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The Whips, as silent as hunting cats, surrounded Blood Burrow in the hour before sun-up and began their sweep as the morning dogs began to howl. Their gray tunics turned black in the downpour, their helmets shone like beetle wings and the sparks that jumped from their fingers as they herded their recruits fizzed and spat like sewer gas.
Salt is an utterly compelling fantasy adventure, the work of a master storyteller at the peak of his powers.
When his father Tarl is captured and enslaved to work in Deep Salt, Hari vows to rescue him. This is a forbidding task: no one returns from Deep Salt. But Hari was born and raised in Blood Burrow. He's tough and smart--and he has a secret gift: he can communicate with animals.
The beautiful Pearl, born into the privileged world of the ruling class known as Company, has learned forbidden things from her mysteriously gifted maid Tealeaf. Now her father has promised her in marriage to the powerful and ambitious Ottmar. But Pearl will never submit to a subordinate life, so she and Tealeaf must flee.
When their paths cross, Hari and Pearl realize that together they must discover the secrets of Deep Salt. Their long journey through the badlands becomes far more than a quest to save Tarl--their world is on the brink of unspeakable terror.
Maurice Gee is one of New Zealand's finest writers, with more than forty books for adults and young adults and a number of prestigious awards to his credit. Salt is the first volume of The Salt Trilogy. Orca will publish Gool in Fall 2010 and Blood Burrow in Spring 2011.
Salt is an utterly compelling fantasy adventure, the work of a master storyteller at the peak of his powers.
When his father Tarl is captured and enslaved to work in Deep Salt, Hari vows to rescue him. This is a forbidding task: no one returns from Deep Salt. But Hari was born and raised in Blood Burrow. He's tough and smart--and he has a secret gift: he can communicate with animals.
The beautiful Pearl, born into the privileged world of the ruling class known as Company, has learned forbidden things from her mysteriously gifted maid Tealeaf. Now her father has promised her in marriage to the powerful and ambitious Ottmar. But Pearl will never submit to a subordinate life, so she and Tealeaf must flee.
When their paths cross, Hari and Pearl realize that together they must discover the secrets of Deep Salt. Their long journey through the badlands becomes far more than a quest to save Tarl--their world is on the brink of unspeakable terror.
Maurice Gee is one of New Zealand's finest writers, with more than forty books for adults and young adults and a number of prestigious awards to his credit. Salt is the first volume of The Salt Trilogy. Orca will publish Gool in Fall 2010 and Blood Burrow in Spring 2011.
224 pages, Paperback
First published June 4, 2007
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About the author
Maurice Gee
45 books105 followersMaurice Gough Gee was a New Zealand novelist. He was one of New Zealand's most distinguished and prolific authors, having written over thirty novels for adults and children, and having won numerous awards both in New Zealand and overseas, including multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in the UK, the Katherine Mansfield Menton Fellowship, the Robert Burns Fellowship and a Prime Minister's Award for Literary Achievement. In 2003 he was recognised as one of New Zealand's greatest living artists across all disciplines by the Arts Foundation of New Zealand, which presented him with an Icon Award.
Gee's novel Plumb (1978) was described by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature to be one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand. He was also well-known for children's and young adult fiction such as Under the Mountain (1979). He won multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Margaret Mahy Award by the Children's Literature Foundation in recognition of his contributions to children's literature.
Gee's novel Plumb (1978) was described by the Oxford Companion to New Zealand Literature to be one of the best novels ever written in New Zealand. He was also well-known for children's and young adult fiction such as Under the Mountain (1979). He won multiple top prizes at the New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults and in 2002 he was presented with the prestigious Margaret Mahy Award by the Children's Literature Foundation in recognition of his contributions to children's literature.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
July 26, 2016
Where do I even start with this one? To put it bluntly, it was awful. I'm not even sure I want to waste any more energy by reviewing it, but perhaps it'll be cathartic.
Things didn't start off too badly, at least as far as the plot went. In the beginning, we see Tarl (Hari's father) taken away to work in Deep Salt as a slave. This is the most dreaded of work assignments because nobody ever comes back alive. The setting for the book is a dystopian fantasy world that (in some ways) reminded me of Panem in The Hunger Games. There is a city populated by the rich (akin to HG's Capitol) surrounded by what are basically open-air prisons called the Burrows (similar to HG's Districts). Unfortunately, the world of Salt didn't seem very plausible to me, since it tried to combine too much in the way of technology. They still use horses and carts for transportation, yet their weapons are electrified. I suppose this could be because of the meshing of the cultures, but I still found it inconsistent. All the talk of horses and railway cars that have to be hauled up the mountain by hand... and then a jarring mention of a flatbed truck and batteries. Have these people had their equivalent of an Industrial Revolution or haven't they?
The plot seemed to get worse as the book went on, but the characters were uniformly awful from the start. I couldn't identify with either of the main characters, and I just couldn't care about them either. Hari was particularly unlikeable (he kicks his dog until it yelps, for crying out loud!) and Pearl was just bland. All the characters seemed to have flunked out of Social Skills 101; the dialogue was often stilted and juvenile. And everybody wanted to kill each other! Honestly... It was like a broken record with the men. Kill, kill, kill... That seemed to be their only thought.
Things didn't start off too badly, at least as far as the plot went. In the beginning, we see Tarl (Hari's father) taken away to work in Deep Salt as a slave. This is the most dreaded of work assignments because nobody ever comes back alive. The setting for the book is a dystopian fantasy world that (in some ways) reminded me of Panem in The Hunger Games. There is a city populated by the rich (akin to HG's Capitol) surrounded by what are basically open-air prisons called the Burrows (similar to HG's Districts). Unfortunately, the world of Salt didn't seem very plausible to me, since it tried to combine too much in the way of technology. They still use horses and carts for transportation, yet their weapons are electrified. I suppose this could be because of the meshing of the cultures, but I still found it inconsistent. All the talk of horses and railway cars that have to be hauled up the mountain by hand... and then a jarring mention of a flatbed truck and batteries. Have these people had their equivalent of an Industrial Revolution or haven't they?
The plot seemed to get worse as the book went on, but the characters were uniformly awful from the start. I couldn't identify with either of the main characters, and I just couldn't care about them either. Hari was particularly unlikeable (he kicks his dog until it yelps, for crying out loud!) and Pearl was just bland. All the characters seemed to have flunked out of Social Skills 101; the dialogue was often stilted and juvenile. And everybody wanted to kill each other! Honestly... It was like a broken record with the men. Kill, kill, kill... That seemed to be their only thought.
