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The Salted #21-25
Salt In An Open Wound
Life isn’t better under the sea. It’s worse in the Abyss.
Kellen Winstel welcomed his death. Enslaved by Selkies, then crippled and left to drown, he never expected to swim or breathe again.
His saviors had other plans. An ancient race long feared and shrouded in mystery, the Sancul rescued Kellen and took him into their deep domain. They believe Kellen is one of their own and that he will lead them in the ascent to reclaim their former glory throughout the Salt.
Kellen knows he is not the savior the Sancul think him to be, but he also once swore that prophecies and mermaids weren’t real either. Everything is different now. The only thing Kellen can be truly certain of is that he must play along and convince the mystical Sancul to heal him…or be condemned to the Abyss forever.
Kellen Winstel welcomed his death. Enslaved by Selkies, then crippled and left to drown, he never expected to swim or breathe again.
His saviors had other plans. An ancient race long feared and shrouded in mystery, the Sancul rescued Kellen and took him into their deep domain. They believe Kellen is one of their own and that he will lead them in the ascent to reclaim their former glory throughout the Salt.
Kellen knows he is not the savior the Sancul think him to be, but he also once swore that prophecies and mermaids weren’t real either. Everything is different now. The only thing Kellen can be truly certain of is that he must play along and convince the mystical Sancul to heal him…or be condemned to the Abyss forever.
414 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Aaron Galvin
53 books118 followersAaron Galvin learned that he could get away with making up stories at age five and has continued telling them ever since. He is a conflicted Slytherin/Gryffindor, a known rascal, and sometime ne’er-do-well.
Also, he writes. Daily, sometimes, but mostly nightly.
He currently lives in Southern California with his two lovely daughters and an adoring wife, who continues to put up with his antics even though he doesn’t write the kissy-kissy, ‘everyone lived happily ever after’ books of which she much prefers.
Drop him a line ➜ aaron@aarongalvin.com
Visit his website ➜ aarongalvin.com
Send a tweet ➜ @aarongalvin5
Instagram➜ /galvinaaron/
Like the Aaron Galvin Facebook page ➜ facebook.com/aarongalvinauthor/
Also, he writes. Daily, sometimes, but mostly nightly.
He currently lives in Southern California with his two lovely daughters and an adoring wife, who continues to put up with his antics even though he doesn’t write the kissy-kissy, ‘everyone lived happily ever after’ books of which she much prefers.
Drop him a line ➜ aaron@aarongalvin.com
Visit his website ➜ aarongalvin.com
Send a tweet ➜ @aarongalvin5
Instagram➜ /galvinaaron/
Like the Aaron Galvin Facebook page ➜ facebook.com/aarongalvinauthor/
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 17, 2018
Received in exchange for a honest review.
First and foremost the book will mean jack squat for you if you haven’t read the others in the series. You will be lost and up a creek without a paddle so to speak. Now having said this, I have been reading this series from the first one Salted and can honestly say the writing has become more mature and complex. We see growth in the world building and characters. The characters have gained more depth as they experience this new world of the salt and go through the hardships they do. The complexity of the story and change of pace is one that as Aaron has grown as a writer so has this aspect of his stories.
The title of the book is perfect for what each character (Chidi, Kellen, Lenny, Sydney and Garrett) is having happen. The salt and their experiences are essentially throwing salt in their open wounds. And as they grow and mature, this is felt more and more for them.
