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Salt Bones
For fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Ramona Emerson’s Shutter: a gripping retelling of Persephone and Demeter in the Mexicali borderlands
At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting. . .
Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal has done her best to build a good life. She’s raised two children, worked hard, and tried to forget the painful, unexplained disappearance of her sister, Elena. When another local girl goes missing, Mal plunges into a fresh yet familiar nightmare. As a desperate Mal hunts for answers, her search becomes increasingly tangled with inscrutable visions of a horse-headed woman, a local legend who Mal feels compelled to follow. Mal’s perspective is joined by the voices of her two daughters, all three of whom must work to uncover the truth about the missing girls in their community before it's too late.
Combining elements of Latina and Indigenous culture, family drama, mystery, horror, and magical realism in a spellbinding mix, Salt Bones lays bare the realities of environmental catastrophe, family secrets, and the unrelenting bond between mothers and daughters.
At the edge of the Salton Sea, in the blistering borderlands, something is out hunting. . .
Malamar Veracruz has never left the dust-choked town of El Valle. Here, Mal has done her best to build a good life. She’s raised two children, worked hard, and tried to forget the painful, unexplained disappearance of her sister, Elena. When another local girl goes missing, Mal plunges into a fresh yet familiar nightmare. As a desperate Mal hunts for answers, her search becomes increasingly tangled with inscrutable visions of a horse-headed woman, a local legend who Mal feels compelled to follow. Mal’s perspective is joined by the voices of her two daughters, all three of whom must work to uncover the truth about the missing girls in their community before it's too late.
Combining elements of Latina and Indigenous culture, family drama, mystery, horror, and magical realism in a spellbinding mix, Salt Bones lays bare the realities of environmental catastrophe, family secrets, and the unrelenting bond between mothers and daughters.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published July 22, 2025
213 people are currently reading
17665 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Givhan
23 books585 followersJennifer Givhan is a Mexican-American and Indigenous poet and novelist from the Southwestern desert and the recipient of poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and PEN/Rosenthal Emerging Voices. Her novel Salt Bones is coming this July 22, 2025 from Mulholland/Little, Brown.
She holds a Master’s degree from California State University Fullerton and a Master’s in Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College. She is the author of five full-length poetry collections, including Rosa’s Einstein (University of Arizona Press), and the novels Trinity Sight and Jubilee (Blackstone Publishing), which were finalists for the Arizona-New Mexico Book Awards and won The Southwest Book Award. Her newest poetry collection Belly to the Brutal (Wesleyan University Press) and novel River Woman, River Demon (Blackstone Publishing) both draw from her practice of brujería. Her latest novel was chosen for Amazon’s Book Club and as a National Together We Read Library Pick and was featured on CBS Mornings. It also won an International Latino Book Award in the Rudolfo Anaya Latino-Focused Fiction category.
Her poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction have appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, POETRY, TriQuarterly, The Boston Review, The Rumpus, Salon, Ploughshares, and many others. She’s received the Southwest Book Award, New Ohio Review’s Poetry Prize, Phoebe Journal’s Greg Grummer Poetry Prize, the Pinch Journal Poetry Prize, and Cutthroat’s Joy Harjo Poetry Prize.
Givhan has taught at the University of Washington Bothell’s MFA program as well as Western New Mexico University and has guest lectured at universities across the country. She was the 2024 Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at The University of New Mexico.
She would love to hear from you at jennifergivhan.com and you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for inspiration, prompts, and real talk about the publishing world and life as a mama writer.
https://www.instagram.com/jenngivhan/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEs...
https://www.facebook.com/jenn.givhan.3/
She holds a Master’s degree from California State University Fullerton and a Master’s in Fine Arts from Warren Wilson College. She is the author of five full-length poetry collections, including Rosa’s Einstein (University of Arizona Press), and the novels Trinity Sight and Jubilee (Blackstone Publishing), which were finalists for the Arizona-New Mexico Book Awards and won The Southwest Book Award. Her newest poetry collection Belly to the Brutal (Wesleyan University Press) and novel River Woman, River Demon (Blackstone Publishing) both draw from her practice of brujería. Her latest novel was chosen for Amazon’s Book Club and as a National Together We Read Library Pick and was featured on CBS Mornings. It also won an International Latino Book Award in the Rudolfo Anaya Latino-Focused Fiction category.
Her poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction have appeared in The New Republic, The Nation, POETRY, TriQuarterly, The Boston Review, The Rumpus, Salon, Ploughshares, and many others. She’s received the Southwest Book Award, New Ohio Review’s Poetry Prize, Phoebe Journal’s Greg Grummer Poetry Prize, the Pinch Journal Poetry Prize, and Cutthroat’s Joy Harjo Poetry Prize.
Givhan has taught at the University of Washington Bothell’s MFA program as well as Western New Mexico University and has guest lectured at universities across the country. She was the 2024 Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at The University of New Mexico.
She would love to hear from you at jennifergivhan.com and you can follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok for inspiration, prompts, and real talk about the publishing world and life as a mama writer.
https://www.instagram.com/jenngivhan/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpEs...
https://www.facebook.com/jenn.givhan.3/
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July 25, 2025No rating / DNF @ 33%
There’s something undeniably rich and lyrical about Salt Bones, the kind of poetic, layered storytelling that feels more like slipping into a dream than following a straight path. I could see the artistry and the heart in these pages, and I genuinely admired what the author set out to do. But the farther I read, the more I found myself getting lost in the fog.
