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

I gave this book 5/5 but honestly I would give this book a 9/5 rating if I could. It is so good, I was rooting for Abitha the entire time and the way the author got me to absolutely hate the townspeople as quickly as they did.. I have no words. This was such an emotional read and I love it it had exactly what I was looking for.

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furaleii's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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? No

4.75

If you love a story about female rage, misogynistic assholes getting what's coming to them, and a beautiful mix of violence, the macabre, and nature, you'll probably love this book. I know I did!

The beginning of the book was pretty creepy, though it quickly stopped becoming creepy and almost became light-hearted in the middle. Slewfoot and Abitha have an adorable relationship, and the kids (Sky and Creek) are goofy, to the point where some of their antics made me laugh (though idk if that was the intention). None of the violence particularly disturbed me, though it was very graphic and gross at time-- the nature and the way scenery is described was beautiful, and often the most bloody moments were intertwined with nature and magic; something I loved. The main character, Abitha, is the only woman who was stubborn and headstrong enough to openly go against the Puritan's beliefs in many of the things she did, and I loved that Edward was a secret book and drawing enjoyer. Slewfoot was ADORABLE. Kinda reminded me of a Duskwalker, from the Duskwalker bride series; violent from bloodlust, but not evil and just trying to figure out who he is/what his place is in the world.

The only time I truly disliked what was happening was (TW: Spoilers and animal abuse)

when Booka was killed by the Puritans; I can't read animal cruelty especially not towards cats, and I skipped many of the paragraphs that talked about it.

It was important to the plot, I guess, but I also just feel like it was mostly there for shock factor.

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honeygore's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This story definitely falls under the category of "good for her" I absolutely enjoyed every single second of this book with only one exception (animal death). Other than that it was twisted and gruesome and lovely!

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klsreads's review against another edition

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challenging dark funny sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

This book was not what I expected, but I had a fun time so ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. The 1600's protagonist read like a modern woman, and the pacing was a bit odd. It is horror, so there is gore and explicit torture/violence. I was really excited for the last 20% of the book and it delivered. Beyond that, the discussions on ecocide and spirituality/religion really hit, as well as the rumination on the nature of evil. I loved the intermingling of Native American folklore, fairy tales, and Christianity.

Consider checking the cws/tws. The art in the book is super spooky and cool. I think it added a lot to the experience!

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swiftpool's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

5.0

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allyareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.0

Dark, moody and atmospheric. This was a slow build into a violent crescendo. The unhurried pace really helped cement the menacing dread that was growing and the steady undoing of the character's mental state. My anxiety was manifesting physically and I was too aware of my heart beating and muscles tensing. The pacing alone might not be for everyone but I really appreciated it.
I'd also love to mention the character art in the book! Stunning and creepy. Love, love, love it.
I'm gonna need more books to provide their own art.

File under: "Good for her (them)" + "I support women's rights AND women's wrongs".

Imagine a mix of Robert Egger's The Witch and a less sapphic Fear Street 1666.
Moral of the story; the Puritans were really fucking scary and nothing is more haunting than the rightousness of a group of people who envoke God to deliver punishment.

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mdefillipi's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense medium-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? Yes

5.0

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ellornaslibrary's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

2.0

This book is marketed as horror, and there are parts that definitely left me feeling a little scared at first. Except then it becomes something altogether and different. The thing that should scare you isn't what you should be scared of essentially. Always love it if it is done well and the possibility was there just wasn't delivered upon in the end. I liked Abitha a lot and the other main character a good deal; found the story fascinating enough to continue reading after the book turned out not to be what I was hoping for when I picked it up. I even found the side characters interesting.

However, the story moves so slow and the satisfaction I was hoping to find in this new possible story presented was short-lived as it turned into the usual predictable story. It was at least going to be a 3 or 3.5 star book though until the blatant ableism right at the end. Literal magic in this book, used multiple times throughout to do amazing things, and then we get to this part and just. . . it was insulting and offensive so now it's a 2 star book and I don't know if I'll pick up another book from this author anytime soon.

CW Ableism details:

magic used to make corn sprout from the dirt, to make bees mass produce honey, to make them fly at one point on a broom. . . And instead of healing her damaged legs, makes a comment about living as a cripple the rest of her days and she shudders at the idea. Her reaction is even worse considering that her husband was disabled. . . Nevermind she could have all sorts of options with literal magic at her fingertips too even if her legs weren't fully healed. Just so offensive and exhausting at this point to see this attitude presented.

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