**Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the eARC. This in no way changed my rating**

This is my first of Iloh's work and it won't be my last. I REALLY enjoyed their poetry. The book is about a nonbinary teen named Cerulean who is trying to make it through their last six months of public high school so they can live off the grid with their friends once they've all graduated. Unfortunately, their teacher, Mr. Schlauss is making that task a Herculean effort and an accident causes their family life to upend.

I really liked the poems, both as a whole narrative and on an individual level, which isn't always possible with novels in verse. It's rare that individual poems written to be prose can stand on their own, but Iloh's are deeply powerful and moving. I can see why this was a Printz honoree this year. If you haven't read this, I would recommend it. I think it captures well the unfairness of public schools, especially towards minority students (Cerulean is Black and queer, making them a doubly marginalized character), the unpreparedness of school teaching degree programs, the apathy of teachers who are in the government programs to teach "underprivileged" children in exchange for loan forgiveness, and the restorative power of family, both blood and found.

The only reason it wasn't a 4 star is because the ending felt very abrupt for me, but again, I think the narrative up until that point is wonderful and well-written. Would highly recommend it. 4/5 stars

This was the right story for the young adult reader. It was very intense. I would definitely recommend it for middle and high school age readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! I really enjoyed this book!

This book was difficult to read due to the writing style/format. There was a lot of things that looked “whited out” which also further added to how difficult it was to read. Very disappointed as I have been anticipating reading this since I saw the cover.

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group, Dutton Books for Young Readers and netgalley for allowing me to read Salt the Water by Candice Iloh. This book was such an amazing read. I can't remember the last time I read a book that took me on a journey such as this one

"Candice Iloh's 'Salt the Water'" had the potential to be a powerful exploration of identity, family, and resilience, but unfortunately, it falls short of expectations, earning a two-star rating.

One of the novel's main shortcomings is its narrative structure. The story is presented in a fragmented, non-linear fashion, making it challenging for readers to engage with the characters and their experiences cohesively. The disjointed timeline hinders the flow of the narrative, leaving the reader struggling to connect with the protagonist and understand the progression of events.

The central theme of the novel, which revolves around the protagonist's journey of self-discovery and healing, lacks the depth and nuance needed to resonate emotionally. While the exploration of trauma and its impact on identity is a crucial and timely topic, the execution in "Salt the Water" feels superficial, with the emotional weight of the story not fully realized.

The characters, including the protagonist, often come across as one-dimensional, making it difficult for readers to invest in their struggles and triumphs. The relationships between characters lack authenticity, and their interactions feel forced, further diminishing the reader's ability to connect with the narrative on a meaningful level.

Additionally, the prose, while at times poetic, can be excessively flowery and overly stylized, sacrificing clarity for the sake of artistic expression. This stylistic choice may appeal to some readers, but for others, it may hinder their ability to fully grasp the nuances of the story and connect with the characters.

In summary, "Salt the Water" by Candice Iloh disappoints with its fragmented narrative, underdeveloped characters, and a lack of emotional depth in exploring its central themes. While the novel tackles important subjects, its execution leaves much to be desired, resulting in a reading experience that feels more like a struggle than an exploration of the complexities of identity and healing.

Candice Iloh's Salt the Water is a powerful and impactful young adult novel that explores the nuanced experiences of being black and queer in contemporary America. The narrative delves into vital themes, offering a poignant reflection on identity, intersectionality, and the challenges faced by marginalized communities. The book's resonance in today's world is undeniable, making it an essential addition to any library. Iloh's writing not only captivates the reader but also serves as a beacon of representation, fostering empathy and understanding. Salt the Water is not just a compelling story; it is a significant contribution to the literary landscape, addressing crucial issues and amplifying voices that need to be heard.

I requested this for consideration for Book Riot's All the Books podcast for its release date. After sampling several books out this week, I decided to go with a different book for my review.

Beautiful writing, but the ending felt too abrupt. I don't like ambiguous endings, but that's me. Between that and the time jump it left me confused and uninvested.

This was pretty difficult to rate. And no it wasn’t because I don’t like novels in verse lol (Even though y’all know how I am…) It was mostly the writing style. Although this wasn’t my first by Iloh, I felt like it was. I didn’t recognize this writing at all. And because of that, I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as I thought I would.