It’s not that the book is bad, far from it. The writing pulses with feeling, and I actually enjoyed the challenge for a while. But I reached a point where I realized I was spending more time trying to decode the story than connect with it. And for me, that’s when I know it’s time to gently step away.
This one just wasn’t quite the right fit for me as a reader, but I have no doubt it’ll speak deeply to those who love their fiction atmospheric, symbolic, and emotionally raw.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy.
Sometimes it’s simply about timing and knowing when to let a book go with kindness.
There’s something undeniably rich and lyrical about Salt Bones, the kind of poetic, layered storytelling that feels more like slipping into a dream than following a straight path. I could see the artistry and the heart in these pages, and I genuinely admired what the author set out to do. But the farther I read, the more I found myself getting lost in the fog.
It’s not that the book is bad, far from it. The writing pulses with feeling, and I actually enjoyed the challenge for a while. But I reached a point where I realized I was spending more time trying to decode the story than connect with it. And for me, that’s when I know it’s time to gently step away.
This one just wasn’t quite the right fit for me as a reader, but I have no doubt it’ll speak deeply to those who love their fiction atmospheric, symbolic, and emotionally raw.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy.
Sometimes it’s simply about timing and knowing when to let a book go with kindness.
March 16, 2025
Once I picked this book up, I could not put it down. SALT BONES is a riveting tale of family, lies, and secrets that will keep you guessing until the last page. But what truly makes it stand out is the poetry in every line of the story--you don't read this book, you experience it. You are there for every heart-stopping twist--you can smell the salt and feel the dirt. At the same time, you experience the very deep love of a mother for her daughters, and its power bowled me over.
February 1, 2025
Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan is a hard to put down thriller about a family who lives on the edge of the Salton Sea in California. At one time, it was a Garden of Eden where people grew food and enjoyed their lives by the sea. Then the sea became hazardous over time and a bit poisonous, the air around it also. People started moving away from the water. Life became more difficult.
It was then that young women started disappearing. There were rumors about a horse headed woman who took them, she was made of nightmares. Families were ruined by their daughters and sisters never returning, just disappearing without a trace.
Mal’s sister Elena was one of those who disappeared one night when they were in high school and Mal never recovered from that. Twenty years later, she started having dreams, visions, nightmares about the horse headed woman and they became quite realistic. Shortly after that, her daughter went missing. It was all too much for Mal and she was going to get to the bottom of it because she was not going to have the same thing happen to her daughter that happened to her sister and other women.
The story is gripping and suspenseful. It is full of unexpected twists. It is a timely rumination about the time we live in, and the treatment of women and ethnic minorities. Bring your Spanish dictionary so you can get all the details, it is well worth it.
It was then that young women started disappearing. There were rumors about a horse headed woman who took them, she was made of nightmares. Families were ruined by their daughters and sisters never returning, just disappearing without a trace.
Mal’s sister Elena was one of those who disappeared one night when they were in high school and Mal never recovered from that. Twenty years later, she started having dreams, visions, nightmares about the horse headed woman and they became quite realistic. Shortly after that, her daughter went missing. It was all too much for Mal and she was going to get to the bottom of it because she was not going to have the same thing happen to her daughter that happened to her sister and other women.
The story is gripping and suspenseful. It is full of unexpected twists. It is a timely rumination about the time we live in, and the treatment of women and ethnic minorities. Bring your Spanish dictionary so you can get all the details, it is well worth it.
July 6, 2025
Jackal meets Mexican Gothic and Just Like Home in this haunting story of a border town that eats its daughters and spits out their bones. From the first chapter, Givhan’s poetic, dreamlike prose had me by the throat. It was her writing I fell in love with first, but it will be her messy, profoundly flawed characters who stick with me, especially Mal, the worst best mom in the world.
I do have a qualm with the marketing of this book. In the same way that a Beauty and the Beast retelling without any fathers or roses would not quite be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the absence of certain iconic images and characters from the Greek myths makes Salt Bones not really a Demeter and Persephone retelling. Demeter and Persephone isn’t even the myth the novel alludes to the most.
I received a free advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
I do have a qualm with the marketing of this book. In the same way that a Beauty and the Beast retelling without any fathers or roses would not quite be a Beauty and the Beast retelling, the absence of certain iconic images and characters from the Greek myths makes Salt Bones not really a Demeter and Persephone retelling. Demeter and Persephone isn’t even the myth the novel alludes to the most.
I received a free advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
August 13, 2025
4.75 stars
Video review - sorry about the audio: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6H6Foae/
Video review - sorry about the audio: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT6H6Foae/
August 3, 2025
4.5⭐️ a new favorite - I loved this one!!
Between the generational secrets/family dynamics, supernatural Latina and Indigenous folklore and multiple missing persons elements, this was an amazing story with heart that you can’t help but be fully immersed in. It is also an honest portrayal of grief/loss, colonization and environmental devastation.
