Reviews tagging 'Suicidal thoughts'

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

60 reviews

felofhe's review against another edition

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

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

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

mijtje's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad 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? No

3.75

Slewfoot is a historical novel about Abitha who tries to reconcile her Christian beliefs with her Pagan roots while living in a rigid puritan town in the mid 1600s. Her story intertwines with that of Father/Samson, a supernatural being who awakes without memory and isn’t sure whether he’s an evil demon or a benevolent spirit. Together, they explore who they are and try to find their way in life. 

I finished this book rather quickly and found it to be very captivating, but have still settled at 3 stars. The modern morals of Abitha felt out of place — her shock at the arranged marriage of a 17 year old, for example. At times it also felt like a bit of a cheap jab at Christianity. The author tried to weave in some deeper considerations about God and religion, but

in between all the torture and gore of the last third of the book

, that message fell a bit flat for me. The ending was definitely not for me either,

I don’t like revenge stories

.

If you enjoy these kind of dark fantasy stories, the themes sound appealing to you, and you are on the hunt for a witchy read this fall; give this a try, you will enjoy it. If not, you’re not missing too much.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal death and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Domestic abuse and Death of parent

lyzasage's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

espurrr's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

hihicass's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Sexual harassment

impville's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Colonisation

Minor: Domestic abuse and Racial slurs

kds247's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

4.75

A perfect spooky read, especially for those who are interested in the Salem Witch Trials. Brom’s incorporation of pagan mythology and the witch trials conducted by the puritans made this such an interesting story. I absolutely couldn’t put it down.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

jully_bean's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Cursing, Genocide, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Colonisation

Minor: Domestic abuse, Racism, Police brutality, Trafficking, and Alcohol

widowrites's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

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

3.5

Basically, I enjoyed this book. It was a little slow for my taste, and I kept looking at the page count wondering how much longer until it ends. It’s well written and the characters are complex. Not something I would read again.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Grief, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

nymeria123's review against another edition

dark fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Overall, a great witchy read full of magic, blood, gore, and spirits. It would have been a perfect book for Halloween. And as someone who grew up in a very religious household, the commentary on extreme Christian beliefs was interesting.
I wish more had been done with the Pequot indigenous characters - their culture and the characters could have been more represented in my opinion which could lead to them feeling less like stereotypes.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Colonisation