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A review by elythrim
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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
"Suffering does not bring one closer to God."
We've all heard someone say "Don't judge a book by its cover", but it's impossible not to. I like art, and I discovered Gerald Brom's not that long ago. I fell in love with it instantly and that was about it. Then I saw someone recommending this book, fell in love with the cover and as I always do, started reading it without even looking at a synopsis. What I actually realized not until I was already some chapters in the book was that the same artist that I knew of was the author of this book!
What I expect from a book when I love the cover is that it represents the feeling I have when I look at it. And it did just that. Witchery, vengeance, creepiness. Though also, lots of gore, misogyny, torture and violence (animals included). It's to be expected in novels like these, but I did get very uncomfortable at times.
Finishing this book, I was expecting some wrong portrayal of women's suffering, but that didn't happen (although the torture parts were a little too detailed for me and seemed like they'd never end). Seeing that he also sought the expertise of an historian to correctly portray the Pequot people made me happy, and although I don't know much about US history, the dedication to make an accurate representation (with all the fantasy elements included) added depth to the story.
Overall, my favorite things about this book are its continuous discussions about religion. What gods are, how evil is ever present and sometimes necessary to maintain balance. And how nature needs to be respected, as it is Mother of all. My favorite quote represents this very well:
"God, I am you, and you are me"
We've all heard someone say "Don't judge a book by its cover", but it's impossible not to. I like art, and I discovered Gerald Brom's not that long ago. I fell in love with it instantly and that was about it. Then I saw someone recommending this book, fell in love with the cover and as I always do, started reading it without even looking at a synopsis. What I actually realized not until I was already some chapters in the book was that the same artist that I knew of was the author of this book!
What I expect from a book when I love the cover is that it represents the feeling I have when I look at it. And it did just that. Witchery, vengeance, creepiness. Though also, lots of gore, misogyny, torture and violence (animals included). It's to be expected in novels like these, but I did get very uncomfortable at times.
Finishing this book, I was expecting some wrong portrayal of women's suffering, but that didn't happen (although the torture parts were a little too detailed for me and seemed like they'd never end). Seeing that he also sought the expertise of an historian to correctly portray the Pequot people made me happy, and although I don't know much about US history, the dedication to make an accurate representation (with all the fantasy elements included) added depth to the story.
Overall, my favorite things about this book are its continuous discussions about religion. What gods are, how evil is ever present and sometimes necessary to maintain balance. And how nature needs to be respected, as it is Mother of all. My favorite quote represents this very well:
"God, I am you, and you are me"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Torture, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Death, Racism, and Xenophobia