So I guess after that intro I have to say why I didn’t enjoy this. And it was most definitely the writing style. It started out fine. But then in the middle of the story it changed to another point of view. And I was like ok, that’s cool. I was thinking we’d get the same type of story as we did with the first POV. But no, this one was even shorter. And then it changed again. As this was a novel in verse, I never really felt like I was in the story. It kind of felt like it was disjointed. And for that to happen to their dad, I never felt any emotion whatsoever. It just felt really choppy and I was left confused and trying to make myself feel something.

And thennnnn there was the ending. Like did anyone else feel like it just, stopped? I legit listened to the audio and then checked it out from my library to check the e-book and make sure I didn’t tune out something and miss it. (For the record, I DID NOT do that.) It just seemed like a really weird place for them to cut the book. Especially since it was from another POV. I think if they had brought back Cerulean for a little bit more time and then gave us a look at how they’re doing, if they survived, if they ever showed back up, ANYTHING, I wouldn’t have said anything. I think it was trying a little too hard to make this a literary masterpiece, but it missed the mark.

I DID like the representation tho. Having a genderfluid teen character who continuously corrects people on their pronouns is just powerful to me. Why? Because older generations always treat them like they don’t know what they want or that this could “just be a phase” but by telling them over and over and being adamant, they’re taking their power back. And I love it. Did I wish that this was a novel in prose so we could get some more info on what it is, YES. Did I enjoy this part anyway? Also yes.

I also liked the plot and found it to be extremely relatable. Because let me tell you….. Anytime my husband tells me he got sick or hurt at work, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing, any family member gets in trouble, I’m going to do all that I can to help. It seemed like Cerulean was also really scared because they weren’t used to seeing their dad reduced down to that, which, VALID. I can’t imagine how scary that might have been. I don’t think I would have left, but I can say I understand.

And I have to say, I was also impressed with the narrator. It looks like this was their debut, and I loved it. The emotion was there and everything which made me feel even more weird to think that the writing style was weird. I hope they do another audiobook. And make it one that they might have had more fun on than this one.

This was a really weird book. And not in a good way. I was lost a lot of the time and the writing style was hella different, but I did like most of the other things. But don’t get it twisted. I’m still a Iloh fan, I just think this book wasn’t the way to do it.

I really enjoyed this coming of age book where the main character just wants to be free. Free from the confines of school. This story is told entirely in the eyes of the teenager via prose. I really liked this way. It made it easy to read but you can really feel what the character struggles with. Definitely want to read more from this author.

I enjoyed how this book was told in verse like iloh’s first novel Every Body Looking. I was able to breeze through it fast. I enjoyed the topic of queer representation and being non-binary. I may have to reread this but I felt like the book went kind of fast as far as plot wise and I wish there was some explanation at the end as to the MC whereabouts but other than that I enjoyed the story and the cover is beautiful 😍

Thank you Penguin for this ARC
Great premise, very poor execution that made little to no sense, lacking any emotional impact and feeling unfinished.
I was so excited to read this, it checks all my book boxes. BIPOC mc? Check. Queer? Check. Issues of racism? Check Check. Told in verse? Check.
Just when we are introduced to the characters and get to see a horrible situation happen at Cerulean's school, there is an [ accident with their Father, who ends up bedridden and heavily injured. You might think, hey this is where we get to connect with the characters more and see what is going on. Especially with the pile of past due bills on the table. Nope they just leave? Ditches their girlfriend, their friends, their loving family? And then there's a time skip and it's years later and we just see other people's povs? There was no emotional impact except for confusion. You don't have any time to connect to the characters or even really form an attachment to them. It's mentioned so many times how loving their family is, and yet they leave. (hide spoiler)] It just feels incredibly unfinished and didn't make any sense at all plot or character wise. Maybe if we had gotten more time to get to know and care about the characters, then it would have had a greater impact. If anything the actions just made me confused, and I just didn't understand why the book just ended. I wasn't in a place of wanting to read more, I just was so confused by how the story went. It truly feels unfinished. If the book was twice as long and gave us time to at least know Cerulean and maybe to give more foreshadowing I would have understood it more.
As it stands this is such a great premise, but a book that I am truly surprised to see getting published.
(Listen and I feel entirely less crazy reading all the reviews who share the same mindset!)
I would not recommend this book. At this time I wouldn't read anything else by Candice Iloh either.
If you are looking for a good BIPOC queer verse book I recommend The Black Flamingo

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

This book asks “what does it look like when queer Black kids are allowed to dream?” Written in verse, this book follows Cerulean—a non-binary student raised by two-loving parents in a world where they are free everywhere except school.

This book was absolutely beautiful. I can’t recommend it enough. The exploration of daring to dream in a capitalistic oppressive society was incredibly well-done.

I also enjoyed this as an adult reading a YA because it challenged ideas that we adults have been socialized into as a result of living and seeing how harsh the world can be. Children and young folks dreaming gives us permission to as well.

I really really loved this one.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an e-arc of this one.

This is a beautiful book in verse that explores Cerulean's life as a Black, genderfluid teen at a public school in New York.

I loved this so much. I was so surprised by the ending--it absolutely blindsided me--but looking back there were definitely signs.

The poetry is beautiful and the messages this sends about freedom and treating teenagers like people are immaculate. I really loved this one.

CW: injury of a parent, fire/fire injury, racism, mental health struggles

This was a really quick and very unique and interesting read. I loved Cerulean and the format of the story and found the writing to be really original and well done. While I did have some problems connecting with the side characters and the abruptness of the ending, I did mostly enjoy the story and am very interested in reading more from this author.

Salt the water is the first official book I am reading from this author. I do have another saved to read, and I definitely will continue to check out this author's other stories they have. This was a very quick read in poetry format about the main character Cerulean who's plans of going off the grid with their friends and moving out of the Bronx is stopped short when a family emergency and a disagreement with their teacher causes them to drop out of school.


The things I loved about this was the queer/nonbinary representation, the diversity, found family between the friends, focus on black culture and Cerulean's interaction with their family and how supportive their family was of them. I liked a lot of the quotes and the message of not letting other's silence you, the discussion of schools and how teachers are to their black students etc.

SPOILERS BELOW

While I did like a lot of things, there are things I didn't really enjoy. I thought the story ended kind of abruptly. I usually do not mind open endings, but the big time jump of Cerulean leaving, the sudden switch to the other povs felt very rushed and the pacing did not feel right to me. I think we could've spent more time on the time jump so we could have more time to discuss Airyn's thoughts.
Overall, this read was good, but there was a little too much I did not enjoy about it for me to absolutely enjoy it.


Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, Dutton Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t quite know what to expect going into this book, and I was more than pleasantly surprised by what I found. Contents aside, the flow of this book is absolutely incredible, and the weaving of prose elements of storytelling with the in-verse format made this book not only easy to read but also a beautiful read. The characterization is full without making the characters completely predictable. It centers queer Black kids completely, and certainly challenges a lot of thought and experience about the way that public school works within society. It’s absolutely worth the read and I would highly recommend it.

It’s hard to specifically talk about this book, it tells its story so well that it’s hard to specifically sum it up. This is a pointed indictment of the oppressive system of capitalism and the school system within the United States. While I don’t particularly like to read books that distinctively mention the pandemic, I think there are a lot of very important points about it and the pandemic that are made. Despite that, I think this book does a good job of balancing the reality of oppressive systems and literary elements, not making it seem like all the world’s problems stem from one person while still upholding some traditional antagonist elements within. Further, though Cerulean, a genderfluid queer teen, is the one that you want to root for, they’re a realistically flawed person, affected by their environment and also railing against it as we all do.

The ending largely took me by surprise, a conclusion that I think the book introduces the possibility of without really making note of it. I do wish we’d gotten to spend a little bit more time in it, some plot lost in the perspective of Cerulean. Ultimately though I think that this is the kind of book where you can be unsure with a slightly unclear ending, even if I wish that some of the other characters had gotten more of that exploration. It’s easy to read, but hard to put down, and undoubtedly one that I’ll continue thinking of for a while.

I think I’m just not a fan of the writing for this author. I love love love books written in verse, and this is the second book I’ve read for Candace that I can’t finish??

The concepts for the books are always something I would love to read, but when it comes to execution and just the overall pacing of the story, it’s unfortunate falls short for me.