"There is nothing wrong with being a monster."

Their mouth bends. "You always know the right things to say."

Words of comfort, from one monster to another. This book was the love story that I didn't know I needed, the love story of a mermaid and a plague doctor, two monsters who try to defeat other monsters and their tribal cult of young children. There are two major elements that I appreciated in this book. The beautiful, poetic language, oftentimes with such rich and arcane language that I was glad to use the web search feature of my ebook. And the graphic depictions of body horror, as the carnivorous mermaid has an appetite for sundry body parts and the adversary monsters, a trio of self-proclaimed saviors, seek immortality through the surgical harvesting of children's body parts. The grisly scenes of chopping and snipping and slicing and chomping are made more . . . palatable by the lyrically dense language that Khaw employs. It also helps that the story is told from the perspective of the nameless mermaid, who is lovingly devoted to her plague doctor.

This book hit all the right spots for me, and I want to thank Netgalley and Tor for the opportunity.

A twisted fairytale that left me both satisfied and wishing for more. 'The Salt Grows Heavy' is a book to savored and not devoured. Cassandra Khaw treats her prose like poetry and it creates an intoxicating reading experience.

Dropped directly into the action, 'The Salt Grows Heavy' wastes no time in getting to the point. You travel through a dark fairytale landscape with a mermaid, stranded after murdering her abusive human husband, and her only companion - a plague doctor with a tragic past. When they come face to face with the cult that birthed the good doctor nothing is certain anymore.

At first glance this novella is dense. Khaw has a clear love of language and it impacts her word choice throughout the novel. Overall, I found the plot compelling, gruesome (not without good reason), heartbreaking and tender. You made need a dictionary to weed through some of the more intense passages but I found that the elevated language choices aligned with the content -- the story is meant to be decadent and the words align directly with the lush almost velvet feel of the plot.

I enjoyed this read. It was one I could manage in one sitting. The ending was satisfying but left me wishing for a few more pages. Overall, I would give 'The Salt Grows Heavy' a solid 4 out of 5.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.

I suppose one of the things about requesting an ARC is that apart from some scant reviews and the provided synopsis, you don't have much to go off of. In most cases I think this is wonderful; I love diving into a book with no preconceptions. I think with this one though, I was given more than I bargained for.

This is a beautifully written novella, despite the content. I don't think I've ever looked up as many words while reading, bless the Kindle lookup feature. Each word is chosen with purpose and each sentence lyrically crafted. I also think this is one of the few novellas I've read that is exactly the length it should be. I thought the book was eerie, disgusting, and atmospheric. I enjoyed our characters and the relationship between them, even if their development was a little flat.

With that being said, I think this is the closest I've gotten to reading splatterpunk, and I don't plan on getting any closer. I felt a little blindsided by the levels of explicit gore in this book and while I felt like I was in a good headspace to handle that, it was a lot. I think people who love graphic horror will eat this one up (pun not intended EW!), but for atmospheric slow-burn psychological horror girlies like me, it was a tad much.

If you decide to go for this one, take those content warnings seriously.

content warnings: cannibalism, body horror, gore, torture

I have read one other by Cassandra Khaw (Blackened Teeth), which had an amazing cover, but I really did not like the writing style of the author. I decided to give this one a chance since it, too, had great cover art, and I trust TOR Publishing Group to not steer me wrong! I have to say, I did enjoy this book, but I do have some issues with the writing style. The author is able to paint such a grotesque scene beautifully- poetic body horror in the best way! However, my issue lies in comprehension of the actual storyline. I find myself thinking, what is actually going on here? I have to read and reread passages many times. I think because I was familiar with this format from Blackened Teeth, I knew I'd have to really put on my thinking cap to parse out the plot. Another issue I had was the pronouns used for the single plague doctor. This is great to have LGBTQIA+ representation in literature (and I don't even know this is what the author went for), but in this context (and when talking about the group of several plague doctors), "they/them" was a bit confusing to know which was being referred to. I thought the actual storyline was horrifying, like the old Grimm Bros or Hans Christian Andersen tales-a mermaid seeks revenge. Although again, not exactly sure where the plague doctors fit into it all (unless this was some kind of commentary on the COVID-19 pandemic). It was unusual and unique, and I must admit-thrilling to watch a sort of patriarchy go down after the exploitation of the mermaid and her people. I will likely check out more from this author. Thanks, TOR and NetGalley for the ARC!

With The Salt Grows Heavy, Cassandra Khaw has written a novella that feels like my worst nightmare. The story starts with the main character, the mermaid who has comes to the sea to marry a prince, sitting in the charred remains of a kingdom that she and her daughters have destroyed. A person dressed as a plague doctor accompanies her out of the desolation and into the world. Make no mistakes. This is not a fairytale even though the main character is a fairytale mermaid. This kingdom is razed. This land is dark. This is a scourge. 

