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Saltswept
Not yet published
Expected 26 Feb 26'Deep, sumptuous, and astonishingly beautiful' Hannah Kaner
A ragtag crew. A perilous quest. First, they need a boat. Next, they need to learn how to sail it.
A pirate faces the gallows drop. A farmer is given a terrible ultimatum to save her daughter. An acolyte ascends to priestesshood . . . only to find that a blessing really can be a curse. These unlikely bedfellows band together with an inscrutable pickpocket and a talking ottercat in pursuit of the most hopeless of to sail into the Maelstrom - a raging whirlpool from which no one has ever escaped - and the mysterious treasure hidden within it.
The quest will test their fragile allegiance to its limits, but there is more at stake here than getting the magic of the world is in peril, and the barrier between life and death has never been so thin. And in the Bastion, the seat of power in Paranish, the queen has an unquenchable thirst that threatens the world and everyone in it.
Can there be honour amongst thieves? Without it, they might never see another sunrise.
Lush and lyrical, Saltswept is a vibrant debut - the first book in an epic fantasy duology based on Southeast Asian mythology. Perfect for fans of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, The Bone Ships, and Godkiller.
A ragtag crew. A perilous quest. First, they need a boat. Next, they need to learn how to sail it.
A pirate faces the gallows drop. A farmer is given a terrible ultimatum to save her daughter. An acolyte ascends to priestesshood . . . only to find that a blessing really can be a curse. These unlikely bedfellows band together with an inscrutable pickpocket and a talking ottercat in pursuit of the most hopeless of to sail into the Maelstrom - a raging whirlpool from which no one has ever escaped - and the mysterious treasure hidden within it.
The quest will test their fragile allegiance to its limits, but there is more at stake here than getting the magic of the world is in peril, and the barrier between life and death has never been so thin. And in the Bastion, the seat of power in Paranish, the queen has an unquenchable thirst that threatens the world and everyone in it.
Can there be honour amongst thieves? Without it, they might never see another sunrise.
Lush and lyrical, Saltswept is a vibrant debut - the first book in an epic fantasy duology based on Southeast Asian mythology. Perfect for fans of The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, The Bone Ships, and Godkiller.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Expected publication February 26, 2026
1215 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 4, 2025
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!
This was such a beautiful story. Saltswept is the first instalment in a duology, and also the authors debut which is…insane, because it reads like it should be on the NYT Bestsellers.
If you’re looking for one or more of the following: Beautifully layered world-building with rich and vibrant imagery, a story rooted in mythology, a ragtag crew that you can really cheer for, found family or lyrical prose, I think you will adore this one.
This was such a beautiful story. Saltswept is the first instalment in a duology, and also the authors debut which is…insane, because it reads like it should be on the NYT Bestsellers.
If you’re looking for one or more of the following: Beautifully layered world-building with rich and vibrant imagery, a story rooted in mythology, a ragtag crew that you can really cheer for, found family or lyrical prose, I think you will adore this one.
December 23, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc of Saltswept. I'm afraid I'm DNFing it on page 124/at the 33% mark.
Wow, this book is different to what I'd expected from the marketing. I really wanted to love it, because an epic multi-POV fantasy with tons of LGBTQ+ rep and Southeast Asian mythology sounds amazing. It's exactly the kind of thing I enjoy in a book!
To give the book its due, the queer rep really is incredible. At least three major characters (and two POV characters) are LGBTQ+, and there are multiple ways to communicate gender. And, the magic system is fascinating!
However, I had two major issues with it, one to do with how triggering content is handled and one to do with how the multiple POVs are managed/structured. I also had some minor issues, like plot points being solved through unbelievably convenient coincidences.
Issue #1: Poor handling of multiple POVs
I love a good multi-POV book with five or six different characters and storylines. But, if they're not done well, they can throw the pacing off, become confusing, and make it harder to connect with the characters.
My favourite multi-POV books use the POV that's most impactful at each point in time. That's not what Saltswept does.
For the first ~85 pages of the book, Saltswept rotates POVs each chapter, going char A - B - C - and repeat. At the beginning of the novel, all characters are also in different places in the world, so in the first few chapters, you get introduced to a lot of names and places, and a lot of things happen, but very little is explained. In fact, 1/4 of the way in, and some very basic things are still unexplained. I know info-dumping is boring, but Saltswept does the opposite.
This rigid A-B-C-repeat structure also messes with the pacing. Some characters have a lot going on in their story arc, so in the space of 4 of their chapters (and they're short chapters!), they (minor spoilers) It's a lot. It feels rushed. (Also, do they have any other response than trying to throw a punch?)
But then other POV characters don't have as much going on in their arc at this point, so we get a whole chapter of them packing a bag while talking about the same things they talked about in the last chapter. It could have been condensed into a single sentence at the start of a different chapter.
