Reviews with content warning for Violence - Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery

Slewfoot follows the classic narrative of the Puritan witch, a woman who is perceived as dangerous for her differences, who finds solace in none other than the devil. It takes mythology from various belief systems, not sticking strictly to Christian principles of witchcraft.
I found myself enthralled in the narrative from the start. As a protagonist, Abitha was incredibly likable and sympathetic, having human flaws while still being the innocent that the narrative required her to be in order to work. The book balances revenge and mercy with a perfect amount of nuance, it is incredibly satisfying to see how characters get their just desserts, for better and for worse. The side characters all had appropriate depth, and even the antagonists feel well developed.
The one thing that didn’t fully feel resolved to me is the horror aspect, apart from the beginning, I didn’t find Samson threatening, and I didn’t find the ambiance overly eerie, so I treated the book more as a novel than a horror story.
Overall I was incredibly invested in the story, and I found it very well written, I would recommend this book to anyone, horror lover or not, so long as gore is not an issue for them.

Content Warnings

jdubsmoore's review against another edition

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dark tense slow-paced

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

3.25

I loved the idea of

the Devil being confused about who he is

. But I don't think it was written well enough to be satisfying. The main female character was not as strong as the main male. Lots of very long, graphic and tedious descriptions of violence.

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deamera's review

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.25

Beautiful, haunting and deliciously dark tale.
The first half took some time to get through, but the last third or so just flew by.
Loved the ending!

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saxonthecurious's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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goldensisyphus's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

Fantastic story! Unique and unlike anything I've ever read. I loved this book so much!

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delirious_wraith's review

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

Love the strong, smart FMC. Love the witchery, strong and smart women, power of nature and vengeance topic. The addition of soul-searching from the MMC however was not my thing and a bit drawn out. The low points for the FMC, which definitely have their function as they give the fuel for the epic revenge feeling, were very intense and for me, too much to handle. Also animal abuse, making women less than men and injustice fueled by religious fanatism - is the exact combination to hit too hard. So while I recognize it had to be the fuel to create the contrast and relief felt in the parts where the story and luck turns for the better, I had a bad time reading those parts.

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