This is a really interesting look into a future where we have lost everything and have allowed one company to basically control everything around us, from our health to our food to our jobs. It’s not eye opening in the sense that I find this concept unbelievable, it’s eye opening in how we can so easily get to the point of where this book begins much sooner than I think most of us realize.

I’ve been wanting to read a Yume Kitasei book for a while now and haven’t gotten around to it. Which I see now is an error, because Saltcrop did not disappoint.

The book features a somewhat ambiguously post-apocalyptic setting in which even the characters reference their life as an epilogue to the end of the world, with the main characters’ grandmother having lived through the collapse of the old world. No countries are outright named, but it’s easy to pick up where our characters are starting and where they’re going on their sea journey to find their missing sister, though where they end up at the end is again a bit ambiguous (though we as the readers can make fair assumptions).

The world itself is extremely believable and it’s so easy to see it as a possibility for our own future, with the environment wrecked not only by climate change but also by man’s ambition and destruction. The world’s agriculture is run largely by a single mega corporation and our heroines learn on their journey that, as most mega corps tend to have, there is underlying corruption that is negatively impacting the populace (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?).

I loved just about everything about this book. I loved the characters and the way that each sister had her own part in the book in which she was the central part of the story. I loved the detail and ambiguousness of the world they lived in with equal measure. Maybe most importantly, as a sister myself, I loved the love between the three young women, how they came together and drifted apart throughout the story, how genuine and realistic their relationships with one another was.

I will be picking up the rest of Kitasei’s books as soon as I can now, because I am certain I am missing out on more excellence.

Thank you, Macmillan Audio, for this ALC!!

I really liked this book! I wasn’t overly impressed by The Deep Sky, but this book hit all the right notes for me.

My three fav things: the sailing, the climate disaster, and the complex sister/mother-daughter relationships. Each of these were so well executed!

Firstly, the sailing. I am a sailor at heart, and for my job. I loved the attention to detail, and Skipper’s love for her sailboat. You truly feel like you’re in the boat with them, through every rock and roll of the boat, when it’s calm and when it’s chaotic.

The climate crisis, and the way capitalism drives it, was so masterfully done. I loved how believable every aspect of Renewal and EarthWorks and the blight was. Truly kept me on the edge of my seat!

And finally, the complex family dynamics. As someone with five sisters, this book really nailed the complex dynamics between sisters and mother figures. i really appreciated that we got to see the story through all of the sisters’ perspectives! I think that really highlighted their differences on how they see themselves and how they see their sisters’ roles in the family. chef’s kiss.

Thank you Net Galley and Macmillan audio for the advanced listener copy.

This book did not quite land for me and I am not sure if it was because I listened to a copy or the story was just not for me. I did not mind the narrator's voice but she was fairly monotone throughout the audiobook and I think it made it hard for me to stay engaged with the story. In general, the pace was too slow for me. I can really get into and enjoy a slow paced, character driven book but only if I am able to connect to the characters which I was not able to in this book. I think Yume tries to deliver thriller, sci-fi, and dystopian themes all into one book which I commend her for doing but it doesn't quite hit the mark for me. I was underwhelmed by the thriller aspects due to the pace and resolutions at the end; it felt quite rushed. I would have loved more development of the dystopian aspects. I found the relationship between the sisters to be lackluster. Overall, I was just a bit bored with the book despite the premise sounding very exciting.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy of the audiobook.

