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The Earthsalt Duology #1
Saltswept
'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
First published February 26, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
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
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. - Freya, arc & monthly book box pick reviewer (athenafreyag on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/athenafreyag/ )
Initial thoughts: Southeast Asian mythology x queer characters x found family on a quest sounded intriguing.
What I liked 🤩: I liked how the author handled gender and LGBTQIA representation. So many main characters are queer, and it was so lovely!!
I also liked the Southeast Asian mythology woven in this story.
What I didn’t like 🙃: The pov-chapter structure didn't work well here. The first 30% was challenging. There are many POVs and especially in the beginning when everything and everyone are new, it was hard to keep up. The chapters are fast-paced and it felt like we met everyone in these chapters, and yet, I couldn't retain much about them. It would have been better if we stayed with each character more. We didn't need to start hopping from one mc to the next. It would have helped with the pacing, too. The quest became a quest around 40%...
Also, if the pov wasn't clearly listed in the chapter heading, I would have no idea whose head we were in because the writing was the same. I just couldn't discern each character's voice. I think it would have been better if it was written in third person.
In the beginning, there was sexual violence with no content warning, which shouldn't have happened...
Overall: I love the idea of this but the editorial choices hindered me from enjoying this book, which is killing me because this has queer Asian characters and Southeast mythology 😭
SE info: This is the Illumicrate February pick, and I will skip it.
Initial thoughts: Southeast Asian mythology x queer characters x found family on a quest sounded intriguing.
What I liked 🤩: I liked how the author handled gender and LGBTQIA representation. So many main characters are queer, and it was so lovely!!
I also liked the Southeast Asian mythology woven in this story.
What I didn’t like 🙃: The pov-chapter structure didn't work well here. The first 30% was challenging. There are many POVs and especially in the beginning when everything and everyone are new, it was hard to keep up. The chapters are fast-paced and it felt like we met everyone in these chapters, and yet, I couldn't retain much about them. It would have been better if we stayed with each character more. We didn't need to start hopping from one mc to the next. It would have helped with the pacing, too. The quest became a quest around 40%...
Also, if the pov wasn't clearly listed in the chapter heading, I would have no idea whose head we were in because the writing was the same. I just couldn't discern each character's voice. I think it would have been better if it was written in third person.
In the beginning, there was sexual violence with no content warning, which shouldn't have happened...
Overall: I love the idea of this but the editorial choices hindered me from enjoying this book, which is killing me because this has queer Asian characters and Southeast mythology 😭
SE info: This is the Illumicrate February pick, and I will skip it.
Did Not Finish
March 15, 2026I would rather read Prince Without Sorrows twice.
After 120 pages I still could not care for any of the characters, lore or prose. As I was reading I was thinking about doing my tax returns, so that told me enough about my feelings about Saltswept.
After 120 pages I still could not care for any of the characters, lore or prose. As I was reading I was thinking about doing my tax returns, so that told me enough about my feelings about Saltswept.
March 30, 2026
Following an unlikely group of islanders finding their way under an authoritarian and oppressive magical monarchy, Katalina Watt's Saltswept is a maritime focused fantasy novel featuring interesting narrative elements with folklore and flavor inspired by Southeast Asian culture. Fast-paced, straightforward, and as queer and colorful as the fruit section at a port of call market vendor stall, this book has all the right ingredients and promises a high seas heist and exciting adventure. While there is a heist and an adventure out at sea, the end result may not quite live up to that lofty pitch for most readers with the book feeling more like a collection of loosely connected ideas, lacking the development and details to solidify the tale it wants to tell.
Highlights:
☕︎ Wonderful love letter to Southeast Asian culture and folklore. Oceanic feel and visuals are fitting and effective initially.
☕︎ Queernormative society is full of happy representation that simply exists, not a notable factor or part of the plot. Found family and metaphorical sense of home are warm and appealing themes.
Considerations:
-Very short chapters and abrupt POV shifts interrupt the story’s momentum. Presentation and storytelling feel very fast-paced while the overall narrative appears to progress slowly.
-Characters can be one dimensional, redundant, and lacking sufficient characterizations to justify their existence. Side characters blend together and sometimes feel like added bloat to the story.
-Narrative elements feel like a collection of interesting ideas with insufficient setup to connect them. Fantasy elements are poorly explained, and the book overall feels consistently underdeveloped and surface level.
Described in the author's acknowledgement, Watt set out to write a book that honors their Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander culture meshed with queer representation, and those ambitions clearly show as easily the book's best features. While the chain of islands that make up Paranish are fictional, their real-world inspirations have clear SEA influences. While each island is varied in terms of climate, they all have wonderful visuals and atmosphere. The title of the book serves dual meaning, both as namesake of smuggler Finlyn's beloved ship as well as a reference to the story’s oceanic connection. My favorite aspect of the book is the quiet depictions of the sea, wind, a mystical Tree of Life, and other natural entities. For anyone that has stood at a quiet harbor, deserted beach, or cliffside view, Saltswept captures that feeling beautifully. Likewise, the island ports have a lively and rogue ambiance to them that nicely contrasts the cold and desolate nature of Temple of Aistra, the home of Paranish's temple maidens in training or the formal Bastian, home of the royalty.
In addition to its nautical feel, the other major selling point is its queernormative presentation. Just about every single character across both major and minor in Saltswept is queer apart from the Queen (at least what is portrayed in this book), on top of its SEA representation. Of its three main characters, Finlyr is a flirty and free-spirited bi/pan smuggler, Ris is a single mother and struggling wool farmer, Hanan is a priestess in-training with night trysts with her fellow temple maiden roommate, and Isagani is a non-binary orphan that rescues Finlyr public execution. In addition to its characterizations and relationships, the story has a prominent themes of found family and home, many of its characters having previously lost beloved family members and finding solace in each other or having little material value. Though described as a ragtag crew, the characters of Saltswept are more like an unorthodox chosen family by happenstance. The story also has a relatively cozy feel to it where all its characters pleasantly get along and warmly trust each other which balances out Hanan's more serious chapters and their dark undertones relating to the royal family and heir (check your triggers for sensitive readers).
While Saltswept is a well-intentioned novel that has great diversity and queer representation, unfortunately its story and presentation is not quite as successful. The book features multiple POV's that alternate between Finlyr, Ris, and Hanan who are both geographically separated as well as having very different character narratives. This setup isn't an issue in and of itself, but the problem is the book’s very short chapters and rapid POV shifts. Each chapter often consists of only 5-6 pages with one key scene before quickly jumping to another character. These brief chapters are so short that the book has a hard time building its momentum and interest as the POV’s don’t often align in terms of intensity or context. Additionally, the short chapters break the immersion both visually as well as with the reader’s connection with each character, the book never quite able to find its footing and constantly feeling a little off kilter.
While the constant shifts help keep the book from feeling wordy, it also causes the story to feel very fragmented and slow moving. For a book selling itself as a nautical adventure on the high seas, the ship doesn't actually set sail until nearly halfway into the book and it feels like it takes forever to get there. To Saltswept's credit, it devotes much of its first half to important world-building and familiarizes the reader with its large cast of characters, but it's unfortunately quite underwhelming and lacks strong narrative hooks. Finlyr's early chapters start off promising with the expected swashbuckling, rogue and free vibe, but their surrounded by the other two POV's, both his character and the book's fun factor quickly getting smothered. Contrasting that, Hanan’s is the most mysterious and fantasy-heavy of the three POV's, but the much darker tone and isolation from the other two POV's makes it almost feel like excerpts from a different book. As the story progresses, the initially distinctive personalities and narrations start to blend together to the point where the temple maiden Hanan is the only one distinguishable given her very different character arc while Ris and Finlyr start to feel redundant once they meet up. As the story nears its end, even Ris and Hanan’s character motivations are almost the same, both being maternal and protective in the face of adversity.