Cassandra Khaw writes deep and beautiful prose. There were times when I could feel everything that the characters felt. I could taste the things that they ate. The pain that they felt seeped from the page and into my own flesh. This denseness is off putting to some. Her sentences are sometimes complex and filled with tough phrasing and unknown words. The likelihood of any reader going through this novella and not having to look up a single word will be rare. However the concentration that the story demands, for us to delve into new language and writing, attaches us to the story, makes us dive deep into a world that is just as new and just as brutal to live through. This is purposeful. For a story that is only a little over 100 pages, this is not a casual read. The reader has to be completely engaged in the story from the very beginning. If we have to work to get into this story, through the writing, the more vivid and horrifying the world becomes. Admittedly, this will turn off quite a few readers, those who are looking for an easy book, but those who stick with The Salt Grows Heavy receive a story that displays great depths in agony and pain. 

This is a very short book, and I love the story and the characters. The mermaid and the plague doctor are compelling and unforgettable. I feel this is a setup book, like The Salt Grows Heavy is just a chapter in their story. This could be the beginning of a series of novellas. If this is a standalone and we never hear from these two characters again, The Salt Grows Heavy is a big treasure in a small package. Even though it takes some effort, the reward is worth it. I hope that it is just the beginning.

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Inspired by the fairytale The Little Mermaid, this novella is about the enduring power of love in a macabre but beautiful setting. Forget everything you think you know about this story because it features a plague doctor, a cult, and bloodthirsty children. Cassandra Khaw's writing is masterful and every word has a purpose, making this a captivating read.

This was a very graphic horror novella. I liked the aspect of mermaids being evil and fighting back against evil men.

Having read Nothing But Blackened Teeth I went into this book excited yet unsure what to expect. I didn’t even read the description, I just requested it because I was so eager to read it. Khan has such a unique style of writing that just makes me fall in love. She is hard to compare to any other horror author, she just fits into her own category. I tell people if you like unique horror authors I recommend T. Kingfisher and Cassandra Khaw because both are unique authors that write horror but make it palatable.

Khaw creates a unique world in The Salt Grows Heavy that incorporates fantasy, mystery, horror, and suspense. It also has a bit of historical fiction feel to it like the world COULD be within our own but is so outrageous that, then again, it couldn’t possibly. A marvelous addition to her title list and one I will highly recommend.

I LOVED everything about this book. The horror aspect, the relationship between the mermaid and the plague doctor, the writing. It was so good!

A mermaid and a plague doctor find a disturbing little village of children who play hunter and hunted for their three "saints".

Pros:
✅ delivers on the horror! Very graphic body horror and creepy atmosphere
✅ the writing was very good but it also has a con...
✅ although, I could not describe to you the setting of this book, the atmosphere was strong
✅ it's got that fever dream greatness if that is what you like.

Cons:
❌ the author did sound like she swallowed a thesaurus.
❌ the plot. I mean, we're supposed to have the mermaid who has murdered her husband and destroyed his kingdom, which is epic AF, but we get very little on that. Instead, she meets this plague doctor which is a bit unclear how and why, and they discover these weird ass doctors who use children for their own gain, but like... why? I get that the whole point of this book is to be very... cryptic and dark, kind of like a fever dream, but I still feel like it lacked a little something to make it great.

I didn't dislike this book, I actually quite enjoyed it, but I don't think it'll really stick with me.

Just absolutely fucking nauseating and chilling - it's so good. The prose is the star of the show here, but that doesn't take away from how compelling the characters and plot are. I can't go into detail without giving anything away, but if you're interested in a single thing the blurb puts forward, please check this out.

I consider Cassandra Khaw to be the most intelligent horror writer working today. The way she crafts her stories with precision is a gift, and her latest work, The Salt Grows Heavy, is an absolute gem.

Our mermaid narrator, and her Plague Doctor companion encounter a strange village, where young people are butchered in the pursuit of eternal life. The tribe is manipulated by three “saints”, who resemble a barbaric Greek chorus. The Plague Doctor is strangely keen to free these young people, and their mermaid bride endeavors to assist. But this is a bleak fairytale, and escape never comes easily.

I have seen Khaw’s previous work dismissed as “purple prose”. But Khaw’s writing is never needlessly flamboyant. She challenges the reader by using heightened language to contribute to the sense of unease. By creating a world that is not entirely comfortable and familiar, Khaw firmly consumes the dedicated reader. Patience and repeated readings bring great rewards.

The Salt Grows Heavy is a perfect length to read in one sitting. I would recommend carving out time and focus to truly appreciate this novella. It is bleak, but beautiful.

Cassandra Khaw is an incredibly original voice in horror. <i>The Salt Grows Heavy</i> is a modern fable told in 4 parts (3 days and an epilogue). I wish I had read this book in one sitting because I think I would have liked it more. I was reading it in fits and starts, and with a thin plot and a lot of description, it made it difficult to follow. It's a novella, so easily read in one sitting, and I'll read it again once the book comes out.

Khaw uses a lot of high-level vocabulary throughout the novel. I didn't like it at first because it jarred against the base description of eating and viscera. However, I started to like that more as I continued reading precisely because it was jarring. It adds to the unease of the novella.

The story is unique and strange, and I'm excited to read more from this author.

Well, this was very strange. Sort of fantasy, fairy tale, science fiction, and horror with lots of body horror. The plot is impossible to tell as I really don't understand it completely. However, the themes are how love can last through hard times and what someone will do for love. I didn't think I liked it at first but the more I read the more I had to keep reading. I liked the end. Still, very strange.

