Honestly I still don't know how I feel about this book. It wasn't great and it wasn't bad. I will say I spent a lot of it confused. To me it just didn't really have a flow.

Four sibling orphans continue the job their parent died doing--saving the world from sea monsters. Indi, the second child of four, struggles with life on the sea, while his siblings thrive on successfully killing sea monsters. It's a hand to mouth existence as they look for clues about what happened to their parents.

I didn't love this one, but still had to finish it. It's a tale of family and familial love, at it's heart with some adventure and heartbreak thrown in for good measure.

*I received a copy of the book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!*

This book, this book, this book. I don’t even know where to start. The thing is, I definitely enjoyed it, but it could have been so much better. (My thoughts on this book may sound contradictory, I’m warning you now.) It started really strong and had SO much potential but it just fell a little short.

So what’s it about? Has anyone out there heard of the show Supernatural? Yea, it’s basically the plot of the early episodes of that, just with kids and sea monsters. WHICH IS SO AWESOME. It’s about 4 siblings whose parents basically raised them at sea, hunting sea monsters. Mom and Dad leave the kids to go on a dangerous hunting trip and disappear. And of course, the kids decide to track down the monster their parents were after in hopes of finding them.

Narrated by Indi, who longs for a more normal life for him and his family, (hello Sam Winchester) it is very fast paced and binge-worthy. The narrative was very contained and character driven. The focus is mainly on Indi and his relationship with his siblings, which I love! It’s just that the world they live in is so enormous, I mean they hunt sea monsters for crying out loud, but we really only get to see their tiny little bubble of it. It would have been awesome to hear more about the different kinds of sea monsters, they have all these battles with different creatures yet I barely even know what they look like. All I’m saying is there was all this opportunity and potential that this book missed out on. The author could have even left room for this to be a series or at least a duology, but she didn’t seize the opportunity.

And that ending… There was so much build up, and my hopes were so high, but bleh. All I can say is meh. It felt rushed and hastily thrown together. It was just a little bit disappointing.

Nevertheless, I did enjoy this book immensely. It was a fun heartwarming story about family. And if you enjoy Supernatural (I know I do!) then you’ll enjoy this one.

This was amazing and everything you expect from a Hannah Moskowitz novel. Quirky. Heartwrenching. Odd. And of course, adventurous. Add on that this read very easily as "Supernatural at Sea" starring Indi as Sam Winchester, Beleza as Dean Winchester, and the Salgada as the Impala, and it was a whole new level of endearing and enrapturing.

Finally, a fantasy novel on par with the high standard Moskowitz's other novel, Teeth, set.

A+++.

I was intrigued by the concept - siblings on a small boat taking down sea monsters. Salt delivered on that and more.

The story starts with action and pulls you into not only the thrill of the battle but also the teamwork of the siblings. With knives, arrows, blowtorches and hooks, they are all lethal. Each of the four primary characters is developed to the point that you'd love to jump on their boat and join them as they thrash something with fangs and a dozen long tentacles.

Other high points: tight writing, a quick pace and the peak into Indi's struggle with the obligation to help his siblings protect others from sea monsters and to find answers to what happened to their parents. The conflict lies in his strong and growing desire to just get off the ship and lead a normal life. Indi's journeys through the seas and through his rocky sibling relationships to find the life he wants feel genuine and make the book hard to put down.

Highly recommended.

This review will be posted on 10/2/18 on thewingedpen.com. I'll post it to goodreads now and to Amazon and Barnes and Noble after the pub date.

Well written fantasy for YA's Siblings sailing the Mediterranean in search of sea monsters! How cool can that be! But they also want a home away from all the drama. All they have are their parents journals to guide them. great story! Very enjoyable. I loved the characters, especially the younger ones- a bit on the feral side, but entertaining! Charming bunch of kiddos I am sure teens will enjoy.

I received a copy of Salt from Netgalley and Chronicle Books in exchange for an honest review.


Salt is about a boy named Indi, who is 17. He and his siblings are orphaned after their parents disappear while hunting a sea creature named El Diamante.The kids live on their boat and continue to try to hunt these sea monsters, hoping for a possibility that they will discover what happened to their parents.

I wanted to like this book. The concept of being sics, people who see and hunt sea monsters, was interesting to me. I was hoping that I would hear more about the creatures they would encounter. There was a journal kept by their parents and a promise of treasure. There were aspects of the storyline that I really liked and wish the author had gone further into. There were also a few moments where I thought this book would have some nice family values thrown in.

What I didn't like about the book is that the kids were involved with a lot of stuff that weren't really necessary. Both the older sister, Beleza and Indi had sexual encounters in the story, and it sounded like this was the norm. They also smoked and drank. There was also a lot of swearing in the book. I mentioned family values. I just felt weird going back and forth between a character expressing admiration about an older sibling and then a 6 year old swearing at her 12 year old brother. Then there were tender spots where a younger character would lovingly place their head on an older sibling's shoulder... and the 12 year old would routinely smack the 6 year old in the head or something. So, I don't know. I will say that I tend to be pretty conservative and that this book is geared to teens/young adults. I also thought about character development. Maybe these kids were the way they were because they've always lived at sea, daringly catching monsters and having to make things work on their own. Maybe if the characters were 5-10 years older I would've been less bothered by it. I thought about whether I would pass this on to my sons to read. Ultimately I decided, I will not pass it on. There's not enough of a story to make the characters worth it to me. I do think that lots of young teens will enjoy the story, but it just wasn't for me.

This wasn't my favorite book ever but it certainly wasn't bad either. I probably would have given it four stars if there wasn't as much swearing. The main character also smoked a cigarette and had a sexual relationship with somebody on more than on occasion. Other than that it was decent. The author really crammed quite the adventure into such a short book. It only took me around three hours to read it and I don't consider myself to be a fast reader. There was also plenty of action, most of which came from when the four siblings were fighting monsters. Zulu was the youngest at six and definitely was my favorite. Oscar was twelve and probably my least favorite. He was cruel and mean at times. There wasn't a lot of character development with him, unlike with our main character Indi. Indi, short for India, came to respect and approve of the choices made by his older sister Beleza. She was tough but truly did care for her siblings. Hura was the love interest in this story and the one Indi slept with. I figured her out pretty quick although he never seemed to. I understand that his poor decision making was needed to help the story progress but realistically I doubt anyone would have made those same bad choices. The bond between the four orphaned siblings really was something and led to their eventual forgiveness of Indi. I wound recommend this book because of that.

Sea Monsters and Siblings - quite a great combination! I would have liked to learn a little more about all those monsters they were hunting, but all in all an enjoyable read, with believable siblings! Special thanks to NetGalley for this fascinating book.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Salt tells the story of Indi and his siblings who are sics, which are monster-hunters, searching for their parents who went away on a hunt and never returned.
Salt was a quick light-hearted read. I loved the relationships between the siblings and found myself relating to them having two younger sisters of my own. The book is mainly filled with a bunch of those family moments and that’s about it. I loved that family love was the main theme and focus of this book, there wasn’t too much action, and there isn’t a love story to overshadow the main theme. The plot was pretty anti-climatic for me, but it didn’t take away from being a well-done family-driven story.

I was interested in the pirate element of this novel and looked forward to a quick read. Unfortunately, this one didn’t deliver for me. Indi’s narration, for me, was simply too sporadic and undetailed that it left me bored and confused. The other siblings held more of an interest for me and I would have liked to see their perspectives. I feel that this is the author’s style, and it is simply not for me, yet I understand that others may like the bluntness and simplicity of Indi’s narration.
I liked the family relationships going on in this story between the siblings. As one of four myself, I understand the give and take, the fights and forgiveness, and the need for peace that is sometimes required with multiple siblings. These scenarios were dealt with well and showed how different siblings deal with shared problems.
The monster element was entirely underwhelming and confusing. There was no history of the hunting which made me think that this was in an alternate world for a while. Once they reached land and discussed the modern world (again, in practically no detail), I wished that it was in another world as this made the idea that they never saw other ships at sea or that only a few people knew about the monsters that much more unbelievable. The monster fights were quick and often solved to neatly, especially the final battle that was built up to most of the book. The monsters were not able to be pictured as one moment they could swallow the ship and the next the kids are wrapping a rope around its neck.
In the end, this story needed more body to it. It was a quick read, but left me highly unsatisfied. I would have liked a lot more action.

