Salt in the Wound

Rainfallen #1

by Benjamin Aeveryn

Our world is lost to time. Only our myths remain.
Centuries after the rain turned, civilization is a distant memory.
Once rain was a symbol of hope and harvest. Now it brings only death. Shadowy rainwights form in rainfall, hunting for victims with their long teeth and claws.
Humanity survives in sheltered cities and canvas-covered towns. Travel between these patches of limited safety is rare and dangerous.
It’s what Galahad lives for.
While seeking a lost cache of salt—a fortune he plans to use to build a shelter over his hometown—Galahad is betrayed by the friends he holds dearest.
They leave him for dead. Unfortunately for them, he lives.
Torn between seeking justice or revenge, Galahad knows one thing for certain: that treasure is his, and he’ll do anything to reclaim it.

Genres: Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction, Dark Fantasy, Ebooks

431 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 9, 2023

About the author

Benjamin Aeveryn is an author of upmarket SFF about love, nature, and monsters. He lives in Cambridgeshire with his beautiful wife and a grumpy old cat. His debut Salt in the Wound was both an SPFBO and BBNYA semi-finalist and his novella Blackcap was a SFINCS finalist.

Grab a free fantasy novella at benjaminaeveryn.com/mailing-list

Reviews

[Jamedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full text review: https://jamreads.com/reviews/salt-in-...
Interview with the author: https://jamreads.com/interviews/some-...

Salt in the Wound is the first book in the Rainfallen series, and the debut novel of Benjamin Aeveryn. In a future post-apocalyptic world, we are going to be following Galahad in the search of revenge that will take him on a long journey through the Unholy Kingdom of Mercia.

All seemed solved when Galahad found the treasure of the Long-haired Priest, including a large stash of salt, among other artifacts. But world is not kind, and treason hits hard on Galahad, who is left for dead, after being robbed by his dearest friends; however, he lives against all odds, and after taking Elaine with him, so he can get medical health, he swears to recover the treasure, which would be used to improve the conditions of his town.
This revenge journey won't be easy, especially being accompanied by Elaine, who has lost a leg as a result of the treason, and needs to learn how to deal with the situation. All across post-apocalyptic Britain, where the rains bring the feared rainwights, and home to many mythological beasts.

Most of the story revolves around Galahad searching for those he called friends, all for recovering the treasure. Galahad is a complex character, who evolves with the journey; he starts being a young idealist that has been betrayed by those he called friends, but who progressively gets dehumanized. We see how a person that was kind is poisoned by blood lust.
Elaine will be his companion, and one of the characters who I found more interesting, because it's a great portrayal of disability, after losing her leg. She needs to relearn many basic things, and at some point, we can see how she's experiencing some depressive symptoms. But this is grimdark, and we shouldn't be fooled by her appearance, as there are really dark intentions inside her.

Outside of our two main characters, Fay also gets a prominent spotlight in one of the side quests, which allows us to explore more of Mercia, featuring mythical creatures. Marked by addiction, Fay is the clearest example of what we could call a redemption story.

The world of Rainfallen features some of my favourite elements, as Aeveryn, instead of creating a secondary world, uses a hypothetic post-cataclysm world, where magic and myths are starting to permeate into it; some technological details here and there from the pre-rain times.
While we don't have much time to explore it, as this is a story mostly about the people, there are many sneaky details we can appreciate during Galahad's journey, including some Arthurian references which I loved.

Aeveryn's prose deserves a mention, as it is a strange mix that features some lyrical expressions, that are perfect for transmitting that knighthood feeling, and more plain language; a prose that feels like a reflection of the own Rainfallen world.

Salt in the Wound is an excellent debut novel, which puts Benjamin Aeveryn on my radar of must-read authors. If you like grimdark, this book is for you; and in general, if you like post-collapse worlds, try it. Returning to Mercia can't happen soon enough!

[James Harwood-Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beware the rainwights

In post apocalyptic Britain there are few things as terrifying as being caught in the rain. One set on revenge may just be one of them.

An engrossing grimdark that pulls you in. Very cool Arthurian nods & engaging characters. Awesome!

[BookishBenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Salt in the Wound is the first book in the Rainfallen series. The first thing that drew my attention to this book was the beautiful cover by Houssame Khairane. The second thing was that the editor, Sarah Chorn, quote tweeted it recommending it. With those two factors I requested an arc and dived in!

The story opens up with one of the main characters, Galen Farrier who is better known as Galahad, arriving at the location of some treasure he has been tracking that was left behind by 'The Long Haired Priest'. It isn't long before he is betrayed by the members of the group he formed, The Round Table, and thus begins the story of justice for the people of Wickerton or revenge for Galahad.

You might have immediately noticed a link here between Galahad and The Round Table. Galahad was one of the knights of Arthur's round table and there are other links to this dropped throughout the book most obviously in the names of some of the other characters: Lance, Percival, and Gwen for example. It's a neat touch to influence parts of the story deep within old English history and there is a reason within the story why this happened.

One of the constants within this story is the dangers lurking in the weather. Centuries ago monsters called Rainwights began appearing within the rain. Contained within the confines of the raindrops themselves they feed on and steal those unlucky enough to be caught in the rain. The idea of monsters appearing in the rain is a really cool and unique idea that I liked. Within England we get a good amount of rain and I felt that this weather danger really sat well in this story. Unfortunately, there were only a handful of occurrences of rainwights and whilst they helped to move the story forward, I wanted to see more of them being that they're one of only two magical elements within the story and a cool one at that!

Maybe that's to be expected though. This is fantasy book sure but I would say it's a dystopian book first and foremost. Mentions of cars and names of real places being changed over time, for example Scotland is referred to as The Empire of the Thistle and the Barbed Wire Highlands, and the majority of the story takes place in the Unholy Kingdom of Mercia and the Sceptre of Wessex or The Cotswolds, ensure that this is a book more grounded in real life than fantasy.

This is a plot driven story but it is almost a character driven one too. The two styles almost fight it out across the pages and this is because Benjamin has written some good characters who have individual internal struggles. There is a character who has OCD and self medicates with drugs and another who is highly unpredictable. Galahad himself has many struggles he has to overcome throughout the story. Does he want revenge for being robbed or justice so that he can help protect his home town from the Rainwights? Throughout the story you can see the growth of characters, especially Galahad and it's these occurrences that push this to being a character driven story.

I feel like Benjamin has used some personal experiences to influence the book and its characters. The language used is typical of today's English. Certain slang or words used sit perfectly well for someone like me who is English but may come across differently for those who aren't versed with them. Certain scenes almost feel very real like they're from Benjamin's memory or he has sat and watched them happen, taking notes along the way. These two factors help parts of the story to feel very real, however I also found that they slightly pulled me out of the story because of how realistic they were.

This isn't a bad story but there were some things I wished were in here. For example, when did the Rainwights appear? What has happened to the electrical infrastructure - is this an after effect of global warming? What happened in that Cathedral and where did it come from? Who is/was the Long Haired Priest? Some people would say that they don't need that extra information to enjoy the book and I will agree. However, I would like to point out that when I read the first of V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series I really wanted to see what Black London was like. I found out you never visit it in the whole series and haven't returned to the series since. I would argue that knowing the history of the world can be as enriching as knowing the future.

