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andrewhatesham's review against another edition
It had me through the first few chapters, but then it progressively got less and less interesting. The pace slowed down when I expected it to speed up, and while I wouldn't necessarily say the plot is predictable, I'll say that for me, almost nothing felt surprising. In other words: I got bored.
Lastly, this is not the fault of the book, but I was expecting this to be more of a horror story than a fantasy. This was dark, but not scary at all.
The art is really cool though!
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Religious bigotry
samlopez93's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Cursing and Sexual content
amaranth_wytch's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence, Grief, Alcohol, and Classism
cowbrotherx's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
alite428's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
liebstebunni's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Cursing and Emotional abuse
a_novel_craving's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Gore, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, and Murder
cannibaldear's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, and Torture
dragonaion's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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Only two examples in the story are 100% accurate to the Native American/Indian folklore of the Pequot (which are referenced and are the local tribe the Puritan village takes place near)...
... and the rest appear to be a mix from other cultures around the world, including the Druidic faith...
... Greek...
... and Japanese.
Looking for references of Slewfoot as well, what pops up as a primary example is this book. So considering the harshness of the very real Puritan mindset and the reality of the world they were living in, having almost every page be wild fantasy was disappointing.
The botany was at least a little more accurate, but not by much; the Pequot tribe were in the Connecticut area, where the pawpaw tree and mountain ash (rowan) can actually grow together. The irony, however, is the pawpaw and rowan trees in folklore was used for protection against witches, so the folklore attached to the botany is also inaccurate.
As a practicing Wiccan, I also find the examples of witcraft and "magic" (arguably not magick at all) to be biased with a Christian lense, such as the year the story takes place in 1666 (666, a little stereotypical), the snake being used as a symbol of the temptor and a sexual metaphor (while also being Mother Earth) and flying on a broom, to the point of being fantastic "flights" of pure fantasy.
In all, a good spooky read, but I would not put any stock on it being an accurate story.
Edit: Review lowered from 4.0. I reviewed the artwork and realized the characters
Graphic: Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, and Violence
Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Physical abuse, Violence, Vomit, Religious bigotry, and Toxic friendship
Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Genocide, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Excrement, Stalking, and Fire/Fire injury
This is a heavy Christian-based novel, discussing the norms of the Puritan lifestyle, which include a lot of moments that would displease a feminist reader. There is also gore, blood work in witchcraft, horror, and other darker themes.rach902's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Religious bigotry