The Salt Bones did well at creating an atmospheric story and well executed characters. This alone was enough to keep me reading until the end. Overall I found the story pretty good, though it lacked in enough that would ever make me come back for a reread. It was not bad at all but it wasn’t overly memorable either.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Salt Bones was absolutely riveting, and I enjoyed every second of it! The incredible imagery will stay with me for a long time. I would call it lit-fic + thriller + family drama.

Heads-up: It’s a bit Spanglish-heavy on the front end, which I LOVED. Knowing spanish will enhance the experience, but I don’t think it is necessary in order to enjoy the story.

Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Haunting and atmospheric are the two best words to describe Salt Bones. I thought that the character development was handled very well. I really enjoyed the Mexicali folklore and cultural elements that were woven throughout. The storytelling style was reminiscent of Mexican Gothic. The author did an amazing job of building up the overall suspense and tension. With vivid descriptions you feel like you are in the thick of it. Overall I really enjoyed the story and would definitely read from this author again.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Quick very high level summary.
A girl goes missing, bringing up old memories about Mal’s sister who went missing 20 years prior. As Mal investigates, she experiences vivid visions of a local legend. But these vision begin to blur the line between reality and a devastating nightmare. Themes of family secrets and environmental devastation dripping with beautiful supernatural darkness.

My Take.
Right away I noticed the amazing character development. I immediately felt immersed in the story and connected with the characters. There are moments in the book that I could actually feel the panic and anxiety that the characters are going through. The author also does an amazing job of creating an atmosphere of overwhelming dread. The author vividly focuses on the details of the unsettling environment and psychological elements that coincide with one another. Often written so poetically. On top of some amazing writing we have some heavy themes being tackled. Themes like environmental crisis, racism, generational trauma and family secrets. Overall a dark and haunting, well written read with amazing social commentary nicely tucked into an intriguing thriller with moments of poetic horror.

3.5 stars, rounded down to 3 stars.

I struggled some with this. As a non-Spanish speaker, getting through the first couple of chapters without looking up every third word was pretty difficult. Even as the book wrapped up, I was still uncertain as to the meanings of several words. Nonetheless, this was an interesting tale set near the ecological catastrophe that is the Salton Sea. The continued references to Mexicali myths and traditions was fascinating, and for me the best part of the book.

I thought mother Mal was a nightmare character, and her continued overreactions really rubbed me the wrong way. It was also hard to believe that the search for the missing daughter was started and exploded within about 4 hours of her going missing -- that made NO sense and was unrealistic.

That being said, there will be a big market for this tale -- the cover alone is fantastic. I look forward to watching the limited series on Netflix ; ).

Will I read more from the author? Maybe. I need to get a better dictionary :)

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

A magical realism story filled with Mexican/Latin folklore about the relationships between mothers and daughters, between siblings, and between communities and the girls that go missing.

Mal’s mother seemed to hold Mal in contempt even before she was born – the very act of naming her Mal was an affront to a child born at a time when a beautiful woman with aspirations of acting found her life devastated by a hurricane and by motherhood, and when her younger daughter, Elena, disappears she blames Mal for not watching her. On the same night her sister goes missing, Mal’s mother gives birth to Benny, who Mal raises in the wake of their family’s devastation and grief. Around the time that Elena goes missing, a local teacher’s daughter, Noemi, also goes missing, and the town blames the teacher, Gus, for her disappearance. Elena’s disappearance, on the other hand, is assumed to be a runaway or the result of her loose lifestyle.

Older, Mal has two daughters – Griselda and Amaranta – and works as a butcher. She has kept the identity of their father a secret, and Griselda has gone off to college. However, Mal’s brother Esteban (Steve/Stevie) is having an election party as he is running for office, and Griselda comes home to attend. She meets up with her on-again off-again boyfriend, Harlan, and they go to the party together with Amaranta and Mal. When Amaranta goes missing, Mal’s mother blames her, telling her she couldn’t watch her sister and now she’s lost her daughter. But the rest of the town rallies behind Mal, setting up search parties to find her, unlike for Renata, Mal’s best friend, Yessi’s cousin – an adult who had a reputation of being a loose woman.

As Mal searches for her daughter, she begins seeing El Siguanaba – the horse-headed woman they say is linked with El Cucuy. But El Cucuy is the name the town gave Gus after Noemi disappeared. Assumptions and speculations abound, as both Mal and Griselda blame themselves for Amaranta’s disappearance. But no one could have seen the truth coming.

I was impressed with this book… So much so I pre-ordered a copy for me and another one for my mom. I will likely be picking up another book by the author, as it seems she has a few out already.

Salt Bones is about a single mother living in the town El Valle close to the Salton Sea who's been haunted by La Siguanaba on and off since the disappearance of her sister, Elena over twenty years ago. When a coworker goes missing, Mal tries to keep it together but when her youngest disappears, Mal's desperate not to have history repeat itself. 

