Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

38 reviews

erica_reads_things's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.75

One of my favorite reads of the year, by far! Very clear parallels to the Salem Witch Trials, but with it's whole one stories, incredibly compelling characters, and stunning fantasy elements. I really thoroughly enjoyed it. Honestly, the last quarter of the book

during/immediately after Abitha and Sarah's trial

was scarier and more tense than many of the horror novels I have read. Just the utter realness and knowing what truth it's based on left me with a pit in my stomach. Just so well done!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Minor: Sexual content and Death of parent

jaedyn's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Sexism, Sexual assault, Religious bigotry, and Murder

Minor: Trafficking and Death of parent

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.

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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

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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

trollmila's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-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? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Domestic abuse, Excrement, Death of parent, and Colonisation

sarahelyse's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Gaslighting

Minor: Xenophobia, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

alexashines's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-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? It's complicated

3.5

Super dark and twisted, but if you’re ready for it- it’s a great read

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

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

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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

shedevls's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

i love everything about this book and i highly suggest it to anyone who loves anything that falls into a genre i like to call "good for her".  100/10. yes. 

also, can we take a moment to talk about the artwork???? it's Absolutely Stunning.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Torture, and Violence

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Religious bigotry, and Colonisation

Minor: Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent

laurel616's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Heed the content warnings on this one - I didn't, and read this based on multiple recommendations from online sources, and I honestly wish I had.  

At about the 75% mark I put this down and went seeking reviews to see if I wanted to finish it - I knew by then it would not be a good ending, but I wanted at least a satisfying ending.  The general consensus was that it would be satisfying, so I powered through.  

I am glad I did, I do feel like it was worth getting to the end, but if I had known some of the more gore and graphic scenes that were in this, I would have skipped it.  That being said, I did feel like it ended in the best place it could have, and didn't leave me dreading anything. 

I read this on an e-reader and based on some of the other reviews I wish I had the physical book to see better the illustrations included for each chapter start (and at the end). 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gore, Sexism, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Religious bigotry and Sexual harassment

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Death of parent