To wrap up, Salt in the Wound is a good debut story and one that many will enjoy I'm sure. A decent plot with characters facing many struggles among the backdrop of a desolated England and very unique monsters. I enjoyed the story but found myself missing certain bits of information which I think would have increased my enjoyment.

[Julia Sarene · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 rounded up

Read for SPFBO, this is only my personal opinion, group verdict might differ widely!

I'm always a bit wary about mixing our real world with epic fantasy, but Salt in the Wound is one title that actually pulls it off really well for me! It takes place in future UK, the Cotswolds to be precise, and instead of pulling me out of the story, it made it all the more fascinating! How did we get there? What happened to the world? Where does the little magic and the many creatures come from? What happened to technology? A lot of these stay a mystery, and will probably be explored more in book two. It definitely added an extra hook for me and kept me glued to the pages!

Another absolute strong point for me was the diverse cast.
It has a character going through becoming disabled, another character who struggles with addiction, there's intrusive thoughts that make life almost impossible, and there's a few LGBTQ+ characters as well. These all rounded the story up nicely, and made the world feel more realistic to me.

The characters are all quite flawed, and the more you learn about them, the more you realise it. I thought the character development was well done, and the different problems and points of view well handled. These people all go through quite a lot, and they don't even know it's probably only going to get worse. Regardless, on they go, what else is there to do?

There's little explanation, and you simply get thrown into the deep end, but I never had any trouble following the story, or knowing who's on page. I quite liked how it gave just enough info to not get lost, but not so much the story got bogged down.

I liked how nature and the environment was a big thing in this changed world. If you get caught out by the rain, you're dead. And you better pay close attention because all sorts of mythical creatures or monsters could also try to shorten your lifespan a lot! I definitely want to learn more about all these things, and will pick up any sequels.

[E.J. J Doble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely fantastic. Excellent, flowing grimdark low fantasy with mythological elements and a good dose of magic. Gritty, violent and gory in all the right places. The competence around issues with trauma was excellent, and Galahad was phenomenally written. A contender for best indie book of the year without question. Thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyable!

[Chad · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 star

Salt in the Wound was my 14th read from the SPFBO-9 list I created. I'd heard a bit of buzz around it recently even before the entries were announced. That moved me to add it to my initial 20 I wanted to get to.

This was a really enjoyable read for me. Very early on I had the love of the Arthurian connect based off of character names. These characters even call their group The Round Table. But the similarities end there rather quickly beyond the fact the book begins with an adventure or quest for a lost treasure ala the holy grail.

The pacing throughout Salt in the Wound was done well for my tastes. I had no issues with character names, places or creatures. The action was fairly steady with a few slower moments here and there to build suspense or emotional connections with the characters. Nicely done for a first book of a series as sometimes things tend to drag out a bit longer than I'd like as the author paints us a picture of where we are going.

The world building was really interesting to me. It almost had the feeling of a future dystopian type world not very different from our current timeline. Where some old myths and legends long lost to many appear to be returning to the World as nature and creatures seem to be ever increasing their presence once again. Benjamin does a great job in describing our towns and cities as well as the dangers outside of those towns.

The character development was also really good in this one. Another book that isn't afraid to shed light on our characters' flaws. Almost all of our main characters have at least one flaw they are struggling with. These struggles come many forms such as fear, arrogance, addiction and many more. I found it easy to feel for many of these characters. Some were a more positive connection and others were a deeper hurt from betrayal. Betrayal seems to be my most common theme of reads in the past couple of months.

In closing I'll say again this read was very enjoyable. By the end I found myself anxious to see where these survivors go from here. There seems to still be a lot of dangers out there and struggles still to face on more personal levels for these characters.

I'd recommend Salt in the Wound to just about any reader who enjoys fantasy stories. Even though I mentioned this had a bit of a future dystopian vibe it was still very low fantasy. There is a bit of magic, perhaps spiritual, we've yet to really leant it's origin. Beyond that it's very much just more traditional fantasy weaponry, no guns or anything like that.

[Terrible Timy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Queen's Book Asylum!

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review.

“They sat beside the river for hours. Old memories and plans for some imagined, distant future sketched in soft words. Eulogy and condemnation both for the friends they’d put in the ground. They pulled it all out. Guilt, anger, longing, hope. Conflicting feelings snarled together like a child’s messy, unbrushed hair. Their words a comb they ran through over and over, splitting the threads, tugging at knots until Galahad could say he simply remembered them, and that was enough.”

Sometimes it happens that a book just totally jumps at you out of the blue. You don’t know how and why, but one day you just find yourself reading a book that never even blimped on your radar, that you absolutely don’t have room for, and yet. And yet, here I am, writing a review for Salt in the Wound, with the strange feeling that I was meant to read this book. I don’t know why. It just happened. Sometimes it does. Every once in a while I get the feeling that I have to read a certain book at a certain time and there is not much I can do about it. Not that I want to.

Salt in the Wound first popped up on my Twitter feet a couple of weeks back when its cover was revealed. It immediately caught my eye and got me interested. I was hesitating about requesting an ARC, because one of the labels it got was “post-apocalyptic” and that’s usually not something I’m interested in. Having bookish friends with horrible influencing skills, I let myself talked into requesting it. And since it was on my Kindle and the release date was coming up, I had little choice but to jump to it as soon as I could (I know, woe is me).

I read the first 25% or so in pretty much one sitting. It definitely hooked me from the moment I started reading. Then things slowed down a bit – both for me personally and for the book too. This is not a complaint though, just stating facts. Salt in the Wound starts with us following a couple of treasure hunters of a sort, who’ve been following clues to find the legendary relics of the Long Haired Priest, who lived a couple of hundred years earlier. The book starts at finding the treasure and the story follows what happens next. This was kind of refreshing. As things are progressing, we learn about how things started and how the characters got to where they are now but in a way that’s not info dumpy at all. That said, I would have liked to learn more about this mysterious Priest, but based on the ending of this book, this might change in later books.

Salt in the Wound follows 3 main characters: Galahad, Elaine, and Fay. But their friends, Lance, Gwen, and Percy are also an important part of the story. Now, you might have noticed these peculiar names. And you would be right to assume it has something to do with the Arthurian legends. But before you think this is another retelling, it’s not. These are all given names, because 1) their real name is boring, 2) they wanted to express their shared love for those said legends, and it kind of fit with their group and their search for the Long Haired Priest’s treasure. And so, they named themselves after these beloved characters and their group became the Round Table. Until that is, it fell apart, but that’s not my story to tell.

There are two plotlines – one is Galahad and Elaine’s who want justice/revenge depending on who you ask and they are trying to track down those who crossed them. They definitely made an interesting pair, and I enjoyed their banter, although I never could see what Galahad saw in her.

On the other hand, we have Fay, who left the group earlier and tries to get her life together. But fighting addiction is not that easy, and going off on a quest in the wild on her own is probably not the smartest choice she could have made. But I think I still liked her chapters the best. Her struggles felt so real and poignant. It was easy to feel for her and root for her. Both she and the others are characters with depth and flaws and are overall pretty well-written.