La Siguanaba, a shapeshifting creature from South American folklore, is said to be an alluring horse-headed woman that roams the beaches and surrounding deserts that lures womanizers and drunk men into danger. In Salt Bones, Mal  fears that La Siguanaba also comes for children and teenage girls. 

Salt Bones is chilling, eclectic, haunting and raw. I had so many feelings when I finished this book. Lots of anger, rage, sadness and heartache. And it's one of those books where you wish the supernatural/folklore element of the story played a bigger role in the narrative. Because then you can shift blame onto this unnatural being or entity, rather than the human individuals you grow attached to. And most hauntingly, those who were closest to Mal and her girls. 
I found Mal's character to be a really strong and proactive individual considering the circumstances. And her panic and worry when her youngest daughter went missing was completely valid. She grew up at the mercy and torment of her mother's cruel punishment and tongue. That treatment only got worse after her sister's disappearance. And for Mel to have lived through that once, I loved that she didn't take the chance Amaranta was off with some friends instead of frantically trying to track her down. 

I want to say that I kinda liked her eldest daughter, Griselda  but I feel I might be stretching to say that. There were a lot of details none of them knew before Amar's disappearance, but I found    Gris's dissociation from her mother and the situation to be tactless and dumb. I know Mal's intention to tell the girls about Gus was interrupted by Amar's disappearance but even if Gris knew beforehand, I think she would have acted the same way. 

It was as if she lived on her own pedestal that was above El Valle since she's been away at school. And next to Mal, I felt the most sorry for Amaranta. She kept a lot to herself and when she found her voice to share what she learned it put her in harm's way. 
Two lessons I feel readers will take away from Salt Bones is that: the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. And the things we fear might be trying to warn up a greater evil. 

Salt Bones also covers specific nuances regarding colonization, gentrification, environmental pollution white savior complex, animal cruelty, misogyny and toxic family traits. I focused on the main characters and their connections to the overall narrative because it's a character heavy story and I want to avoid spoilers. I recommend readers going into this book should check all the trigger warnings first.

I loved the story of the Veracruz women. The story had suspense, humanity, and interesting facets to each of the characters. The mystery was surprising and suspenseful. I loved the journey and I loved learning about the family, their history, and their environment. This book feels like so much more than a mystery/ thriller.

'Salt Bones' is a gripping and emotionally layered novel that blends suspense, folklore, and family drama. Jennifer Givhan tells the story of Malabar "Mal" Veracruz, a mother determined to protect her daughters while reckoning with a traumatic past and the growing danger in their desert community. When girls start disappearing and a strange, myth-like presence begins haunting Mal, she's forced to confront buried secrets and generations of silence.

One of the novel's strongest elements is its sense of place. The decaying Salton Sea landscape feels vivid and threatening, adding tension to every scene. The environmental collapse and economic decline of the area mirror the unraveling of Mal's own life, creating a strong backdrop for the story's themes of loss, inheritance, and survival.

Givhan's writing is clear and emotionally resonant, with just enough surreal or magical elements to keep the reader slightly off balance. The inclusion of Latina and Indigenous folklore, especially the eerie horse-headed figure that recurs throughout, adds a mythic layer without overpowering the human story at the center.

Mal is a compelling protagonist - protective, flawed, and trying her best to navigate both motherhood and personal trauma. Her daughters are equally well drawn, and the family dynamic feels raw and authentic. The story moves at a steady pace, though the shifts between reality and vision can occasionally be jarring. Still, those moments contribute to the novel's dreamlike atmosphere.

Would you travel to the depths of hell to save the young daughters of your village? Malamar Veracruz would, and does, in this dark story that interweaves indigenous and Latino folklore with modern day terrors.

While the nightmarish creatures El Cucuy and La Siguanaba carry the theme throughout the book, for me this one does not fit into a typical horror mold. Instead, the story reads more as a family drama involving the solving of a long-standing town mystery. The creatures themselves are presented in a dark, magical realist style, as visions rather than hauntings. This may or may not be what you are looking for as you browse the horror section of your local bookstore, but I enjoyed the reading experience regardless. Just don't expect any jump scares or night terrors.

The prose itself is beautiful, thoughtful and thought-provoking, as we experience the musings and ruminations of our heroine Mal. And Mal is easy to root for because of this; I felt that I could understand and empathize with her throughout her painstaking, and increasingly desperate, search to solve the town mystery. The first third of the book requires some concentration to fully acquaint with the characters - there are quite a few and they are connected in somewhat confusing ways, but the family tree diagram at the front of the book is helpful in this regard. The storyline accelerates considerably after these relationships and personalities are established.

If you love Spanish (I do!), you will be in for treat, as there are copious Spanish words, sayings, and phrases sprinkled in throughout the English text. If you have an elementary proficiency, you will navigate the Spanish portions of the text without difficulty; however, if you are unfamiliar with Spanish, you may want to read this book digitally, so you have easy access to onboard translation tools.

I think this will be perfect for someone who loves the dark, magical realism found in Latin American writing traditions. If you enjoy Laura Esquivel, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or even Isabel Allende, you will want to check out Salt Bones.