I was unfamiliar with the Salton Sea and the full history of the Mexicali borderlands before picking this up, but it made for such an atmospheric setting and I was looking up historical timelines as I read.
Griselda and Amaranta were my fave characters, Mal was wayyy too hard on herself as a mama, and abuela/Vero was a piece of work omggg, and don’t even get me started on those Callahans 😡
Having a basic understanding of Spanish was helpful, and I highly recommend looking up words you don’t know to get the full experience.
Thank you so much to Novel Suspects and Books Forward PR for my ARC, and especially to Jennifer for my signed finished copy ❤️🔥
Between the generational secrets/family dynamics, supernatural Latina and Indigenous folklore and multiple missing persons elements, this was an amazing story with heart that you can’t help but be fully immersed in. It is also an honest portrayal of grief/loss, colonization and environmental devastation.
I was unfamiliar with the Salton Sea and the full history of the Mexicali borderlands before picking this up, but it made for such an atmospheric setting and I was looking up historical timelines as I read.
Griselda and Amaranta were my fave characters, Mal was wayyy too hard on herself as a mama, and abuela/Vero was a piece of work omggg, and don’t even get me started on those Callahans 😡
Having a basic understanding of Spanish was helpful, and I highly recommend looking up words you don’t know to get the full experience.
Thank you so much to Novel Suspects and Books Forward PR for my ARC, and especially to Jennifer for my signed finished copy ❤️🔥
March 4, 2025
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC of Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan, published by Little, Brown and Company
Awesome book! I'll admit it took a few chapters to get me hooked, I was having a hard time connecting with the characters and their personalities. I persevered and boy am I glad I did! Twists, turns and drama! Great setting and descriptions. The plot was excellent. The ending surprised me with who the culprit was.
I liked how there were Spanish phrases and words throughout the novel, it added to the story and characters. I didn't look up what everything meant, I just went with it. It gave the book a nice authentic and cultural feel.
This is a new author for me and I will definitely read more of her books!
Awesome book! I'll admit it took a few chapters to get me hooked, I was having a hard time connecting with the characters and their personalities. I persevered and boy am I glad I did! Twists, turns and drama! Great setting and descriptions. The plot was excellent. The ending surprised me with who the culprit was.
I liked how there were Spanish phrases and words throughout the novel, it added to the story and characters. I didn't look up what everything meant, I just went with it. It gave the book a nice authentic and cultural feel.
This is a new author for me and I will definitely read more of her books!
January 24, 2025
Oh my goodness, this is such a good read! At the confluence of traditional Latina myth and folklore with the realties of a small community beset by the disappearance of local girls, the author takes you on an emotional, harrowing journey into the depths of one such family’s anguish as they search for one of their own. History repeats itself as this is not the first time the Veracruz family has dealt with this matter.
This is an emotional roller coaster ride of hidden secrets, mixed emotions, and heart wrenching truths that all cumulates in a spectacular ending. I had to catch my breath on this one!
Highly recommended!
This is an emotional roller coaster ride of hidden secrets, mixed emotions, and heart wrenching truths that all cumulates in a spectacular ending. I had to catch my breath on this one!
Highly recommended!
July 22, 2025
Full review, soon!!
February 26, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for access to this title. I am auto-approved by this publisher. All opinions expressed are my own.
Tagline: A gripping retelling of Persephone and Demeter in the Mexicali borderlands.
That tagline was enough to say "I am going to read it."
Our protagonist, Malamar "Mal" Veracruz loves her daughters, Griselda and Amaranta. She is fiercely protective of them, and rightly so, given that years ago, her sister Elena disappeared. As we learn, Elena is not the only woman in the community who has gone missing and it has created a cloud over the community and in Mal's own family. When Amaranta goes missing, Mal's fierceness explodes, determining that her daughter's case is being investigated.
I did find that it took some time before I became invested in the story. In the early chapters, Mal is having visions and I found it confusing to follow that and balance it with all the family drama that was leaking out on the page. Once I hit the 30% mark, the storyline seemed to pick up and I felt confident I would stick with it. I did, but, it took me several days to finish the book. However, I must argue that it is an important story that Jennifer Givhan is telling and she has created some complex characters here.
So I give it a 3 star because I feel the story being told is an important one.
#SaltBones #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date: 22/07/25
Goodreads Review Date 26/02/25
Tagline: A gripping retelling of Persephone and Demeter in the Mexicali borderlands.
That tagline was enough to say "I am going to read it."
Our protagonist, Malamar "Mal" Veracruz loves her daughters, Griselda and Amaranta. She is fiercely protective of them, and rightly so, given that years ago, her sister Elena disappeared. As we learn, Elena is not the only woman in the community who has gone missing and it has created a cloud over the community and in Mal's own family. When Amaranta goes missing, Mal's fierceness explodes, determining that her daughter's case is being investigated.
I did find that it took some time before I became invested in the story. In the early chapters, Mal is having visions and I found it confusing to follow that and balance it with all the family drama that was leaking out on the page. Once I hit the 30% mark, the storyline seemed to pick up and I felt confident I would stick with it. I did, but, it took me several days to finish the book. However, I must argue that it is an important story that Jennifer Givhan is telling and she has created some complex characters here.
