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

I found this book to be conflicting for me and throughout the entire story I kept changing how I felt about it. In general I am not a fan of puritan/god-focused/misogynistic books because I find them to be tired, annoying, and overdone. I became more intrigued with Slewfoot after the introduction

to Samson and his interactions with Abitha

However, it seemed to be a constant up and down for me.

The amount of graphic female torture by the male characters in this book was too much for me.

It felt unnecessary to show it in great detail, over and over again, in order to get the point across, really. It's like, in a way, yes I understand we are talking about a 17th century puritan village but like, come on, did we have to describe every detail? Did we have to draw it out over and over and over again when it happened? Besides that, many of the characters felt a little too one-dimensional. They were either mean or they weren't. That was all there was to them.
I think my other issue with books like this, whose entire plot revolves around the suffering of women, is that for me the revenge will never be enough. There is no amount of revenge on abusive men that can be done to ever satisfy me, so I am tired of reading about it.

I'd hoped this book would've been more about Abitha leaving the people behind in order to form a new life with Samson, however that wasn't exactly the case.

Content Warnings

narsere's review against another edition

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dark emotional slow-paced

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

2.25

Content Warnings

natbat13's review against another edition

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dark funny mysterious tense 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

5.0

An atmospheric folk horror novel that perfectly encapsulates the horror of puritanical ideals. I loved seeing the evolution of the main character Abitha and the creature Slewfoot!

Content Warnings