Thank you to NetGalley, Jennifer Givhan, and Little, Brown and Company/Mulholland Books for sending me an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

Salt Bones is a story of secrets, murder, and heartbreak, and it is a book that once again proves that humans are the worst monsters of all.

Malamar's sister Elena disappeared years ago, a tragedy she has, understandably, never gotten over. Now a mother of two young women, Mal faces her greatest nightmare when one of her own daughters disappears.

There is much that has already been taken by the rich white people who moved into the area decades ago - land, water rights, and more, and Mal is determined to figure out, once and for all, who or what is responsible for the girls' vanishing. The local legend of a woman with the head of a horse plays into the community's fears, and whether this myth is a friend or a foe, Mal will find her daughter, and the rest of the girls.

I was not surprised to find out that Jennifer Givhan is also a poet, given the lyricism of her prose, descriptive and beautiful within the horrors of the plot. The timeliness of a story where one people take everything they can from another is in sharp contrast to the strength of a mother who will fight monsters of any kind to keep her children safe. My first book by this author, but not my last.

Jackal meets Mexican Gothic and Just Like Home in this haunting story of a border town that eats its daughters and spits out their bones. From the first chapter, Givhan’s poetic, dreamlike prose had me by the throat. It was her writing I fell in love with first, but it will be her messy, profoundly flawed characters who stick with me, especially Mal, the worst best mom in the world.

I do have a qualm with the marketing of this book. In the same way that a Beauty and the Beast retelling without any fathers or roses would not quite be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the absence of certain iconic images and characters from the Greek myths makes Salt Bones not really a Demeter and Persephone retelling. Demeter and Persephone isn’t even the myth the novel alludes to the most.

I had a hard time following this book and I had to look up the Spanish words because I felt like I was missing part of the story. I liked the characters, and the story was different then I am used to reading and I struggled to understand the beginning.

Thank you so much to the Netgalley, publisher and the author for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book and give my honest review!

Retelling of a stunning myth.
This was such a complex book with intricate and intense bonds and relationships.
It is also filled with horrors yet it keeps its emotional impact intact.
Beautifully written thriller.

Definitely did not see the end playing out like it did. Made sense, there were clues but I truly did not see it coming. Author did a wonderful job showing what a mother spiraling might look like. Truly going insane because her baby is missing, no one admits to seeing what happened and everyone is lying.

intensely gothic book. this isn't one that grabs at your heartstrings from page one. it's a hair abrasive, peculiar, and intense. but it rapidly grows on you. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

It took me a while to get into this one but I love mythology so once I did, I couldn't stop reading! It begins with a woman running and then we're off with a wild tale of a family, a detective and a wonderfully intricate story. So much fun!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this book.

Wow! What a creepy, dark tale of feminine power and relationships! There were some twists I latched on to pretty early, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of this book. At the heart, it's about women, and the lengths they will go to to protect and nurture their daughters. It's about family dynamics and how some wounds last a lifetime. It's a fantastic read!

Life serves bitter dishes sometimes.

Jennifer Givhan creates that span of life within her characters who live along the Salton Sea. It's an existence in which Nature has taken over and the land speaks out as a victim of Man's cruelty to the waters and to themselves.

Mal Veracruz is wrapped in that bitterness. She toils every day as the only female butcher in her town. The work is hard and grueling, but the heavy exertion tends to expel her frustrations at the life that she's been given.

Givhan chisels away at her character of Mal. Mal is a single mother with two daughters, Griselda and Amaranta. She's the target of her own mother's vindictiveness. Never a kind word or an ounce of devotion. Her mother blames her for the disappearanceof Mal's sister, Elena. And yet, Mal is the one who tends to her fading parents day in and day out.

And then Jennifer Givhan slips in Mal's sixth sense of cultural phantoms who roam the land. Mal has visions of the monstrous El Cucuy and La Siguanaba who wander the countryside seeking victims. But soon these visions turn into the searing events of real life. Mal's daughter, Amaranta, is missing. As readers, we walk the streets alongside Mal seeking answers as she desperately tries to find Amaranta.

Salt Bones peels back the ties that bind within families. It focuses on mother/daughter relationships as well as the tennacles of the extended family. The town is dying because the sea is dying. False faces present themselves and the cruel reality of who to trust rears its ugly head. And at the center of all of this is Mal who tries to fight for what is hers within this sea of animosity and societal control. Salt Bones makes many a statement within its pages. It's a voice to be heard.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Little, Brown and Company and to Jennifer Givhan for the opportunity,

This is the first book by Jennifer Givhan, and it won't be my last. I loved the mythology aspects (while I am not of Mexican or Indigenous descent), and I can still love, enjoy, and appreciate mythology. Salt Bones, at its core, is a thriller and family drama. The mythology aspects mixed with the thriller and family drama worked very well for the story. There were many twists in this book, and the biggest one I never saw coming. I loved the story and how it ended with everything tied together.