A review by liz_liz
The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

I enjoyed the writing, I find that I drift to flowery writing in the books that I read, there were just a lot of big words that I had to look up. As I think about this book more and more, I find that I do not really understand the message the author was trying to discuss and show within the book.

I found that the second half of the book felt quite rushed, especially the two main character's romance going from subtle flirtation to intense proclamations of love. But my main gripe is that the children, who were being used, abused, and taken advantage of by the cult, were not saved, or at the least cared for, in the end. It felt like there was no justified reason to show the harm done towards the children. I would have enjoyed the story much more if the children at least were able to survive in the end, yet the conclusion seemed simply meaningless with having everyone, both children and cult leaders, dying. In conclusion, after going through my thoughts on this book, I feel like the message the author was trying to execute fell flat and I do not know what the whole point of this book truly is. Thank you for reading my thoughts if you made it this far, I really appreciate it.
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