November 8, 2009
How wasn't I aware of Salt by Maurice Gee? It's the first installment in one of the darkest books I've read in a while. Seriously, Salt is dark and desperate. It doesn't let up and I'm afraid of what I'll be getting into by reading the other books in the trilogy. Maurice Gee is a pretty prolific writer, but I haven't heard of him before. He's a New Zealand writer and he's won a ton of awards and accolades.
Salt has a strange setting; I can't describe it. It is dystopian--ruined and dying. Company rules with an iron fist. Although, when they came from over the sea their flags showed open hands, as if in greeting and peace. The rich live lavish lives and the poor die of starvation or illness. Many are hauled away every day to work in the various mines and other manual labour jobs where not much of you is left at the end of the day. The worst place to be is the salt mines, and to be assigned to Deep Salt is a death sentence. A slow and painful death sentence.
When the book opens, Hari is hiding in a cart, watching while his father is one of the many men being taken to a labour mine. Tarl fights back, insults Company and is marked to work in Deep Salt. Hari, using his ability to speak with animals, causes a diversion with the horses in an attempt to save his father. He fails, Tarl is taken away, and Hari escapes, vowing that he will save Tarl from Deep Salt whatever the cost.
Read the rest on my blog Edge of Seventeen: http://eoseventeen.blogspot.com/2009/...
Salt has a strange setting; I can't describe it. It is dystopian--ruined and dying. Company rules with an iron fist. Although, when they came from over the sea their flags showed open hands, as if in greeting and peace. The rich live lavish lives and the poor die of starvation or illness. Many are hauled away every day to work in the various mines and other manual labour jobs where not much of you is left at the end of the day. The worst place to be is the salt mines, and to be assigned to Deep Salt is a death sentence. A slow and painful death sentence.
When the book opens, Hari is hiding in a cart, watching while his father is one of the many men being taken to a labour mine. Tarl fights back, insults Company and is marked to work in Deep Salt. Hari, using his ability to speak with animals, causes a diversion with the horses in an attempt to save his father. He fails, Tarl is taken away, and Hari escapes, vowing that he will save Tarl from Deep Salt whatever the cost.
Read the rest on my blog Edge of Seventeen: http://eoseventeen.blogspot.com/2009/...
December 21, 2017
I first read this book many many years ago now. Perhaps before I even started high school. I remembered it fondly as a good book, although, I couldn't remember exactly what happened. So I picked it up again to refresh my memory.
Admittedly, I had to drop a star. I almost dropped two stars because of the last chapter (which equaled five pages). But due to sentimentality, I still liked this book.
It's very simply written. And very typically New Zealand fantasy, I think. I've noticed that books by New Zealand authors are very...tonally different to other books. I can just tell I'm reading a book by a Kiwi, usually. It isn't a bad thing. I think our authors generally just have a more direct, simple style of writing. Hell, just take my reviews for example.
Despite being 'simple', as I put it. It's also quite dark for a young adult book, which I quite like. There is a lot of violence and death and heavy undertones of colonialism and class/race disparities. The cast is actually very racially diverse as well, which is nice. And the two protagonists are both very different and travel their own developmental arcs.
I think, besides the simplicity, it's biggest fault was the cheesiness too. Even though I just said it's quite dark. The ending particularly is very cheesy, I think, with its sudden romance and happily ever after.
But otherwise, it was a decent read. I wish more books by New Zealand authors were read and appreciated too.
Admittedly, I had to drop a star. I almost dropped two stars because of the last chapter (which equaled five pages). But due to sentimentality, I still liked this book.
It's very simply written. And very typically New Zealand fantasy, I think. I've noticed that books by New Zealand authors are very...tonally different to other books. I can just tell I'm reading a book by a Kiwi, usually. It isn't a bad thing. I think our authors generally just have a more direct, simple style of writing. Hell, just take my reviews for example.
Despite being 'simple', as I put it. It's also quite dark for a young adult book, which I quite like. There is a lot of violence and death and heavy undertones of colonialism and class/race disparities. The cast is actually very racially diverse as well, which is nice. And the two protagonists are both very different and travel their own developmental arcs.
I think, besides the simplicity, it's biggest fault was the cheesiness too. Even though I just said it's quite dark. The ending particularly is very cheesy, I think, with its sudden romance and happily ever after.
But otherwise, it was a decent read. I wish more books by New Zealand authors were read and appreciated too.
October 27, 2019
To start, I believe the book didn't hook me in the beginning which affected my overall reading experience. I felt as if the introduction was an info dump, which in the end, left me just confused and not excited to read the rest of the book. If I had read this first chapter in a book store, I would've put it down.
Secondly, the underlying plot in an entirety, was not well done. In the start of the book, we are told that the main problem will be that Hari must find his father and save him from the deep salt. However, halfway through the book, this problem is resolved. I believe that the author tried to fit too much into one book and as a result, it was hard to read.
To end with, the characters were so unlikeable that I wanted to stop reading. Usually in a novel, you fall in love with the characters and the book becomes so gripping that the pages seem to be turning on their own. However for Salt, this was not the case. Hari seemed to be the polar opposite of likeable, he is cruel and most often times naive. I understand why Maurice Gee wrote him like this, because Hari had grown up in a ruthless environment, but some more character development would've been nice.
Pearl is the other main character, who in my opinion is one sided. Her backstory is cliche and has been done many times over, as well as the fact that she is just a rich snob.
Secondly, the underlying plot in an entirety, was not well done. In the start of the book, we are told that the main problem will be that Hari must find his father and save him from the deep salt. However, halfway through the book, this problem is resolved. I believe that the author tried to fit too much into one book and as a result, it was hard to read.
To end with, the characters were so unlikeable that I wanted to stop reading. Usually in a novel, you fall in love with the characters and the book becomes so gripping that the pages seem to be turning on their own. However for Salt, this was not the case. Hari seemed to be the polar opposite of likeable, he is cruel and most often times naive. I understand why Maurice Gee wrote him like this, because Hari had grown up in a ruthless environment, but some more character development would've been nice.
Pearl is the other main character, who in my opinion is one sided. Her backstory is cliche and has been done many times over, as well as the fact that she is just a rich snob.
April 29, 2021
I picked this up because it’s a series nobody has ever borrowed in my time in my school library and I like to take these kind of books home in the holidays to see if I can save them from the weed. I really enjoyed it actually, it moves along very quickly and although it is the first part of a trilogy, there is a satisfying ending to this book that would allow you to not bother with the rest. I’m interested enough to read the others as the characters grew on me - the feel of it is a little Six of Crows with the darkness and poverty and extra sensory abilities. The back story to this country, which we conveniently learn as the main character patiently explains it again to his mentor, gave me a sense of New Zealand being colonised by the British - perhaps The Company in Salt was more brutal and the outcome more extreme, but I felt the parallel. Plenty of good reasons to keep this and recommend it to year 7/8s who like their gritty dark fantasy dystopia.