So I give it a 3 star because I feel the story being told is an important one.
#SaltBones #NetGalley.
Expected Publication Date: 22/07/25
Goodreads Review Date 26/02/25
July 14, 2025
Salt Bones was absolutely riveting, and I enjoyed every second of it! The incredible imagery will stay with me for a long time. I would call it lit-fic + thriller + family drama.
Heads-up: It’s a bit Spanglish-heavy on the front end, which I LOVED. Knowing spanish will enhance the experience, but I don’t think it is necessary in order to enjoy the story.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Heads-up: It’s a bit Spanglish-heavy on the front end, which I LOVED. Knowing spanish will enhance the experience, but I don’t think it is necessary in order to enjoy the story.
Huge thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
August 26, 2025
The story is rich in symbolism and references to life and death, particularly by including La Siguanaba, a mythological creature from Mexico and Central America. I appreciated the seamless code-switching between English and Spanish and the detailed portrayal of the Salton Sea as a place representing both life and death. The narrative starts slowly, building steadily before escalating rapidly into a whirlwind of events. The conclusion was satisfying, making this an excellent discovery!
Why aren’t more people talking about this book?!
Why aren’t more people talking about this book?!
July 10, 2025
It may not look like Mal Veracruz has much to show for her life, living on the outskirts of the bubbling, sulphuric remains of the Salton Sea, but she’s done her best.
Despite the frightening, sudden disappearance of her sister, Elena, when they were kids, Mal has become a skilled butcher and raised two daughters on her own. She cares for her parents, supports her brothers, and carves out small pieces of time for herself.
But when another local girl - and then another - goes missing, old wounds, deeply ingrained fears, and La Siguanaba, the horse headed woman - plague Mal’s every moment.
The town, the lake, these things have been overrun by rich white men, like the Callahans: father, son, and grandson. They destroyed the lake with farm runoff but continue to thrive through questionable means.
Mal and her daughters, Griselda and Amaranta, are pulled into the sphere of these men, and as they fight to extricate themselves, they discover long held secrets that could destroy each and every one of them.
__
Holy. Cow.
Billed as a retelling of Persephone and Demeter, combining Latina and Indigenous culture, this book is gripping and twisty and completely surprising.
The storytelling is beautiful and complex, examining motherhood, familial ties, and the death of land once held sacred.
It’s got elements of crime fiction, horror, magical realism, and family drama - each so well crafted, like puzzle pieces locked together, waiting for you to put the last in place.
Mal is fierce and flawed and one of the best female protagonists I’ve read in recent memory. She is poetic and raw and I fell in love with her.
Vibe check: True Detective: Night Country and Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
Despite the frightening, sudden disappearance of her sister, Elena, when they were kids, Mal has become a skilled butcher and raised two daughters on her own. She cares for her parents, supports her brothers, and carves out small pieces of time for herself.
But when another local girl - and then another - goes missing, old wounds, deeply ingrained fears, and La Siguanaba, the horse headed woman - plague Mal’s every moment.
The town, the lake, these things have been overrun by rich white men, like the Callahans: father, son, and grandson. They destroyed the lake with farm runoff but continue to thrive through questionable means.
Mal and her daughters, Griselda and Amaranta, are pulled into the sphere of these men, and as they fight to extricate themselves, they discover long held secrets that could destroy each and every one of them.
__
Holy. Cow.
Billed as a retelling of Persephone and Demeter, combining Latina and Indigenous culture, this book is gripping and twisty and completely surprising.
The storytelling is beautiful and complex, examining motherhood, familial ties, and the death of land once held sacred.
It’s got elements of crime fiction, horror, magical realism, and family drama - each so well crafted, like puzzle pieces locked together, waiting for you to put the last in place.
Mal is fierce and flawed and one of the best female protagonists I’ve read in recent memory. She is poetic and raw and I fell in love with her.
Vibe check: True Detective: Night Country and Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng
July 14, 2025
Jennifer Givhan masterfully mixes true crime, family drama, thriller, and Indigenous Mexican folklore in this enthralling story of loss and resilience. Malamar leads a challenging and seemingly haunted life, becoming a mother much too early to her youngest brother and picking up the pieces to become the backbone of her family after the mysterious and tragic disappearance of her sister. Now, decades later, history seems to be repeating itself, with disappearances and the hauntings of La Siguanaba, the horse-headed woman. Is she there as a threat or as a protector? Does she prey on the women of the community or give them guidance? The legends are not clear and Malamar has a lot of conflicting, confusing evidence to work through in her search for the truth. The mix of Spanish and English and the raw emotion of the character’s voices in this book kept me fully engaged and wanting more each time I picked up this book. It was hard to put down, but always exciting to pick back up the next time an opportunity to dive back into the dark and haunting world of the Salton Sea presented itself. If I could read it again for the first time, I would!
Thank you so much to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for an early copy of this book!
Thank you so much to Little, Brown and Company and NetGalley for an early copy of this book!
October 8, 2025
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPjXkMrDT...
“Intergenerational trauma is like a train leaving the station against our will—it keeps barreling relentlessly down the tracks.”