This book surprised me. I wasn’t particularly invested at the beginning, but eventually I settled in to the rhythm and flow of it, I came to appreciate the almost tidal structure of the story. The overall arc of the story comes in waves, developing into something that is at once pessimistic - about the climate and the likely trajectory of social and economic forces we live with today- and hopeful - about how people will hold on to their humanity anyway. I highly recommend experiencing it with the audiobook for that very reason. The story centers around three sisters facing a world that no longer cares for the survival of individuals. The climate has changed, and food production has become more difficult. A company has developed a fertilizer that makes it possible to keep growing. The sisters live with their grandmother, eking out an existence, each with their own strengths and interests that they rarely get the chance to explore, until the oldest decides to leave and seek more opportunity elsewhere, despite the relative ruin of the world. The remaining two sisters eventually decide to go search for her. That’s where things turn to more epic and sweeping proportions, and became an enjoyable read that explores a future that seems anxiety-inducingly near. They go on an odyssey where they pick up would-be resistance fighters, work for the company they are attempting to resist, become victims of that company’s exploitative practices, only to escape to a city of relative freedom that somehow doesn’t seem much better, and eventually find a way to hold the company accountable for its actions. Along the way the each of the three become something on their own, apart from the others, but still depend greatly on one another to survive the near apocalypse. I will be recommending it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audio ARC of this novel.

This novel was very slow paced, and character driven. A major focus of the book was the relationships between the three sisters. It felt like the focus of the story was off. The setting and plot is simply so interesting, and instead of really diving in to all that, the story focuses on the relationships. I found myself getting bored pretty often. I have read the authors other novels and far preferred those. I did really enjoy the worldbuilding and overall plot, but just wish we would have spent more time focused on those components of the story.

This was my favorite work by Yume Kitasei so far. It is a slow moving story about family connections, set in a near-future earth where climate change has turned the world into a sort of mundane dystopia. Coastal towns are flooded, crop failures grow more and more frequent, and survival for most is eked out with scraps from mega corporations controlling the food supply.

While this background is essential to the story, it’s not the focus. Instead, we look at three sisters living in this world, each choosing different paths to survive and yet each struggling. It’s a book about family ties but also wanting to be seen and known by people you love, with coming to terms with your own mistakes and forgiving others for theirs. It’s very reminiscent of litfic, but with a sci-fi setting, which works really well. I could see fans of Julia Armfield’s Private Rights enjoying this.

The narrator, Eunice Wong, does a good job with the atmospheric tone of the book, keeping a smooth and steady narration, though I could have used a little more differentiation between the sisters and at times, it veered into monotone.

Saltcrop was completely different than what I was expecting, but I absolutely loved it! Going in blind, I think I was expecting the story to end up as an adventure in space and it was refreshing that it didn't! Imagine the first part of the movie Interstellar, in a not so distant dystopian future where crops are failing and weather is destructively erratic. This was dark and depressing, but also beautiful and hopeful. I flew through this book, finished it in less than a day!

The story starts out with Skipper, the youngest of three sisters, as she decides to leave home to search for her oldest sister who has gone missing. Her other sister Carmen decides to come with her as they sail away from home for the first time to find her, and their journey takes an unexpected path.

Yume Kitasei will be an auto buy author. I love how this was so completely different than The Stardust Grail, but her heart and clear messaging still holds strong. I can't wait to go back and read The Deep Sky now!

I read the audiobook, and Eunice Wong was a great fit to this gloomy, darker atmospheric story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for an early audiobook copy in exchange for this honest review.

In a near-future Earth is ravaged by rising seas, blight, and ecological collapse. Three sisters—Skipper, Carmen, and Nora—are separated by ambition, difference, and circumstance. Nora, the eldest and a brilliant scientist, vanishes amid her work for the powerful agricultural corporation called Renewal. Skipper, the youngest sister and a skilled sailor scraping by collecting ocean waste to care for their ill grandmother, and Carmen, a nurse, set sail across flooded landscapes to find her. The similarities to Waterworld can’t be overlooked as they journey through dystopian ports, pirate-controlled seas, and decaying cities. This is a journey that tests their resilience, reveals hidden secrets, and challenges familial bonds.

At its core, Saltcrop is a poignant exploration of sisterhood and identity, set against the backdrop of climate crisis and corporate dominance. The environmental crisis in this book is chillingly plausible: corporate control over the tools identified to save a collapsing ecosystem. The novel excels in portraying the complex love and tension between siblings, grounded in shared history and complicated emotions. There is beautiful character work done in this book as well as edge of your seat thriller elements as the sisters race against time to find Nora.

The dystopian and ecological elements to this book really heightened the atmosphere and generated tension. I love how the book focused on the family dynamics while set in a dystopian world. A very original take on a dystopian trope. It’s a moving testament to what we’ll brave for family—and the Earth—in a world slipping toward collapse.

I’ve been loving eco-fiction lately and Saltcrop was no exception. Beautifully character driven, I could feel the human connection in this story. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced reader copy of the audiobook.

Saltcrop is set in a world plagued with blight, dangerous effects of pesticides to treat the blight, and deadly fungal infections. Additionally, shorelines have risen, leaving cities on the coast submerged. Skipper, Carmen, and Nora are three sisters who grew up poor and hungry in a small town with their grandmother after the death of their mother. While the brilliant scientist Nora was able to escape to The City up north to go to college, the fiercely rational Carmen worked at a factory and studied to become a nurse, while the unconventional Skipper takes the sisters' boat out to collect trash that can be sold. The sisters aren't particularly close, but when Skipper and Carmen receive word that Nora has gone missing, they set sail to try to find her. On their way, they encounter lots of danger and mystery as they try to unravel what happened to Nora.

There is an overarching creepy, unsettling feeling with the dystopian setting - storms at sea, pirates, dangerous cold, and trying to figure out who to trust. There's a lot of action, intrigue, and corporate warfare, but the heart of the story is these three sisters who find that they don't know each other as well as they thought they did, and that they're not the same people as they were when they were children.

I thought the audiobook narration was great, and I could really feel a difference between how Skipper and Carmen sounded, though it was subtle. Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I definitely recommend if you like dystopian stories or stories about families. I would rate 4.5⭐.

Also, I didn't know where to fit this into my review, but this particular quote really got me (I had to rewind the audio several times to get it down correctly)*****MILD SPOILERS BELOW*****:
"Nora used to think knowledge was the only thing that mattered, that life was asking a question and going in search of an answer. In the vault, she’d found answers to her questions and it got her nothing. Truth was worth only as much as it was known, and not just known, believed."

Salt Crop by Yume Kitasei is an engaging read with a lot of potential, though it ultimately left me feeling a little unsure due to its abrupt and rather strange ending. The narration of the story was a standout for me—it was immersive and really helped bring the world and its characters to life. The voice acting added layers to the experience, making it easy to get lost in the atmosphere Kitasei creates.
The story itself was solid. It weaves an interesting plot full of tension and discovery, with moments that kept me hooked. The world-building, while not overdone, provided a nice backdrop to the characters’ struggles. I found myself invested in where the narrative was going, and the development of key characters was compelling.
However, the ending was a huge letdown. It felt incredibly rushed, as if the story just stopped without any real resolution. There were narrative threads that I expected to be tied up, but instead, the conclusion left me feeling confused. It wasn’t just abrupt, it felt strangely out of place with the tone of the rest of the book, leaving a sense of disconnection after an otherwise good experience.
While Salt Crop has a lot to offer in terms of character depth and setting, but the ending’s odd execution brings the overall experience down for me. Still, if you enjoy a book that builds a strong atmosphere and engages with interesting themes, it’s worth checking out, just be prepared for a somewhat unsatisfying finale.

Skipper is the youngest of three sisters, living with and caring for her grandmother. Skipper sails on the Bumble Bee when she can to catch trash and grow some mussels. Carmen is the middle sister, working for Renewal, a company that develops seeds/plants to outlast new blights and crop issues each year.
When Nora , their oldest sister working for Renewal, disappears, Skipper and Nora head out to find her.