To make matters worse, once the ship's crew is assembled and the journey to the infamous and dangerous Maelstrom finally starts, the story somehow drags even more. Despite having short chapters, very quick descriptions and limited details, it feels like nothing notable is really happening. Though described as a ragtag crew, the “crew” only consists of three main characters plus a talking ottercat with accessory sailors whose being and fantasy mechanics are never really explained fully. The adventure arc and subsequent Maelstrom sequence feels derived from other adventure stories, slow, and somehow loses the wonderful sea-swept feeling present earlier on the islands, which is ironic and off-brand. Once the crew encounters the hallmark Maelstrom, the last quarter of the book’s pacing goes wild. The once strong visuals are tossed out the window, the plot gets increasingly messy, and the ending is utterly chaotic and confusing. It almost felt like the book hit a page count limit or drafting deadline and abruptly had to wrap up the story with a quarter of the time it likely required. This is even more baffling considering this book is only part 1 of a planned duology, the book still ending on an awkward to-be-continued note despite the rushing.
The book's short chapters and overall fast-pacing also extends to the story's presentation and writing. Outside of some wonderfully visualized scenes and moments of ambiance, Saltswept has a very quick and casual style of storytelling. Watt's prose is simplistic and to the point, which is very accessible and easy to read, but there's a consistent surface-level and underdeveloped feel to the book. I found the main characters to be quite shallow, each only having one notable trait: Finlyr free-spirited, Ris protective, Isagani scrappy, and Hanan driven/caring. The large cast of side characters also tend to blend together due to the book's fast approach of simply not giving them enough time and development to be memorable as well as having only the most basic characterizations included. A cynic could even critique that they were purposely placed in the story specifically to hit a set queer checklist for representation rather than having real narrative purpose.
Likewise, the narrative ideas included in the story are interesting in theory but feel fragmented due to a lack of transitions or details. There's temple maidens training around a tree of life, a powerful queen seeking power, persecution of those blessed with magical powers, mythical folklore beings, and of course the adventure on the high seas. There's a lot going on and while they are revealed to be connected near the end of the book, in the moment, they feel more like a rough collection of concepts rather than a cohesive story. At every new turn of development, I found the execution and level of storytelling to be lackluster and too simplistic to fully capitalize on its good ideas. Especially when it comes to the high fantasy elements, there’s essentially no magic system to explain what’s going on and the mythology details feel like they’re being explained and made up on the fly. For me personally, the book feels like it's handled akin to a YA book due to the lack of depth and short chapters, but its adult material and graphics scenes are out of place. The pacing is very fast and casual, yet the overall story feels like it progresses slowly. There's a constant promise of an exciting adventure, but it feels more like a novel side outing rather than the grand event of the story. I felt like I kept waiting for the story to take off or come full circle, but instead it kept growing progressively messier and rushed.
As a fond homage to SEA culture and a fantasy adventure with queer representation, Saltswept is a success! But as a story about thieves, a grand quest, and swashbuckling adventure, this book feels like it severely missed the mark or lost its original goal along the way. There’s a lot of different fantasy and adventure elements but they’re not very well integrated or foreshadowed. Most damning though is that despite all these interesting ideas, this book is still lackluster and dry to read. Almost across the board there's a sense of underdevelopment and the rapid shifts in POV creates a unique issue of having fast pacing while simultaneously slow overall progression. I had a lot of hopes for this book but unfortunately when it comes to seafaring adventures, there's much better options than Saltswept out there.
*For more reviews, book lists and reading updates, check out my blog TheBookGrind!
Highlights:
☕︎ Wonderful love letter to Southeast Asian culture and folklore. Oceanic feel and visuals are fitting and effective initially.
☕︎ Queernormative society is full of happy representation that simply exists, not a notable factor or part of the plot. Found family and metaphorical sense of home are warm and appealing themes.
Considerations:
-Very short chapters and abrupt POV shifts interrupt the story’s momentum. Presentation and storytelling feel very fast-paced while the overall narrative appears to progress slowly.
-Characters can be one dimensional, redundant, and lacking sufficient characterizations to justify their existence. Side characters blend together and sometimes feel like added bloat to the story.
-Narrative elements feel like a collection of interesting ideas with insufficient setup to connect them. Fantasy elements are poorly explained, and the book overall feels consistently underdeveloped and surface level.
Described in the author's acknowledgement, Watt set out to write a book that honors their Southeast Asian, Pacific Islander culture meshed with queer representation, and those ambitions clearly show as easily the book's best features. While the chain of islands that make up Paranish are fictional, their real-world inspirations have clear SEA influences. While each island is varied in terms of climate, they all have wonderful visuals and atmosphere. The title of the book serves dual meaning, both as namesake of smuggler Finlyn's beloved ship as well as a reference to the story’s oceanic connection. My favorite aspect of the book is the quiet depictions of the sea, wind, a mystical Tree of Life, and other natural entities. For anyone that has stood at a quiet harbor, deserted beach, or cliffside view, Saltswept captures that feeling beautifully. Likewise, the island ports have a lively and rogue ambiance to them that nicely contrasts the cold and desolate nature of Temple of Aistra, the home of Paranish's temple maidens in training or the formal Bastian, home of the royalty.
In addition to its nautical feel, the other major selling point is its queernormative presentation. Just about every single character across both major and minor in Saltswept is queer apart from the Queen (at least what is portrayed in this book), on top of its SEA representation. Of its three main characters, Finlyr is a flirty and free-spirited bi/pan smuggler, Ris is a single mother and struggling wool farmer, Hanan is a priestess in-training with night trysts with her fellow temple maiden roommate, and Isagani is a non-binary orphan that rescues Finlyr public execution. In addition to its characterizations and relationships, the story has a prominent themes of found family and home, many of its characters having previously lost beloved family members and finding solace in each other or having little material value. Though described as a ragtag crew, the characters of Saltswept are more like an unorthodox chosen family by happenstance. The story also has a relatively cozy feel to it where all its characters pleasantly get along and warmly trust each other which balances out Hanan's more serious chapters and their dark undertones relating to the royal family and heir (check your triggers for sensitive readers).
While Saltswept is a well-intentioned novel that has great diversity and queer representation, unfortunately its story and presentation is not quite as successful. The book features multiple POV's that alternate between Finlyr, Ris, and Hanan who are both geographically separated as well as having very different character narratives. This setup isn't an issue in and of itself, but the problem is the book’s very short chapters and rapid POV shifts. Each chapter often consists of only 5-6 pages with one key scene before quickly jumping to another character. These brief chapters are so short that the book has a hard time building its momentum and interest as the POV’s don’t often align in terms of intensity or context. Additionally, the short chapters break the immersion both visually as well as with the reader’s connection with each character, the book never quite able to find its footing and constantly feeling a little off kilter.
While the constant shifts help keep the book from feeling wordy, it also causes the story to feel very fragmented and slow moving. For a book selling itself as a nautical adventure on the high seas, the ship doesn't actually set sail until nearly halfway into the book and it feels like it takes forever to get there. To Saltswept's credit, it devotes much of its first half to important world-building and familiarizes the reader with its large cast of characters, but it's unfortunately quite underwhelming and lacks strong narrative hooks. Finlyr's early chapters start off promising with the expected swashbuckling, rogue and free vibe, but their surrounded by the other two POV's, both his character and the book's fun factor quickly getting smothered. Contrasting that, Hanan’s is the most mysterious and fantasy-heavy of the three POV's, but the much darker tone and isolation from the other two POV's makes it almost feel like excerpts from a different book. As the story progresses, the initially distinctive personalities and narrations start to blend together to the point where the temple maiden Hanan is the only one distinguishable given her very different character arc while Ris and Finlyr start to feel redundant once they meet up. As the story nears its end, even Ris and Hanan’s character motivations are almost the same, both being maternal and protective in the face of adversity.