The Salt Grows Heavy is a short yet intense and vicious horror love story about a mermaid and a plague doctor trying to navigate their way together through an unsettling wasteland. Khaw's prose is somehow both ethereal and dreamy yet highly detailed with all the gore and viscera you could want. The short format throws you right into the story and yet you find yourself immediately hoping these two are able to survive together. It may be punny to say- but I devoured this story.

Tldr: Mermaid body-horror love story. Many regrown thumbs up.

A story about a mermaid and a plague doctor in a land covered with snow where a group of children, led by three "saints", seek immortality. I enjoyed the stark contrast between the horror and gory descriptions against the poetic writing. Be aware though that the vocabulary was rich and sometimes obscure. It was challenging at times. I was glad to read this on my Kobo, so I could easily access a dictionary. Also, I feel that sometimes the writing was a little too much and lost its impact. Nonetheless, I loved the story and will certainly reread it.

What in the world did I just read? Surreal, disturbing, at times disgusting and very dark, this short novella is a mixture of science fiction and horror. It’s gory and unsettling and bizarre and… did I mention I loved it? It is really well written and atmospheric, and the world building is fantastic (even if no one would like to spend time there). The plot is simple, but addictive. The characters are absolutely unrelatable and yet, it’s impossible not to root for them. This is not Ariel frolicking under the sea, this mermaid has teeth. Her companion is a mysterious plague doctor and we don’t even know if it’s a man or a woman. The creatures they find along the way may not even be human. The story is full of bizarre imagery written in such beautiful, luscious prose that the contrast between the horrific events described with such lovely words, makes the whole tone discordant. I’m not sure if “enjoyable” is the right word for this read, but I liked it a lot.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/# Tor Nightfire!

THE SALT GROWS HEAVY... This was so uniquely mind melting to me. Cassandra Khaw has, as we've all heard the phrase, "a way with words" and I mean that in the best way. There are stories/descriptions that leave a lot for your brain to fill in the blanks. Not this, Khaw is an outstanding visual storyteller. Reading this was akin to watching a movie in my brain. ALSO, who doesn't love a "burn the world down" kind of story. It is cruel, dark, and adventurous in a way that makes you look over your shoulder like something is behind you.
Nothing says horror like a woman scorned. I don't typically enjoy stories where there are children involved, and I was aware of that inclusion just based off of the synopsis, but I am so glad I requested this and the TOR sent over the approval!

I cannot wait to receive a physical copy of this book to write down all of my annotations!

Cassandra Khaw! You genius! I made the mistake of picking this up during a 2am bathroom trip that turned into me making coffee because it's just THAT amazing. A beautiful love story, I can't wait to get a physical copy and tab this baby up!!! ❤️ 🖤

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Tor Publishing Group for an advance copy of this book that takes fairy tales, fractures them a tad, then rends them completely in the retelling.

I can't remember when I started learning about the true darkness of fairy tales, and the dark imagery that filled many a nursery rhyme. Neil Gaiman's Sandman made me think more about fairy tales in the literature sense, but I always had a feeling of unease about them. Or at least I like to think I did. Since my fairy tales were first presented to me in a Disney collection, I don't see where this might have come from. I know I had a book of tales with illustrations from the the Hildebrand brothers, maybe the amazing art triggered something in my head. Cute stories with mermaids, talking animals and wolves always in the background, hid far deeper themes, realities and much more. Cassandra Khaw understands this, and raises the bar a little higher, making a very creepy, very dark, and very very bloody retelling of some classic stories. The Salt Grows Heavy is a short, vicious little tale filled with love, odd friendships, revenge, and a lot of things going splatter.

A mermaid meets a man, shares a moment, loses a tongue, has children who eat the husband, and burns down the entire kingdom. The Mermaid is helped in this task by the Plague Doctor, someone the Mermaid has known, and in odd way cares for. Together they destroy what is left and take their strange party on the road, heading North to other kingdoms and other Kings who might want to marry, or lose a kingdom. Along their travels the party comes across a strange hunt, led by boys who kill another, but swear that the dead will come back and share with the Mermaid and the Doctor what is happening. The boys are lead by three "Saints" who control them, and find that the hunt is the least of the things that are happening with these boys.

The story is a novella , but is as dense as a neutron star. The language is wonderful, huge words when tiny ones will do, descriptions, allusions, illusions, and death and gore. This is a violent story, filled with what could be disturbing for some, for others this is their bag. The story does take a few pages to get into, but once the rhythm and what Khaw is doing starts to become clear, the story will have the reader locked in. As I stated it's a novella, but at the end I felt like I had taken a long wonderful journey, maybe got lost once or twice, but really wanted to do it again.

I've read quite a few books by Cassandra Khaw and I love the fact that everything is different, from plot, to characters, to ideas, to styles and presentation. Khaw never settles, trying something new in every work. Not many writers are that brave. This would be a good way to introduce new readers to Khaw's work, with the caveat that other titles are subject to change. A very different work, well worth reading. I can't wait to see what Cassandra Khaw has coming out next.