Also, since the book is in first-person POV, it's really hard to actually remember the names of the different POV characters. I didn't feel like there was a strong difference in voice between the POVs, either.
Issue #2: Extremely triggering content that came out of the blue
I often read books with triggering content, but I struggle when it's not appropriately signalled. That was my problem with Saltswept.
For an epic fantasy, this book is described in a really cutesy way: a "ragtag crew" of "unlikely bedfellows" with a "talking ottercat" that needs to learn how to sail a boat and go on a quest. I was expecting something bordering on cosy. I did not expect one of the members of this ragtag crew, and one of three first-person POV characters, to be an abuser.
The intimate partner violence really did come out of the blue. This POV character suddenly, and completely unprovoked, It's triggering, and it's particularly triggering because of how unexpected it was.
I really think this should have been signalled better in the book's description. Had it been, I probably would have continued reading Saltswept because I'd have trusted the book more. There are many ways that this theme could be handled well, and it may turn out that Saltswept does in fact handle this well. But marketing the book as something cutesy means I don't have have enough faith in it to continue reading.
Wow, this book is different to what I'd expected from the marketing. I really wanted to love it, because an epic multi-POV fantasy with tons of LGBTQ+ rep and Southeast Asian mythology sounds amazing. It's exactly the kind of thing I enjoy in a book!
To give the book its due, the queer rep really is incredible. At least three major characters (and two POV characters) are LGBTQ+, and there are multiple ways to communicate gender. And, the magic system is fascinating!
However, I had two major issues with it, one to do with how triggering content is handled and one to do with how the multiple POVs are managed/structured. I also had some minor issues, like plot points being solved through unbelievably convenient coincidences.
Issue #1: Poor handling of multiple POVs
I love a good multi-POV book with five or six different characters and storylines. But, if they're not done well, they can throw the pacing off, become confusing, and make it harder to connect with the characters.
My favourite multi-POV books use the POV that's most impactful at each point in time. That's not what Saltswept does.
For the first ~85 pages of the book, Saltswept rotates POVs each chapter, going char A - B - C - and repeat. At the beginning of the novel, all characters are also in different places in the world, so in the first few chapters, you get introduced to a lot of names and places, and a lot of things happen, but very little is explained. In fact, 1/4 of the way in, and some very basic things are still unexplained. I know info-dumping is boring, but Saltswept does the opposite.
This rigid A-B-C-repeat structure also messes with the pacing. Some characters have a lot going on in their story arc, so in the space of 4 of their chapters (and they're short chapters!), they (minor spoilers) It's a lot. It feels rushed. (Also, do they have any other response than trying to throw a punch?)
But then other POV characters don't have as much going on in their arc at this point, so we get a whole chapter of them packing a bag while talking about the same things they talked about in the last chapter. It could have been condensed into a single sentence at the start of a different chapter.
Also, since the book is in first-person POV, it's really hard to actually remember the names of the different POV characters. I didn't feel like there was a strong difference in voice between the POVs, either.
Issue #2: Extremely triggering content that came out of the blue
I often read books with triggering content, but I struggle when it's not appropriately signalled. That was my problem with Saltswept.
For an epic fantasy, this book is described in a really cutesy way: a "ragtag crew" of "unlikely bedfellows" with a "talking ottercat" that needs to learn how to sail a boat and go on a quest. I was expecting something bordering on cosy. I did not expect one of the members of this ragtag crew, and one of three first-person POV characters, to be an abuser.
The intimate partner violence really did come out of the blue. This POV character suddenly, and completely unprovoked, It's triggering, and it's particularly triggering because of how unexpected it was.
I really think this should have been signalled better in the book's description. Had it been, I probably would have continued reading Saltswept because I'd have trusted the book more. There are many ways that this theme could be handled well, and it may turn out that Saltswept does in fact handle this well. But marketing the book as something cutesy means I don't have have enough faith in it to continue reading.
December 23, 2025
Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the ARC.
This was a DNF at 28%.
I’m so disappointed because I really wanted an epic queer fantasy to fall in love with. I love books set on ships in the ocean. I really loved the summary and how these characters were going to go on a quest. I think the marketing is very different to the actual content of the book. From the summary I was expecting this to be fun and exciting, as it’s described in a very fun way. The whole talking ottercat, unlikely bedfellows etc.
However, this is completely different to the actual book itself. I got myself to 28% and I do wish I’d DNFed earlier.
This is told from first person multi-POV. I think you can do multi POV in first person if each POV is very distinct, but each POV all feels the same. I actually struggled to work out the gender of the characters at first because of this. I couldn’t differentiate between the characters other than the setting. All of them had the same voice.
I also think the ARC should’ve come with appropriate trigger warnings. There is an instance of sexual violence from a POV character against their partner in bed, to the point where their partner believes they are going to die. It comes out of nowhere. From reading the summary to suddenly getting an instance where a POV character is assaulting their partner in bed is like night and day.