🩸🦴💧
An original, fresh interpretation of spiritual battles and multigenerational ties. Taking on the various ways that a person can be haunted, Salt Bones is equal parts myth, memory, and moving against corruption and injustice. An interconnecting tale of family secrets, fierce motherly love, and supernatural power, this novel is engaging, suspenseful, and ambitiously stylish. With an exploration of grief and identity that wraps around its physical and emotional landscapes, each character is honest, flawed, relatable, and ultimately hopeful. A powerful uprising of womens’ voices, truths, and fight to unbury disturbing realities; bringing justice and closure to the light.
“Intergenerational trauma is like a train leaving the station against our will—it keeps barreling relentlessly down the tracks.”
🩸🦴💧
An original, fresh interpretation of spiritual battles and multigenerational ties. Taking on the various ways that a person can be haunted, Salt Bones is equal parts myth, memory, and moving against corruption and injustice. An interconnecting tale of family secrets, fierce motherly love, and supernatural power, this novel is engaging, suspenseful, and ambitiously stylish. With an exploration of grief and identity that wraps around its physical and emotional landscapes, each character is honest, flawed, relatable, and ultimately hopeful. A powerful uprising of womens’ voices, truths, and fight to unbury disturbing realities; bringing justice and closure to the light.
August 8, 2025
I heard great things about this one and the premise of a Spanish retelling of Persephone and Demeter. The writing was lyrical and deep. The mystery grabbed me at the beginning, but I found this one hard to connect with. As I continued to read I felt a little bored, and it was hard for me to keep everything straight, like the characters and timelines. I feel like this was just the wrong fit for me!
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own.
August 4, 2025
wow, what a twist!
July 17, 2025
"Does one call a monster the same way one calls a god?"
A retelling of Persephone and Demeter set on the Mexicali Borderlands that blends mystery, the supernatural and messy characters.
Book Stats:
📖: 380
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Format: Physical ARC from publisher
Series: Standalone
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 11 hours 24 minutes
🎤: Victoria Villarreal
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Format: Multi POV / Singular narrator
I enjoyed the narrator quite a bit. The voice was please to listen to and was clearly a native Spanish speaker. I never had to adjust my speed.
Themes:
💫: Mother/daughter relationships
💫: Generational secrets
💫: Grief
💫: Ecological Trauma
Representation:
🪽: Latinx characters
🪽: Conversational Spanish
🪽: Queer characters
🪽: Characters with dementia
🥵: Spice: closed door
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.
Short Synopsis:
When Mal's daughter goes missing it forces her to confront the past when her sister went missing. Family secrets aren't always easy to stomach.
General Thoughts:
I had a really good time with this book. I liked it a lot more than I expected to overall. The conversational Spanish was wonderful and accurate. The characters were super messy, but in the most fabulous way. It added so much depth and layering to the story as it unfolded.
I really enjoyed the Mexican/indigenous mythology that was woven into the story. It felt very organic and natural to the plot and gave it a supernatural element that was compelling.
The story was well done. It unfolded at just the right points to keep it entertaining. I was never bored or lost interest in the story. The first 25% was a little slow as things got settled, but after that, I was definitely immersed.
I felt like the ending unraveled really well. There was lots of tension and suspense, and it was a very dramatic reveal. I did not guess all the layers to the ending and I'm glad that I didn't because it definitely had more impact that way.
The petty part of me wanted more consequences for some of the people at the end of the book. I feel like a few of them got off a little too easily. Others I feel got their just desserts.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted physical ARC from the publisher and a gifted audiobook from the Hachette audiobook program. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
A retelling of Persephone and Demeter set on the Mexicali Borderlands that blends mystery, the supernatural and messy characters.
Book Stats:
📖: 380
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Format: Physical ARC from publisher
Series: Standalone
Audiobook Stats:
⏰: 11 hours 24 minutes
🎤: Victoria Villarreal
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Format: Multi POV / Singular narrator
I enjoyed the narrator quite a bit. The voice was please to listen to and was clearly a native Spanish speaker. I never had to adjust my speed.
Themes:
💫: Mother/daughter relationships
💫: Generational secrets
💫: Grief
💫: Ecological Trauma
Representation:
🪽: Latinx characters
🪽: Conversational Spanish
🪽: Queer characters
🪽: Characters with dementia
🥵: Spice: closed door
Potential Triggers: **check authors page/socials for full list.
Short Synopsis:
When Mal's daughter goes missing it forces her to confront the past when her sister went missing. Family secrets aren't always easy to stomach.
General Thoughts:
I had a really good time with this book. I liked it a lot more than I expected to overall. The conversational Spanish was wonderful and accurate. The characters were super messy, but in the most fabulous way. It added so much depth and layering to the story as it unfolded.
I really enjoyed the Mexican/indigenous mythology that was woven into the story. It felt very organic and natural to the plot and gave it a supernatural element that was compelling.
The story was well done. It unfolded at just the right points to keep it entertaining. I was never bored or lost interest in the story. The first 25% was a little slow as things got settled, but after that, I was definitely immersed.
I felt like the ending unraveled really well. There was lots of tension and suspense, and it was a very dramatic reveal. I did not guess all the layers to the ending and I'm glad that I didn't because it definitely had more impact that way.