I loved what little we learned about the world. The idea of a post-apocalyptic world where people leave in towns that need to be protected from rain, living in and around the ruins of our modern world. Well, the UK’s modern world, anyway. I also liked the idea of old mythical creatures walking on the earth again, although I’d have liked some more explanation, of how exactly these creatures came back to life, so to speak. And also about the rainwrights. While the idea is pretty neat, I found the worldbuilding lacking in places. That said, this was only the first book in the series, and Aeveryn’s choice was to focus more on setting up the characters themselves than the world, which worked for me overall. Then again, it might not be for those who like elaborate descriptions and all the details. I’m a simple girl, I believe that less is more.

For a long time, I wondered if Salt in the Wound could fit the grimdark genre. It’s not necessarily what you would expect from a grimdark novel. The characters don’t parade around neck-deep in shit and blood and gore (well, there is not much of those until the last 4th or so of the book, but then there is plenty). On the other hand, one of them is battling addiction, the other experiences a loss that would be hard to deal with for anyone, and the third is trying to come to terms with betrayal. Not knowing the biggest blow is still left to be dealt. Salt in the Wound is heavy, in the sense that it shows the uglier side of humanity. Most of the characters are on the morally grey side of the spectrum and it doesn’t get any better as we head toward the end. And it’s always a pleasure when an author gets to surprise you with how they are going with the plot.

Whoops, I got very rambly here, so probably better to wrap it up. Salt in the Wound is a very promising debut novel from Benjamin Aeveryn. Sure, it needs its edges to get smoothed, and a little bit more meat on the worldbuilding, but he got the vibe down and his characters are very relatable, if not necessarily likable. Aeveryn got something special and very imaginative here, so definitely worth keeping an eye on him and the later books in the Rainfallen series.

[Douglas Lumsden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Salt in the Wound is a terrific adult coming-of-age dark fantasy adventure with characters on their way to becoming larger-than-life--perhaps even mythical! Galahad has always been fascinated by the tales of the knights of the round table, and he wants to find his own "Holy Grail," in this case a cache of precious salt, which he hopes to use to finance protection from the rain for his village. And his village needs protecting: in this post-apocalyptic world, the demon-infused rain means death!

Galahad finds his treasure in the opening pages of the story and is immediately betrayed by his "friends." What follows is a new quest: one for justice and revenge. As he pursues his betrayers, Galahad finds out that the world of his dreams and the world he must travel through have very little in common.

The tale follows two points-of-view: Galahad, the idealistic would-be modern-day knight errant, and Fay, a mercenary trying to kick her opium addiction. Galahad travels with Elaine, the delightfully earthy object of his secret desires, and the frustrating relationship between the two develops in intriguing ways. To say more about it would be to give away some shocking spoilers, so let's leave it at that. Fay's story is equally intriguing, and I never minded the shifting between the two related stories (which, of course, eventually come together and lead to an explosive climax and a gut-wrenching revelation).

Salt in the Wound is an extremely hard book to put down, and it kept me reading well into the early morning hours. Aeveryn's prose has a fantastical-yet-brutally real vibe to it that immediately resonated with me and carried me away into the world he created, with its lethal rain, its fairy-tale beasts, and its resolute characters, determined to survive at all costs by whatever means necessary. There's a prequel novella that I'll read soon, and a sequel that I'll read soon after that. I'm fully immersed in this world and I want to see more of it!

[AndDown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer: Benjamin Aeveryn provided me with an eARC, but this does not affect my opinion of this book.

4.25 out of 5 Stars

Salt in the Wound by Benjamin Aeveryn is a dystopian fantasy set in a future version of England where civilization has reverted to a medieval state and the rain is inhabited by Rainwights, unnatural creatures that hunt anyone caught in the rain. And as you may know, rain is not rare in England.

We follow Galahad as our main POV. He and his friends are searching for a treasure long-lost and forgotten, but of great value. A treasure that would bring them great wealth if they could find it. And they did find it, but it ends in a betrayal by his friends, who let him die. Unfortunately for them, he's not dead, and neither is a girl named Elaine who got caught up in the conflict. Thus begins a story of justice, or should I call it revenge? Find out for yourself.

This book deals with a lot of issues packed into this overarching plot. From themes of addiction, mental duress, disability, inner growth, the search for meaning, friendship, betrayal, and even global warming (I'm looking at you, Rainwrights) and love. But never mindless, instead Aeveryn treats these themes with care and respect. He makes you think about them, he makes you experience them, and yes, sometimes you feel uncomfortable, but so do the characters in this novel and I think that may have been his intention – to make you feel his work.

The setting we are thrown into is a world full of mystery, horror, and an underlying fear. I had a lot of fun wandering through the lands and cities to get a better feel for this world, but I would have liked to get a little more insight into what exactly happened. Perhaps we will find out in the next book in this series.

Same with magic, it is present but still a mystery to unravel.

Salt in the Wound was a refreshing book. The setting, the world, and the mix of medieval feel and fragments of “our” world, overarching themes in a plot-driven story, kept me hooked from the first page to the last. But even though this story is more plot-driven, you get enough character development so that the characters don't feel bland or unnatural. And let me tell you that there are some foul-mouthed characters in this book, and I really liked that. It breathed so much life into the characters, and it was really fun to read the dialogues.

Salt in the Wound is a great start to the Rainfallen series, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys dystopian fantasy with a fresh twist.

[Tyra Leann · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 stars.

Galahad and his friends Lance, Elaine, Percy and Gwyn and Fay are all part of the Round Table, sounds familiar doesn't it? Galahad and the motley crew and treasure hunters in a post-apocalyptic European-inspired setting. And in this apocalypse, there are Rainwights, ethereal figures who appear when it rains and leave no one alive. Entire cities have been built over with permanent structures, the sun never penetrating the core. Some structures aren't so lucky and rely on canvas to keep the rain off.

"Guilt, anger, longing, hope. Conflicting feelings snarled together like a child's messy, unbrushed hair. Their words a comb they ran through over and over, splitting the threads, tugging at the knots..."

Galahad is a dreamer, one that was so trusting that he never saw betrayal coming. Set on delving into the mysteries of the Old World, he didn't see what was right in front of him. This is a story of betrayal and revenge. Those he held closest turned foe, who will he be at the end? There is still so much more to Galahad's story and I'm eagerly awaiting more.

"The truth can disarm us all."

[Nick Procter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post-apocalyptic fantasy settings aren't my usual preference but Salt in the Wound enticed me out of my comfort zone with a beautiful, atmospheric cover, backed up by an intriguing premise and a cracking opening chapter.

I was hooked from page one and my enjoyment never waned from there.

The book is a mash-up of Grimdark fantasy and post-apocalyptic thriller, with clear horror and sci-fi influences. The combination works a treat, being glued together by a noir-esque tone. It’s gritty and sardonic, Abercrombie-like.

I mentioned the setting not being my usual go-to for fantasy reads. It’s a future, alternative Earth but has an anochronistic feel, with its blend of Middle Ages and Victorian society and technology

This displaced familiarity helped me quickly find my footing and feel rooted in the world despite a lack of hand-holding and info-dumping. It also meant the pace and tension didn’t suffer from lengthy expositions.

I normally also prefer slow-burns, and the chance to get to know characters before things get going. However, being dropped straight into the action worked perfectly in this book.

We get the inciting incident in the first chapter but I was already invested in the main character. Such is the quality of the writing, I cared about his fate from the outset.

The world Aeveryn has created is a decaying one but with the irony that, while the more modern elements have crumbled, it’s the past which is the keystone of the present.

Older buildings and more ancient historical records are surviving better than the technology and writings of more recent times. The gap in history has resulted in this alternative England reverting to a Dark Ages divide.

The action takes place in The Unholy Kingdom of Mercia. There are references to the Sceptre of Wessex, the Bright Crown of Northumbria, the secretive Empire of the Thistle, and several places across the Channel, but this is very much an insular world setting.

The story itself felt a bit like The Last Of Us, with rainwights playing the role of zombies and some fantastic characterisation and relationship dynamics.

The rainwights remain something of a mystery, although we know they are a consequence of the “rain turning”. They are a horrifying presence throughout and we witness them in action, but never fully understand what they are.

The environment itself plays a big role in the story and the devastating results of climate change continue to threaten and shape society.

Rain brings death rather than life, and people mainly live in sheltered cities and canvas-covered shanty towns, with travel between them dangerous.

The characters are one of the book’s biggest strengths, because of the way their weaknesses, flaws and tribulations are presented.

We experience the POVs’ stories through the third person perspective and are privy to their emotional angst as they deal with all kinds of trauma and conflict.

The stakes in this book are deeply personal and this creates huge investment in the lives of the protagonists. Powerful themes are explored through them: justice and revenge; love, friendship and betrayal; guilt, anger, loss and hope. We’re in their heads and it’s not comfortable.

The characters are grimdark to their core, in the sense they are morally grey and driven by real, human emotions and desires.

We’re with them as they suffer the highs (literally) and many lows. This isn’t epic or high fantasy. It’s raw. There’s violence, sex, drug use, swearing and more, but it’s not there for shock value. It’s authentic to the characters and setting. This is a dark and dirty battle of survival but with pinpricks of light providing hope.

Another of the book’s strengths is the prose. In a world with no modern sources of power, the writing is electric. It crackles and fizzes with verve, punch and lyricism.

Like the layers of personality revealed in the depth of the characters, the prose has beauty within seemingly simple sentence constructions. There are treasures to discover in these pages.

Another aspect of the book which really shone for me was the homage to Arthurian legend and the way it was used to underpin the themes, characters and plot.

The book’s main plot is fairly straightforward but not without well-executed twists and it makes for a gripping and engaging read.

Overall, it’s a poignant, often brutal, clever, imaginative story which nicely sets up the next book in the trilogy, Secret of the Thistle.

I advise anyone on the look-out for something different with their fantasy reading to hunt this down.

Salt in the Wound could be the Arthurian-inspired Holy Grail you’ve been looking for.

[Charles Cavendish · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author was kind enough to provide me with an ARC in return for an honest review.

Being a debut novel, I had little to go on when starting Salt In The Wound, other than it had a very cool cover and that apparently the rain now brings danger and death. The use of the rain as a mechanism for the sinister Rainwights was a unique point of difference for me. The act of turning what is a familiar and usually benign aspect of the weather into something sinister and terrifying was for me very effective. I won’t expand further as I would hate to give away any spoilers. But these creatures that can only move within the rain gave me a similar vibe to that of the weeping angels in Dr Who (but this may just be my take on them)

I would say Salt in the Wound is a Dystopian book first and then a gritty fantasy / grimdark one second. With the blend of genres giving the story an engaging & unique voice. I also greatly enjoyed the fact that the author throws his readers into the story without any hand holding – by which I mean we are given hints but never any huge info dumps. Whilst some people may find this frustrating, for me it replicated the real-world experience of the characters who largely have a limited world view.

Within the book we find a civilisation with echoes of our current world but where society has regressed back to an almost feudal existence. Set in the UK in the aftermath of some sort of cataclysmic event that is hinted at but not explained. There are remnants of ageing buildings and relics of the world familiar to the reader. However now the remnants of society are concentrated in a few towns / cities with the primary concern being to have shelter from the rain and the dangers that it brings.

As fan of the early Middle Ages & historical fiction (eg Seven Kingdoms), I thought the use of Anglo Saxon names was a great touch that reflected how the society had restricted back into smaller “kingdoms”. It also serves to reinforce the sense of isolation and insular nature of the world we find our characters facing. The geographically Scotland is not a distant land but is now referred to the Empire of the Thistle and there is no mention of the fate of the wider world.

In essence I feel the book is a story of revenge vs justice and the consequences of that both for the perpetrators and the victims. The use of Arthurian legends was an interesting device, linking the characters and hinting at their fates later in the story. Perhaps this is also a comment on the enduring nature of stories, even in the face of the breakdown of society. We follow three main characters over the course of the book Galahad, Elaine and Fay. They have deal with the effects of betrayal and revenge, adapting to a disability and battling crippling drug addiction. Whilst these are not light subjects, the way they are weaved into the story is handled well and doesn’t shy away from the real consequences that these issues have both for the individuals attempting to deal with them as well as those characters surrounding them.

I would highly recommend the Salt in the Wound and will eagerly await Book 2.

[DarkStar's Book Cavern · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s not the usual genre that I can be found with, it’s more a fantasy type of novel but it does incorporate some well known English myths and legends. Benjamin very kindly sent me this ARC and I am not sponsored, and I am not paid. I am just enabled to give my 100% honest review of upcoming releases. I will be leaving some of the things that happen in the story out of this review because I don’t want to spoil anything and mar the experience for first time readers as it is not out until the 9th May.

This is the first book in the Rainfallen trilogy and it incorporates parts of Arthurian legend and the ancient kingdoms of Mercia, Northumbria and Wessex in this restyled as the Sceptre of Wessex, The Bright Crown of Northumbria, The Empire of the Thistle and the Unholy Kingdom of Mercia.

So, the story begins with our main character – Galahad and his friends, Elaine, Percival, Lance and Guinevere (we meet another – Fay - later on) these are not their born names but nicknames they have given themselves as part of the Round Table – a legend Galahad has been obsessed with since he was a child. And they are searching for the long lost treasure of the mysterious Long Haired Priest in an abandoned ruined cathedral. This quest and its ramifications weave their web throughout the story, ensnaring not only Galahad and his friends but also those they individually come into contact with. Each of the characters has to face their own demons in varying degrees throughout – whether that be betrayal, drug reliance, disability, greed, vengeance and the overpowering sense of justice and how close those things intertwine.

Galahad is not just a greedy treasure hunter this is all for a specific reason – to save their village of Wickerton by building a permanent shelter from the rain and the creatures – Rainwights – who dwell within and slaughter or take those unwitting enough or poor enough to not have a shelter when the weather turns. As this is set in a mirrored English country this potentially happens very often.

The Rainwights themselves are horrifying to think of and imagine and the danger they pose is very real. These are not mindless creatures – these are hunters. This is the first book I have read that incorporates the weather as a danger and not just a mild inconvenience. Rain to me is relaxing and makes me think of home and for that to be completely flipped is refreshing. And speaking of creatures the environment that our heroes are traversing is sort of a dystopian past and future and a variety of beasts call the unpopulated forests home, including the hulking Cotswold Beast – but does the most dangerous animal walk on four legs….or two?