To make matters worse, once the ship's crew is assembled and the journey to the infamous and dangerous Maelstrom finally starts, the story somehow drags even more. Despite having short chapters, very quick descriptions and limited details, it feels like nothing notable is really happening. Though described as a ragtag crew, the “crew” only consists of three main characters plus a talking ottercat with accessory sailors whose being and fantasy mechanics are never really explained fully. The adventure arc and subsequent Maelstrom sequence feels derived from other adventure stories, slow, and somehow loses the wonderful sea-swept feeling present earlier on the islands, which is ironic and off-brand. Once the crew encounters the hallmark Maelstrom, the last quarter of the book’s pacing goes wild. The once strong visuals are tossed out the window, the plot gets increasingly messy, and the ending is utterly chaotic and confusing. It almost felt like the book hit a page count limit or drafting deadline and abruptly had to wrap up the story with a quarter of the time it likely required. This is even more baffling considering this book is only part 1 of a planned duology, the book still ending on an awkward to-be-continued note despite the rushing.
The book's short chapters and overall fast-pacing also extends to the story's presentation and writing. Outside of some wonderfully visualized scenes and moments of ambiance, Saltswept has a very quick and casual style of storytelling. Watt's prose is simplistic and to the point, which is very accessible and easy to read, but there's a consistent surface-level and underdeveloped feel to the book. I found the main characters to be quite shallow, each only having one notable trait: Finlyr free-spirited, Ris protective, Isagani scrappy, and Hanan driven/caring. The large cast of side characters also tend to blend together due to the book's fast approach of simply not giving them enough time and development to be memorable as well as having only the most basic characterizations included. A cynic could even critique that they were purposely placed in the story specifically to hit a set queer checklist for representation rather than having real narrative purpose.
Likewise, the narrative ideas included in the story are interesting in theory but feel fragmented due to a lack of transitions or details. There's temple maidens training around a tree of life, a powerful queen seeking power, persecution of those blessed with magical powers, mythical folklore beings, and of course the adventure on the high seas. There's a lot going on and while they are revealed to be connected near the end of the book, in the moment, they feel more like a rough collection of concepts rather than a cohesive story. At every new turn of development, I found the execution and level of storytelling to be lackluster and too simplistic to fully capitalize on its good ideas. Especially when it comes to the high fantasy elements, there’s essentially no magic system to explain what’s going on and the mythology details feel like they’re being explained and made up on the fly. For me personally, the book feels like it's handled akin to a YA book due to the lack of depth and short chapters, but its adult material and graphics scenes are out of place. The pacing is very fast and casual, yet the overall story feels like it progresses slowly. There's a constant promise of an exciting adventure, but it feels more like a novel side outing rather than the grand event of the story. I felt like I kept waiting for the story to take off or come full circle, but instead it kept growing progressively messier and rushed.
As a fond homage to SEA culture and a fantasy adventure with queer representation, Saltswept is a success! But as a story about thieves, a grand quest, and swashbuckling adventure, this book feels like it severely missed the mark or lost its original goal along the way. There’s a lot of different fantasy and adventure elements but they’re not very well integrated or foreshadowed. Most damning though is that despite all these interesting ideas, this book is still lackluster and dry to read. Almost across the board there's a sense of underdevelopment and the rapid shifts in POV creates a unique issue of having fast pacing while simultaneously slow overall progression. I had a lot of hopes for this book but unfortunately when it comes to seafaring adventures, there's much better options than Saltswept out there.
*For more reviews, book lists and reading updates, check out my blog TheBookGrind!
April 13, 2026
I should have DNF’d
March 17, 2026
Review to come! ⛵️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
This story had a very promising start and ended in a bit of a discombobulation. I loved the characters in their own way (though one does something completely unforgivable that really hampered my enjoyment of her character arc), and the world itself was whimsy and fantastic, but the progression of the plot felt both slow and fast at the same time? It’s rather hard to explain, and the ending didn’t help with it feeling like it was nicely wrapped up and yet wasn’t? I dunno, this book has made me do some somersaulting and not way that I usually like to do with strange fantasies, so let me ramble here and maybe I can come to a conclusion on what this review is going to end as. 😮💨
The story follows three POVs: Finlyr, an outlawed pirate who is desperate to outrun a past mistake; Ris, the single mother of a young girl that has strange magic; and Hanan, a young priestess who finds her dream of being head priestess to the queen is nothing like she imagined. I like Finlyr’s swashbuckling appearance and laid-back attitude, but I weirdly found his overall character to be more of a side character than a say a leading man. I don’t know why but he kind of blended into the background for me in a weird way. 🤔
Ris is an interesting character as she is someone who has been given an ultimatum between living on the run or giving up her magically gifted child. It was never really explained well where the magic in this world comes from nor why only women have this power. I was hoping that Hanan, as a priestess, would clear things up, and it remained ever elusive to me. I liked Ris’s no nonsense approach to life, but I still found her to be incredibly strict with her daughter. 😕
Hanan . . . Oh girl, you are such a weird case. I liked this priestess in how she goes about experimenting with her magic (again, never once goes past the basics of what she can and shouldn’t do in the world), but her very early-in-the-book assault just left me baffled. I mean, we have to admit that there is sexual violence even within the LGBTQ+ community that should be addressed, but man I wish I had a more of a warning on this being addressed in the book (and this is coming from someone who has a splendid time with grim dark fantasies). 😳
All in all, the plot was fine but I would’ve liked a little bit more action here and there (and again, this is coming from someone who enjoys SLOW plots), the villain was not particularly well defined in their powers, and yea. I feel like this was just one big drag fest of the book which is sad because I did want to enjoy this Southeast Asian inspired pirate fantasy. The question now is will I continue with the second book since this is a duology? . . . Maybe since I do want to know what the heck happens with these characters after what happened in the ending. 🧐
Thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest (and late ) review. I did want to love this, but it just didn’t itch that spot I was hoping it would. 😞
Publication day: February 26
Overall: . . . . I’m going to round it up to 3/5 ⭐️ because that talking ottercat was everything! ❤️
(FINAL REVIEW:)
This story had a very promising start and ended in a bit of a discombobulation. I loved the characters in their own way (though one does something completely unforgivable that really hampered my enjoyment of her character arc), and the world itself was whimsy and fantastic, but the progression of the plot felt both slow and fast at the same time? It’s rather hard to explain, and the ending didn’t help with it feeling like it was nicely wrapped up and yet wasn’t? I dunno, this book has made me do some somersaulting and not way that I usually like to do with strange fantasies, so let me ramble here and maybe I can come to a conclusion on what this review is going to end as. 😮💨
The story follows three POVs: Finlyr, an outlawed pirate who is desperate to outrun a past mistake; Ris, the single mother of a young girl that has strange magic; and Hanan, a young priestess who finds her dream of being head priestess to the queen is nothing like she imagined. I like Finlyr’s swashbuckling appearance and laid-back attitude, but I weirdly found his overall character to be more of a side character than a say a leading man. I don’t know why but he kind of blended into the background for me in a weird way. 🤔
Ris is an interesting character as she is someone who has been given an ultimatum between living on the run or giving up her magically gifted child. It was never really explained well where the magic in this world comes from nor why only women have this power. I was hoping that Hanan, as a priestess, would clear things up, and it remained ever elusive to me. I liked Ris’s no nonsense approach to life, but I still found her to be incredibly strict with her daughter. 😕
Hanan . . . Oh girl, you are such a weird case. I liked this priestess in how she goes about experimenting with her magic (again, never once goes past the basics of what she can and shouldn’t do in the world), but her very early-in-the-book assault just left me baffled. I mean, we have to admit that there is sexual violence even within the LGBTQ+ community that should be addressed, but man I wish I had a more of a warning on this being addressed in the book (and this is coming from someone who has a splendid time with grim dark fantasies). 😳
All in all, the plot was fine but I would’ve liked a little bit more action here and there (and again, this is coming from someone who enjoys SLOW plots), the villain was not particularly well defined in their powers, and yea. I feel like this was just one big drag fest of the book which is sad because I did want to enjoy this Southeast Asian inspired pirate fantasy. The question now is will I continue with the second book since this is a duology? . . . Maybe since I do want to know what the heck happens with these characters after what happened in the ending. 🧐
Thank you to Hodderscape and NetGalley for accepting my request to read this in exchange for an honest (and late ) review. I did want to love this, but it just didn’t itch that spot I was hoping it would. 😞
Publication day: February 26
Overall: . . . . I’m going to round it up to 3/5 ⭐️ because that talking ottercat was everything! ❤️
May 7, 2026
Saltswept hatte alles, um ein richtiges Highlight für mich zu werden - eine tolle Welt, ein gutes Konzept und sehr vielschichtige verschiedene Charaktere. Das könnte episch werden! Und dann noch in der wunderschönen Illumicrate-Ausgabe!