Maybe if the summary wasn’t quite so cute, it wouldn’t have felt like it came out of nowhere. But it did, and it really took me by surprise. I’ve read triggering content before with no issues, but this didn’t fit the tone of the book.
I DNFed this book and I am sad about that because I really wanted to love this one.
This was a DNF at 28%.
I’m so disappointed because I really wanted an epic queer fantasy to fall in love with. I love books set on ships in the ocean. I really loved the summary and how these characters were going to go on a quest. I think the marketing is very different to the actual content of the book. From the summary I was expecting this to be fun and exciting, as it’s described in a very fun way. The whole talking ottercat, unlikely bedfellows etc.
However, this is completely different to the actual book itself. I got myself to 28% and I do wish I’d DNFed earlier.
This is told from first person multi-POV. I think you can do multi POV in first person if each POV is very distinct, but each POV all feels the same. I actually struggled to work out the gender of the characters at first because of this. I couldn’t differentiate between the characters other than the setting. All of them had the same voice.
I also think the ARC should’ve come with appropriate trigger warnings. There is an instance of sexual violence from a POV character against their partner in bed, to the point where their partner believes they are going to die. It comes out of nowhere. From reading the summary to suddenly getting an instance where a POV character is assaulting their partner in bed is like night and day.
Maybe if the summary wasn’t quite so cute, it wouldn’t have felt like it came out of nowhere. But it did, and it really took me by surprise. I’ve read triggering content before with no issues, but this didn’t fit the tone of the book.
I DNFed this book and I am sad about that because I really wanted to love this one.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
more like a 3.5
Saltswept allows us to get to know each of our ragtag crew. We can see their disasters, their mistakes, and their fears spread across the page. At the beginning, like with a lot of multiple character books, it's a bit difficult to keep everyone apart in our mind. The length of the chapters at the beginning also means we are flitting a lot between them. When we finally get a bit more of a handle, what we find is a story about adventure, but also which almost pulls them together. The characters are orbiting each other and as they are pulled together, it unfolds the larger story. It's a slower start than I expected.
more like a 3.5
Saltswept allows us to get to know each of our ragtag crew. We can see their disasters, their mistakes, and their fears spread across the page. At the beginning, like with a lot of multiple character books, it's a bit difficult to keep everyone apart in our mind. The length of the chapters at the beginning also means we are flitting a lot between them. When we finally get a bit more of a handle, what we find is a story about adventure, but also which almost pulls them together. The characters are orbiting each other and as they are pulled together, it unfolds the larger story. It's a slower start than I expected.
December 6, 2025
An unlikely trio consisting of a priestess, a pirate, and a farmer desperate to save her daughter team up - accompanied by a small beast and a petty thief - sailing the Saltswept on a quest to retrieve a mysterious treasure located in a perilous whirlpool.
Their motives go for beyond personal gain, because there is far more at stake here. And failure is just not an option. But can success be?
This is a swashbuckling adventure with a ragtag crew of misfits, who will soon have you cheering for them. Intensely original, it gets 3.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Their motives go for beyond personal gain, because there is far more at stake here. And failure is just not an option. But can success be?
This is a swashbuckling adventure with a ragtag crew of misfits, who will soon have you cheering for them. Intensely original, it gets 3.5 stars.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
3.5 stars
I think especially for a debut this is a solid book and story. The main characters - Hannan a priestess at the Bastion, Ris a single parent trying to do her best for her daughter in a world that is dangerous for people with magic and Larkin the ex pirate. I think this duology has a lot of potential and while some parts of it felt a bit muddled in place (e.g. the cave scenes - if you know, you know) it has the bones of a fun story. The addition of the ottercat as well was a nice touch.
thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
I think especially for a debut this is a solid book and story. The main characters - Hannan a priestess at the Bastion, Ris a single parent trying to do her best for her daughter in a world that is dangerous for people with magic and Larkin the ex pirate. I think this duology has a lot of potential and while some parts of it felt a bit muddled in place (e.g. the cave scenes - if you know, you know) it has the bones of a fun story. The addition of the ottercat as well was a nice touch.
thank you Netgalley for the ARC!
May 23, 2025
Saltswept has the feeling of Le Guin about it with its well-woven magical world and spirit of adventure. A fast-paced fantasy debut threaded with unexpected imagery, lush world-building, and characters to root for. I stayed up late at night reading this book, craving one unexpected turn after another. As soon as I finished it, I wanted to leap right back into the story’s immersive waters.
July 12, 2025
I was lucky enough to be sent an early copy of this to read! Sharing my official blurb below:
“Richly layered and beautifully told, SALTSWEPT is a story worth savoring. This epic tale of found family, deadly magic, and desperate voyages will sweep you away.”
“Richly layered and beautifully told, SALTSWEPT is a story worth savoring. This epic tale of found family, deadly magic, and desperate voyages will sweep you away.”
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews