Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

168 reviews

boombaeyah's review against another edition

adventurous dark 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

Cant recommended this book enough! For all the witch loving feminists out there!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Murder, Torture, Death, and Sexism

Moderate: Colonisation

pjdelany's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

1.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Gore, Animal cruelty, and Physical abuse

dezzella's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This would be a great fall read, but honestly good all around. It's about a woman who is at odds with her puritan village and the possible witchcraft that is involved. If you know about the Salem witch trials, you'll know some of what to expect going into this. I thought it was really well written and captivating. 

I loved the setting and the feel of the story and also the ending was very satisfying. It's fast paced, dark, and mixes history with paranormal/supernatural elements. I would definitely recommend this to anyone even slightly curious.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Torture, Death, Gore, Animal death, and Misogyny

furaleii's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, and Torture

honeygore's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Sexism, Torture, Body horror, Bullying, Blood, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Cursing, Death, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Violence, and Gun violence

Moderate: Animal death, Classism, Emotional abuse, Medical content, Suicidal thoughts, and Colonisation

Minor: Animal cruelty, Alcohol, Vomit, Sexual content, and Death of parent

lbrunson's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Set in Puritan New England, Slewfoot is a quick-paced, imaginative exploration of religion, witchcraft, and the human psyche. Though the novel is quite dark in tone and theme, especially at first, the character development and storyline challenge the reader to question who or what is considered moral and from where does such morality come. I haven’t read many works related to Christianity (good v evil, God v Devil, etc.), but Brom’s Slewfoot sets itself a part as a carefully and creatively crafted origin story of the “monster” under the bed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Torture, and Death

klsreads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Blood, Murder, Police brutality, Grief, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Fire/Fire injury, Animal cruelty, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, and Violence

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Sexual content, and Colonisation

Minor: Pandemic/Epidemic

swiftpool's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Violence, Torture, Religious bigotry, Misogyny, Death, Blood, Sexism, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder

Moderate: Gore and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Sexual content and Sexual harassment

allyareads's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Death, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Body horror, Gore, Gaslighting, Torture, and Hate crime

Moderate: Emotional abuse, Animal death, and Death of parent

inhaledmocha's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Animal death, Mental illness, and Blood