This isn't a complete review since I have yet to finish the book, but I must say that while this idea intrigued me, I just never quite got into the story. I did try, but something about it feels incomplete itself. Like I didn't get a full story. Plus, it jumps a lot and I felt like the story was too short and I never got a feel for the world.

I do think this could've been incredible, but it just fell flat.

[I was given a free digital copy through NetGalley]

The light-hearted tones of this novel really helped in making this very small story so much bigger. The readers are not fully immersed into the world of this story, but because the narrator is such a vocal and personal viewpoint, the lack of in-depth detail and explanation do not take away from the story’s character, and I feel like that was what made this story special to me. The story had character, and I was entertained by the scrappy protagonist. I wasn’t familiar with [author’s name here]’s works before reading this novel, and the small world she has created is a different take than the storylines I’m used to reading, and this small-scale made everything, even in a world of monsters, feel much more personable. If you want a coming of age about a young and dysfunctional family taking down monsters and adventuring into the deepest parts of the sea, step aboard.

A lovely book about sea monsters, pirates, family, and finding yourself. The book follows a group of four siblings sailing around the Mediterranean looking for their missing (or dead) parents and fighting sea monsters along the way. While it isn't action packed (not meant to be) or detail oriented (not meant to be), the story resonates with any sibling or member of a large family.

I didn't finish this book. The author used a lot of bad languge, the characters were not that interesting and it moved way to slow for my taste. This is targeting a teen/YA audience, I would say it would be appropriate for an older teen.

This book was pretty good--I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could, but it's just not quite a 4 A tale that is half Pirates of the Caribbean and half Boxcar Children, this novel finds us on the open seas with two teens and their younger siblings, trying to fight monsters and find out what happened to their parents.

I found the story to be a little not quite believable, which means it never quite got me to a point of suspending my disbelief. Indi, our 17-year-old narrator seems much more like a 24-year-old college drop out, his 6-year-old sister should be about 15, and so on. I feel like so many YA books are just taking older characters and making them younger in age only--not in actual maturity, and it's annoying. But the story was interesting, the world was decently imagined, and I kept reading. So yeah. A fun adventure story, but not for readers under the age of 16 or so due to sexual content.

This was such a sweet book! It gave me all sorts of feels and warm fuzzies. I mean, who's heart wouldn't melt when reading about orphaned siblings fighting giant scary monsters? But, really, the love these siblings have for each other is just so wonderful. Even when they fought (which was about as often as you'd expect from four siblings who spent every waking moment together), it was so clear that these kids loved one another more than anything else in the world. And that just made my cynical little heart melt.

My biggest complaint is that I wanted more! This was such a short book and I feel like it only scratched the surface in regards to world building and character development. I liked what was there, but it was a little hard to fully invest sometimes because I felt that the story moved a little too quickly.

Honestly though, this was such a fun read. Even if I would have liked a little more detail occasionally, I had a great time getting to know Indi and his siblings. I would definitely recommend you all check this out!

Salt is an odd little book. I love the characters, but the plot and the world-building left me feeling a little cheated.

Indi is an orphan and a monster hunter, sailing with his older sister and two younger siblings, looking for the monster that killed their parents.

He is a well developed character with a lot of conflict and emotion depth. I enjoyed seeing the world through his eyes, courtesy of a first-person, present-tense narration, as he grappled with wanting to take care of his siblings and wanting to be free of them.

The siblings were also well developed. They seemed exactly how I would expect a group of kids who grew up hunting monsters at sea to seem. Their dynamics and banter were entertaining, and no matter how much they fought, they had an immense bond with each other.

The plot -- the hunt for the monster and Indi learning his role with his siblings -- started out okay but let me down in the end. At first, it was just little things.