This book is split into three parts with three points of view. It's hard to encompass what this is because it feels like part mystery, part adventure, and part corporate espionage. The journey these three go on is tough to distill and their world, a dystopian speculative future, feels sprawling. Eunice Wong does a fantastic job narrating this story. The pace goes from fast occasionally to slower in many sections. You might enjoy this if you like:
- character driven stories
- corporate corruption and working against it
- dystopian speculative future (it can feel a little too close to possible)

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for an ALC on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will be published on 9/30/25. I'll be posting to Instagram closer to publication

I love that we got to follow these three sisters on their journey back to each other. Set in a world where crops have failed, the prices of food are outrageous, the land in some places seems to be eating itself… OPE does this sound familiar? 🫠

I really enjoyed Skipper and Carmen’s sections. Once we get to Nora, I found myself a bit bored and rushed all at the same time. I would have loved to see them together more, but I appreciated the sister dynamics so much.

The audio narrator did a great job!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the ALC!

I was a bit hesitant, but the cover and narrator piqued my interest and I'm glad I took this dangerous ocean voyage with 3 sisters!

As a Summary: Three sisters grow up in challenging circumstances in a future earth that is more ocean than dirt. Each sister makes her own way, but when one sister goes missing, the other two embark on a quest to find her. In finding her, they reaffirm their bond, and also, it seems, find themselves.

Overall, the novel starts off a bit on the slower side. I was not immediately hooked. Eunice Wong is the narrator and her smooth narration really did help me move through the chapters. At a quarter of the way in, I was thinking this was pretty good. I liked the way Kitasei uses minute details to flesh out a character. Her style was easy to read/listen to, but I also noted that I wasn't that intrigued. As a person with a sister, some of the relationship points were maybe even a little too on the nose for me.

then... BAM at the halfway point, I found myself choosing this novel over all the others I have on deck. I had to know what happened next, and then next and then next. I was astounded at my abrupt change from a casual listener to one on the edge of my seat. I finished this off in record time.

Do I recommend? Yes! I really do. With themes of family, climate/environment change, justice and self fulfillment, this is one that could capture a lot of imaginations!

"Saltcrop" by Yume Kitasei is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant novel that combines family drama with sharp social commentary.

The first half is slower to unfold, laying groundwork for the world and the stakes. While it offers some intriguing glimpses of the setting and the systems that govern it, the narrative doesn’t fully take off until the second half. Once it does, though, the pace quickens, the tension builds, and the story delivers in ways that are both gripping and emotionally satisfying.

At its heart, this is a novel about family and the roles we are expected to play. Kitasei explores how difficult it can be to break free of those roles, even when they confine us or contradict our truest selves. The emotional weight of choosing autonomy, of fighting for the right to define your own path, runs throughout the story and gives it a deeply personal core.

But "Saltcrop" also casts its gaze outward, toward capitalism and the dangers of corporate power. The book examines what happens when profits and control are valued above people, and it does so in a way that feels uncomfortably real. The world Kitasei creates mirrors our own systems of exploitation, showing the very human cost of allowing corporations to dictate futures. The personal and the political collide in ways that give the novel both urgency and resonance.

While the slow beginning of "Saltcrop" kept it from being perfect, the payoff more than made up for it. I recommend it to readers who enjoy speculative fiction that blends intimate character journeys with big-picture critiques of capitalism and power. I would not recommend it to readers who prefer fast-paced action from the start or who shy away from stories that linger on both personal and systemic struggles.

3 stars!

I was really disappointed with this book. Right away I did not like the narrators voice. I sounded monotone to me and I was hoping the narrator would change voices with each sister to better differentiate between them as well as add more emotion. This was such a bleak dystopian story that just bored me honestly. At no point did I relate with any characters. I don't have any siblings so I didn't know sister dynamics could be so resentful. Although I understood each sisters point of view when it came down to it, nothing was keeping me engaged in the story. The plot was entirely about the sisters and less on the dystopian aspect, so it wasn't balanced.
The only thing I did like about this book was the way in which it was written. I think it was nice to have every sisters perspective so that you can understand how each sister views the world around them. I just wish it was more intriguing to read.

