The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw

Reviewed by Julie Nutt, Communications Specialist

Genre: Horror

Suggested age: Adult, Young Adult

What is this book about?  “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 three “saints” who control them. The mermaid and her doctor must embrace the cruelest parts of their true natures if they hope to survive.” (-annotation from the publisher)

My review: This is NOT The Little Mermaid – unless Ariel has fangs and hungers for blood, and her merman husband cut out her tongue. While the mermaid’s daughters are responsible for burning her land-husband’s kingdom to the ground, they are not mentioned beyond a few sentences. (I was really looking forward to some creepy-kid mermaids.)

I didn’t have to wait long for my creepy kids, though – something akin to Lord of the Flies, or Children of the Corn, is going on in the woods just outside the remains of the kingdom. The children are not unlike the mermaid in some ways – they are not wholly human, both in behavior and biology. The children’s unusual behavior and physical characteristics are the work of three unscrupulous “saints,” who seem more like Nazi doctors experimenting on their captives.

The relationship between the mermaid and the plague doctor is platonic, but peppered with affection and true love. The plague doctor’s pronoun throughout the story is they/them, by the mermaid’s description. However, the pair’s feelings for each other surpass pronouns, gender, and even species, to form a bond that continues to flourish beyond death. The descriptions of grief and loss are not heartbreaking, but glittery like the billowing hair and shimmering scales of a mermaid. Their story is described beautifully in the author’s acknowledgements: “…people who won’t give up on each other, who stay even when the world crumbles to ash, who hold on even when there’s nothing but hope.”

Three words that describe this book: alluring, gruesome, tragic

Give this a try if you like: Japanese horror; fairy tales with a dark twist; movies or books with creepy kids

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Adult Services Assistant

Genre: Romance

Suggested Age:  Adults

What is This Book About? Nora is a ruthless literary agent who will stop at nothing to get her authors published with the best editors and publishing houses available in New York City. Charlie is one of the editors Nora needs to recruit for her client’s latest book. Charlie is cold, calculating, and brilliant. Just like Nora. After an abrasive lunch-meeting discussing her client’s latest novel, Nora is convinced more than ever that she’ll never work with Charlie again. Until, of course, she unexpectedly runs into him in Small Town, USA. A random occurrence while vacationing with her very pregnant sister who’s on her last hurrah before child number three is born. What proceeds here is a ballet of witty dialogue and small town shenanigans between Nora and Charlie as they carefully maneuver towards each other in a blossoming working relationship that becomes something more.

My Review: This was a delightful novel that managed to subvert the cliches of small town romances while simultaneously being a small town romance itself. What I enjoyed about the novel was that the characters were very unique when it came to the romance tropes. I also appreciated the narrator’s snarky inner-monologue as she weaved through this rather podunk town that had as many charms as it did foibles. The main strength of the book, however, is the dynamic nature between Nora and Charlie. They start out as mild rivals (building on the haters-to-lovers trope) and quickly realize that they compliment each other with their high-intense work ethic and posh lifestyles. They also push each other to break out of molds and have adventures in a rural community that holds quite a few secrets for Charlie and Nora. Book Lovers is a charismatic story that’s easy to read, even for people who don’t really read rom-coms. I listened to this book on the Libby App and the voice actress was INCREDIBLE.

 Three Words that Describe this Book: romance, small town, books!

 Give This A Try if You Like…  Lessons in Chemistry, Part of Your World, The Bodyguard

 Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

Reviewed by:  Dawn Dickey

Genre:  Fiction / Romance

Suggested Age:  14+

What is the book about?:  Carmen Hogan, like her Scottish hometown, is down on her luck. Her longtime job in retail at the town’s last remaining department store is coming to an end as the store closes for good. It’s the end of an era, and, for Carmen, means an uncertain future. Meanwhile, Carmen’s sister Sofia is a successful lawyer in Edinburgh, with a beautiful house which she shares with an equally successful husband and three – soon to be four – children and a nanny. Sofia comes up with a hopefully brilliant solution to help a dear old client, Mr. McCredie, who runs a bookshop filled with dusty, rare and vintage books. Sofia recruits her now out-of-work sister Carmen to help turn around the finances at the bookshop. Carmen can live in Sofia’s (somewhat dreary) basement apartment and even (hurray) help with child care on the nights when nanny has evening classes. Carmen reluctantly accepts, and her bookstore and romantic adventures in the imposing (and hilly) Scottish capital begin!

My Review:  Author Jenny Colgan never disappoints. This novel is warm and inviting. The setting, lovely Edinburgh, comes alive for the reader as Carmen finds her way around Edinburgh as a resident and not just an occasional visitor, and I find the setting almost as interesting as the characters. The characters are quirky, crazy but at the same time realistic, learning and growing together in ways that they would not have imagined at the tale’s beginning. It’s a feel-good, laugh-out-loud read that I highly recommend!

Three Words That Describe This Book:  Funny, charming, heartwarming

Give This a Try if You Like…romantic comedies or novels by writers like Sophie Kinsella or Cecelia Ahern or Marian Keyes

Rating:  5/5

Find it at the library!