Reviews tagging 'Death'

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

145 reviews

applesodaperson's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

 This book was honestly perfectly entertaining. I absolutely love a good "good for her" narrative. And this absolutely fulfilled that. I got instantly attached to Abitha and though she wasn't totally historically accurate, she was still a great protagonist. I just love to see a girlboss stay winning. And I love a "good for her" narrative that doesn't shy away from

taking revenge at the end. I would actually argue that this is an essential part of a "good for her" story. You spend the whole time watching her struggle and get screwed over by Wallace, but then she gets to use her power to just go crazy and destroy everyone who has ever wronged her.

I also really loved the aesthetic of this book. It very much conveys the dark and gritty early colonial America vibes. Everything is spooky and mysterious and seems kind of dreamy to live in. It reminded me a ton of the movie the Witch, and that setting and clothing was what I was imagining the entire time. Also with the more grayscale color palette. Ans at the end, during the witch trial, it really reminded me of The Crucible, especially with all the

young girls joining in and lying about what Abitha has done.

 
I also really liked the magic elements, especially how it was based on a connection to the Earth and nature. And I liked the creepy forest spirit children and Samson. I do think that the subplot with Samson figuring out who to trust felt a little bit messy though. It was such a small subplot that it was messy whenever it focused on it, and flip flopped back and forth too much. That was pretty much my only criticism about this book. Other than that, I just really enjoyed the reading experience. It was very fun, and of course I loved the illustrations by Brom. I still want his art book so bad. 

Read borrowed copy from a friend.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death and Gore

boombaeyah's review

adventurous dark medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Cant recommended this book enough! For all the witch loving feminists out there!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Murder, Torture, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Colonisation

dezzella's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This would be a great fall read, but honestly good all around. It's about a woman who is at odds with her puritan village and the possible witchcraft that is involved. If you know about the Salem witch trials, you'll know some of what to expect going into this. I thought it was really well written and captivating. 

I loved the setting and the feel of the story and also the ending was very satisfying. It's fast paced, dark, and mixes history with paranormal/supernatural elements. I would definitely recommend this to anyone even slightly curious.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Death, Gore, Animal death, and Misogyny

honeygore's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This story definitely falls under the category of "good for her" I absolutely enjoyed every single second of this book with only one exception (animal death). Other than that it was twisted and gruesome and lovely! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, and Gun violence

Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual content, and Death of parent

lbrunson's review

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Set in Puritan New England, Slewfoot is a quick-paced, imaginative exploration of religion, witchcraft, and the human psyche. Though the novel is quite dark in tone and theme, especially at first, the character development and storyline challenge the reader to question who or what is considered moral and from where does such morality come. I haven’t read many works related to Christianity (good v evil, God v Devil, etc.), but Brom’s Slewfoot sets itself a part as a carefully and creatively crafted origin story of the “monster” under the bed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Torture, and Death

klsreads's review

challenging dark funny sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This book was not what I expected, but I had a fun time so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.  The 1600's protagonist read like a modern woman, and the pacing was a bit odd. It is horror, so there is gore and explicit torture/violence. I was really excited for the last 20% of the book and it delivered. Beyond that, the discussions on ecocide and spirituality/religion really hit, as well as the rumination on the nature of evil. I loved the intermingling of Native American folklore, fairy tales, and Christianity.

Consider checking the cws/tws. The art in the book is super spooky and cool. I think it added a lot to the experience!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Murder, Police brutality, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Sexual content, and Colonisation

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

swiftpool's review

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Death, Blood, Sexism, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Gore and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment

alisbleu's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Gun violence, and Suicide attempt

allyareads's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Dark, moody and atmospheric. This was a slow build into a violent crescendo. The unhurried pace really helped cement the menacing dread that was growing and the steady undoing of the character's mental state. My anxiety was manifesting physically and I was too aware of my heart beating and muscles tensing. The pacing alone might not be for everyone but I really appreciated it.
I'd also love to mention the character art in the book! Stunning and creepy. Love, love, love it.
I'm gonna need more books to provide their own art. 

File under: "Good for her (them)" + "I support women's rights AND women's wrongs".

Imagine a mix of Robert Egger's The Witch and a less sapphic Fear Street 1666. 
Moral of the story; the Puritans were really fucking scary and nothing is more haunting than the rightousness of a group of people who envoke God to deliver punishment.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Body horror, Gore, Gaslighting, Torture, and Hate crime

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Death of parent

mdefillipi's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Blood, Torture, Death, and Animal death

Moderate: Sexism and Animal cruelty

Minor: Suicide