Title: The Salt Grows HeavyAuthor: Cassandra Khaw
First Published: May 2, 2023
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Pages: 112
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Horror
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Rating:
Synopsis:
You may think you know how the fairy tale goes: a mermaid comes to shore and weds the prince. But what the fables forget is that mermaids have teeth. And now, her daughters have devoured the kingdom and burned it to ashes.
On the run, the mermaid is joined by a mysterious plague doctor with a darkness of their own. Deep in the eerie, snow-crusted forest, the pair stumble upon a village of ageless children who thirst for blood, and the three “saints” who control them.
The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true nature if they hope to survive.
Buy the Book: AmazonReview
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but I was ready to take the plunge the second I saw this book. The Salt Grows Heavy is a gloriously grotesque dark fantasy retelling of three fairy tales: The Little Mermaid, How Some Children Played at Slaughtering, and The Three Army Surgeons, the latter two far less famous than the former. Khaw weaves these stories together to create a new fairy tale, one of cruelty, greed, and love.
Khaw’s mermaid is beautiful and vicious, all teeth and hunger, an angler fish dragged from the deep. I absolutely loved this portrayal of mermaids as a monstrous force of nature. The story of the mermaid here is much closer to Hans Christian Anderson’s original grim story while still embracing the romance of later iterations; it was a phenomenal retelling. This story is less creepy but instead elicits shock and awe.
I also have to mention that I appreciated the nod to the witch bride from These Deathless Bones, a short story that I absolutely adored. I had wished for more of the witch bride, and my wish came true! This is the third novella that I’ve read by Cassandra Khaw, and they never cease to amaze me with their gorgeous prose. Cassandra is easily one of the most creative writers publishing today, and I will read any of their books without question. The Salt Grows Heavy is one of their best works yet.
Quote
“With every hour that passes, every morsel of flesh to worm down my throat, I become closer to what I was, what I am: an inhuman thing wrenched from the maw of the sea.”
Content Warnings
View Spoiler »About the Author
About Cassandra Khaw
Zoe Khaw Joo Ee, commonly known as Cassandra Khaw, is a Malaysian horror and science fiction writer. She also creates video games and tabletop games, and formerly wrote about them as a games and tech journalist.
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