The first thing to catch your eye with any book is always the front cover and this one does not disappoint. It’s what first grabbed me and is just beautiful. The colouring, the atmosphere even the font is just everything I could want.

If this was just a standalone book then I would have more criticism, a lot of things are teased or introduced without being fleshed out – like the Rainwights. But this being the first of a trilogy which hopefully will be our first introduction into a massive open world these explanations can be saved to tease us with.

For me, I loved this book, I was pleasantly surprised just how much I loved it as it is not the usual type I would go for. This is your reminder to read outside of your comfort zone – there are treasures to find in the crypts. More detailed review here: https://youtu.be/FVq4c5M95C8

[Carlos · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author for kindly sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is one is hard to review. I liked some things, and I disliked others.

This book revolves around a revenge plot for the most part. This is not necessarily bad, but it didn’t work too well for me. Maybe it was because I was expecting something completely different, more along the lines of epic fantasy. For the plot, we follow Galahad, who has been in search of old treasures for most of his life. However, he ends up being betrayed by his closest friends and the revenge plot is set in motion with one of his closest friends as companion.

The worldbuilding is very interesting. Even though this is marketed as fantasy (and it is) I feel like this is more of a dystopian/post-apocalyptic setting. We are thrown into a world that is centuries past our own. We don’t know what happened, except that the world we came to know is now gone and only relics and old buildings remain. In this new world, there are vicious and violent creatures that appear when it rains and can only attack if the person is exposed to the rain. These creatures were one of the most interesting and refreshing elements I have read in a while. Unfortunately, we are not shown or explained enough of them which left a bit of a sour taste. Hopefully we get more in future books.

The plot itself is fine, but the narration was very confusing to me. It took me a while to settle down and understand the world and what was happening. The dialog is written in a way that made me get lost as to who was saying what. I felt that it took a lot from the story. There was also a particular scene that bothered me. One of the characters develops a relationship out of the blue, it was way too rushed and does not feel real. It would have benefited from more character development first.

I was more invested in the world than the characters themselves. I honestly didn’t care too much about them. The main character feels like a mild Mary Sue. He is given an unexplained (apparently magic) ability that just lets him overcome anything that is thrown against him. So, whatever happened, I knew he was going to be just fine. I hope we get some explanation in the future about this power.

The ending held up with what was being told and does a good enough job to set up the series for future books. It also has a plot twist that, even though it was a little predictable, helped push the story further.

I enjoyed the book for the most part, I did have my problems with it but I’m sure Benjamin will get better and better as time goes on. I look forward to continuing with this series once the second book is released.

[A Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

TL;DR – I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Intriguing characters, captivating plot, and interesting world, but I have a few questions.

I feel like the author has chosen to slow-release the world-building. We get enough in this instalment to be able to easily follow the plot and understand the characters, but are left with a number of questions as to how we actually got here. As someone who generally doesn’t appreciate excessive explanations and details, I found this more a curiosity, maybe a minor distraction, than a major issue.
The single, early mention of “mossy cars lining the street” and repeated mentions of the use of plastic as a shelter suggest this is at least a modern dystopia. However, much of the language, terminology, the lack of any other modern technology, including much needed weapons, and the vibe in general, make this feel very much like a regular medieval type setting. Which is fine, I only mention this because I kept forgetting this is probably meant to be a kind of devolved, contemporary – or possibly future – setting.

I’m eager to know more about the world, and would have liked at least a little more info divulged. Like what exactly happened, how was so much of the world lost (I know a lot of time has passed, but still) and how did the rain become deadly? Also, can anything be done about the rainwights? Can they be trapped, killed, stopped? Also, why is salt so valuable? Is it purely an import and dietary issue, or does it serve another purpose – particularly the pink kind? And, what’s going on in the rest of the world? I suspect these questions, and more, will be answered in subsequent books but I’m rather invested in this story (and I’m impatient).

I love the diversity among the characters, particularly the mental health representation, and that each has a distinct voice and characteristics – there was never any confusion about perspective or story between the two main points of view and multiple plot threads. I enjoyed the pacing and flow, and the dialogue is well done.

An excellent story overall and I look forward to reading book two.

[Heleri Inno · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
This was an interesting story in a dystopian world, where magical creatures appeared and our life changed forever. In its core, it reminded me a lot of The First Law books, where a band of tight knitted group of friends get separated and the betrayal is the main focus of the story. You have a variety of characters, who are all very morally grey, but our main focus is on two - the group leader and an opium addict. It was very enjoyable to follow these two characters and see them struggle with their decisions.
But the highlight of the book, in my opinion, is the world. Just loved the little references to our world (their past), but when you add very interesting (and less used) mythical beasts to it, it is just magical.

Thank you to Benjamin Aeveryn for advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are, as always, my own.

[Nathan Fantasy Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review originally published at The Fantasy Review

Salt in the Wound is a gripping debut novel set in a post-apocalyptic London where dangerous creatures appear in the rain, where to be caught in the rain means almost certain death. This has caused a massive collapse of society as people will do anything to protect themselves from the murderous wights, leading Galahad and his friends to search for a rich treasure of salt – salt that could pay for permanent protective structures for their settlement. Salt in the Wound is perfect for fans of The Last of Us looking for their next post-apocalyptic setting with flawed characters surviving in a harsh world.

And what wonderfully complex characters there are. Galahad is the main character, and I’ll be completely honest that in the beginning I was expecting him to be bland. All I could think was “here is another heroic main character that will somehow stumble his way into success in this dystopian future”. How glad I was to be wrong. As Aeveryn peels back Galahad’s layers, we find a character who is entirely flawed. He has good intentions (trying to find a way to build a shelter for his community), but is narrow-minded, angry, and broken. He is dead-set on his mission and believes that everyone should work in favor of his goals despite the people around him having their own wants and needs. That are certain points in the book where Galahad is flat-out unlikable, giving him the emotional complexity to “carry” the novel in a way that most characters cannot.

Aeveryn surrounds Galahad with equally complex characters, most notably Elaine and Fay. While Fay gets more screentime, I want to focus on Elaine because she was such a fascinating character. She is a great example of a strong female character who is not a “strong female character” while also providing great disability rep. Elaine only has one leg, and the way that Aeveryn allows this to inform her character without dominating her personality was really cool to see. She obviously has certain struggles in a post-apocalyptic world that her able-bodied peers do not, and there is definitely some built up aggressive feelings about that, but she never lets it define her or keep her back. Readers looking for some disability rep should definitely give this book a glance!


Throughout Salt in the Wound the characters get themselves into a bunch of sticky situations. How could you not when there are rain-monsters and other dangerous creatures lurking? With few words Aeveryn is a master at building tension. I’m not the type of reader to get scared or tense as I am reading a book (attribute that to my mom who had me watching adult horror movies since I was a toddler; I have nerves of steel!), but every time that a character felt a drop of rain I got that sense of dread. There are a few sequences in this book that gave me goosebumps. The rainwights are genuinely terrifying and Aeveryn perfectly balanced their presence in the book. There are plenty of nail-biting scenes where the rains come, but not so many that they lose their exciting impact.

I also want to say that this is how you do worldbuilding without info-dumping. Aeveryn doesn’t hold the reader’s hand as we are immersed in this post-apocalyptic world; there are no bloated character conversations in which they say things they would already know, no “lessons” from a mentor to a student, or any of the other awkward worldbuilding cheats we often see in fantasy books. Aeveryn throws readers into his dystopian version of the future headfirst, but at the same time quickly earns the reader’s trust. At no point in the book did I feel lost in the narrative or desperately seeking out the smallest crumbs of help from the author. Instead, I relished in exploring this post-apocalyptic landscape as I oriented myself in this new world order. Aeveryn masterfully dripped out information as the world came into focus.


Will you understand absolutely everything about this world by the end? Absolutely not. One of the key aspects of the book is that Salt in the Wound is pretty insular and almost suffocatingly claustrophobic (and I mean that as a compliment!). The characters are tied to particular places because they must always be prepared to shelter from the rain. We don’t know what is going on in other parts of the world. How are communities in less rainy places faring? What does the global political structure look like? At this point Aeveryn isn’t concerned about these things because the characters don’t care about these things. Salt in the Wound doesn’t follow the sociopolitical elites, but rather just people trying to survive in a rapidly changing world. Their concerns – family, community, safety, survival – are what are paramount here, and the small parts of the world we are privy to in the book are directly related to these concerns.


There were only a couple of things that kept this from being a five-star read. The first is that the ending felt rushed and therefore fell a bit flat. Other than a couple of plot/character reveals, the book didn’t naturally build to a climax. The pace of the book remained relatively stagnant even as the story built to its endgame. Now, obviously this is only the first book in a series and so I wasn’t expecting resolution, but there was really nothing at the end that specifically energized me. I didn’t walk away from the ending feeling any strong emotions as the book sauntered rather than sprinted to the conclusion. Did this make me want Book 2 immediately any less? No way. But I also lost out on the reader’s high you get when you read a really great ending.

But maybe this was the entire point. As always, I will avoid spoilers here, but I will say that the characters end up in…..not so great places emotionally as the final pages run out. While the book begins with our main characters, particularly Galahad, revved up and ready to go to better the future for himself, his family, and his community, by the end he finds that these larger structural changes are a bit harder to make. As the reader, the melancholy I felt matched Galahad’s increasing nihilism. Aeveryn put me in the same emotional space as his characters, which was jarring and disappointing as I first closed my Kindle but has caused me to reflect more on the book and its characters as time has gone on.


The other small quibble I had with Salt in the Wound is that there is a plotline about one of the characters hunting a dangerous beast that didn’t quite capture me. I loved everything about the rainwights that this other creature just read as a bit of a worldbuilding tangent to me and distracted the book from the cooler stuff that was going on. Maybe the context for the monster hunt will become clearer with future books, and there was some really great character development as this particular storyline progressed.

Despite just a few hiccups, Salt in the Wound is an engrossing and page turning post-apocalyptic story that isn’t afraid to explore the messiness of its own characters. I cannot wait to see what the rest of the Rainfallen series has to offer.

Concluding Thoughts: Perfect for fans of The Last of Us, Salt in the Wound is a gripping post-apocalyptic fantasy set in the world where getting caught in the rain is a death sentence. Propulsive and tense, Aeveryn introduces us to a cast of broken and complicated people fighting for survival and a better life. The ending doesn’t quite land due to a lack of an exciting enough climax, but it nicely leaves just enough crumbs to keep you clamoring for that next book. Highly recommended for fans of broken characters, worldbuilding without handholding, and tense actions sequences.

[Josefine · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can find my review for the entire series (spoiler-free) here: https://youtu.be/Wa3ZZy1CJ5s

Salt in the Wound is Benjamin Aeveryn’s debut novel and book 1 in the Rainfallen series.

— SYNOPSIS—
Once rain was a symbol of hope and harvest. Now it brings only death.
Humanity survives in sheltered cities and canvas-covered towns. Travel between these patches of safety is rare and dangerous.
It’s what Galahad lives for.
But while seeking a lost cache of salt—a fortune he plans to use to build a shelter over his hometown—Galahad is betrayed by the friends he holds dearest.
They leave him for dead. Unfortunately for them, he lives.
Torn between seeking justice or revenge, Galahad knows one thing for certain: that treasure is his, and he’ll do anything to reclaim it.

—REVIEW—
What a unique treat this is! The setting, the interpretation of the mythology, and the premise of this book are such a refreshing tale on the Arthurian saga and on Fantasy as a whole. I enjoyed so many aspects of this book.

The premise of the rain “bringing death” was my favorite part of this series. The concept of rain and the rainwights was well done. Yes, there could have been more about them, but at the end, they are part of the story, not the focus (although, I’d love a book with that being the main premise).

A bit unpolished at times, this was an overall very enjoyable read and I’m glad I got to immerse myself in it.

Note: I got a free ebook as part of the Escapist Book Tour for this book.

[Tom Mock]

This is not a full review. I read through the beginning of all 300 SPFBO9 contest entries. This was a book I wanted to read more of.

A fallen earth changed by rain. Clawed monsters lurking amongst the moss-covered ruins. A band of miscreants looking for treasure.

I already own this book and I’m already glad I do. It begins with perfect competence. In a page I already feel grounded in the world & characters.

The world is uniquely strange (who doesn’t want a fresh setting for their fantasy?). The characters have a Mad Max, disaster punk aesthetic about them. I’ve barely started and I’m totally taken in.

I’m excited to read more of this. Something in it reminds me of my favorite anime of the 90s & 00s. It’s active! And at about 350 pages, I expect that to continue! Without reservations, I’m in.

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I have been looking forward to immersing myself in the SPFBO 9 reads, so when the list came out I picked a set of books to tackle first. The author of this book was gracious enough to share a review copy so I jumped right into my first read of this year's competition, and what a treat it was! The usual disclaimer applies: obtaining the review copy did not affect my rating.

I approached the story with little prior knowledge. I had seen it characterized as grimdark, which is my favorite subgenre and I was definitely drawn in by the cover. Luckily for me, the first chapter sucked me in and the story never let me go after that. The story starts with fast action and shocking events, and after that we are left to discover how this world "works" and what rules govern its magic system.

The characters are at the center of the story, since in my opinion two prominent topics are revenge and friendship. I loved exploring the various relationships among these characters. The author sprinkles humor in their interactions, which provides a nice contrast with some of the brutal action and gory scenes we get to witness.

The plot and writing style are stellar. I am a big fan of authors that avoid using elaborate language or never-ending sentences for complexity's sake. I felt I was getting a very clear picture of what was going on and of the character's moods and motivations without having to reread sentences due to them being obscure. I also enjoyed how the author catches us off-guard at points with action and deadpan humor. My favorite example of this is:

"The smart thing to do would be to head back to her bivouac and try for a solid night's sleep. The problem was an arrow had just thudded into her shoulder."

Trying to keep this review relatively short, I am only going to mention a couple more things I loved and a couple I thought could have improved my experience. The setting for this story is fantastic! Based on my perception, we are in the future but the world feels medieval. Also, elements such as the rains that give title to the series, are ingenious and interesting. Of course, the grimdark tones of the story were something I enjoyed a lot as well, and found them to be extremely well crafted. Towards the end of the book, I was shocked and also left eager to read more about this world and its characters.

On the "opportunities for improvement" side of the equation, I would have liked to spend a little more time getting to know the villain of this story. Don't get me wrong, I understood their motivations and it was enough for me to dislike them, but I would have enjoyed more "flesh" on that. The other aspect I wanted to comment on has to do with one of the fantastical elements in the story. I would have liked more clarity around the power affecting the main character. We get a theory as to what drives this and maybe we will get clearer answers in subsequent books, but I definitely want to know more about this.

Overall, this is an amazing first novel and I will be reading more books in this series!

[Alyssia Cooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salt in the Wound is an unusual fantasy novel and it works well for it. It instantly appealed to me when I realised where it was based; the Cotswalds, UK, so less than half an hour from where I was born. But this isn't the rural, upper middle class area that I know so well. No, this is a setting more akin to the Fallout universe.

The world we know is long dead and gone. The rains have swept it all away. And with the rains, come the Rainwights. Creatures of mist and tide, yet strong enough to overpower and devour a young, strong adult in the peak of fitness. There's safety in numbers, of sorts. Some of the larger towns have coverings to protect the populace from the deadly rain. Most have makeshift coverings. Constantly patched, never completely safe, but still better than nothing.

And then you have Galahad. Forever seeking the holy grail. Not literally, but close enough. If he can find the treasure, then he can save his village. Or that's his dream until betrayal snatches it away. With a knife in his back - this time, I am being literal, his dreams shattered and his treasure stolen, Galahad finds a very different purpose. Now he is set on answers. Answers and justice. And if he can't find justice, then revenge will serve just as well.

This isn't a tale with epic stakes. The world is very doomed, but there isn't much Galahad can do about it. No. This is a individuals tale. One of hope, through despair, to anger and hate, to pity and all the back to despair. It isn't a kind tale. But it is a tale of humanity. It's not even the high and mighty brought low. Galahad might be proud, but he's not high. He's a regular - fairly decent - person, betrayed badly and caught up in a cycle of anger, hatred and revenge. Not that I could really blame him. This is a book that hits you in the stomach because, setting aside, it could almost be real.

All of the characters are flawed. You have an addict; clean until the next temptation. You have the 'hero' who didn't see the betrayal of his closest friends until the knife was in his back. You have mentally ill characters, disabled characters and morally grey characters. Nobody is wholly good or evil. Some are idealistic, some are idiotic, some greedy, some churlish. And actions have consequences; even something that seemed like a genuinely good idea can go to absolute hell in a handmaid's basket and people die because of it.

I think the only thing letting this down was the why. There's no explanation of how or why the world went to hell. We know that myths have bled into reality in the time since and there's a brief passing explanation of how that might have happened. But this is post-apocalyptic England and we don't know what caused the apocalypse. Does it matter? Maybe not. But I kind of want to know.

But all in all, this is a solid debut novel that is more than worth picking up. It's unusual. It's well written. It's got a novel idea and it actually delivers on it. And it has characters that are worth following.

[Paul "Will" McBurney · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book I really did want to like from the premise setup, and I did push through to the end. But I just can't recommend it. I hate to give a bad review, because I know Indie authors pour their heart and soul into this stuff. For the note, I bought the physical copy of the book, and only noticed one typo in the book that caught my eye.

Ultimately, for a book that opens promising a large fantasy setting with intricate world building, the story here is decidely small. To be clear, I don't think that inherently makes the book bad: small personal focused stories can absolutely work (see Robin Hobb). But here, I just have to say that virtually none of the characters have any redeeming properties, they all constantly make bad decisions, and the dialogue as a whole is...questionable quality.

Obviously, in grimdark, you're supposed to hate every character a little. But Galahad, one of the two main leads in this book, is deeply insufferable. For a guy who is seemingly the "brains" of the group, he constantly makes baffling bad decisions, and far too much of the book is spent on the deeply unfulfilling..."romance"? between him and another character. He reads far too much like a 12-year old loser with a crush, and the overall progression never really goes beyond that.

The character Fay is the more likeable and interesting of the two leads, and kept me going in the story. At the end of the day, her plotline is still pretty milquetoast. And a lot of the "growth" in the characters is unearned.

Ultimately what killed it for me was that the final "action" sequence was deeply confusing. It was clearly meant to be a payoff of the world building the book setup, but it's unclear why some characters are attacked in the rain while others aren't. The whole scene is just confusingly written. The "conversation" between the lead and the main foil in this section is very unfulfilling.

Sadly, I have to ultimately call a spade a spade here and say I didn't like it and couldn't recommend it over other grimdark indie fantasy, but I did finish it.

[Maijie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Salt in the Wound by Benjamin Aeveryn is the first book in the Rainfallen series. The book's set in a dystopian future England during which the world has reverted back to a more medieval state. The rain has become deadly as it is inhabited by deadly creatures called Rainwights.

The story's told from the POV of Galahad. The book begins with our main protagonist and his friends during the their search for the Long-haired Priest's treasure which can change their lives. This quest ends in betrayal and thus the quest for vengeance start.

Salt in the Wound revolves around the revenge plot for the most part which disappointed me a bit as it wasn't what I was expecting. Still, this has been entertaining and dealt with various topics like addiction, disability, friendship, betrayal, personal growth and finding meaning in one's life.

I liked the setting and the world a lot and I expected more from the world-building but whatever lore was presented had been quite interesting and fun. I think the Ringwights was a brilliant touch of creature horror and I can't wait to know more about them. The use of Arthurian names as a nickname for the characters was an intriguing aspect of the story as well.

Overall, this was a fine start for the series and I am looking forward to the next one.

I received an ARC of this book and I have chosen to publish my fair and honest review.

[The Fantasy Bookshelf · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like it but I didn't hate it either.
In the story we follow Galahad, who is betrayed by his friends and left for dead, and embarks on a quest for revenge.
The world is interesting, seems to be some type of an apocalyptic world where civilization as decayed to a medieval estate, and also has to live in constant fear of the rain has they spawn Rainwights, creatures that hunt anyone caught under the rain. How that come to be I have no clue.
I decided to read it because I enjoy the revenge trope, but I have to say I was disappointed by it.


I didn't feel any of the deaths of the antagonist satisfying, which is what I usually enjoy of revenge stories. And half of Galahad story is more about the romance rather than the vengeance. And I enjoyed it at first, because she wasn't the usual "beautiful flower" trope, but as the history progressed, more and more I felt certain that Elaine had no feelings for Galahad at all. And at the end is stated that she actually has feelings for him, and I have no idea if my own experiences blind me at that being possible, or just is not a well written character.
The plot twist was very predictable.
Then there is the second protagonist Fay, a very muscular woman who is struggling with drugs, and I liked her journey more, but her lesbian romance felt a little short and rush. But overall was better than Galahad's.
If the second book has Elaine in a more savage revenge I would probably enjoy it way more. As she as more potential to bring her enemies to a really gruesome and satisfying death. Thought I don't get the feeling that the revenge trope would be a constant thorough the series.