Wurde es leider nur nicht. Der Anfang hat mich noch ziemlich reingezogen. Die Kapitel sind kurz, man lernt schnell den versprochenen Schmuggler und die besorgte Mutter kennen, und die Priesterin-Aspirantin.
Dann aber dauerte es und dauerte es. Während Ris und Finlyr schnell aufeinander trafen, saßen sie dann irgendwann einfach nur noch zusammen in einem Gasthaus rum. Die Priesterin hat derweil ihre eigene Storyline und bis der Klappentext mal fertig passiert ist, sind zwei Drittel des Buches rum. Gut, das hat Marketing verbockt und nicht unbedingt Katalina Watt.
Aber die hat auch einfach nicht geschafft, die schnelle Abwechslung vom Anfang im Laufe der Handlung zu steigern und etwas wie ein sich entwickelndes Erzähltempo zu schaffen. Die kurzen Kapitel und ständigen POV-Wechsel haben mich irgendwann tierisch genervt, vor allem, wenn es in Kampfsituationen wirklich um etwas ging. Aber man kommt nie dazu, mitzubangen, weil so was auch einfach nur in einem Satz manchmal abgehandelt wurde.
"Sie konnte nicht mehr, sie gab auf."
Wuuuuuuuuusch, nächster Charakter. Ein paar der eigentlichen Höhepunkte, die den ganzen Plot von der Spannung her hätten tragen müssen, konnte man mit einmal blinzeln fast verpassen. Noch dazu wurden Finlyr, Hanan und Ris, die anfangs noch so interessant waren, haben sich auch irgendwann von der Erzählstimme her fast gar nicht mehr unterschieden. Alle drei nehmen auch plötzlich einen Eltern-Plot an (also in Ris Fall natürlich nicht plötzlich) und die ganze Königin-Geschichte war auch richtig konfus.
Wäre der Anfang so gewesen, wie das Ende war, hätte ich sicherlich abgebrochen. Band 2 werde ich auch nicht mehr verfolgen, das waren eher so 2,5 Sterne, bei denen man sehr über das verschenkte Potential der Idee weint. Keine Leseempfehlung von mir.
Wurde es leider nur nicht. Der Anfang hat mich noch ziemlich reingezogen. Die Kapitel sind kurz, man lernt schnell den versprochenen Schmuggler und die besorgte Mutter kennen, und die Priesterin-Aspirantin.
Dann aber dauerte es und dauerte es. Während Ris und Finlyr schnell aufeinander trafen, saßen sie dann irgendwann einfach nur noch zusammen in einem Gasthaus rum. Die Priesterin hat derweil ihre eigene Storyline und bis der Klappentext mal fertig passiert ist, sind zwei Drittel des Buches rum. Gut, das hat Marketing verbockt und nicht unbedingt Katalina Watt.
Aber die hat auch einfach nicht geschafft, die schnelle Abwechslung vom Anfang im Laufe der Handlung zu steigern und etwas wie ein sich entwickelndes Erzähltempo zu schaffen. Die kurzen Kapitel und ständigen POV-Wechsel haben mich irgendwann tierisch genervt, vor allem, wenn es in Kampfsituationen wirklich um etwas ging. Aber man kommt nie dazu, mitzubangen, weil so was auch einfach nur in einem Satz manchmal abgehandelt wurde.
"Sie konnte nicht mehr, sie gab auf."
Wuuuuuuuuusch, nächster Charakter. Ein paar der eigentlichen Höhepunkte, die den ganzen Plot von der Spannung her hätten tragen müssen, konnte man mit einmal blinzeln fast verpassen. Noch dazu wurden Finlyr, Hanan und Ris, die anfangs noch so interessant waren, haben sich auch irgendwann von der Erzählstimme her fast gar nicht mehr unterschieden. Alle drei nehmen auch plötzlich einen Eltern-Plot an (also in Ris Fall natürlich nicht plötzlich) und die ganze Königin-Geschichte war auch richtig konfus.
Wäre der Anfang so gewesen, wie das Ende war, hätte ich sicherlich abgebrochen. Band 2 werde ich auch nicht mehr verfolgen, das waren eher so 2,5 Sterne, bei denen man sehr über das verschenkte Potential der Idee weint. Keine Leseempfehlung von mir.
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.
May 3, 2026
Look.... I'm so sorry to say this.... but I truly believe this book deserves every bit of its low average rating.
Before complaining too much about this book, here's the good:
1. The representation throughout the novel was seamless, and I appreciate a fantasy world built on diversity without including homophobia and racism. The "ragtag pirate crew" included people of all ages, and one of the main characters is a single mother which isn't a demographic that is represented in fantasy stories a lot. I think many readers would feel seen throughout this story.
2. I appreciated the focus on found family as a theme.
3. The premise itself was interesting, and the story was fast-paced.
Now here's the bad.
1. The three POV characters are virtually indistinguishable in practice. Their identities and backstories are SO different, yet they all speak and think exactly the same.
2. All potentially interesting elements are unexplored or shallow. Here's what I mean:
Example A: There's a (VERY) underlying idea of what people will do for power. Is the morality of that explored? No. Do the character relationships change in any meaningful way because of this? No. Is there character growth related to this? No. Do we even have any idea what this power actually means or what it can do for people or why people would even want it? No and no and no.
Example B: There could be complexity in discussing parenthood and what it means to take on a parental role unexpectedly. Were any of these parent-child relationships shown to grow over time? No. Was there any nuance in characters' internal thoughts about the responsibilities of suddenly becoming a caregiver? No.
Example C: The queen and Hanan's relationship could have been fascinating. It was not. Did we explore the dynamics of duty, desire, and sacrifice? No. I could not tell you a single personality trait about the queen except "evil."
3. The world and plot were both nonsensical and unexplained, and it got significantly worse as the story went on. I was literally rereading pages to see if I had missed something because there were huge gaps in logic.
- They're sinking into an abyss slowly and there's no air but they somehow end up in an underwater cave but there's STILL no air except when, several pages later, they are somehow given an air bubble by their pet?
- The captain took everyone on a boat trip but mentions as they sink that he doesn't even know if they all can swim??
-A character is CLEARLY physically forced to do something awful, and yet despite other characters having SEEN this WITH THEIR OWN EYES, they still blame and punish the victim???
-Okay, back to the underwater sequence because that whole situation made literally zero sense.
4. This ^ isn't helped by the writing. It felt like it wasn't edited and was therefore so confusing.
- One character says about a baby, "We don't mean her harm. It is a great relief to see she is alive and well." The other character immediately responds,"I am sorry for the pain she inflicted because of me." You'd think the she in this case is the same person, no? Well it's not. I was trying to figure out what harm the baby caused before realizing she wasn't talking about the baby, she was talking about the queen.
- "I shield my face with my shroud of hair, a dark reminder of who I used to be. It's as though their realization of what I am has released a dam built against acknowledging my crimes, and now my chest is being crushed by the weight of water." Uh, what?
- "I scramble to my feet and away from the queen. She's forgotten I'm even there, eyes fixed on the sky. I push through the confused mass of people, all collapsed to their knees. We writhe and crawl forward as though moving through mud." Girl, are you crawling or standing? Can you scramble away from someone if you're in a huge mass of people? Can you even see the person you're scrambling away from if there's so many people crowding you??
5. This is a small issue but if I'm sobbing because I had to give my daughter up for her own safety with the understanding that I may never see her again, and a guy I randomly slept with once started singing to me to help me feel better, I'd be in jail. JAIL.
Lastly, the ugly:
As mentioned in many reviews, there's a scene depicting assault against a partner from a POV character (Hanan) to the point that the partner worries for her life. While this itself is horrible, it's even worse that it's never addressed with any seriousness. We are supposed to root for Hanan and see her growth throughout the story, but she NEVER feels any guilt or shame about what she did. When the girl Hanan did this to avoids her and is clearly upset over what happened, Hanan is just confused. Plus,
Most of the one star reviews for this book are DNFs, and I don't blame them. I honestly don't know why I finished it, but I CAN tell you that if you think it's bad halfway through, it only gets worse from there.
Before complaining too much about this book, here's the good:
1. The representation throughout the novel was seamless, and I appreciate a fantasy world built on diversity without including homophobia and racism. The "ragtag pirate crew" included people of all ages, and one of the main characters is a single mother which isn't a demographic that is represented in fantasy stories a lot. I think many readers would feel seen throughout this story.
2. I appreciated the focus on found family as a theme.
3. The premise itself was interesting, and the story was fast-paced.
Now here's the bad.
1. The three POV characters are virtually indistinguishable in practice. Their identities and backstories are SO different, yet they all speak and think exactly the same.
2. All potentially interesting elements are unexplored or shallow. Here's what I mean:
Example A: There's a (VERY) underlying idea of what people will do for power. Is the morality of that explored? No. Do the character relationships change in any meaningful way because of this? No. Is there character growth related to this? No. Do we even have any idea what this power actually means or what it can do for people or why people would even want it? No and no and no.
Example B: There could be complexity in discussing parenthood and what it means to take on a parental role unexpectedly. Were any of these parent-child relationships shown to grow over time? No. Was there any nuance in characters' internal thoughts about the responsibilities of suddenly becoming a caregiver? No.
Example C: The queen and Hanan's relationship could have been fascinating. It was not. Did we explore the dynamics of duty, desire, and sacrifice? No. I could not tell you a single personality trait about the queen except "evil."
3. The world and plot were both nonsensical and unexplained, and it got significantly worse as the story went on. I was literally rereading pages to see if I had missed something because there were huge gaps in logic.
- They're sinking into an abyss slowly and there's no air but they somehow end up in an underwater cave but there's STILL no air except when, several pages later, they are somehow given an air bubble by their pet?
- The captain took everyone on a boat trip but mentions as they sink that he doesn't even know if they all can swim??
-A character is CLEARLY physically forced to do something awful, and yet despite other characters having SEEN this WITH THEIR OWN EYES, they still blame and punish the victim???
-Okay, back to the underwater sequence because that whole situation made literally zero sense.
4. This ^ isn't helped by the writing. It felt like it wasn't edited and was therefore so confusing.
- One character says about a baby, "We don't mean her harm. It is a great relief to see she is alive and well." The other character immediately responds,"I am sorry for the pain she inflicted because of me." You'd think the she in this case is the same person, no? Well it's not. I was trying to figure out what harm the baby caused before realizing she wasn't talking about the baby, she was talking about the queen.
- "I shield my face with my shroud of hair, a dark reminder of who I used to be. It's as though their realization of what I am has released a dam built against acknowledging my crimes, and now my chest is being crushed by the weight of water." Uh, what?
- "I scramble to my feet and away from the queen. She's forgotten I'm even there, eyes fixed on the sky. I push through the confused mass of people, all collapsed to their knees. We writhe and crawl forward as though moving through mud." Girl, are you crawling or standing? Can you scramble away from someone if you're in a huge mass of people? Can you even see the person you're scrambling away from if there's so many people crowding you??
5. This is a small issue but if I'm sobbing because I had to give my daughter up for her own safety with the understanding that I may never see her again, and a guy I randomly slept with once started singing to me to help me feel better, I'd be in jail. JAIL.
Lastly, the ugly:
As mentioned in many reviews, there's a scene depicting assault against a partner from a POV character (Hanan) to the point that the partner worries for her life. While this itself is horrible, it's even worse that it's never addressed with any seriousness. We are supposed to root for Hanan and see her growth throughout the story, but she NEVER feels any guilt or shame about what she did. When the girl Hanan did this to avoids her and is clearly upset over what happened, Hanan is just confused. Plus,
Most of the one star reviews for this book are DNFs, and I don't blame them. I honestly don't know why I finished it, but I CAN tell you that if you think it's bad halfway through, it only gets worse from there.
Read
March 12, 2026A mythic, compelling, sometimes-dark adult fantasy (I believe it's a debut novel by an Edinburgh author, shoutout) that I found very readable and enjoyed a lot overall!
I loved the refreshing combo of comforting ‘found family’ elements with SE Asian myth and grittier classic fantasy quest. I suspect readers expecting a cute, ‘voicey’ or YA-tone book may not get on with it, but that's what I liked!! The story’s led by characters with histories, problems, and both victims and perpetrators of serious harm, which I found really thorny and juicy to read, honestly my favourite part.
More warnings on the author’s website, but there’s strikingly-written - but in a way I found thought-provoking and added layers of depth to the world.
There's a lot of queer characters in a way that felt very natural. And not to be a romance nerd, but for a fantasy that touches on chemistry, romance, sex and dark obsession without them being a main focus, it does them INCREDIBLY well, would 1000% read a book centring more of that from the author. I also thought the kids (and ottercat) were really well written, with their own personalities and complexities while still acting their age - or species.
YMMV: While the stakes feel huge, it's shorter than most epic fantasy and the pacing didn't always hit for me. It moves fast, with even big situations, magic and scene-setting moved over fairly quickly, without much time for pivotal moments. One example was I just couldn’t imagine the ship, which is a big part of the plot - small enough to be crewed by just a couple of people, but with big unexplored areas? Is it a junk rig like the covers, or a big European-style tallship like the features actually mentioned in the text? That example's probably on me for missing something or being too much of a ship enjoyer, but after reading I saw the special edition's beautiful evocative endpaper illustrations, and just wished I’d FELT that level of detail in the prose! I wanted more about the world - that’s a personal preference for detailed descriptions in SFF, but I miss when they’re absent… tell me what things look like…
Overall Less depth of grounding in the world than my own preference, but ambitious and very interesting. I had a great time listening to the audio version and darker character moments, and do need to know what happens in the next book.
I loved the refreshing combo of comforting ‘found family’ elements with SE Asian myth and grittier classic fantasy quest. I suspect readers expecting a cute, ‘voicey’ or YA-tone book may not get on with it, but that's what I liked!! The story’s led by characters with histories, problems, and both victims and perpetrators of serious harm, which I found really thorny and juicy to read, honestly my favourite part.
More warnings on the author’s website, but there’s strikingly-written - but in a way I found thought-provoking and added layers of depth to the world.
There's a lot of queer characters in a way that felt very natural. And not to be a romance nerd, but for a fantasy that touches on chemistry, romance, sex and dark obsession without them being a main focus, it does them INCREDIBLY well, would 1000% read a book centring more of that from the author. I also thought the kids (and ottercat) were really well written, with their own personalities and complexities while still acting their age - or species.
YMMV: While the stakes feel huge, it's shorter than most epic fantasy and the pacing didn't always hit for me. It moves fast, with even big situations, magic and scene-setting moved over fairly quickly, without much time for pivotal moments. One example was I just couldn’t imagine the ship, which is a big part of the plot - small enough to be crewed by just a couple of people, but with big unexplored areas? Is it a junk rig like the covers, or a big European-style tallship like the features actually mentioned in the text? That example's probably on me for missing something or being too much of a ship enjoyer, but after reading I saw the special edition's beautiful evocative endpaper illustrations, and just wished I’d FELT that level of detail in the prose! I wanted more about the world - that’s a personal preference for detailed descriptions in SFF, but I miss when they’re absent… tell me what things look like…
Overall Less depth of grounding in the world than my own preference, but ambitious and very interesting. I had a great time listening to the audio version and darker character moments, and do need to know what happens in the next book.
Did Not Finish
April 4, 2026im not hyped for it after reading a few reviews, so a dnf for now
March 6, 2026
“Perhaps I can turn the salt to sweet.”
We’ve been lacking this kind of swashbuckling, multi-POV, fantasy adventure for a while now, so this book was like a breath of fresh air. Refreshingly inclusive and immersive in its worldbuilding, the story follows a disgraced pirate, a mother on a quest to save her daughter, and a priestess who gets more than she bargains for serving a bloodthirsty queen. The plot took a while to get going, but when it did, it took an unexpectedly dark turn that had me racing through the last half. A good old found-family romp through the waves, Saltswept was a strong start to a planned duology, but make sure you check the reviews for trigger warnings before you begin.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!
We’ve been lacking this kind of swashbuckling, multi-POV, fantasy adventure for a while now, so this book was like a breath of fresh air. Refreshingly inclusive and immersive in its worldbuilding, the story follows a disgraced pirate, a mother on a quest to save her daughter, and a priestess who gets more than she bargains for serving a bloodthirsty queen. The plot took a while to get going, but when it did, it took an unexpectedly dark turn that had me racing through the last half. A good old found-family romp through the waves, Saltswept was a strong start to a planned duology, but make sure you check the reviews for trigger warnings before you begin.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC!
March 11, 2026
This was so confusing and everything felt so rushed. The characters aren't fleshed out. There was hardly any world-building. I really didn't understand the point of this book. The magic in this world felt like it can be anything. It felt like those who had magic could do pretty much anything without much explanation. I thought there were limits. Another reason I felt like this book was confusing is that transitioning between things was just all over the place. Time transitions were bad. All the metaphors being used made no sense. In regards to the characters not being fleshed out, I found Ris to be super annoying. She was constantly crying for no reason. Some parts I understand, but some, just happens out of nowhere. I could care less about any of the characters and their relationship. Overall, the writing was just bad and therefore, nothing made sense.
April 4, 2026
I feel bad about having to give Saltswept a relatively low rating. This is the author’s first published novel, and it’s obvious that they care very, very much about it. Hell’s Heart, another recent two-star review from me, felt smug and self-congratulatory, whereas Saltswept feels like it comes from a truer, more genuine place. But try as I might, I couldn’t make this story work for me.
That feeling was due in large part to the pacing, which somehow felt simultaneously way too fast and agonizingly slow. The book is marketed as a seafaring pirate adventure, and the title of the first section of the book even references “assembling the crew.” Yet it’s not until just before the halfway point that the main crew is not only assembled, but actually on the ship doing ship things. Everything else before that is lengthy, lengthy setup, but at the same time it moves so fast that the narrative barely has a chance to breathe and just be in this world. Important character development moments occur over the space of a page or less. Weeks-long journeys are compressed into a single brief chapter. It feels weird to say that a nearly-400-page book needed to be longer, but this one felt so unnecessarily rushed that it could genuinely have used some space to spend time on character or worldbuilding rather than a not-tight-enough plot.
From the acknowledgments in the back of the book, this is a story that has been kicking around the author’s head for a good long time, probably since they were a teenager or even a preteen. I get it—when you actually sit down to write your first book, what better to start with than the tale that’s been percolating in your brain for a good decade or two? But it’s also tricky, because while you-the-author know this story/characters/world inside and out, your prospective reader doesn’t, and in Saltswept, it really feels like things got lost on the journey between brain and page.
For example, the characters’ religion and magic system isn’t well defined at all, but seems to center around something called Aistra. The characters say “Holy Aistra” to express surprise or to swear, the “Temple of Aistra” is an important location, etc. etc. Yet I read this entire book, and I can’t tell you if Aistra is a deity, a location, a primeval force, a sacred rock, anything. It’s never explicitly explained or even tangentially referenced in the text. And so much of the book is like that, worldbuilding or character traits or plot points just handwaved away with a vague “go with it.”
I really, really wanted to like this book and tried to give it the benefit of the doubt. I hope this author doesn’t let this discourage them, keeps writing, and learns how to craft a more balanced, better-paced story. But for me, I’m sorry to say that Saltswept missed the mark.
That feeling was due in large part to the pacing, which somehow felt simultaneously way too fast and agonizingly slow. The book is marketed as a seafaring pirate adventure, and the title of the first section of the book even references “assembling the crew.” Yet it’s not until just before the halfway point that the main crew is not only assembled, but actually on the ship doing ship things. Everything else before that is lengthy, lengthy setup, but at the same time it moves so fast that the narrative barely has a chance to breathe and just be in this world. Important character development moments occur over the space of a page or less. Weeks-long journeys are compressed into a single brief chapter. It feels weird to say that a nearly-400-page book needed to be longer, but this one felt so unnecessarily rushed that it could genuinely have used some space to spend time on character or worldbuilding rather than a not-tight-enough plot.
From the acknowledgments in the back of the book, this is a story that has been kicking around the author’s head for a good long time, probably since they were a teenager or even a preteen. I get it—when you actually sit down to write your first book, what better to start with than the tale that’s been percolating in your brain for a good decade or two? But it’s also tricky, because while you-the-author know this story/characters/world inside and out, your prospective reader doesn’t, and in Saltswept, it really feels like things got lost on the journey between brain and page.
For example, the characters’ religion and magic system isn’t well defined at all, but seems to center around something called Aistra. The characters say “Holy Aistra” to express surprise or to swear, the “Temple of Aistra” is an important location, etc. etc. Yet I read this entire book, and I can’t tell you if Aistra is a deity, a location, a primeval force, a sacred rock, anything. It’s never explicitly explained or even tangentially referenced in the text. And so much of the book is like that, worldbuilding or character traits or plot points just handwaved away with a vague “go with it.”
I really, really wanted to like this book and tried to give it the benefit of the doubt. I hope this author doesn’t let this discourage them, keeps writing, and learns how to craft a more balanced, better-paced story. But for me, I’m sorry to say that Saltswept missed the mark.
March 24, 2026
I went into Saltswept by Katarina Watt expecting a fun mix of quest, heist, and fantasy. Unfortunately, what I got was more of a chaotic mess than a compelling story.
The book opens with three different POVs—Fynlir, Ris, and Hannah—and instead of building intrigue, it’s just confusing. We’re thrown into different settings with completely unfamiliar characters and no real grounding, so it feels like jumping between strangers without a reason to care about any of them. Since it’s written in first person, this becomes even more of a problem. If you don’t immediately clock the name under the chapter heading, it’s hard to tell whose POV you’re even reading. All three voices sound nearly identical, with little to no distinction or nuance, which made the characters blur together.
The actual “quest” doesn’t even properly begin until around 35–40% into the book and then it ends surprisingly quickly. It’s also just not that interesting. The pacing overall feels rushed and chaotic, and a lot of the time I genuinely didn’t understand what was happening.
There are also moments that feel like either major plot holes or serious lack of clarity. For example (minor spoiler), Fynlir seems to get stabbed in the stomach by the queen, but then… nothing comes of it? It’s never really addressed, and I spent several chapters wondering if I misread something or if the book just moved on. That kind of confusion completely pulled me out of the story.
The characters themselves didn’t help. Fynlir, Ris, and Hannah all felt bland, unlikable, or outright annoying, and I struggled to connect with any of them. The magic system is also incredibly vague—people seem to be able to do almost anything, especially the young girl who pulls off miracle after miracle without any explanation of limits, rules, or consequences. It makes the stakes feel nonexistent.
The queen’s storyline was particularly confusing. She comes across as a generic villain without meaningful motivation or backstory, which made her arc feel flat.
Overall, this reads like a debut that needed much more development and editing. The concept had potential, but the execution just didn’t land for me.
That said, the Illumicrate edition is absolutely stunning and honestly, that’s the main reason I’m keeping my copy.
I don’t think I’ll be picking up another book by this author anytime soon—at least not until there’s clear growth in the writing.
2 stars – I’d say skip it.
The book opens with three different POVs—Fynlir, Ris, and Hannah—and instead of building intrigue, it’s just confusing. We’re thrown into different settings with completely unfamiliar characters and no real grounding, so it feels like jumping between strangers without a reason to care about any of them. Since it’s written in first person, this becomes even more of a problem. If you don’t immediately clock the name under the chapter heading, it’s hard to tell whose POV you’re even reading. All three voices sound nearly identical, with little to no distinction or nuance, which made the characters blur together.
The actual “quest” doesn’t even properly begin until around 35–40% into the book and then it ends surprisingly quickly. It’s also just not that interesting. The pacing overall feels rushed and chaotic, and a lot of the time I genuinely didn’t understand what was happening.
There are also moments that feel like either major plot holes or serious lack of clarity. For example (minor spoiler), Fynlir seems to get stabbed in the stomach by the queen, but then… nothing comes of it? It’s never really addressed, and I spent several chapters wondering if I misread something or if the book just moved on. That kind of confusion completely pulled me out of the story.
The characters themselves didn’t help. Fynlir, Ris, and Hannah all felt bland, unlikable, or outright annoying, and I struggled to connect with any of them. The magic system is also incredibly vague—people seem to be able to do almost anything, especially the young girl who pulls off miracle after miracle without any explanation of limits, rules, or consequences. It makes the stakes feel nonexistent.
The queen’s storyline was particularly confusing. She comes across as a generic villain without meaningful motivation or backstory, which made her arc feel flat.
Overall, this reads like a debut that needed much more development and editing. The concept had potential, but the execution just didn’t land for me.
That said, the Illumicrate edition is absolutely stunning and honestly, that’s the main reason I’m keeping my copy.
I don’t think I’ll be picking up another book by this author anytime soon—at least not until there’s clear growth in the writing.
2 stars – I’d say skip it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 24, 2026
In this sea-quest adventure, we follow 3 POVs - Finlyr, Ris and Hanan. Finlyr is a roguish pirate, Ris is a former sailor whose husband was lost at sea and has been left to raise their young, gifted child alone, and Hanan is a gifted priestess who has been raised in the Temple of Aistra (as a result of an edict which requires all gifted children to be given to the Temple). With the land inexplicably struggling and Ris consequently unable to make ends meet, she finds herself agreeing to undertake a perilous mission at the Queen’s behest. And as someone trying to avoid scrutiny from the Queen’s enforcers for past crimes, Finlyr gets roped into joining Ris on her quest. On a different path, and with the Queen shortly due to give birth and requiring a new priestess, Hanan is working hard to stand out from the crowd of acolytes in the hope that she’ll be selected.
Despite many names being thrown at us from the start, the short chapters and straightforward writing style made this an easy book to read, and one which has good LGBTQ+ representation. My main issue with this book is that a lot of elements (be that world building, plot development or character relationships) happened almost out of nowhere and/or were glossed over fairly quickly, which was a shame, as I thought there were lots of really interesting concepts. I also never fully connected with any of the characters and I often found, particularly with Ris and Finlyr, that the POVs were written so similarly that it sometimes took a moment to work out whose head we were in. For these reasons, I unfortunately don’t see myself picking up the sequel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.
Despite many names being thrown at us from the start, the short chapters and straightforward writing style made this an easy book to read, and one which has good LGBTQ+ representation. My main issue with this book is that a lot of elements (be that world building, plot development or character relationships) happened almost out of nowhere and/or were glossed over fairly quickly, which was a shame, as I thought there were lots of really interesting concepts. I also never fully connected with any of the characters and I often found, particularly with Ris and Finlyr, that the POVs were written so similarly that it sometimes took a moment to work out whose head we were in. For these reasons, I unfortunately don’t see myself picking up the sequel.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book.
May 5, 2026
3.5⭐️
“It’s such a small dream, isn’t it? To choose for yourself. That’s freedom. But to have it, you need power.”
Swashbuckling adventures will always draw me in and doomed journeys to maelstroms is another weakness of mine. I absolutely had to give Saltswept a go.
I was pulled into this story immediately. The chapters are short and jump between three POV characters, this made me curious about each of them and kept me reading. The captain, Finlyr, was an instant favourite as he was extremely chaotic from the start. The farmer Ris intrigued me and I adored her sweet daughter Biba. Hanan the priestess had perhaps the slowest chapters but I liked the air of mystery that surrounded her.
The plot at the start of the book was captivating but I feel like this book lost a bit of momentum on the way. I needed just a tad more explanations about the whole point of the adventure, and I do feel like the confrontation at the end happened very quickly. I still had a good time with this book and I am curious to see where the story goes next.
I’ll also mention that the romantic subplot didn’t really work for me. I’m not fully sure if it was meant to be romantic or just like a casual thing. It felt thrown in, so I could have done without it.
Give it a try if you like:
🌊Seafaring adventures
🌊Sassy bisexual captains
🌊Ragtag crew of misfits
🌊Power struggles and religious fanatics
🌊Talking animals
🌊Necromancy
“We have such small hopes for our lives, and even those get shattered by the fates.”
“It’s such a small dream, isn’t it? To choose for yourself. That’s freedom. But to have it, you need power.”
Swashbuckling adventures will always draw me in and doomed journeys to maelstroms is another weakness of mine. I absolutely had to give Saltswept a go.
I was pulled into this story immediately. The chapters are short and jump between three POV characters, this made me curious about each of them and kept me reading. The captain, Finlyr, was an instant favourite as he was extremely chaotic from the start. The farmer Ris intrigued me and I adored her sweet daughter Biba. Hanan the priestess had perhaps the slowest chapters but I liked the air of mystery that surrounded her.
The plot at the start of the book was captivating but I feel like this book lost a bit of momentum on the way. I needed just a tad more explanations about the whole point of the adventure, and I do feel like the confrontation at the end happened very quickly. I still had a good time with this book and I am curious to see where the story goes next.
I’ll also mention that the romantic subplot didn’t really work for me. I’m not fully sure if it was meant to be romantic or just like a casual thing. It felt thrown in, so I could have done without it.
Give it a try if you like:
🌊Seafaring adventures
🌊Sassy bisexual captains
🌊Ragtag crew of misfits
🌊Power struggles and religious fanatics
🌊Talking animals
🌊Necromancy
“We have such small hopes for our lives, and even those get shattered by the fates.”
April 13, 2026
Thank you to Hodderscape for the review copy.
Saltswept does indeed encompass a quest and an unlikely crew, but it wasn't the most interesting part of this story. There's dark magic at work, and the overarching story and worldbuilding held a lot of promise. I enjoyed some of the darker aspects, and whilst the characters aren't all likeable they did keep me interested. Of course a talking otter-cat immediately caught my attention, and their mysterious powers and the magic in general were intriguing.
The most challenging aspect of this book was grappling with the multiple points of views which were all in first person. I think if it had been in third, or there were less povs, it would have been easier to follow. Sometimes the voice just wasn't immediately obvious as a particular character, which ended up breaking the flow of reading when I inevitably had to remind myself of who's chapter it was.
Since the quest didn't actually start until almost halfway through the book I really think it would have been better off being a standalone because none of the characters really had a meaningful arc, and Saltswept felt like a first act to a more epic story.
Whilst it was a bit mixed, I did enjoy my reading experience of Saltswept and its found family aspects.
Saltswept does indeed encompass a quest and an unlikely crew, but it wasn't the most interesting part of this story. There's dark magic at work, and the overarching story and worldbuilding held a lot of promise. I enjoyed some of the darker aspects, and whilst the characters aren't all likeable they did keep me interested. Of course a talking otter-cat immediately caught my attention, and their mysterious powers and the magic in general were intriguing.
The most challenging aspect of this book was grappling with the multiple points of views which were all in first person. I think if it had been in third, or there were less povs, it would have been easier to follow. Sometimes the voice just wasn't immediately obvious as a particular character, which ended up breaking the flow of reading when I inevitably had to remind myself of who's chapter it was.
Since the quest didn't actually start until almost halfway through the book I really think it would have been better off being a standalone because none of the characters really had a meaningful arc, and Saltswept felt like a first act to a more epic story.
Whilst it was a bit mixed, I did enjoy my reading experience of Saltswept and its found family aspects.
April 3, 2026
*2.5⭐️
my first book by this author, and it was an okay experience. I felt a little indifferent to the story, but I didn't hate it.
the characters were the strong point, in my opinion, but they still didn't feel real to me. I don't think I had a favourite character. none of them really stood out for me. 🤷🏻♀️
I loved the fact that it had short chapters. however, that many povs were unnecessary. I had to keep reminding myself who I was following, and it took me out of the story a little. I don't mind multiple povs usually, but in this case, it didn't really need to be that way.
the plot was okay, I mean, nothing really exciting was happening. I wasn't sucked into the story completely, but I was curious enough to finish the book. the world building needed a bit of work, in my opinion.
I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book as I'm not sure I'll be continuing the series, but if it sounds like something you'd enjoy, then this might be for you!
my first book by this author, and it was an okay experience. I felt a little indifferent to the story, but I didn't hate it.
the characters were the strong point, in my opinion, but they still didn't feel real to me. I don't think I had a favourite character. none of them really stood out for me. 🤷🏻♀️
I loved the fact that it had short chapters. however, that many povs were unnecessary. I had to keep reminding myself who I was following, and it took me out of the story a little. I don't mind multiple povs usually, but in this case, it didn't really need to be that way.
the plot was okay, I mean, nothing really exciting was happening. I wasn't sucked into the story completely, but I was curious enough to finish the book. the world building needed a bit of work, in my opinion.
I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book as I'm not sure I'll be continuing the series, but if it sounds like something you'd enjoy, then this might be for you!
February 14, 2026
Saltswept is an epic fantasy adventure with Southeast Asian mythology. I absolutely adored the talking Otter 🦦, who was absolutely the best character! This book follows multiple points of view so it took me a while to get into the story and to understand who everyone was. But give it time as the story really develops after the half way point. The cast are overall great, they really are a ragtag crew. Some of the points of view were more appealing to me than others and I couldn’t wait to get back to their chapters.
Overall I liked how the author represented a variety of genders and sexualities. I think this is a darker read than suggested from the blurb so do check trigger warnings. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
Overall I liked how the author represented a variety of genders and sexualities. I think this is a darker read than suggested from the blurb so do check trigger warnings. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this advanced reader copy. This is a voluntary review of my own thoughts.
March 30, 2026
While I mostly enjoyed reading this book, it didn't grab me quite as much as I hoped. Interestingly, I found myself most invested in what was more of a secondary storyline, Hanan's arc. I liked Finlyr and Ris as well, but if I continue the series, it will probably be for Hanan. When the romance appeared, it felt more like "well, we're the only adults here" than actual romantic feelings to me, so it both caught me off guard and failed to hold my interest. In fact, the relationships in general felt like they moved faster than I believed. It wasn't that I actively disbelieved them, but I kept going "wait, since when?" when characters would describe the depth of their feelings for someone. However, I did like the world and the writing, so whether or not I continue this specific series, I would read Katalina Watt again.
April 25, 2026
It’s a really cool idea, with cool characters and interesting magic, but sometimes I don’t quite understand how the magic actually works. But it’s really gripping and visually striking.
The crew is a found family, where everyone has their own story and past, some of which are intertwined.
And it’s a really cool sea adventure featuring an encounter with a kraken, which somehow reminded me of the second ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film. And a bird-like creature that can turn people to stone with its song.
So yes, it’s a really lovely sea adventure book. It was fun to read, and I enjoyed it very much. I just didn’t realise it was the first book in a series. I thought it was a standalone novel, and in the final chapters I was a bit confused as to how it could all wrap up in so few pages.
The crew is a found family, where everyone has their own story and past, some of which are intertwined.
And it’s a really cool sea adventure featuring an encounter with a kraken, which somehow reminded me of the second ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ film. And a bird-like creature that can turn people to stone with its song.
So yes, it’s a really lovely sea adventure book. It was fun to read, and I enjoyed it very much. I just didn’t realise it was the first book in a series. I thought it was a standalone novel, and in the final chapters I was a bit confused as to how it could all wrap up in so few pages.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Did Not Finish
March 29, 2026DNF
I buddy read this, or well at least tried. This was so hard to read. There were so many details but nothing was explained. I had to ready back multiple times because I thought I had missed something. There was so much just happening all of a sudden and no explanation. Like chapter one there is suddenly a sex scene and I was like who the F is Nestor and I read back and came to the conclusion that it must have been the person Finlyr met but they were never introduced.
This feeling of having to figure shit out on my own by context clues just kept on continuing and I was just not feeling it.
Really sad tho because I was really looking forward to this story.
I buddy read this, or well at least tried. This was so hard to read. There were so many details but nothing was explained. I had to ready back multiple times because I thought I had missed something. There was so much just happening all of a sudden and no explanation. Like chapter one there is suddenly a sex scene and I was like who the F is Nestor and I read back and came to the conclusion that it must have been the person Finlyr met but they were never introduced.
This feeling of having to figure shit out on my own by context clues just kept on continuing and I was just not feeling it.
Really sad tho because I was really looking forward to this story.
April 3, 2026
I love a good nautical adventure, though Saltswept had magic woven in.
A misfit crew, an otter-cat (what even is that? sounds adorable) and a whole lot of crazy. It is very fast paced, with short chapters and multi POV.
For ages I rolled my eyes when a certain POV came up but I love that moment when it all clicks into place!
A misfit crew, an otter-cat (what even is that? sounds adorable) and a whole lot of crazy. It is very fast paced, with short chapters and multi POV.
For ages I rolled my eyes when a certain POV came up but I love that moment when it all clicks into place!
April 9, 2026
actual rating: 3.25 stars
wanted to like this one more than I did. The bones of a good story are here, but the writing style is so light and basic action that it did not immerse me - that it was written in first person present tense was already an obstacle for my enjoyment but that's my personal taste so I don't hold it against the book.
Very interesting story and great characters, I was just so hungry for it to be more fleshed out
wanted to like this one more than I did. The bones of a good story are here, but the writing style is so light and basic action that it did not immerse me - that it was written in first person present tense was already an obstacle for my enjoyment but that's my personal taste so I don't hold it against the book.
Very interesting story and great characters, I was just so hungry for it to be more fleshed out
Did Not Finish
May 3, 2026DNF @47% because I could not give less of a fuck about any of these characters or their paper-thin motivations. This book needed proper editing. The first 200 pages alone do barely anything for the actual plot *or* character connections and development. By this point I don't see the promised fun adventure or vibrant characters, so I'll cut my losses.
March 11, 2026
A fun adventure with an endearing cast of characters. I do wish we'd seen more of the group's rationship development on the page in part one, but once the found family was established, I really enjoyed the story.
March 14, 2026
I really liked the story. The three seperate first person POVs were sometimes hard to follow and I had to actively check who I was reading a lot. I felt like the side characters had the most personality.
Really interesting plot with a lot of action. A lot a queer representation which was nice to see in a good fantasy story.
Really interesting plot with a lot of action. A lot a queer representation which was nice to see in a good fantasy story.
May 15, 2026
I wanted so desperately to love this book but it was just kind of a miss. The three POVs felt super disjointed at time and the progress throughout the story doesn’t feel like it actually went anywhere.
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