January 23, 2020
Very good.
August 23, 2024
Cool visual descriptions and ideas.
October 10, 2019
The book Salt by Maurice Gee was a bad choice of mines. At first, I thought it would be a cool book because of its inquisitive title and because it is a part of a trilogy. I was looking for a book series that would take me at least 3 months to finish. Overall I rate this book a 2/5 because of its repetitiveness, it is always the same scene but with some differences like setting. The book tries to not make it repetitive by adding some additional scenes that have tom do with the character's personal life. Their personal life is very interesting and if the book would of committed more to it I would have enjoyed it way more. I would definitely recommend this to people that love repetitiveness and that like TV shows, you may know that tv shows are very repetitive but they try to keep it interesting by implementing personal life into their jobs or something similar. I would also recommend it to people that don't finish the book, at the beginning of the book it is cool and all but it is also very boring in the middle to end, I personally was skipping pages a lot and I could still keep up with the book.
August 10, 2010
There was so much going on in the novel, many themes like love, racism, discrimination, (I'm not sure if this is a theme but...) war, death and power. It is about a journey of a young boy retaliating against people of another race who have taken hostage of many men from his people including his father to a forbidden place called Deep Salt to excavate. The young boy's enemies were digging up powerful minerals embedded deep under the surface. These minerals were so strong they emitted blinding light, this light will poison upon impact and will crawl under your skin making you deathly ill. This mineral, salt, was viewed as a weapon that could be unleashed to the world by war and conquer which was exactly what the cruel men whom Hari wanted to kill were after. It was rumored that anyone who works in Deep Salt never returns to the surface... The young boy, Hari, set off on a rescue to save his father, seething with hatred and anguish for the men who took his people away to their deaths. On his way to Deep Salt Hari meets Pearl, who lived a life so different, she lived in a luxury mansion dining with knives, forks, spoons and comfort- unlike whatever Hari had experienced. Hari and Pearl were total opposites, who had hated each other because Hari was from the wild forests not in the posh world Pearl had lived in. Instead of seeking vengeance Pearl wanted freedom and wanted a life shared with her closest bond, not her family but her maid. As the truth of Deep Salt unraveled Pearl decided to help Hari save his father and fight against the people she was born into.
A lot more happened in the book, and I skipped plenty of information about each of the characters so that I did not spoil the story! It is hard remembering what had happened because I had read it in the beginning of July and I regret that I didn't write a review earlier! Overall I enjoyed the book because there was adventure and suspense as well as seeing Hari and Pearl evolve and change which to me, is key to an interesting story.
A lot more happened in the book, and I skipped plenty of information about each of the characters so that I did not spoil the story! It is hard remembering what had happened because I had read it in the beginning of July and I regret that I didn't write a review earlier! Overall I enjoyed the book because there was adventure and suspense as well as seeing Hari and Pearl evolve and change which to me, is key to an interesting story.
September 23, 2014
i decided to read this novel because my family owned it, and i had heard good reviews of this book. I also read it because i i had read other novels by Maurice Gee such as "Under the Mountain" and had enjoyed them.
My favourite character is Hari, the main protagonist. He is a teenage boy living in a distopian world, where half the population is wealthy and happy, however the other half lives in extreme poverty. Hari is in the less fortunate half. His mother died when he was young,and so when his father is taken away by the government to work in the Deep Salt he becomes determined to save his father from the fate millions faced before him. With the help of Pearl , a privileged girl running from an an arranged marriage and her maid Tealeaf, they set off on a dangerous journey.
Hari was my favourite character because he was determined and tough, though beneath his cool exterior he had an enormous heart. He also makes the otherwise quite dark novel humorous with his witty and sarcastic comments.
"I was chained to a crazy man.
We were thrown in prison together. We were both getting sent to Deep Salt. But during our time in prison,
he hung himself.
I could've stopped him,
but if a man wishes to die, that is his choice, and I need to respect it"
THis is my favourite quote because it made me understand that life can be worse then death, and that it is only somebody's own decision wether or not they take their life and should always be.. I agree with this quote immensely.
This book made me think more deeply about the future of our world, and how dark and twisted it could become. This is because "Salt" is set in a cruel future, and this may me similar to our future if we continue to mistreat our world and each other.
November 10, 2012
Reviewed by McKenzie Tritt for TeensReadToo.com
Hari's father, Tarl, has been captured and is sent to work in the mines of Deep Salt. No one ever returns from Deep Salt, and those that are found have died from a terrible sickness, alone in the vast caverns. Nobody knows what they harvest in those caves.
Hari vows to rescue his father and sets out across the vast land. Though just a young boy from the poor area, Hari has a special weapon. He can talk to others silently and control their thoughts and actions.
Pearl, daughter of a wealthy family, is fleeing with her maid, Tealeaf, from an arranged marriage that she does not want. Pearl, like Hari, has the gift of silent speaking. Pearl has learned this talent from Tealeaf, a mysterious woman who knows many things.
Along the journey, Pearl and Hari meet. They set off together to find Tarl and to discover the terrible secrets of Deep Salt. What is being harvested there? What happens to the miners in Deep Salt? They must answer these questions before their world is destroyed by those who are hungry for power and willing to use Deep Salt's secrets for the worst.
SALT is unlike any book I've ever read. It is filled with such a deep darkness, one that can only be described as twisted. Hari and Pearl were interesting characters, each with their own motives. Their journey was enthralling and terrifying. Tealeaf was a wonderful secondary character who had what seemed to be an unlimited amount of knowledge about unusual things.
The writing style was rather odd and took some getting used to. I enjoyed the general idea of the book, but the writing made it hard to get into at times.
Hari's father, Tarl, has been captured and is sent to work in the mines of Deep Salt. No one ever returns from Deep Salt, and those that are found have died from a terrible sickness, alone in the vast caverns. Nobody knows what they harvest in those caves.
Hari vows to rescue his father and sets out across the vast land. Though just a young boy from the poor area, Hari has a special weapon. He can talk to others silently and control their thoughts and actions.
Pearl, daughter of a wealthy family, is fleeing with her maid, Tealeaf, from an arranged marriage that she does not want. Pearl, like Hari, has the gift of silent speaking. Pearl has learned this talent from Tealeaf, a mysterious woman who knows many things.
Along the journey, Pearl and Hari meet. They set off together to find Tarl and to discover the terrible secrets of Deep Salt. What is being harvested there? What happens to the miners in Deep Salt? They must answer these questions before their world is destroyed by those who are hungry for power and willing to use Deep Salt's secrets for the worst.
SALT is unlike any book I've ever read. It is filled with such a deep darkness, one that can only be described as twisted. Hari and Pearl were interesting characters, each with their own motives. Their journey was enthralling and terrifying. Tealeaf was a wonderful secondary character who had what seemed to be an unlimited amount of knowledge about unusual things.
The writing style was rather odd and took some getting used to. I enjoyed the general idea of the book, but the writing made it hard to get into at times.
January 27, 2016
What is salt? No one really knows what they mine in Deep Salt, all people know is that once you're sent there, you never come back. When Hari's father is captured by Company cronies, Hari will do whatever it takes to get him back - even if it means going to Deep Salt himself. Pearl on the other hand, she IS Company, but wants out of that cushy life. She and her extraordinary maid are determined to get out of the city -but escape is as challenging as they'd feared.
What do these two young people have in common? How do their paths cross? What is the terrible thing that is about to be unleashed on their world? I sure enjoyed the answers to those questions, in fact, this was a very intriguing read. Part Lord of the Rings and part Romeo and Juliet - it's great fantasy. While it moves slower than The Hunger Games and has a less romantic plot, I'd say it reverberates with that same adventurous, political feel. It's a very moral and conscience-based book, a good basis for some ethical discussion.
For those who are interested, it's the first in a trilogy, but for me, it stands well enough on its own.
What do these two young people have in common? How do their paths cross? What is the terrible thing that is about to be unleashed on their world? I sure enjoyed the answers to those questions, in fact, this was a very intriguing read. Part Lord of the Rings and part Romeo and Juliet - it's great fantasy. While it moves slower than The Hunger Games and has a less romantic plot, I'd say it reverberates with that same adventurous, political feel. It's a very moral and conscience-based book, a good basis for some ethical discussion.
For those who are interested, it's the first in a trilogy, but for me, it stands well enough on its own.
May 28, 2014
I really liked the book Salt by Maurice Gee. The reason on why I liked this book was because it related a lot to a previous group of books that I just finished reading. It related to it because in the group of books that I read a boy that had gotten captured for a crime that he did not commit was being sent off to prison where he works non stop and can never leave or have contact with the outside world. It reminds me of this book salt because when Tarl was captured and sent off to work at salt it reminded me when the boy Alex from the other book had gotten captured. Other reasons that I liked it was because of how they used the mineral salt as a weapon and the things that one was able to do to other people with salt. Salt was so bright it blinded those who looked. It made people very ill to the point of no return. They had captured his father and he set off on a mission to help and rescue him with his new partner. I hope that the other two books are as good as this one.
December 7, 2009
"Salt" is such a good word. Hard-edged and hissing, but with that L in the middle for nuance. Only one syllable, four letters, terse, definite, but not simple. "Salt" is a noun and a verb, and sometimes an adjective, and it has meanings both mundane and technical - alchemical, even.
In this book, "salt" refers to the salt mines that Burrows dwellers such as Hari and his father, Tarl, must labor in if they are caught by the Whips - minions of the all-powerful Company. But all of the word's connotations travel through the narrative like a mineral vein through ore.
Yes - by the way - we're living in the Land of Capitalized Nouns here, and that's just one of the features of this book that ought to make me cringe...
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/200...
In this book, "salt" refers to the salt mines that Burrows dwellers such as Hari and his father, Tarl, must labor in if they are caught by the Whips - minions of the all-powerful Company. But all of the word's connotations travel through the narrative like a mineral vein through ore.
Yes - by the way - we're living in the Land of Capitalized Nouns here, and that's just one of the features of this book that ought to make me cringe...
Full review on Pink Me: http://pinkme.typepad.com/pink-me/200...
January 14, 2010
A strong fantasy that doesn't focus on the minute details of this fantasy world. Succinct writing and a well told story. It can stand on it's own and since I'm sort of sick of trilogies and series I'd be happy had it ended here.
Read
April 28, 2015I read a lot of young adult fiction for work as a youth services librarian and am able to enjoy most of it. While the majority is not fiction I would read for my own personal entertainment, I can see its merit and appeal. However, there are a handful of books that I have picked up for work and have really connected with. Salt and its sequels are those kind of books. I doubt I can do the book justice in a review, but I would like you to at least come away with your interest piqued.
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction is really popular right now, I think in part because of The Hunger Games. I was less than impressed by The Hunger Games, both with the writing and with characters. Neither of these issues plague Salt. Maurice Gee loosely based the world of Salt on New Zealand and the colonization of the islands. In doing this he creates a haunting and ethereal setting.
The city of Belong is populated by a wealthy and genteel set of people who came from Company, over the sea. They rule the Burrows with an iron fist, keeping them in extreme poverty and in conflict with one another. Hari has grown up in Blood Burrow. His mother is dead and his father, Tarl, has taught Hari how to survive in their savage world. One day the police force, the Whips, arrive in Blood Burrow to round up men to send off for slave labor. Tarl ends up in an altercation with one of the captains and injures him pretty seriously. As punishment he is assigned to Deep Salt, a mysterious mine for which no one ever returns. Hari is distraught and decides to set out and rescue Tarl from Deep Salt.
Here Gee weaves in the story of Pearl, one of the Company daughters. She is promised in marriage to an odious man. In an attempt to dodge the marriage, Pearl runs away with the help of her ladies maid Tealeaf. Tealeaf is a Dweller, a race of people with cat-like eyes and the ability to speak through the mind. As they escape the city and the Burrows, they come across Hari in the wilderness. While the two children are leery of each other, they form a tentative alliance. Tealeaf discovers Hari has the ability to "speak" with animals and the potential to learn to speak silently with people too.
Pearl and Tealeaf agree to help Hari.
As their adventure continues Pearl is pursued and Hari discovers something terrible about Deep Salt. It becomes their mission not only to rescue Tarl, but to save the world from the plans of Company.
The book is just so beautifully written. It has such atmosphere and is so dark and bleak, but in a way that keeps you turning the pages. I feel compelled to note that there isn't quite the violence of The Hunger Games, but there is off page sex (very little and at the end). I think it would make a much better 8th grade plus novel, but certainly a younger audience could handle it (they just may not enjoy it as much). The violence of The Hunger Games baffled me. I am surprised that something like that became so popular especially with the younger crowd. Not that I personally mind it or would prevent my daughter from reading it. I was just surprised.
Update: I read this book probably five years ago, maybe more, and absolutely loved it then. But I think I loved it even more re-reading it. Salt has it all. Incredible story telling, good writing, amazing characters, fantastic world building, and it subtly tackles some interesting issues like colonialism, racism, poverty, privilege, environmentalism, and coming of age.
*Spoilers ahead.*
I’m not sure how Gee manages to do this, but Salt is both character and plot driven. The story is incredibly exciting and full of action and suspense. However you are also let in on the history of Hari and Pearl and then see them grow immensely as their stories intertwine. I especially liked that not only does it take time for them to shed their old, terrible lives, they don’t do it completely by the end of the story. They retain vestiges of those lives that may never completely leave. Hari often hears the call of violence and hatred while Pearl often feels the pull of privilege that came with wealth. By the end though the two have heard a higher call and they strive to follow that instinct instead of their old ones.
The world is, I believe, based on the colonialism of Australia and the marginalization and impoverishment of the Yolnu. There might also be shades of New Zealand and the marginalization and impoverishment of the Maori. I don’t think you need much if any understanding of what happened in those places, but it’s a place and situation you don’t hear much about in traditional American education which I think makes it all the more interesting. Thankfully there is a map at the beginning of the book to help those of us who have a hard time picturing the lay of the land. Descriptions are spare, but detailed enough to create a clear picture in your mind what the world looks like. And the descriptions of the Burrows, the slums, and the life in them are very vivid. Be forewarned, this is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of violence in those places.
In my second reading the relationship between Tarl and Hari really stuck out to me. When Tarl is taken to work in the Deep Salt mine Hari vows to save him and this puts Hari’s storyline into motion. Hari spends some time, both before leaving the city on his journey and while on his way to Deep Salt, reflecting back on his early memories of growing up as Tarl’s son. The two were close and Tarl was surprisingly tender with Hari. However as the two have very different experiences through the book, Tarl in the mine and Hari on his travels, they diverge. Once reunited Hari discovers the bond between them is no longer founded on shared experiences but on the relationship they shared in the past. The bond is still strong and certainly important, but the two have changed and they meet on different footing. Interestingly, Tarl appears to lament the new distance between them as much as Hari does, but he also understands that Hari is getting a chance at a much better life than Tarl has had or expects to ever get and this is something he very much wants for Hari. Their relationship and its changes, I think, will really resonate with teens who are separating from their parents and becoming more independent, but also feel that longing for the simpler time of childhood.
I won’t get into all the themes I listed above here, but know there is a lot to this story. There are also two more books in the series. They could in theory all be read as stand alone novels and they are all good. I liked this one best of all, but I think that was because I read it first and loved it so much. The next book, Gool, follows the children of Hari and Pearl in their quest to rid their world of the evil that still lingers. That one is interesting to see how Pearl and Hari have grown and how they have passed their legacy on to the next generation and tried to build a new world for their children. The third book, The Limping Man, follows another character entirely in the next generation after Gool. I would say give this to kids who like dystopian fantasies, and that is probably a good recommendation, however I read the Hunger Games after this series and Hunger Games pales in comparison. This is so much better and I’m not sure kids who loved Hunger Games style dystopia will connect in the same way with this one.
Dystopian and post-apocalyptic fiction is really popular right now, I think in part because of The Hunger Games. I was less than impressed by The Hunger Games, both with the writing and with characters. Neither of these issues plague Salt. Maurice Gee loosely based the world of Salt on New Zealand and the colonization of the islands. In doing this he creates a haunting and ethereal setting.
The city of Belong is populated by a wealthy and genteel set of people who came from Company, over the sea. They rule the Burrows with an iron fist, keeping them in extreme poverty and in conflict with one another. Hari has grown up in Blood Burrow. His mother is dead and his father, Tarl, has taught Hari how to survive in their savage world. One day the police force, the Whips, arrive in Blood Burrow to round up men to send off for slave labor. Tarl ends up in an altercation with one of the captains and injures him pretty seriously. As punishment he is assigned to Deep Salt, a mysterious mine for which no one ever returns. Hari is distraught and decides to set out and rescue Tarl from Deep Salt.
Here Gee weaves in the story of Pearl, one of the Company daughters. She is promised in marriage to an odious man. In an attempt to dodge the marriage, Pearl runs away with the help of her ladies maid Tealeaf. Tealeaf is a Dweller, a race of people with cat-like eyes and the ability to speak through the mind. As they escape the city and the Burrows, they come across Hari in the wilderness. While the two children are leery of each other, they form a tentative alliance. Tealeaf discovers Hari has the ability to "speak" with animals and the potential to learn to speak silently with people too.
Pearl and Tealeaf agree to help Hari.
As their adventure continues Pearl is pursued and Hari discovers something terrible about Deep Salt. It becomes their mission not only to rescue Tarl, but to save the world from the plans of Company.
The book is just so beautifully written. It has such atmosphere and is so dark and bleak, but in a way that keeps you turning the pages. I feel compelled to note that there isn't quite the violence of The Hunger Games, but there is off page sex (very little and at the end). I think it would make a much better 8th grade plus novel, but certainly a younger audience could handle it (they just may not enjoy it as much). The violence of The Hunger Games baffled me. I am surprised that something like that became so popular especially with the younger crowd. Not that I personally mind it or would prevent my daughter from reading it. I was just surprised.
Update: I read this book probably five years ago, maybe more, and absolutely loved it then. But I think I loved it even more re-reading it. Salt has it all. Incredible story telling, good writing, amazing characters, fantastic world building, and it subtly tackles some interesting issues like colonialism, racism, poverty, privilege, environmentalism, and coming of age.
*Spoilers ahead.*
I’m not sure how Gee manages to do this, but Salt is both character and plot driven. The story is incredibly exciting and full of action and suspense. However you are also let in on the history of Hari and Pearl and then see them grow immensely as their stories intertwine. I especially liked that not only does it take time for them to shed their old, terrible lives, they don’t do it completely by the end of the story. They retain vestiges of those lives that may never completely leave. Hari often hears the call of violence and hatred while Pearl often feels the pull of privilege that came with wealth. By the end though the two have heard a higher call and they strive to follow that instinct instead of their old ones.
The world is, I believe, based on the colonialism of Australia and the marginalization and impoverishment of the Yolnu. There might also be shades of New Zealand and the marginalization and impoverishment of the Maori. I don’t think you need much if any understanding of what happened in those places, but it’s a place and situation you don’t hear much about in traditional American education which I think makes it all the more interesting. Thankfully there is a map at the beginning of the book to help those of us who have a hard time picturing the lay of the land. Descriptions are spare, but detailed enough to create a clear picture in your mind what the world looks like. And the descriptions of the Burrows, the slums, and the life in them are very vivid. Be forewarned, this is not for the faint of heart. There is a lot of violence in those places.
In my second reading the relationship between Tarl and Hari really stuck out to me. When Tarl is taken to work in the Deep Salt mine Hari vows to save him and this puts Hari’s storyline into motion. Hari spends some time, both before leaving the city on his journey and while on his way to Deep Salt, reflecting back on his early memories of growing up as Tarl’s son. The two were close and Tarl was surprisingly tender with Hari. However as the two have very different experiences through the book, Tarl in the mine and Hari on his travels, they diverge. Once reunited Hari discovers the bond between them is no longer founded on shared experiences but on the relationship they shared in the past. The bond is still strong and certainly important, but the two have changed and they meet on different footing. Interestingly, Tarl appears to lament the new distance between them as much as Hari does, but he also understands that Hari is getting a chance at a much better life than Tarl has had or expects to ever get and this is something he very much wants for Hari. Their relationship and its changes, I think, will really resonate with teens who are separating from their parents and becoming more independent, but also feel that longing for the simpler time of childhood.
I won’t get into all the themes I listed above here, but know there is a lot to this story. There are also two more books in the series. They could in theory all be read as stand alone novels and they are all good. I liked this one best of all, but I think that was because I read it first and loved it so much. The next book, Gool, follows the children of Hari and Pearl in their quest to rid their world of the evil that still lingers. That one is interesting to see how Pearl and Hari have grown and how they have passed their legacy on to the next generation and tried to build a new world for their children. The third book, The Limping Man, follows another character entirely in the next generation after Gool. I would say give this to kids who like dystopian fantasies, and that is probably a good recommendation, however I read the Hunger Games after this series and Hunger Games pales in comparison. This is so much better and I’m not sure kids who loved Hunger Games style dystopia will connect in the same way with this one.
March 9, 2017
Hari lives in the burrows, where you do anything to survive. Company often comes to the burrow to take people to work to help build Company (everything is for the good of Company). Hari's father is taken and assigned to Deep Salt, a death sentence. No one ever survives or escapes Deep Salt and there are rumors of mutant rats and other beasts. Hari vows to save his father. Meanwhile, Pearl, who lives in Company's luxury, and her maid, Tealeaf are plotting to runaway so Pearl doesn't have to marry the leader of another House. Pearl is different from the rest of her family and class, being mindful to some extent of those beneath her, and she can speak to others without words. Hari, Peal, and Tealeaf meet up on their journeys and their goals become linked.
My main dislike of this book is that the ending was so blunt, otherwise the writing was well done and the characters well developed. I liked the healing that Hari has with the help of the Dwellers. This is the first book in a trilogy and I imagine we will find out the fate of the island.
Questions:
1. Why I decided to read this book: I decided to read this book it has a lot of action and suspense it has very unique characters
2. Which category on the bingo board this book completes:This is a book written by an female New Zealander.
in has survival parts to the book and has a female main character named pearl.
You should comment on the category too – why was it interesting (or not)?
I thought was really interesting because it has very unique culture and characters.
3. My favourite quote from this book (and why):
"I will do whatever it takes to get my dad back" it shows the extent you can go to, to save someone you love for example how much Hari had to risk his life to save his dad.
4. Something new I learned from this book is:I learned the extent you can go to, to save someone you love for example how much Hari had to risk his life to save his dad.
5. A character or setting in this book that was interesting to me (and why): I thought Tealeaf was a very interesting character she was a dweller which was a different race from the human race but are very similar they only have three figures and a short but they have powers to control and read minds.
My main dislike of this book is that the ending was so blunt, otherwise the writing was well done and the characters well developed. I liked the healing that Hari has with the help of the Dwellers. This is the first book in a trilogy and I imagine we will find out the fate of the island.
Questions:
1. Why I decided to read this book: I decided to read this book it has a lot of action and suspense it has very unique characters
2. Which category on the bingo board this book completes:This is a book written by an female New Zealander.
in has survival parts to the book and has a female main character named pearl.
You should comment on the category too – why was it interesting (or not)?
I thought was really interesting because it has very unique culture and characters.
3. My favourite quote from this book (and why):
"I will do whatever it takes to get my dad back" it shows the extent you can go to, to save someone you love for example how much Hari had to risk his life to save his dad.
4. Something new I learned from this book is:I learned the extent you can go to, to save someone you love for example how much Hari had to risk his life to save his dad.
5. A character or setting in this book that was interesting to me (and why): I thought Tealeaf was a very interesting character she was a dweller which was a different race from the human race but are very similar they only have three figures and a short but they have powers to control and read minds.
February 3, 2020
It was an okay story of severe classism by a corporate-style colonial power that turns the whole country into a giant company-town, but I found the worldbuilding not quite clear enough; I was left groping in the half-light for what mental image to form, which took away from the experience for me.
I wasn't clear on the question of Dwellers and their pre-Company relationship with the locals; it seemed odd for Tealeaf to be the only apparent Dweller in town, and yet be unremarked-upon. And it's never really explained why a certain extremely rare few non-Dwellers can do the Dwellers' telepathic speaking and related abilities. Maybe the local people, if the two peoples' (species'?) history included intermarriage, but then how does Company-girl Pearl have it? The city and countryside seemed a little too sharply separated--rather than a gradation like downtown > suburbs > farms > wilderness, it felt like just downtown > slums > wilderness, with city people seemingly having no contact with or knowledge of non-city areas. You're telling me city rich-boys go hunting for fun, but hungry slum-dwellers never sneak out to poach a deer or whatever? Cuz that's what it felt like in this book. (We also don't know what kind of animals there are here, aside from horses, dogs, and rats. What DO these rich-boys hunt?). And then the level of technology: after getting used to a horse-and-carriage level of tech (plus the, I'm assuming, electrical zap-gloves used to control the populace), suddenly near the end there's a cameo by a steam-engine (so why doesn't mighty Company have trains for transport instead of carriages?), and fancy artillery cannons.
The backstabbing between the great Company Houses and the messier rivalries of the street-gangs in the slums was interesting, and the danger of the radiation weapon, but the story was weighed down by the unclear worldbuilding and I didn't buy into the eventual romance (it felt compulsory; I didn't feel a natural progression past 'friends' to 'lovers').
It wasn't a bad story--I did read all the way to the end--but it could have been so much better!