The petty part of me wanted more consequences for some of the people at the end of the book. I feel like a few of them got off a little too easily. Others I feel got their just desserts.
Disclaimer: I read this book as a gifted physical ARC from the publisher and a gifted audiobook from the Hachette audiobook program. All opinions are my own. This is my honest and voluntary review.
November 8, 2025
4.5 ✨
Though many have come and gone from the dusty town of El Valle, Malamar has remained. Living on the outskirts of the Salton Sea is not for the weak; a hard worker, Mal has done all that she can to provide a good life for her daughters. But Mal is also plagued by her past in which her sister, Elena, went missing and was never found. When another local girl disappears, Mal becomes desperate to find answers, both for the past and the present. As she digs deeper into the mysteries, she's haunted by visions of the horse headed woman, a local legend. Her two daughters soon join in on her quest to uncover the truth. What has really happened to the missing girls in their community? Is something supernatural or human at the root of it all? Can they find out before it's too late?
🔸
I was really looking forward to reading this one, and it did not disappoint. I was utterly riveted to the story and these characters from beginning to end. As the plot intensifies and secrets are exposed, the pace (and my pulse) quickened. Suspects are continually added to the list, and every time I thought I had it all figured out, there was another curveball. The bits of Latina and Indigenous cultures intertwined within a genre mashup of mystery, horror and magical realism to create an absolutely showstopping and heavily atmospheric masterpiece. It touched on environmental catastrophe, and it is unfortunately all too timely in it's rumination on the treatment of women, particularly minorities. The true heart and soul of this story, however, was the powerful and resilient bond between a mother and her daughters.
✨ Thank you to Mulholland for my gifted ARC! Happiest pub day and congratulations to Jennifer for being an Aardvark pick for July!
🎉 Pub date: 7•22•2025 (today!)
Though many have come and gone from the dusty town of El Valle, Malamar has remained. Living on the outskirts of the Salton Sea is not for the weak; a hard worker, Mal has done all that she can to provide a good life for her daughters. But Mal is also plagued by her past in which her sister, Elena, went missing and was never found. When another local girl disappears, Mal becomes desperate to find answers, both for the past and the present. As she digs deeper into the mysteries, she's haunted by visions of the horse headed woman, a local legend. Her two daughters soon join in on her quest to uncover the truth. What has really happened to the missing girls in their community? Is something supernatural or human at the root of it all? Can they find out before it's too late?
🔸
I was really looking forward to reading this one, and it did not disappoint. I was utterly riveted to the story and these characters from beginning to end. As the plot intensifies and secrets are exposed, the pace (and my pulse) quickened. Suspects are continually added to the list, and every time I thought I had it all figured out, there was another curveball. The bits of Latina and Indigenous cultures intertwined within a genre mashup of mystery, horror and magical realism to create an absolutely showstopping and heavily atmospheric masterpiece. It touched on environmental catastrophe, and it is unfortunately all too timely in it's rumination on the treatment of women, particularly minorities. The true heart and soul of this story, however, was the powerful and resilient bond between a mother and her daughters.
✨ Thank you to Mulholland for my gifted ARC! Happiest pub day and congratulations to Jennifer for being an Aardvark pick for July!
🎉 Pub date: 7•22•2025 (today!)
May 25, 2025
Salt Bones is a riveting mystery of lost girls filled with folklore, generational trauma, family secrets, and class politics in the California desert. Billed as a retelling of the Persephone and Demeter myth, Givhan’s world- and character-building blended with magical realism incorporating the Mexicali myths of El Chupacabra and La Siguanaba creates a new myth. Givhan takes care to invest the reader in Mal and her family and when her youngest daughter Amar goes missing - just like Mal’s sister Elena 25 years earlier - it became impossible to stop reading before learning whether Amar would be another victim of what Mal has become convinced is a family curse and whether what is haunting them is a supernatural or human monster.
August 9, 2025
I couldn't put this one down! I loved the writing, the descriptions, and the mystery. It was a fun, creepy, read. It kept me guessing but I was a little bummed I figured it out. Still, it was emotional, creepy, and entertaining.
August 2, 2025
Salt Bones is an atmospheric Persephone and Demeter retelling mixed with Mexican folklore that is set in the Mexicali borderlands. I could not put this book down! It’s a fast paced thriller about young missing Latine women written with beautiful prose and woven with Mexican folklore and messy family drama. This is comped as: “for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia & Ramona Emerson’s shutter,” and the is such a spot on comp! 5 stars 🌟 Many thanks to the publishers & NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
June 15, 2025
Oh my! I'm glad I read this novel! In the beginning, I wasn't sure if this book was for me. But certain aspects piqued my interest and after reading a little further, I ended up HOOKED.
This novel is everything promised in the blurb and more. The author spent some time showing readers who the MCs are as a family through their culture, trauma, hardships and strengths. She also introduces the origins and variations of regional lore and weaves it into the current mystery.
When the unthinkable happens and one of Mal's daughters disappears, you can feel her anxiety and grief as if it were your own. With every hour that passes and the chance of finding her daughter alive decreases, Mal becomes more desperate to find the truth.
The pacing increases as secrets are exposed and the suspect list grows. I had suspicions that wavered as information became available, but in the end, I only guessed a fraction of the truth.
If you have an e-reader or e-reader app, I do recommend an ebook over a physical copy (unless you speak Spanish) because the characters speak Spanglish and having the built in translation feature was a big help.
I recommend adding this to your TBR. It publishes 7/22/25.
Thank you Mulholland Books, Netgalley and the author for the ARC!
This novel is everything promised in the blurb and more. The author spent some time showing readers who the MCs are as a family through their culture, trauma, hardships and strengths. She also introduces the origins and variations of regional lore and weaves it into the current mystery.
When the unthinkable happens and one of Mal's daughters disappears, you can feel her anxiety and grief as if it were your own. With every hour that passes and the chance of finding her daughter alive decreases, Mal becomes more desperate to find the truth.
The pacing increases as secrets are exposed and the suspect list grows. I had suspicions that wavered as information became available, but in the end, I only guessed a fraction of the truth.
If you have an e-reader or e-reader app, I do recommend an ebook over a physical copy (unless you speak Spanish) because the characters speak Spanglish and having the built in translation feature was a big help.
I recommend adding this to your TBR. It publishes 7/22/25.
Thank you Mulholland Books, Netgalley and the author for the ARC!
July 21, 2025
This is a haunting, suspenseful, lovingly crafted, absolutely mournful tale of secrets and hidden truths, set in the desolate landscape known as the Salton Sea. I wanted to read this book because the Salton Sea is a region I studied in university as part of my water rights course and because I’ll read just about anything that speaks to my love of female rage. Let me tell you that Salt Bones is so much more than just female rage and the injustice of the polluted Salton Sea: it’s a fantastic story about intergenerational trauma, racism, colonization, stolen land, parentification, misogyny, greed, the Mexican-American diaspora, and the long-term consequences of factory farming and big agriculture practices.
I know that sounds like a lot to take in, but stick with me. Author Jennifer Givhan has written a rich, complex, diverse tapestry of characters for this novel that help give this story so much depth and dimension. There are families, friends, townspeople, strangers, villains, and all of them have a definite presence on the page, even if they’re only seen for a page or two. When you add the characters to the texture, darkness, and mystery the sea and the Sonoran Desert both lend to the atmosphere, it weaves a mighty spell of a story that edges right up to the line between thriller and horror but doesn’t quite step over. It’s absolutely terrific. 5⭐️
Thanks to the author and Books Forward PR for sending me an advanced copy of this title. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you!
File Under: 5 Star Review/LGBTQ Fiction/Literary Fiction/Magical Realism/OwnVoices/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Mystery/Suspense Thriller/Women’s Fiction
I know that sounds like a lot to take in, but stick with me. Author Jennifer Givhan has written a rich, complex, diverse tapestry of characters for this novel that help give this story so much depth and dimension. There are families, friends, townspeople, strangers, villains, and all of them have a definite presence on the page, even if they’re only seen for a page or two. When you add the characters to the texture, darkness, and mystery the sea and the Sonoran Desert both lend to the atmosphere, it weaves a mighty spell of a story that edges right up to the line between thriller and horror but doesn’t quite step over. It’s absolutely terrific. 5⭐️
Thanks to the author and Books Forward PR for sending me an advanced copy of this title. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you!
File Under: 5 Star Review/LGBTQ Fiction/Literary Fiction/Magical Realism/OwnVoices/Psychological Thriller/Suspense Mystery/Suspense Thriller/Women’s Fiction
July 19, 2025
Salt Bones by Jennifer Givhan. Thanks to @booksforward for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Malamar Veracruz has raised two daughters well in the dust-choked town of El Valle on the Mexicali border. Her sister’s disappearance as children never left her and comes back to the surface when another local girl goes missing.
This is a creepy atmospheric tale that really gets under your skin. The local area and legends are the heart to the story, as the characters have gone grown up them. I love the cover and it really exemplifies the story. The culture is rich and there’s a lot of meaning and importance within the tale.
“No one knows it’s a horror story when it begins.”
Salt Bones comes out 7/22.
Malamar Veracruz has raised two daughters well in the dust-choked town of El Valle on the Mexicali border. Her sister’s disappearance as children never left her and comes back to the surface when another local girl goes missing.
This is a creepy atmospheric tale that really gets under your skin. The local area and legends are the heart to the story, as the characters have gone grown up them. I love the cover and it really exemplifies the story. The culture is rich and there’s a lot of meaning and importance within the tale.
“No one knows it’s a horror story when it begins.”
Salt Bones comes out 7/22.
August 7, 2025
Perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
Jennifer Givhan’s writing is truly stunning. Her prose lyrical and her characters deeply rich. This is a slow burn mystery that takes a bit to get going. Once it did, I was invested.
The characters live in the Mexicali borderlands surrounding California’s toxic Salton Sea. Bone shards have washed up from missing girls. More girls have gone missing.
Indigenous Mexican folklore at its finest. I would say Givhan’s writing is poetic and haunting. Trauma and the relationships with family are important factors. Working in a Mexican restaurant for five years now, I understood a good bit of the Spanish. Of course, it’s translated in English as well, but understanding a lot of it was natural for me.
I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to fans of folklore. Thank you again @mulhollandbooks for the gifted copy. It’s gorgeous!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jennifer Givhan’s writing is truly stunning. Her prose lyrical and her characters deeply rich. This is a slow burn mystery that takes a bit to get going. Once it did, I was invested.
The characters live in the Mexicali borderlands surrounding California’s toxic Salton Sea. Bone shards have washed up from missing girls. More girls have gone missing.
Indigenous Mexican folklore at its finest. I would say Givhan’s writing is poetic and haunting. Trauma and the relationships with family are important factors. Working in a Mexican restaurant for five years now, I understood a good bit of the Spanish. Of course, it’s translated in English as well, but understanding a lot of it was natural for me.
I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to fans of folklore. Thank you again @mulhollandbooks for the gifted copy. It’s gorgeous!
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
July 20, 2025
I could not put this one down! I was hooked! Such a great thriller! Full of secrets, lies, deceit, and so much family drama! The twist and turns in this book, had me gasping! I loved the conversational Spanish/Spanglish, Mexican/Latin American Legends/Folklore and overall themes in this book. So much of the book resonated with me. There are some potential triggers that you may want to check before diving in. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Mulholand Books, Little Brown and Company, and Jennifer Givhan for sending this over! I loved every minute of it.
August 25, 2025
Told through the viewpoints of Mal and her two daughters, 𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 started as an intriguing slow burn that had me anxiously turning pages by the end. This book seamlessly blends mystery, thriller, and magical realism with a story that shines a powerful light on the theft and destruction of natural resources to benefit the privileged wealthy at the expense of the local community, and the glaring lack of attention and resources spent on missing and murdered women from marginalized communities. I especially loved the Mexican and Indigenous folklore woven into the story, which powerfully represents a mother’s greatest nightmare, her greatest strengths, and unwavering love.
𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 kept me spellbound as I learned about the history and challenges faced by an area of California I knew little about.
4.5⭐️
𝘚𝘢𝘭𝘵 𝘉𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴 kept me spellbound as I learned about the history and challenges faced by an area of California I knew little about.
4.5⭐️
July 22, 2025
The marketing of this book is does this book a disservice. While Salt Bones is a solid supernatural-tinged thriller, a retelling of Persephone and Demeter it is not. While there are some common elements like a daughter who disappears, taken by an unknown force, and a mother trying to bring her back, there is very little else tying it to the myth. I kept looking for more elements of the original myth and was disappointment when I couldn’t find any, and that definitely colored my opinion of the story.
One of my favorite things about the story were the vivid, haunting visions that followed Mal. I loved the way that she appeared at every turn and made the author and the main character question her reality. Was this a real case of supernatural figures luring and taking young women? Or is she a figure of her imagination? Ingrained through cultural mythology and the fears she has from years of trauma.
Unfortunately I did feel like the ending was somewhat predictable. Short of the involvement of a few key players it all boils down to the original hypothesis. Things also, for the most part, work out exactly as you guess they will. There’s also a somewhat throwaway line in the final chapter about inheritances that just seems so…flippant? Like that things would be resolved so easily.
I don’t know why, but this book struggled for me. The characters were messy and I was empathetic with the way their tragedy changed their lives, but it felt as if Mal was completely convicted that her often selfish and bizarre choices about her relationships and her daughters aren’t really criticized. It’s acknowledged that she can be overprotective but never fully gives any credence to the fact that this may not fully be a good thing.
I did appreciate that this story shed light on the way young women who disappear are treated, and how family influence changes how they’re regarded. I think that this is an important narrative, but it wasn’t exactly a top story of the summer for me. 3/5, with thanks to Aardvark for offering so many choices.
One of my favorite things about the story were the vivid, haunting visions that followed Mal. I loved the way that she appeared at every turn and made the author and the main character question her reality. Was this a real case of supernatural figures luring and taking young women? Or is she a figure of her imagination? Ingrained through cultural mythology and the fears she has from years of trauma.
Unfortunately I did feel like the ending was somewhat predictable. Short of the involvement of a few key players it all boils down to the original hypothesis. Things also, for the most part, work out exactly as you guess they will. There’s also a somewhat throwaway line in the final chapter about inheritances that just seems so…flippant? Like that things would be resolved so easily.
I don’t know why, but this book struggled for me. The characters were messy and I was empathetic with the way their tragedy changed their lives, but it felt as if Mal was completely convicted that her often selfish and bizarre choices about her relationships and her daughters aren’t really criticized. It’s acknowledged that she can be overprotective but never fully gives any credence to the fact that this may not fully be a good thing.
I did appreciate that this story shed light on the way young women who disappear are treated, and how family influence changes how they’re regarded. I think that this is an important narrative, but it wasn’t exactly a top story of the summer for me. 3/5, with thanks to Aardvark for offering so many choices.
August 21, 2025
I am always so sad whenever I finish her books! Because I just want more, more, more! Once again, not that I ever doubted it, Jennifer Givhan has written a book that will be on my mind for forever. Such an amazing novel with mystery, suspense, and horror that ties in traditional Indigenous and Latinx mythology… and somehow feminism and racism and climate justice??? Seriously I don’t know how she does it but every book I read from her I would give 10 stare if I could.
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