Review: Salted by Aaron Galvin

Title: Salted
Author: Aaron Galvin
Genre: fantasy, YA
Publisher: Createspace
Publication date: April 19th 2014
Pages: 358 (paperback)
Source: received from author







Life isn't better under the sea. Lenny Dolan is all too familiar with this reality. A Selkie slave in the realm beneath the waves, he has no choice when charged with leading a crew ashore to capture an elusive runaway. If unsuccessful, the loved ones kept behind will pay for his failure with their lives. But when their target leads Lenny and his crew to deeper, darker secrets, the Selkies are faced with a moral dilemma. Secure their own freedom at the expense of others, or return empty-handed to face the grisly consequences? How Lenny and his crew answers the question will teach them the harshest truth of all. Only the loss of innocence does one become Salted.

- Goodreads -

The concept of Salted is really interesting. A world of underwater people but different than the everyday mermaid. So I gladly accepted the offer to review this book.

At first I did find this book confusing. I was completely lost at the beginning, I didn’t understand what was going on and what exactly the Salt was. So I was glad when the point of view switched to Gareth, his life was easier to understand and somehow he made it easier for me to understand the Salt. All the different characters that were introduced all at once didn’t make it easier to follow the story. But once everything became clearer I began to enjoy the book more.

Gavin has created a wonderful world. A wonderful world that is terrible at the same time, transforming into a Selkie comes, for many, with a high price.  The book was fast paced with a lot of action. Lenny and his crew are hunting a runner. The fact that Lenny was kind of rough complements the action aspect well. The different point of views gives the book a nice touch. It allows the reader to catch his breath after some intense moments.

Salted was an extraordinary urban fantasy book. If you enjoy shape-shifting books and societies with their own rules then you will probably enjoy Salted.

El