I wanna re-stare that I didn't hate it, I just didn't vibe with some parts of it and others felt like needed improvement. Although I'm most likely to read the next book when it comes out, as I'm curious about in which direction the author is going to take the history.

[Kate Sibson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Salt in the Wound was a joyous occasion. There was little about this book I didn't love.

The set is post apocalyptic Britain. At some point in the past, the rains turned and devastated civilisation as we know it. This returned Britain to a more medieval culture, so expect a sort of swords and sorcery fantasy. Sorcery is not on the main menu, expect for one detail which is integral to the plot (spoilers!), but it does infuse the story. There are plenty of swords. And a healthy dose of Arthurian overtones.

The plot is justice. Or is it revenge? It is exciting and well conceived. It is wonder and mysterious. There are elements that I would love to explore more (the rainwrights etc) but this a trilogy so you can't expect all the secrets in book one!

There are a lot more beneficial aspects to this book. The characters are solid, well-fleshed hot messes and I lived for them. The pacing perhaps got a liiiitle bit boggy in the middle but the prose and plot lines helped me get over that pretty quickly. There us a lot of journeying in this book and I'm still trying to work out where in Britain the Library is (I think I've worked it out but...). But it all works in the end.

For anyone who likes a little bit of post-apocalyse angst, with a side dish if revenge fantasy and some wonderous beasts, this could be the book for you. I would recommend everyone should read it.

[Sean · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Setting:
This book takes place in a post-apocalyptic future version of Europe after ‘the rain turned’ and now whenever it rains evil ghosts show up and kill or kidnap anyone caught in the rain. Exactly when or why this happened is never explained. This is one of the few supernatural elements present in the book.

What remains of humanity does so in a handful of densely populated, well protected settlements and the smaller less safe ‘canvas towns’ that dot the countryside. Almost all modern technology is no longer usable.

Character:
Galahad: Our male main character is Galahad. That’s not his original name but it’s the moniker he’s given himself due to an obsession with the knights of the round table and his desire to be a hero. Galahad spends the majority of the novel split between his desires for justice and revenge, uncertain which it is he wants more and whether or not he has any real choice in the matter.

Faye: Faye is a friend and former traveling companion of Galahad now on her own following being left behind to indulge in her opium addiction. Faye is desperate to be free of her addiction and equally as desperate to never not be high again.

Plot:
Galahad has finally found the treasure he’s been searching for. With this he plans to build a good defense from the rain for his hometown. However he doesn’t get to do that. Instead his reward for hard work is a sudden violent betrayal that nearly leads to his death. By all logic it should have led to his death, but magic doesn’t care about your logic. Galahad comes to some time later and sets off to track down the people that betrayed him.

My Thoughts:
The main plot here is pretty straightforward. Galahad wakes up somehow not dead after being run through with a sword and promptly decides he really has nothing left to do but hunt down the people that betrayed him and the friend that he’s had feelings for for a long time that also miraculously survived. Fay has a smaller storyline that eventually ties back into what is going on with Galahad. While the plot is rather uncomplicated it’s executed well.

The real star of the show though is the unique nature of the world that Aeveryn has crafted. The setting here is an interesting twist on the standard fantasy setting of totally-not-Europe-I-promise both in that it is actually Europe and in that there is no other book I can think of that features killer rain ghosts as an ever present threat. It is a bit of a double-edged sword that there’s really no explanation at all of where the ghosts came from or how they work or anything about them really. On one hand the mystery is cool and interesting but also it would be really nice to get some sort of information about these bizarre things.

It’s a good book with the highly unconventional worldbuilding being the highlight of the novel.

[John Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

#bookreview

Book: Salt in the Wound
Type: Series (Rainfallen #1)
Genre: Dystopian Fantasy, Post-apocalyptic
Themes: addiction, mental duress, disability, inner growth, the search for meaning, friendship, betrayal, and even global warming
Author: Benjamin Aeveryn
Date Released: May 2023
My Rating: 3.0 ⭐⭐⭐

I saw a lot of potential in this indie fantasy book which could competitively keep pace with mainstream fiction novels if the author, Benjamin worked on some of its features.

There is an Arthurian feel with the main character, Galahad searching for an important relic to save the kingdom conjured by the power of dark entities. Much to the reader's expectation is an immersive and powerful storytelling but this book has given us less, lacking exciting and action-packed scenes. Demons coming out in the rain is an interesting feature but the author could have utilized it by vividly describing how they wreck havoc. There is no info-dumping or hand-holding, yet there is a sense of dread felt in most parts. I would have given this less than 3 stars if it weren't for morally grey characters with physical deficiencies and speaking of that, it's one of the few books with disability rep. The MC reminds me of Glokta from the First Law Trilogy.

[Ben Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, I want to note that Benjamin Aeveryn is a beautiful writer. I found so many wonderful sentences in this book and was really impressed with his style.
Another plus was the relatively short chapters. I LOVE a short chapter, and it always helps me to get through a book.

The story is fast-paced with a great cast of characters. I enjoyed them all, and by the time I got towards the end, the twist was a surprise to me. I'm usually good at spotting twists early, but this one really got me.

My only slight complaint or niggle with the writing would be a handful of scenes (sex scenes) that felt out of place and like they were written by a different author or for a different book. I'm no prude at all but reading them took me by surprise and I wonder if the book would have missed them if they wernt there, but again that is a personal preference and I'm literally talking about a few pages.

Overall, I really enjoyed the world, the characters, the writing, and the fast plot. I'm excited to see a sequel, and I keep my fingers crossed for more clever twists, short punchy chapters, and another adventure full of fast action and wonderful characters to fill the pages.

[Chris Bain Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to see how this book would end. Aeveryn has created a vivid new world in the unholy kingdom of Mercia and an excellent story with a beautiful Arthurian twist. In an apocalyptic version of future England Aeveryn has brought together a group of characters with a great range of depth for a relatively short SFF book, characters in Galahad, Elaine and Fay that you become invested in right from the start. The book just flows very organically which I think reflects Aeveryns skill and joy of writing the book.
My only issue is that it’s just not long enough! I wanted so much more which I assume will come in the following books. The detail provided is amazing crafting great imagery of a post apocalyptic England that nature has and is continuing to reclaim, not to mention Swords, subtle magic and mythical beasts and horrors of old. And it wouldn’t be England if it didn’t rain and what that rain brings with it.
I can’t wait to read more from Benjamin Aeveryn and the Rainfallen series. I highly recommend you reading this book, there is a lot to like and more to come.

[Atrium-V · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the first few chapters I thought "wow, this story is amazing." In the end it was not as great as I hoped for in the beginning. The round table/King Arthur analogies were very cringe and the characters were a bit repetitive sometimes. They somehow all had the same thought processes.
Otherwise the idea with random monsters forming in the rain is interesting and gives the story its magic and adds some desperation, but it is nothing new. Well, at least it would not be, if it were mist instead of rain.
Everything else I liked in this book. The idea of revenge and the way the characters interacted with each other. The writing style was also solid.
Still I skipped to much to give it a 5* review, just could not care about Fays monster hunt for money.

For all readers who are confused by the church displayed on the cover: its not about religion. Well not really.