Reviews tagging 'Domestic abuse'

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

29 reviews

mijtje's review

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

prairieraven's review against another edition

I'm honestly a big chicken and the illustrations were amazing but my imagination went on overdrive and I had to stop reading because I got too scared with the demonic possession and demons within the story 

Honestly so far was a solid 4 ⭐ recommend!!

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

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

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Colonisation

Minor: Domestic abuse and Racial slurs

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

solarel's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

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

3.0

People suck. 

I’m conflicted a bit. While I enjoyed the main two characters, Abitha and Samson, I found the plot as a whole to be very… typical? 

Samson’s story was by far the most interesting plot line. I enjoyed watching him struggle to find who he really is. Is he the monster or the savior? Abitha however, her story felt not just predictable but inevitable. The last third of the book is pure torture porn, and she did not grow as a character. She is merely an instrument of a vengeance arc. 

I saw a lot of reviewers say this story was very white. And I think I see what they mean. I don’t know what the author’s religious background is, but this read as a very Christian framed story. People said this was a horror novel. I didn’t find it scary, only sad. People were the villain. Puritan culture was the villain. And yet it still felt like it was still validating their beliefs in the end with what was supposed to be the “horror”. 

I don’t know if that makes sense, but “pagan” aspects were not rooted in lore beyond that of Christianity. I guess that’s what made it feel like more of a fantasy masquerade of a pagan story of blurred good and evil. 

Stars for ambiance and entertainment only. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

vikreadstons's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Religious bigotry

slefebvre95's review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, and Violence

rnapaulymerase's review

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Misogyny

Moderate: Sexual violence