e-Audio, 02:51:13
Narrated by: Mila Myles
Release Date: October 3, 2023
Published by: Books on Tape
Read from: October 2-3, 2023
Stand-alone
Source: PRH Audio App (I received a copy of this audiobook from PRH Audio in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review)
TW: Racism, Bullying, Abandonment, Fire/Fire Injury, Medical Content, Pandemic/Epidemic, Injury/Injury Detail
For Readers Interested In: Novels in Verse, Racial/Ethnic Diversity, LGBTQ+, Romance, Gender Identity (Genderfluid), Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, YACerulean Gene is free everywhere except school, where they’re known for repeatedly challenging authority. Raised in a free-spirited home by two loving parents who encourage Cerulean to be their full self, they’ve got big dreams of moving cross-country to live off the grid with their friends after graduation. But a fight with a teacher spirals out of control, and Cerulean impulsively drops out to avoid the punishment they fear is coming. Why wait for graduation to leave an oppressive capitalist system and live their dreams?
Cerulean is truly brilliant, but their sheltered upbringing hasn’t prepared them for the consequences of their choice — especially not when it’s compounded by a family emergency that puts a parent out of work. Suddenly the money they’d been stacking with their friends is a resource that the family needs to stay afloat.
Salt the Water is a book about dreaming in a world that has other plans for your time, your youth, and your future. It asks, what does it look like when a bunch of queer Black kids are allowed to dream? And what does it look like for them to confront the present circumstances of the people they love while still pursuing a wildly different future of their own?
*MY THOUGHTS*
This was pretty difficult to rate. And no it wasn’t because I don’t like novels in verse lol (Even though y’all know how I am…) It was mostly the writing style. Although this wasn’t my first by Iloh, I felt like it was. I didn’t recognize this writing at all. And because of that, I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as I thought I would.
So I guess after that intro I have to say why I didn’t enjoy this. And it was most definitely the writing style. It started out fine. But then in the middle of the story it changed to another point of view. And I was like ok, that’s cool. I was thinking we’d get the same type of story as we did with the first POV. But no, this one was even shorter. And then it changed again. As this was a novel in verse, I never really felt like I was in the story. It kind of felt like it was disjointed. And for that to happen to their dad, I never felt any emotion whatsoever. It just felt really choppy and I was left confused and trying to make myself feel something.
And thennnnn there was the ending. Like did anyone else feel like it just, stopped? I legit listened to the audio and then checked it out from my library to check the e-book and make sure I didn’t tune out something and miss it. (For the record, I DID NOT do that.) It just seemed like a really weird place for them to cut the book. Especially since it was from another POV. I think if they had brought back Cerulean for a little bit more time and then gave us a look at how they’re doing, if they survived, if they ever showed back up, ANYTHING, I wouldn’t have said anything. I think it was trying a little too hard to make this a literary masterpiece, but it missed the mark.
I DID like the representation tho. Having a genderfluid teen character who continuously corrects people on their pronouns is just powerful to me. Why? Because older generations always treat them like they don’t know what they want or that this could “just be a phase” but by telling them over and over and being adamant, they’re taking their power back. And I love it. Did I wish that this was a novel in prose so we could get some more info on what it is, YES. Did I enjoy this part anyway? Also yes.
I also liked the plot and found it to be extremely relatable. Because let me tell you….. Anytime my husband tells me he got sick or hurt at work, it doesn’t matter what I’m doing, any family member gets in trouble, I’m going to do all that I can to help. It seemed like Cerulean was also really scared because they weren’t used to seeing their dad reduced down to that, which, VALID. I can’t imagine how scary that might have been. I don’t think I would have left, but I can say I understand.
And I have to say, I was also impressed with the narrator. It looks like this was their debut, and I loved it. The emotion was there and everything which made me feel even more weird to think that the writing style was weird. I hope they do another audiobook. And make it one that they might have had more fun on than this one.
This was a really weird book. And not in a good way. I was lost a lot of the time and the writing style was hella different, but I did like most of the other things. But don’t get it twisted. I’m still a Iloh fan, I just think this book wasn’t the way to do it.
Overall, I give this