The chapters are separated by character and their journey in the salt except for Chidi. Although each character’s story seems not to weave together,you can tell that they are all coming to be interrelated. Also you see that the little details from previous books are really having meaning and importance with each book that comes out. This is especially true for Chidi and Garrett. Chidi’s journey has her in a crisis of believing in others and herself. Seeing herself as others do and believing that she can make a difference. Kellen’s journey was the trippiest of everyone’s. I am not even sure what to call him after his transformation but we see that he does play an important role in what I believe to be the showdown in the salt that is to come. I also feel that his journey was less action and more within. Lenny’s journey is two fold to me. He learns who his father really is and comes to respect him more but also learns about himself and what is to come. Lenny and his dad sacrificed more than i thought and are now at a critical point for them. Sydney’s journey is full of danger and growth. She matures more and her eyes are opened to the world around her and what her mother was protecting her from. Garrett, he isn’t seen as much in this book, his journey is more of growth and maturity. Right now he is reminding me of Credence in Fantastic Beasts-wanting not to feel alone and struggling to keep his goodness from being taken over by hate and anger. He is at more of a crossroads than the other characters because he has lost so much and is confused and feeling he doesn’t have a place to belong. His is an intriguing journey here for he is pivotal to the revolution I believe but in what capacity I don’t know.
I did enjoy that although we see Garrett it isn’t in a huge capacity for this gave us a chance to really get to know the other characters who play a role in what is to happen next. Aaron is really doing a great job in building up the world and anticipation of what is to come. He gets you invested in the story, the world and the characters and this book really has draws you in. The imaginative characterizations and plot intrigues you, the writing and characters lure you and their journeys keep you in the moment and story. There isn’t a moment where you don’t feel like you are there and seeing what is going on. The danger of the salt is a breathing entity that is felt throughout Aaron’s descriptions and writing style. The despair and growth of the characters is felt and seen as well. The book is an excellent addition to the series and I can’t wait for the next one to come out so I can find out really what Kellen has become and how it relates to what is going to happen in the salt., what Chidi decides and if she begins to believe in herself, if Sydney breaks free of it all and grows more, how Lenny and his dad fare, and I really am curious to see if Garrett becomes a Grindelwald/voldemort type character or if he stays true to himself.
First and foremost the book will mean jack squat for you if you haven’t read the others in the series. You will be lost and up a creek without a paddle so to speak. Now having said this, I have been reading this series from the first one Salted and can honestly say the writing has become more mature and complex. We see growth in the world building and characters. The characters have gained more depth as they experience this new world of the salt and go through the hardships they do. The complexity of the story and change of pace is one that as Aaron has grown as a writer so has this aspect of his stories.
The title of the book is perfect for what each character (Chidi, Kellen, Lenny, Sydney and Garrett) is having happen. The salt and their experiences are essentially throwing salt in their open wounds. And as they grow and mature, this is felt more and more for them.
The chapters are separated by character and their journey in the salt except for Chidi. Although each character’s story seems not to weave together,you can tell that they are all coming to be interrelated. Also you see that the little details from previous books are really having meaning and importance with each book that comes out. This is especially true for Chidi and Garrett. Chidi’s journey has her in a crisis of believing in others and herself. Seeing herself as others do and believing that she can make a difference. Kellen’s journey was the trippiest of everyone’s. I am not even sure what to call him after his transformation but we see that he does play an important role in what I believe to be the showdown in the salt that is to come. I also feel that his journey was less action and more within. Lenny’s journey is two fold to me. He learns who his father really is and comes to respect him more but also learns about himself and what is to come. Lenny and his dad sacrificed more than i thought and are now at a critical point for them. Sydney’s journey is full of danger and growth. She matures more and her eyes are opened to the world around her and what her mother was protecting her from. Garrett, he isn’t seen as much in this book, his journey is more of growth and maturity. Right now he is reminding me of Credence in Fantastic Beasts-wanting not to feel alone and struggling to keep his goodness from being taken over by hate and anger. He is at more of a crossroads than the other characters because he has lost so much and is confused and feeling he doesn’t have a place to belong. His is an intriguing journey here for he is pivotal to the revolution I believe but in what capacity I don’t know.
I did enjoy that although we see Garrett it isn’t in a huge capacity for this gave us a chance to really get to know the other characters who play a role in what is to happen next. Aaron is really doing a great job in building up the world and anticipation of what is to come. He gets you invested in the story, the world and the characters and this book really has draws you in. The imaginative characterizations and plot intrigues you, the writing and characters lure you and their journeys keep you in the moment and story. There isn’t a moment where you don’t feel like you are there and seeing what is going on. The danger of the salt is a breathing entity that is felt throughout Aaron’s descriptions and writing style. The despair and growth of the characters is felt and seen as well. The book is an excellent addition to the series and I can’t wait for the next one to come out so I can find out really what Kellen has become and how it relates to what is going to happen in the salt., what Chidi decides and if she begins to believe in herself, if Sydney breaks free of it all and grows more, how Lenny and his dad fare, and I really am curious to see if Garrett becomes a Grindelwald/voldemort type character or if he stays true to himself.
December 2, 2018
(As always my reviews are spoiler free unless stated otherwise.)
I am getting more and more invested in this series as the books keep coming! I feel like I am sharing such a huge journey with the characters as it’s the first epic fantasy series that I’ve read! When I started reading Salted all those years ago, I never thought it would come to be five books and counting! I was so used to the trilogy successions route that most books take today, I was expecting that, but having a long-running, epic series like this is really refreshing. I never managed to get far with Game of Thrones and I haven’t read Lord of the Rings yet, but I can imagine this is what it’s like to get invested in an epic fantasy, except Salted comes with more seals.
The thing I loved most about Salt in an Open Wound was the fact that all the individual storylines and plots started to come together, in the words of the A-Team; “I love it when a plan comes together!” There are lots of massive revelations and plot twists that come with the characters meeting each other and some mysteries finally get answered which I was ecstatic about!
In this book, Kellen’s scenes are less action based, and more about self-discovery and carving his own path in life. Which was a new direction for the character. It really felt like something big is building in his chapters, something that’s going to be essential to the plot development in later books. Although I found his chapters to be a little slow in SiaOW, and I didn’t enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the other character’s scenes, I felt like every moment was essential and important and I can’t wait to see where Aaron takes this next.
Like always, Chidi’s scenes were my favourite to read. She is my favourite character in the Salted series as there are so many layers to her. In this book, she learns to face a lot of her own personal demons in an environment that’s very different to what she’s used to. It’s her emotional turmoil, strong spirit and feisty, hardened attitude that makes me like her so much. Her scenes always bring tears to my eyes, and SiaOW is no different. She has a lot of PTSD to deal with thanks to past events and I loved reading about her attempts to come to terms with what she’d been through.
Garett’s scenes took a backseat in this book and I liked that the other characters got a chance to shine. Garett started as out as the main protagonist so it was strange for him to have less presence in SiaOW. He still had POV chapters like the other main protagonists, but his story had less impact than some of the others, where he’s been the main focus in more than one of the past books. It was really refreshing to have him be a more minor character for once though, his chapters more occupied with travelling and self-discovery than blending with the ULTIMATE PLOT like the others. But like Kellen, his chapters read more like building blocks for something important that’s going to happen in a later book.
Sydney went all the way up in my expectations in SiaOW. It’s no secret that she’s a character I dislike and have done so for the past four books (especially in book #4, Salt-Away). But she’s meant to be disliked. She’s spoilt and always expects to get her own way. But SiaOW was humbling for Sydney, something that I’d been itching to see, and because of that, I found that I started to like her a whole lot more. Not completely, but we’re making progress. That’s one of the reasons I love Aarons books so much. HIS CHARACTERS ARE FLAWED! No one is perfect. Everyone, even the most loveable characters like Lenny and Chidi do things wrong and have dislikable traits. It gives his characters room to grow and change (for the better and worse) throughout the books, and you find that you invest yourself in their lives all that more. For a world that is really unrelatable, his characters are seriously relatable.
And finally, we have Lenny. I have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Lenny’s scenes. Okay, not hate, but sometimes I haven’t enjoyed his plot as much as I have some of the other characters. But it turns out that it was all build up. Everything that’s ever happened to Lenny has lead him to this point and because of that, his scenes were my absolute favourites in SiaOW. I LOVED THEM! There were so many revelations in his scenes, we learnt a lot that we only guessed about before. And I can’t forget the action! So much happened, and we got to see another side of the Salt that we haven’t witnessed before. I couldn’t get enough of his chapters! I can’t wait to read the next book to see what happens next! Especially as Lenny had an old face return to his life for the duration of this book and all the paths for the ULTIMATE PLOT started to weave together through these chapters the most.
The only criticism I have for SiaOW is the fact that a few characters reappear in this book, however, we haven’t seen them for so long that I forgot who they were (even though they seemed important to this book), and I had to google them to try and remember them. But that was a minor detail that wouldn’t be a problem to anyone who has read the books without such a gap between each one.
On a positive note, I can’t express how much I love the fact that Aaron has plotted out these books so carefully. The butterfly effect is real in the salted series, the smallest things in the earliest books, have so much importance later on. It’s so amazing to see all the treads knitting together at last! I always enjoy a series so much more when they have those small hidden elements spread across the series, like Harry Potter, that lead us to the ULTIMATE PLOT at the end.
I also have to mention how I am still, a good 8 books in, so amazed by Aaron’s ability to capture accent and language in his dialogue, and SiaOW is no exception. You can learn so much about his characters from their voice; the place they were born, the setting, their class, their station. It’s impressive!! Every character ‘speaks’ differently, not with modern accents like most YA book protagonists. He writes voices so well, we can be transported back in time to the Salem witch trials in an instance (with the Salem’s vengeance trilogy) all the way to the Salt (in the salted series). It’s an art form all in itself.
I feel like my blog has grown alongside these books, the Salted series is so important to me because of that and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next in the series! Salted was the first ARC series that I ever reviewed (back when I was writing for The Reading Rose) and the series has spanned all the moving and changing to my blogs that’s happened over the years and lead me to where I am now. I can’t wait to see where it goes in the future, as I know for a fact that I’m going to be reviewing Aaron’s books for as long as he writes them. Whether that’s through an ARC or through a paperback after the release date, I am going to follow the salted series until the end as I really, really, want to know what the conclusion of the ultimate plot is going to be and the fate of the characters I have followed for four years.
CHECK OUT THE FULL REVIEW HERE: https://racheleanne.wordpress.com/201...
I am getting more and more invested in this series as the books keep coming! I feel like I am sharing such a huge journey with the characters as it’s the first epic fantasy series that I’ve read! When I started reading Salted all those years ago, I never thought it would come to be five books and counting! I was so used to the trilogy successions route that most books take today, I was expecting that, but having a long-running, epic series like this is really refreshing. I never managed to get far with Game of Thrones and I haven’t read Lord of the Rings yet, but I can imagine this is what it’s like to get invested in an epic fantasy, except Salted comes with more seals.
The thing I loved most about Salt in an Open Wound was the fact that all the individual storylines and plots started to come together, in the words of the A-Team; “I love it when a plan comes together!” There are lots of massive revelations and plot twists that come with the characters meeting each other and some mysteries finally get answered which I was ecstatic about!
In this book, Kellen’s scenes are less action based, and more about self-discovery and carving his own path in life. Which was a new direction for the character. It really felt like something big is building in his chapters, something that’s going to be essential to the plot development in later books. Although I found his chapters to be a little slow in SiaOW, and I didn’t enjoy them as much as I enjoyed the other character’s scenes, I felt like every moment was essential and important and I can’t wait to see where Aaron takes this next.
Like always, Chidi’s scenes were my favourite to read. She is my favourite character in the Salted series as there are so many layers to her. In this book, she learns to face a lot of her own personal demons in an environment that’s very different to what she’s used to. It’s her emotional turmoil, strong spirit and feisty, hardened attitude that makes me like her so much. Her scenes always bring tears to my eyes, and SiaOW is no different. She has a lot of PTSD to deal with thanks to past events and I loved reading about her attempts to come to terms with what she’d been through.
Garett’s scenes took a backseat in this book and I liked that the other characters got a chance to shine. Garett started as out as the main protagonist so it was strange for him to have less presence in SiaOW. He still had POV chapters like the other main protagonists, but his story had less impact than some of the others, where he’s been the main focus in more than one of the past books. It was really refreshing to have him be a more minor character for once though, his chapters more occupied with travelling and self-discovery than blending with the ULTIMATE PLOT like the others. But like Kellen, his chapters read more like building blocks for something important that’s going to happen in a later book.
Sydney went all the way up in my expectations in SiaOW. It’s no secret that she’s a character I dislike and have done so for the past four books (especially in book #4, Salt-Away). But she’s meant to be disliked. She’s spoilt and always expects to get her own way. But SiaOW was humbling for Sydney, something that I’d been itching to see, and because of that, I found that I started to like her a whole lot more. Not completely, but we’re making progress. That’s one of the reasons I love Aarons books so much. HIS CHARACTERS ARE FLAWED! No one is perfect. Everyone, even the most loveable characters like Lenny and Chidi do things wrong and have dislikable traits. It gives his characters room to grow and change (for the better and worse) throughout the books, and you find that you invest yourself in their lives all that more. For a world that is really unrelatable, his characters are seriously relatable.
And finally, we have Lenny. I have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Lenny’s scenes. Okay, not hate, but sometimes I haven’t enjoyed his plot as much as I have some of the other characters. But it turns out that it was all build up. Everything that’s ever happened to Lenny has lead him to this point and because of that, his scenes were my absolute favourites in SiaOW. I LOVED THEM! There were so many revelations in his scenes, we learnt a lot that we only guessed about before. And I can’t forget the action! So much happened, and we got to see another side of the Salt that we haven’t witnessed before. I couldn’t get enough of his chapters! I can’t wait to read the next book to see what happens next! Especially as Lenny had an old face return to his life for the duration of this book and all the paths for the ULTIMATE PLOT started to weave together through these chapters the most.
The only criticism I have for SiaOW is the fact that a few characters reappear in this book, however, we haven’t seen them for so long that I forgot who they were (even though they seemed important to this book), and I had to google them to try and remember them. But that was a minor detail that wouldn’t be a problem to anyone who has read the books without such a gap between each one.
On a positive note, I can’t express how much I love the fact that Aaron has plotted out these books so carefully. The butterfly effect is real in the salted series, the smallest things in the earliest books, have so much importance later on. It’s so amazing to see all the treads knitting together at last! I always enjoy a series so much more when they have those small hidden elements spread across the series, like Harry Potter, that lead us to the ULTIMATE PLOT at the end.
I also have to mention how I am still, a good 8 books in, so amazed by Aaron’s ability to capture accent and language in his dialogue, and SiaOW is no exception. You can learn so much about his characters from their voice; the place they were born, the setting, their class, their station. It’s impressive!! Every character ‘speaks’ differently, not with modern accents like most YA book protagonists. He writes voices so well, we can be transported back in time to the Salem witch trials in an instance (with the Salem’s vengeance trilogy) all the way to the Salt (in the salted series). It’s an art form all in itself.
I feel like my blog has grown alongside these books, the Salted series is so important to me because of that and I can’t wait to see what’s coming next in the series! Salted was the first ARC series that I ever reviewed (back when I was writing for The Reading Rose) and the series has spanned all the moving and changing to my blogs that’s happened over the years and lead me to where I am now. I can’t wait to see where it goes in the future, as I know for a fact that I’m going to be reviewing Aaron’s books for as long as he writes them. Whether that’s through an ARC or through a paperback after the release date, I am going to follow the salted series until the end as I really, really, want to know what the conclusion of the ultimate plot is going to be and the fate of the characters I have followed for four years.
CHECK OUT THE FULL REVIEW HERE: https://racheleanne.wordpress.com/201...
January 13, 2019
I've loved each novel in the Salt series. The series is set in an underwater world that has real life and has been beautifully crafted by author Aaron Galvin. If you're thinking of starting with this book I'd recommend not. There is so much good stuff leading up to this point that you'd be doing yourself a disservice and things might get a little confusing.
This book features all the characters from the previous novels and continues on with their adventures, or in a lot of cases misadventures. We get a few explanations about things from the past too which anyone who has read the series from the start will love. The whole book has a feeling of building to something big. I try to never give any spoilers and won't do so here but a LOT happens in this book. If you're a fan of the series, or mermaid and seas creature tales in general, I think you'll enjoy this one too. If you're new to the series start at the beginning and get ready for a wonderful ride.
Now Mr Galvin where is book 6?
This book features all the characters from the previous novels and continues on with their adventures, or in a lot of cases misadventures. We get a few explanations about things from the past too which anyone who has read the series from the start will love. The whole book has a feeling of building to something big. I try to never give any spoilers and won't do so here but a LOT happens in this book. If you're a fan of the series, or mermaid and seas creature tales in general, I think you'll enjoy this one too. If you're new to the series start at the beginning and get ready for a wonderful ride.
Now Mr Galvin where is book 6?
November 10, 2018
Salt in an Open wound (Salted series #5) by Aaron Galvin
IN the 5th installment f the Salted series Kellen once left for dead, is now captured and thought to be the savior of the Sancul. Even though he knows he is not, he has to "fake it" in order to survive. Life is not easy under the sea, it is full of danger and mystique, and do or die. What is Kellen's fate?
All the characters are back, and each has their story to tell. Told on alternating chapters, I was really pulled into the story. Most of the characters are likable, some not as much. If you love mermaids, Selkies and other legendary sea creatures, then you will enjoy Salt In An Open Wound. A definite five star read.
IN the 5th installment f the Salted series Kellen once left for dead, is now captured and thought to be the savior of the Sancul. Even though he knows he is not, he has to "fake it" in order to survive. Life is not easy under the sea, it is full of danger and mystique, and do or die. What is Kellen's fate?
All the characters are back, and each has their story to tell. Told on alternating chapters, I was really pulled into the story. Most of the characters are likable, some not as much. If you love mermaids, Selkies and other legendary sea creatures, then you will enjoy Salt In An Open Wound. A definite five star read.
November 15, 2018
Salt in an Open wound (Salted series #5) by Aaron Galvin
IN the 5th installment f the Salted series Kellen once left for dead, is now captured and thought to be the savior of the Sancul. Even though he knows he is not, he has to "fake it" in order to survive. Life is not easy under the sea, it is full of danger and mystique, and do or die. What is Kellen's fate?
All the characters are back, and each has their story to tell. Told on alternating chapters, I was really pulled into the story. Most of the characters are likable, some not as much. If you love mermaids, Selkies and other legendary sea creatures, then you will enjoy Salt In An Open Wound. A definite five star read.
IN the 5th installment f the Salted series Kellen once left for dead, is now captured and thought to be the savior of the Sancul. Even though he knows he is not, he has to "fake it" in order to survive. Life is not easy under the sea, it is full of danger and mystique, and do or die. What is Kellen's fate?
All the characters are back, and each has their story to tell. Told on alternating chapters, I was really pulled into the story. Most of the characters are likable, some not as much. If you love mermaids, Selkies and other legendary sea creatures, then you will enjoy Salt In An Open Wound. A definite five star read.
December 31, 2019
This feels like we've reached the muddy middle of the series, where you need to get through it in order to understand the more interesting bits that come later. Glad I read it, will probably keep with the series, but am not feeling terribly bad or like I missed out in delaying my reading of this one by several months.
November 9, 2018
I have been reading the Salted books since the beginning. I do have to say each one gets better than the last. This was no acceptation. With a lot of cliff hangers in each chapter keeps you guessing what would happen next. I love the Salted books and hope that they continue a while longer.
December 17, 2018
Omg the goddamn cliffhangers at the end of these books fucking kill me. I get so into them and then bang it’s like I just hit a wall. Ugh now I have to wait months for the next one. This one was good but not as good as the last one which I think was the best so far... or maybe the third one was. Hmmm now I can’t remember. They move so fast and start and stop so abruptly it’s like they’re all one book so I never remember which is which. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. As always there was a lot of action and this one was fast paced. More info is revealed but so are more questions. I’m like an addict I need more. I didn’t think I’d like this series so much but guess I was wrong.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews