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The Salt Line

Holly Goddard Jones

Discussion: ARCtober (...you get it)

Discussion leader: Mel (Epic Reading)

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last updated Nov 10, 2017 03:50AM

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What Members Thought

Oct 22, 2017 Mel (Epic Reading) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-netgalley

While The Salt Line starts out as typical dystopia, post-apocalyptic novel; it's main theme changes at the halfway point and then again just before the end.

This makes it a bit of a weird read.
The writing itself is very good and certainly the story moves forward quickly enough to keep the attention of the reader. However, if you want a badass dystopian story this is not for you. If you want a bleak depressing story this is also not the right story. It's somewhere between a bit of horror (ticks t While The Salt Line starts out as typical dystopia, post-apocalyptic novel; it's main theme changes at the halfway point and then again just before the end.

This makes it a bit of a weird read.
The writing itself is very good and certainly the story moves forward quickly enough to keep the attention of the reader. However, if you want a badass dystopian story this is not for you. If you want a bleak depressing story this is also not the right story. It's somewhere between a bit of horror (ticks that have wiped out huge portions of the populations), thriller (rebels) and humanism (reproduction concerns and overall quality of life questions). I felt confused at many points about what Holly Goddard Jones was trying to say.
By the end I felt like I mostly understood the point, but didn't feel all that satisfied; hence my three star rating.

Stereotype Shattered
I thought at one point that the author had to be a male given the lack of chemistry every couple had. Much to my shock I found out that our author, Jones, is a woman. While the stereotype shatters in my mind (lol); let me tell you a bit more about the pace of this book. There are three distinct portions to the book and if you feel like you liked what you read up to the end of one of the sections but are not intrigued by the latest "twist" in the story then I'd say you are probably safe to stop reading. I'm glad I read the whole book but could see people getting frustrated by the change of messaging in each section.

In Conclusion
Overall it's like Jones tried to put too much into her dystopian novel and missed a lot of key factors. I wanted more chemistry between characters, less back stories about irrelevant people, and more focus on one or two characters (the voice is constantly changing). Maybe that's why the thrill is taken away at some times; I had heard about the situation from too many voices at some points and just wanted to move on or go back to a favourite character or two. The Salt Line is not a bad read, but it's not a good read. It sits right in that awkward three star zone.

To read this and more of my reviews visit my blog at Epic Reading

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review. ...more

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Sep 11, 2017 Jamie rated it did not like it

Shelves: first-to-read

This book was so high on my wishlist when it was first published, but unfortunately The Salt Line was one of the most disappointing books I had ever read. What I had expected to get from the synopsis was very different than what was actually delivered, and I’m sure that played a huge part in my disappointment with the book.

I struggled with this novel and ended up DNFing my ARC copy. The book is split into three parts and I quit at the end of the second part. I always felt guilty and wondered if This book was so high on my wishlist when it was first published, but unfortunately The Salt Line was one of the most disappointing books I had ever read. What I had expected to get from the synopsis was very different than what was actually delivered, and I’m sure that played a huge part in my disappointment with the book.

I struggled with this novel and ended up DNFing my ARC copy. The book is split into three parts and I quit at the end of the second part. I always felt guilty and wondered if I was missing out, so I picked the book back up from my library and decided to just give in, read the last section of the novel and see if all the build-up would lead to something substantial and… It sort of did? See, I expected to get spine-tingling parasites, and instead, I got a literary dystopia about… motherhood?

This novel started off so strong! The world-building was pretty cool and had some great commentary about how society has this undeniable pull toward empty, showy, consumerist culture, keeping humanity trapped in destructive cycles. I was really digging learning about the world and the main characters who were all pretty decently developed, but after a while, I started wondering where everything was going.

The book at that point slowed down to a crawl as the narrative started to shift to different side characters, telling their backstories and expanding the world they live in. It was obvious that it was set up for the end of the novel, but it was unbearably slow and extremely boring. There were so many flashbacks that told stories about how every character ended up where they are and I kept asking why the whole time.

I will admit that the last part, however, was pretty decent and could definitely make for a satisfying reading experience for those less put off by the slow middle parts. I liked how the book explored the idea of motherhood and the varying kinds of mothers out there. It was great that it showed how life-changing motherhood can be and the reasons different women would choose to or not to become a mother.

When it all came together I liked it a little more than when I left off the first time, but I just wish that it could have been delivered better. Less of the side drama and characters that barely matter to the plot, and for heaven’s sake get rid of the unnecessary romance.

Disclaimer: Received a copy for review from the publisher via NetGalley ...more

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Aug 19, 2017 Katherine Moore rated it liked it

Shelves: 2017, 2017-read

I don't normally read many dystopian novels so this was a leap outside of my reading 'comfort' zone. Because of that, it may have taken me a little longer than usual to get my head around this new world. That said, several of the concepts, such as reliance on tablets and apps for communication and news, were pretty relevant to present-day, and the idea of wealthy thrill-seekers paying to go on an excursion like this, was also well within the scope of my imagination. What I had trouble with, more ...more

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