I wasn't clear on the question of Dwellers and their pre-Company relationship with the locals; it seemed odd for Tealeaf to be the only apparent Dweller in town, and yet be unremarked-upon. And it's never really explained why a certain extremely rare few non-Dwellers can do the Dwellers' telepathic speaking and related abilities. Maybe the local people, if the two peoples' (species'?) history included intermarriage, but then how does Company-girl Pearl have it? The city and countryside seemed a little too sharply separated--rather than a gradation like downtown > suburbs > farms > wilderness, it felt like just downtown > slums > wilderness, with city people seemingly having no contact with or knowledge of non-city areas. You're telling me city rich-boys go hunting for fun, but hungry slum-dwellers never sneak out to poach a deer or whatever? Cuz that's what it felt like in this book. (We also don't know what kind of animals there are here, aside from horses, dogs, and rats. What DO these rich-boys hunt?). And then the level of technology: after getting used to a horse-and-carriage level of tech (plus the, I'm assuming, electrical zap-gloves used to control the populace), suddenly near the end there's a cameo by a steam-engine (so why doesn't mighty Company have trains for transport instead of carriages?), and fancy artillery cannons.
The backstabbing between the great Company Houses and the messier rivalries of the street-gangs in the slums was interesting, and the danger of the radiation weapon, but the story was weighed down by the unclear worldbuilding and I didn't buy into the eventual romance (it felt compulsory; I didn't feel a natural progression past 'friends' to 'lovers').
It wasn't a bad story--I did read all the way to the end--but it could have been so much better!
October 3, 2017
Gee writes in a weird style: subtle, wild, otherworldly, at once distant and very present. If we have to define it, it's omniscient, but with clearly designated POVs, moving from one to another in a seamless transition. Here is an author who knows how to stay out of his story, to let it be what it is, and to let us pay attention to whichever part we find most interesting without resorting to hamfisted attempts at influencing readers.
Usually I like immediacy, sophistication. Gee's style sits on the opposite extreme. But in no way is it remote; I said distant before, because time passes in irregular beats, sometimes many hours in a single phrase, other times with paragraphs devoted to a matter of minutes; but never is it separated from the ineffable portrayal of the very human characters. Nor is it simple. Straightforward, yes, with lean, almost skeletal prose. And it works. The style is evocative, consistent, excellent. It's the right style for the story.
I cannot review a book by Maurice Gee without pointing out the character arcs. Hari and Pearl begin as enemies and end as lovers. Gee does not stress the character arcs during the story but leaves them for readers to discover upon reflection. They're not as strong as in his The Severed Land, but they work nonetheless, and writers could learn much by studying Gee's style.
So, three stars? My reasons, by and large, are either to do with the lack of many meaningful obstacles in the final push to victory (though it fits the style) or with choices made by the characters in-story. I was pleased to accompany Hari and Pearl on their journey, but I don't feel the need to keep reading.
Maybe one day. We'll see.
Rating: 3 stars (Interesting. Enjoyable. I might reread it.)
Usually I like immediacy, sophistication. Gee's style sits on the opposite extreme. But in no way is it remote; I said distant before, because time passes in irregular beats, sometimes many hours in a single phrase, other times with paragraphs devoted to a matter of minutes; but never is it separated from the ineffable portrayal of the very human characters. Nor is it simple. Straightforward, yes, with lean, almost skeletal prose. And it works. The style is evocative, consistent, excellent. It's the right style for the story.
I cannot review a book by Maurice Gee without pointing out the character arcs. Hari and Pearl begin as enemies and end as lovers. Gee does not stress the character arcs during the story but leaves them for readers to discover upon reflection. They're not as strong as in his The Severed Land, but they work nonetheless, and writers could learn much by studying Gee's style.
So, three stars? My reasons, by and large, are either to do with the lack of many meaningful obstacles in the final push to victory (though it fits the style) or with choices made by the characters in-story. I was pleased to accompany Hari and Pearl on their journey, but I don't feel the need to keep reading.
Maybe one day. We'll see.
Rating: 3 stars (Interesting. Enjoyable. I might reread it.)
March 22, 2023
The book SALT is about a kid trying to save his dad and hometown from evil. The kids name it Hari and the dad's name is josh, hari has to save his dad from deep salt which is a mine that no one ever leaves. I found this book at the library and the title caught my eye.
It all started when Josh would not let the company brand him and enslave him. He tried to start a riot and it did not work because everyone got caught. But Hari has powers so he can send messages to horses and he makes all the horses act up and hurt the bad people. He tries to save his dad but he is spotted and has to run to the woods. He finds an old house and hides in the tunnel. He almost got caught but he finds Tealeaf and she helps him.
I loved how the book ended it was such a happy ending. In the end they are running threw the forest and they are finally safe and can enjoy life for one day being 100% free. They wake up the next day and they set off to find a place for a farm. Their dream is to make a farm and live with total freedom.
My personal opinion on the book is that it is very hard to follow and does not make sense a lot of the time it has a cool story to it but is sometimes a little funky to read.
It all started when Josh would not let the company brand him and enslave him. He tried to start a riot and it did not work because everyone got caught. But Hari has powers so he can send messages to horses and he makes all the horses act up and hurt the bad people. He tries to save his dad but he is spotted and has to run to the woods. He finds an old house and hides in the tunnel. He almost got caught but he finds Tealeaf and she helps him.
I loved how the book ended it was such a happy ending. In the end they are running threw the forest and they are finally safe and can enjoy life for one day being 100% free. They wake up the next day and they set off to find a place for a farm. Their dream is to make a farm and live with total freedom.
My personal opinion on the book is that it is very hard to follow and does not make sense a lot of the time it has a cool story to it but is sometimes a little funky to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2018
This book is about a 16-year-old dark-skinned boy named Hari whose father is captured by this group called the Company and taken to a place called the Deep Salt where you are forced to work hard long days and eat food which will eventually kill you. Hari will stop at nothing to get his father back and takes off on his journey across lands and places he has never been. Along with his journey, we learn a lot about Hari including that he has the ability to talk to animals we also meet two new characters Pearl and Tealeaf who is Pearl's maid who run away from their family who is one of the ruling families of the company because they don't agree with what they are doing. This group sets off to get Hari's dad back from Deep Salt. This book is filled with action and twist and turns throughout the whole book that will keep you on the edge of your seat and will send chills up your spine. It also teaches you many lessons about greed and the importance of family. If you like post-apocalyptic action-packed books then salt is a must read and you will not want to put it down to you read every last word from the book.
June 4, 2018
Hari, born in a society where the privilege rule, his dad is enslaved and sent to work at the deep salt, leading him to use his ability to converse with animals to rescue his dad and to discover the secrets of the deep salt. Personally, I liked how Maurice Gee portrayed the two main protagonists with polar backgrounds and personalities. Hari and Pearl, both with the same ability to interact with animals, come from two separate worlds. Maurice Gee depicting the characters as counterparts allowed for a compelling story to unfold. For example, When Hari and Pearl needed to run, Pearl took off her shoes and noticed the social differences among each other: “Hari could not believe how small and white her feet were. They reminded him of the grubs they’d eaten” (Gee 88). Because of this, I would recommend the book Salt to young readers who enjoy dark and edgy themed storyline with engaging shapes.
January 21, 2020
A young man named Hari, a homeless boy from the Burrows, and young woman named Pearl, a rich daughter of a baron, find themselves in an unlikely partnership as their country is begins to wage a abrupt civil war. On the quest to save Hari's dad, Tarl, Pearl and Hari find that they have more in common than they initially believed, and they must find out Deep Salt's secrets. I found Salt by a recommendation from Goodreads, and upon reading the summary I decided it would be a good fit for me. Salt is a truly unique novel, giving off a dystopian feel whilst also mixing future technology with past technology, making the story more distinct from other novels of this type. On top of that, the telepathic powers of the two protagonists allows for interesting situations that overall improve the quality of the plot and the depth of the two characters. I would recommend this book to likes dystopian, almost sci-fi like thrillers, or someone who likes to be kept on the edge of their seat.
July 5, 2017
This was a very compelling YA novel about a world where the Company runs everything, and citizens are either very poor or privileged members of a few ruling families. When Pearl's father arranges a marriage for her to a fat old man from another ruling family, Pearl and her servant Tealeaf flee. They encounter Hari, a young man on a quest to rescue his father from Deep Salt, a mine from which prisoners never return. Tealeaf has taught Pearl to communicate telepathically, and they discover that Hari also has this ability, which comes in handy as they evade capture. Hari's father, Tarl, is determined to overthrow the Company.
This novel takes many twists and turns on its way, but keeps the action moving. There's an abrupt shift at the end that sets up the next book in the series, but it makes you want to keep reading. I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
This novel takes many twists and turns on its way, but keeps the action moving. There's an abrupt shift at the end that sets up the next book in the series, but it makes you want to keep reading. I'll be looking for the next book in the series.
January 21, 2019
This book might be interesting if you were looking for a dystopian fantasy, but unfortunately the world that was built by the author didn't seem interesting or plausible to me. It is always an ambitious task by the author (and reader) to become involved in a completely new fictitious world, but I never found this one inviting. I feel the book was missing the colourful imagery I would have needed to place me in the world, instead we were told about telepathic powers and a pretty simple story of corruption through power?
September 2, 2017
Salt is a very unusual book. It is written in a vague yet detailed way that leaves much to the imagination. Describing this book is hard. There are elements of post Apocalypse but they are only alluded to, imperialism, natives of different species, psychic powers. Its a small book, but worth the read. You will either love it or hate it
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November 8, 2021Hari's father, Tarl, is captured by Company, and Hari is now thrown into a quest filled with new challenges every day and he must find help from other people even though he is a loner.
As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed this book because it gave me a character that would never give up or stop at anything to find his father. I also liked how the book gave him challenges to the point where he couldn't do everything on his own and would need help from two strangers whom he just met while traveling to find his father.
Above all, I really did enjoy this book and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys action and fantasy.
As a matter of fact, I really enjoyed this book because it gave me a character that would never give up or stop at anything to find his father. I also liked how the book gave him challenges to the point where he couldn't do everything on his own and would need help from two strangers whom he just met while traveling to find his father.
Above all, I really did enjoy this book and I recommend it to everyone who enjoys action and fantasy.
July 31, 2023
This story became compelling in the last 25% of the book. I could have done with more world building and character development. The rich girl/servant relationship was strange and bounced between authentic and improbable. My copy had a preview of book two, which already was better, so maybe I’ll give the rest of the series a try.
January 21, 2022
This is probably the worst book I’ve ever read. If I could describe it.. it’s like an extremely dramatic eye roll while shaking my head.
This story has so much potential to be a good book but the main issues are:
-The story is very rushed
This story is all over the place. From the burrows, to the city, now we’re running away, and the boring main characters meet, they run, they are in a town, they are in a boat, they are in a mine, they are back in a boat, and they are back to the town, and then these people are chucked off a cliff… on and on. The book is just over 200 pages how could anyone possibly make the readers understand what is going on??
- There is zero character development
Hari is a shitty kid, he hates the world and takes it out on everyone. While Pearl is a drab character that I still am unsure why she is even mentioned? The author wrote the story in such a way where it goes like “Hari did this and then, and then pearl, and Hari and then they got in a boat, and then they are in a house” so while they author is busy “and thening” throughout the story there is zero emotion, zero pizazz to these main characters. There is no time to fall in love with these two..
The author does not really go into detail about how Hari and Pearl happen to have these telekinetic mind powers or how they get them. I guess it kinda “just happened”? Okay then..
The protagonist is hardly mentioned, and you have no character development throughout the story so at the end of this adventure you actually feel bad that they are getting chucked off cliffs and torn apart by wild dogs..
The two main characters hate each other the entire story until right at the end they’re like “I like talking to you, let’s have sex!” And they do and she is just pregnant and within 10 pages she’s had her baby.. okay then…
Honestly just don’t read this book. I suppose it’s part of a trilogy but I legit could not wait till it was over so I can donate this book to a local library. I vow never to read the rest of the series.
Truly awful stuff this is.
This story has so much potential to be a good book but the main issues are:
-The story is very rushed
This story is all over the place. From the burrows, to the city, now we’re running away, and the boring main characters meet, they run, they are in a town, they are in a boat, they are in a mine, they are back in a boat, and they are back to the town, and then these people are chucked off a cliff… on and on. The book is just over 200 pages how could anyone possibly make the readers understand what is going on??
- There is zero character development
Hari is a shitty kid, he hates the world and takes it out on everyone. While Pearl is a drab character that I still am unsure why she is even mentioned? The author wrote the story in such a way where it goes like “Hari did this and then, and then pearl, and Hari and then they got in a boat, and then they are in a house” so while they author is busy “and thening” throughout the story there is zero emotion, zero pizazz to these main characters. There is no time to fall in love with these two..
The author does not really go into detail about how Hari and Pearl happen to have these telekinetic mind powers or how they get them. I guess it kinda “just happened”? Okay then..
The protagonist is hardly mentioned, and you have no character development throughout the story so at the end of this adventure you actually feel bad that they are getting chucked off cliffs and torn apart by wild dogs..
The two main characters hate each other the entire story until right at the end they’re like “I like talking to you, let’s have sex!” And they do and she is just pregnant and within 10 pages she’s had her baby.. okay then…
Honestly just don’t read this book. I suppose it’s part of a trilogy but I legit could not wait till it was over so I can donate this book to a local library. I vow never to read the rest of the series.
Truly awful stuff this is.
October 18, 2017
Salt is a book about
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