Reviews with content warning for Gore - Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery

Abitha, a young woman, is sold by her father to live her life in the New World. She marries Edward, a kind man who has a small, unprofitable farm. When Edward’s selfish and arrogant brother bargains away the farm, Abitha must help to save it. Against Puritan rules, Abitha makes a deal with someone who the village fears: Slewfoot.

I could not get enough of this book!!! From the prose to the plot, Brom had penned an absolute gem. I love historical fiction, especially in relation to the witch trials, but I think many will enjoy the story even if that is not your niche. However, the book is quite gory and dark, so beware 👀

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vegiyogi's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed the story of Slewfoot, but if I’d known how graphic and gory some of the descriptions of bodily harm are, I probably would have skipped this one (but I’m pretty sensitive).

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vixenreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? Yes

5.0

A dark, bewitching novel, it is a tale of reclaiming your identity, listening to your intuition, and the empowerment of creation and connection (Abitha and Samson make a beautiful couple) with well-rounded characters, rich folklore, and phenomenal storytelling. Seriously, this book is a work of magic.

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kate_mull's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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

3.75

I loved the first half. I felt mixed about the second half. I liked the images in the physical book, cool art. I liked feeling empathic towards the “devil” and the idea that

we sort of made the devil ourselves, that he was a beautiful nature god and we ruined it and now he thirsts for revenge

. And a similar idea for women

that “bad” women are created by their circumstances in life specifically sexism misogyny abuse controlling men etc

. Giving very feminine rage. If you need some feminine rage in your life (ahem 11/6) this is a good one.

Cons: Ifound the protagonist a little bit “manic pixie girl” but for the 17th(?) century, I feel like I could tell she was written by a man creating his idea of a “fiesty” woman. It was believable and I liked the character but certain traits were like … really? Then, I found it way too convenient that

her mother turns out to be an old magic witch. I wouldn’t have minded this realization actually except that it came around like “well when I think about it a guess my mom WAS a witch”. I’d have preferred it to be a secret she kept (she does in a way, the notebook) or a slower realization over the whole book. It was just a fast reveal that left me like … oh well I guess that explains everything neatly. I think it was necessary it was just a bit … too easy?

It started creepy which I loved and once we met Samson it got decidedly less creepy. Almost more whimsical at times which was a bit shift in tone. I finished it though! I just missed the atmosphere of the first half.

Good book for folks who just dabble in horror, not scary, probably won’t keep you up at night, a little gore, a little murder, but also a beautiful release for the main character, well deserved revenge, interesting plot.

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