The kids were sailing around Europe in an age where everywhere on Earth seems to have issues with undocumented immigrants and refugees, and no one caught or stopped them to ask for papers. Eventually, there was one mention of fake ID’s, and even later, fake passports. After that, maybe there was a mention or two of being undocumented and not wanting countries to know they are there. By the time these issues were minimally addressed, I’d already been pulled out of the story by them a few times. It was really too little too late, and since the book was so short, adding a layer of not being caught only would’ve helped.

How sex, alcohol, and smoking are portrayed in YA is important. I had no problem with the fade to black casual sex, but they could’ve mentioned a condom the first time and not waited until the second. Then there was an instance where Indi and his sister light up cigarettes and smoke. There is no apparent reason for it and it adds nothing to plot. All it seems to do is glorify smoking, which is something a YA book shouldn’t do. Alcohol, while mentioned casually, made sense. Sailors drink. They’re in Europe. They’re drinking sparingly. It’s minor and cultural -- its well handled. The end of the book was not.

I love happy endings. I love it when the mc gets everything want and has potential for a happily every after, but those endings have to be earned. This book was working towards that, until the last 80% or 85%. The last sequence of events was too quick, too random, and too easy, so that the happy ending didn’t feel earned or real.

In spite of all that, I did enjoy the book. The prose, voice, physical setting and characters were beautifully written. I just got pulled out of the story a few more times than I would’ve liked, and felt let down by the end.

Having a hard time getting into it really. I keep asking myself (from a reader's perspective) "why should I care about these characters?" It's like I was plopped down halfway through the story.

3 STARS

TW: gore, needles, brief scenes of a medical nature

If anything, Salt is an intensely character-driven novel. Told from the perspective of Indi, one of four children sailing the seas, hunting monsters in the wake of their parents' disappearance, it follows his journey to become who he wants to be as it intersects with who he is supposed to be. It's all about family, about the closeness between siblings and the fights that always ensue. Plus, it has a healthy dose of sea monsters and a hint of romance that is delightfully realistic in its resolution. Indi's life is hard, and not once does the book allow you to believe otherwise. 

I really adored the concept, I think, above all else. The idea that monster hunters called sicarios patrol the seas, hunting abyssal beasts while the rest of the world knows nothing of it, is just delightful to me. It reminds me of Supernatural (at least, SPN when I actually used to enjoy it, haha), and had a little bit of that monster of the week flavor to it, just with a high seas twist. The importance of family and the inheritance of the trade only made that feeling stronger, and it made me miss early SPN. Plus I just really love sea monsters, especially in the wake of reading The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie.

Oh, and speaking of sea monsters, CHECK OUT THAT COVER. The barest hint of the monster silhouetted against the stars is just amazing. I love the cover A TON.

I will admit, though, that I didn't love the book the whole way through.

I loved the concept. I LOVED that it was a short read (only took me two hours as opposed to my usual four or so for a YA novel). I loved how realistic the sibling relationships were, and that the romance wasn't starcrossed so much as failed and accepted as failed. However, I really wish there had been more to it. The idea of monsters tracked via radiation, hunted around the world by people who have to keep it a secret (and presumably don't get paid much in the process) was such a cool idea, but there was nothing about how these monsters came to be or anything of that nature that I really crave.

The other problem I ran into may stem from my own personal preferences. I love strong characters, but I like my plots equally strong, and this was a character-driven book through and through. I was not satisfied with the conclusion or the bulk of the plot itself largely because I was hoping for more depth and complications that I ultimately didn't feel I got. Some folks enjoy narratives that wrestle more with inner demons than outer monsters, and I totally respect that. It's just that that kind of thing isn't for me, and it meant I didn't enjoy this book as much as I quite might have if it had been written differently, focused around different plot issues. 

Of course, that means that my rating is so, so, SO subjective. If you love character-driven stories that have open-ended resolutions and intense potential, Salt might just be for you, and I totally encourage you to give it a try! Besides, do it for the monsters, if anything. Just picture those big old beasties and all the chaos they cause. Cool, right? So cool.

Salt and all its monster goodness is expected October 30 this year (monsters before Halloween, wooooooo!!), so if this book is for you, I really encourage you to preorder it or ask your library to look into ordering a copy!