excited to one day reread this on audio because I believe it will be a better experience for me.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Khaw's previous novella, but I decided to give this one a try. Overall, I liked this much more than the previous book. I think Khaw's elaborate prose suited the gruesome folklore vibes of this story in a way I didn't think it suited the more modern setting of the other book. I didn't quite understand the setting and the rule of magic as it is of this story, but I had a good enough time!

The Salt Grows Heavy is an intriguing horror story. The main characters, a mermaid and a plague doctor, are an interesting concept. The story is fast-paced and gory. Any horror fan will enjoy reading this one.

This is the first book I've read by the author and look forward to reading more by her.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth was one of my most disappointing reads last year, but when I saw the cover and read the synopsis for The Salt Grows Heavy I knew I had to give Khaw another chance. A cannibalistic mermaid and plague doctor navigating a post-apocalyptic kingdom? Sign me up.

My main issue is the pretentious and forced language. I normally love learning new words but having to Google the definition of something on every single page became laborious, as it was often empty and unnecessary. Though I struggled to get through it, I still wish the story was longer so it could be fleshed out more.

I did appreciate the dark atmosphere and body horror. There were a handful of times the descriptions made me viscerally uncomfortable and for that I give it 2 stars.

Rolling poetic prose gives this short story (?) an etheral nightmare-esque quality that is both vivid and horrifying. I was drawn in my the langorious language. It's cadence and decadence. The main character was interesting in her absolute lack of humanity (she's a mermaid) and her perspective facinated me.

I liked it academically but not emotionally. However, if you are looking for something truly creepy and out there and you also love endulging in lingustical ballet then I think this book is worth reading.

Amazing book, thrilling, dark, emotional, absolutely gorgeous. There is a gore heavy component, but the book is written in such a way it is beautiful and heart rending. Definitely a book you will sink your teeth into and devour, much like the main character.

Lovely and haunting. Disturbing and intriguing. An insightful story about loving and being loved despite one’s shortcomings and misgivings. The prose is beautiful and, while the content may be terrifying, the feelings it evokes are uplifting.

I expect a spooky time when I pick up a Cassandra Khaw novella. Did not expect to be heavily attached to a carnivorous mermaid and a plague doctor. Finished this in one sitting and instantly wanted to start it again. I can't call it a dark romance but the love is there.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I love a dark fairytale, and this book fed that craving for me. It taps into the darker elements of the original Little Mermaid tale and heightening them, with a cannibalistic twist. It’s dark and gory, but so incredibly well-rendered.

I really did not know what to expect and I was blown away! The writing is incredible and the imagery is gross and raw and bloody. A gen for anyone who loves body horror and (very) dark fairy tales

This is a gorgeously lyrical and gruesome love story interwoven with mythology and I could not love it more! I recommend going in with as little foreknowledge as possible and just savoring the experience.

**Received an eARC via NetGalley**