The Saltwater Curse by Avina St. Graves Review

The Saltwater Curse by Avina St. Graves
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4 stars)
🌶️🌶️🌶️ spice

I have to say… this is one of those “WTF am I reading?!” books — but in the best possible way.

Let me start from the beginning: the prologue?
Jaw.
Dropped.
I was absolutely shocked — like mouth wide open, stunned. It gripped me instantly and made me want to devour the book from start to finish. 💥📖

Now, getting into the rest of the book... well. To say it was “very different” would be an understatement. I loved the setup and getting a feel for what was going on. I was epically excited because it felt like there was going to be so much to unpack and sink my teeth into.

Here’s where I had a bit of a problem:
Given the killer opening, I expected more.
The middle of the book felt a little draggy. Not boring — don’t get me wrong — but kind of like the story was building up to something huge… and then it just stalled. The potential was there for a supernova of brilliance, but it ended up just a bright star. Still good! But I couldn’t help wanting more. (That might just be me.)

Now, onto the characters — and I really liked them.
Ordus broke my heart with everything he went through.
Kristy/Cindi had a life so incredibly dark that you’d have to be made of stone not to feel for her. The author nailed the emotional weight of their pain, trauma, and fears, and I ate that up.

But let’s be real — one character stole the damn show:
Vasz.
I was laughing so hard I cried. 😭🤣
I was rolling, struggling to breathe, dying over how adorable and funny he was. Honestly, I’d read a full book just about him. I would lay down my life for this little chaos gremlin and gift him every coconut. If soulmates were real, Vasz is mine. LMAO 🥥❤️

Overall, the book was really good.
Could it have been better? Yeah, which is why I gave it 4 stars.
The spice was mainly in the second half — two longer spicy scenes with a sprinkling here and there. It’s not a fully spice-focused book, which worked for the story, but might surprise some readers.

There were definitely some missed chances and moments that could’ve been more, but at the end of the day — this book was unique, emotional, hilarious, and totally worth the read.

Would I recommend it?
Yeah — it’s a book’s book. Definitely worth checking out.

Would I read it again?
I think I would, though it might not be at the top of my reread pile.

How would I sum it up?
Unique and a little weird — but well worth the read.
(And also: Vasz forever.)

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