Salt by Gee

Review from http://www.librarything.com/work/3486180



Long ago, Blood Burrow was a part of a larger place called Belong. The city was a peaceful place until strange men arrived in ships who called themselves "Company". Soon they started taking over but with the help of a man named Cowl the people were able to rebel and drive Company out of the city. Cowl made himself the king of the people but Company would soon return and take complete power over the people and Belong.

Since then Company holds a tight grip on the people and tries to brainwash them into believing that by working for them they will be rewarded. In the mysterious territory of Salt, the men from the dark and poor territory of Blood Burrow are taken for the good of"Company" and sent to work in the mines. What they do in Salt is unknown and a person can expect the worse if they are sent to Deep Salt. Once you are sent there you will never come back...alive.

Hari, a young boy from Blood Burrow witnesses the horrific event of his father Tarl, being taken by Company Whips who are sending him to Deep Salt. Hari vows to save his father and to kill whoever stands in his way on his quest to save Tarl.The lavish citizens of Company live away from Blood Burrow in beautiful mansions. A young girl from Company name Pearl escapes in the middle of the night with her servant Tealeaf. Pearl refuses to stay and be forced to marry for the sake of her family.

Hari and Pearl cross paths in the story and they both learn that although they are from complete opposite sides of their world, they have a special connection.

I have many mixed thoughts about this book. First, I would like to say that I liked the general idea of the story. A dystopsian set novel with two young adults from different sides of society, fighting to bring peace to their world. One of my problems with this book was the style that the author chose to write this story. I felt that there was too much exposition, that it went to the point where the writing felt "Forced". There was no constant flow in the writing.

Hari and Pearl mostly "speak" through their minds and the format of the text in the book made it difficult to tell which parts were dialogue and which parts were narration of the story. I did like the idea of these characters having the ability to communicate with their minds and having the ability to manipulate others thoughts, including animals. But as I said before, the format of the text in the book made it a bit of a challenge.

The dark tone that the author created was exceptionally good. It helped bring the dystopian setting to life and certain parts even made me cringe while reading. For those who love dystopian or dark stories, definitely check this out!

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I enjoyed this book and found it a quick read. It didn't leave me with the feeling that I couldn't wait to read the next, but it was enjoyable.