The Salt Grows Heavy is an exercise in contrasts: poetic yet brutal, melodic but razor-sharp. Bone, teeth, and cartilage headline this story that isn't afraid to go to the gruesome side. An interesting read, but not for the faint of heart.

I really, really enjoyed this one. I suppose I’ve been on a fantasy-retelling-but-make-it-gory kick, and this one was wild. The sheer… verboseness? verbosity?? was a little overwhelming; I found I had to stop and parse a sentence out every once in a while because there were like six $10 words in a row, but that might just be because I’m stupid. I was mesmerized the descriptions and I’m kind of in awe of the juxtaposition of the depiction of deep, deep love set in some truly gross scenes—not to mention how Khaw managed it all in a novella. It pushed all the right buttons for me.

This is the second time I have tried the author’s work and, unfortunately, the writing voice just doesn’t do it for me. I’m not sure if this is due to it being an unfinished copy, but the flow of prose just feels messy and meandering.

Loved the world she created. It’s unique and horrifying. I liked this one a lot more than her debut, which I thought was amazing too.

My biggest problem was that it wasn’t easy to read. There was a lot of over describing to the point where it was distracting from the story. The writing was very confusing and didn’t make sense most of the time. I had to reread paragraphs to try to understand the story.

This isn’t a story you can read while your husband is watching a show. It will take all of your concentration.

Otherwise, it’s a really well done horror novella!

Thank you to the publisher and NETGALLEY for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.


I was super drawn into this book for a few reasons: 1. Loved the author’s previous work, 2. Have you seen the uk cover?! 3. Mermaids? Sign me up.

While the horror aspect and writing was incredible and very on par for the Kaw’s last novel, I found this too short! I was also most intrigued by the mermaid aspect, knowing more about the lore and why the protagonist fled her home but I didn’t get any of that. It’s almost like I need a prequel to this book to satisfy my craving for the proper story. I found the mermaid tagline quite misleading honestly. Apart from a few pages explaining minor details, the protagonist could have been easily passed off as a human or any other mythological creature.

It was good! The author has ways of writing body horror that makes me squirm which is always impressive and the ultimate goal of a horror author but don’t go into this book for the mermaid aspect alone or you’ll be unimpressed!

I really enjoyed this. The length is good for this book. It's a very good, gory novella that definitely doesn't shy away from the traditional fairy tales and mythology surrounding mermaids and other creatures. The mermaid and the plague doctor are an unlikely duo; however, I am here for it. My jaw dropped several times. Like horror novellas? You should read this.

4.5/5

I really liked the concept of this book. I thought the idea was really interesting-- it felt like a melding of tropes at certain points that turned all of them on their heads and turned them into something new. I just wish it was longer. I felt like the action happened all at once and then it was done, so I found myself wanting parts to be dragged out further.

This was a romance I didn’t know I needed. The I enjoyed this haunting, grotesque novella so much! It was wild and horrific and THE PLAGUE DOCTOR was so lovely. I loved the vicious and creepy tone and the lore. It was wonderfully disgusting with gore. It was as if neverland and the lost boys met Frankenstein in a gory nightmare as our main character and her companion couldn’t escape it.

I teared up at the end, with all the trauma and eviscerated bodies and souls, the love and romance WAS SO TENDER.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc.

Love this book. Beautiful and terrifying! Will definitely be having my library purchase this book.

Dark and twisty and violent, this was an absolutely luxurious read that i just wanted to roll around in, teeth and all. Not for everyone, but definitely for me.

A hungry mermaid and a plague doctor traveling through the dangerous wilderness.

A trio of horrifying saints.

Rough Justice.

Another shivery novella to unsettle and delight.

Every once in a while, you come across a book that leaves you lost in thought even days later. The Salt Grows Heavy is a one-of-a-kind adventure that is both beautifully poetic in its writing, but also horrifying in its imagery. I was instantly pulled into the very essence of this story. While it is a short story it definitely left a lasting impression on me. I found the characters to actually be enduring in their own ways. I thought that the bond between the two MC was actually quite lovely and was moved at the level of loyalty that the Mermaid had for the Plague Doctor was touching.

THE SALT GROWS HEAVY by Cassandra Khaw (Nothing But Sharpened Teeth)

Release Date: May 2023
General Genre: Adult Horror, Dark Fantasy
Subgenre/Themes: Body Horror, Immortality cult, creepy isolated village, plague doctors, mermaids

Writing Style: Fast pace, intricately detailed, luscious prose

What You Need to Know: A vengeful mermaid and a plague doctor journey together through unknown territory. They stumble upon some children playing a murderous game and follow them back to an isolated, eerie village with "ageless" children who worship a trio of sinister surgeons.

My Reading Experience: I am thoroughly flabbergasted. I finished this book with my jaw dropped open and a full-on reader's high. There is so much I love about this story, I honestly don't know what to say or where to start. I suppose I can appeal to readers who have enjoyed the cartoon, "Over the Garden Wall". This has that same "stumbled into a creepy village where the townsfolk are up to something" vibe while still being whimsical/playful but in a dark, creepy way. I hope that makes sense! It will be to the right people.
However, this doesn't stop at "eerie & creepy", it transitions quite earnestly into savagery and horror. This is not your garden variety "beautiful mermaid falls in love with a handsome prince" although there is love and the mermaid is beautiful if you're a horror freak like me and you are drawn to mythological creatures stereotypes obliterated in favor of a more realistic, terrifying version but there is not a "handsome prince". The mermaid is in love with a plague doctor with a sweet disposition, a quiet demeanor, and an androgynous sex appeal.
These two encounter a terrifying scene, some children hunting another child for sport. Eventually, they find themselves in a village filled with odd children and uncover a secret cult led by a trio of evil surgeons. The plague doctor's identity is revealed and the mermaid's inhuman qualities come to light.

Cassandra Khaw has a seductive, skillful way around descriptive words that make her characters pop right off the page. I was immediately absorbed into Khaw's setting and bewitched by the luscious, elegant prose. I enjoyed the feeling of being lured into a fairy tale knowing that Khaw is a horror writer and anticipating something sinister. It delivers so deliciously.

Final Recommendation: I love this book so much. It's only February with a whole year of horror books ahead of us but don't worry, I won't let anyone forget this one.

Comps: Over the Garden Wall, Grimm's Fairy Tales... I've never read anything like this!

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the review copy of this title.

I was a huge fan of Khaw’s Nothing But Blackened Teeth when I read it last year so as soon as I heard about The Salt Grows Heavy I was already dying to read it. The mix of gorgeous prose and nauseating gore in this masterpiece of a novella makes it such an intriguing and captivating reading experience.

The only reason I have deducted a star is because I wish that there had a bit more to the story in the end. I wanted to know more and see more of the main characters journey before the epilogue and felt that the ending seemed a bit abrupt but otherwise this was a fantastic read that I have already started telling people to keep an out for once it releases later this year.

What a strange, disgusting, absolutely spell-binding book. At once like curling up and reading a favorite fairy tale (the old ones, where it all goes wrong before it goes right) and digging around through grave dust. Hope in its strangest, darkest form. Incredible!

Sometimes you pick up a book and it feels like the author wrote it just for you. That's what this book feels like to me. It's the perfect blend of horror and folklore, a story of a mermaid (if you want to call her that) that is properly strange and unknown and terrifying. All told in the most lyrical of prose. I fucking LOVED it.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Tor Publishing for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Congratulations to the author, Cassandra Khaw, for publishing this piece.

The Salt Grows Heavy (3.5/5 stars) follows the story of a vicious mermaid and her plague doctor companion as they flee the country that she has destroyed. They stumble onto a village full of children and their “saints” where they must reckon with the bloodshed hiding under the surface.

Marketed as a horror-genre work, The Salt relies on grotesque imagery and a paced, psychotic reveal of the antagonists’ true villainy. Gore heavy descriptions land especially well as Khaw leans into the monstruous mermaid—her observations highlight her otherworldly bend. This prose-heavy book is written beautifully (another reflection of the main character), and Khaw accomplishes strong characterization in a short amount of time.

This said, some of the psychological twists feel a bit predictable; I anticipated most of them. Because of the atmosphere, this does not overly detract from the story—the audience can still gain much from the read—but a prospective reader may benefit from knowing this.

If you like short, grotesque horror with unconventional characters, this read is for you!

3.5 stars (purely due to personal taste)

Whew, this is definitely more dark than my usual read. About 75% of the way through my stomach was turning from the gore, so heavy TW for gore, death and violence.

But overall I was very interested in the storyline, and read it very quickly because of this.

The two MC were very interesting, and I really enjoyed their relationship. Both of them had really excellent back stories.

A really cool and dark mermaid take.

If you're into creepy horror, this is for you.

4.5 rounded up.

A haunting, gorgeously gory novella, and a great way to start out the new year. While at times the plot and characters feel more like a vehicle for the prose than features of the story, I couldn't help but sink into the writing style and the world, which invokes the darkest sides of fairy tales and folklore. In particular, every description of the unnamed mermaid's abyssal home had me enraptured.

The budding relationship and connection between the two monsters was oddly endearing; the softness of their affection for one another helped take the edge off the darkness of the rest of the content, creating a fine balance that made this a very enjoyable read. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the author's future works.