I absolutely adore The Stardust Grail, so I was disappointed that I didn't absolutely love this as well. I was very bored, unfortunately, reading this story. It did not hit for me. 3 stars for clever world, scientific inclusions/ideas, and great writing. But the story was quite boring. I do think that other people will not feel the same way, it was just a miss for me. I'm sorry :(

Thank you to NetGalley and Flatiron books and Macmillan Audio for the ALC. Book releases 9/30/25.

4.5 / 5 stars

Saltcrop was one of my most anticipated books of 2025, and I’m happy to say it delivered. In a near-future world where seas have swallowed coastal cities and corporations control failing crops, Skipper scrapes a living collecting and reselling plastic from the ocean. When she and her sister Carmen receive a cryptic message from their long-absent eldest sister, Nora they set out across dangerous waters to reunite with her. But she's abandoned the research job she claimed to love and hasn't been seen in months. The sisters' journey carries them through a world both beautiful and brutal, where every encounter deepens the mystery of what Nora discovered and who might want to keep it hidden.

Kitasei takes all the dystopian details I love — mutant flora and fauna, corporate conspiracies, collapsing infrastructure, even a grim little scrip economy — and builds a world that feels both strange and terrifyingly close to our own. If you enjoy near-future eco-collapse stories, this one is a treat. And just when I thought I had the book pegged as a nautical dystopia, Kitasei surprised me with a setting shift that was both unsettling and deeply memorable.

What really made the book stand out for me, though, was its heart. At its core, Saltcrop is the story of three sisters, and I don’t often see sibling bonds explored with such depth in dystopian fiction. Skipper and Carmen’s relationship is complicated, tender, and sometimes messy, and their search for Nora adds another layer — her absence shapes them just as much as her presence once did. I loved how the book explored not just who they are to each other now, but who they’ve been across the years.

The book is structured in three distinct sections, and while I thought that choice worked overall, the first act could have been trimmed a little and the third given more room to breathe. And while Eunice Wong’s narration was perfectly fine, I found her delivery a little monotone at times — not enough to derail the story, but not quite a favorite either.

Still, those are minor quibbles with what was otherwise a smart, vivid, and emotionally resonant read. I’m settling at 4.5 stars, but only because my anticipation was sky-high. Saltcrop is a compelling blend of eco-dystopia and family story, and you all should be running out to secure your copy.

In Earth's not too distant future, seas consume coastal cities, highways disintegrate underwater, and mutant fish lurk in pirate-controlled depths. Crops are blighted in the fields and people are suffering. When one of three sisters goes missing under mysterious circumstances, the other two embark on a wild adventure onboard their homemade sail boat (The Bumble Bee) to find the truth and possibly save the day.
I think the reason this story will stay with me is because despite having the trappings of an adventure and conspiracy plot, everything landed so real. This story resonates with the anxiety and uncertainty of real people forced into some exceptional scenarios and having to make some dramatic choices and sacrifices as a result.
The three main characters are sisters Skipper, Carman and Nora. They have drifted apart as they've grown older, but have many memories good and bad that bind them together and a fierce sense of loyalty to each other. There are 3 perspectives, one from each sister. They all see things in different ways and all have insights the others don’t. Having all three perspectives really fills in the pieces of the puzzle nicely. Under the Sci-fi (Cli-Fi) Plot and all the adventuring is the story of three sisters who have to come to terms with each other and the world they live in: all while fighting the bad guys and saving the day in a dystopian hell scape run by an evil corporate overlords (Think Monsanto only more evil and more powerful) , throw in pirates and mutated animals (Land and sea) and you can't really ask for more.

Very compelling -- there's so much near-future climate dystopia, but this felt different. Recommended.

Review copy provided by publisher.