Reviews tagging 'Cultural appropriation'

Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom

11 reviews

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. 

---

Content Warnings

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

jessie_cobb's review against another edition

dark 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Blood, Body horror, Sexual violence, and Animal death

Moderate: Cultural appropriation, Self harm, Gun violence, Racism, Colonisation, Sexism, and Confinement

Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship

killmoore_'s review against another edition

dark 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

3.0

Whelp. That was a story. 

Good for her. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, Gore, Torture, Alcohol, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Suicidal thoughts

audreyesp's review against another edition

dark 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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Body horror

Moderate: Racism, Violence, and Cultural appropriation

judassilver's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Murder, Racism, Sexism, Animal death, Body horror, Cultural appropriation, Sexual violence, Body shaming, Confinement, Death, Excrement, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Religious bigotry, Violence, Xenophobia, Animal cruelty, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Torture, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism and Child death

library_goth's review against another edition

dark hopeful reflective 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

I could read this 100 times. The characters are vivid, the storytelling is incredible, the pacing just right. I especially enjoyed the messaging about complicated morals, religious hypocrisy, and the duality of all living things.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Torture, Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Sexism

Moderate: Grief, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Cultural appropriation, and Colonisation

Minor: Suicidal thoughts and Slavery

attackrat's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? No

2.5

the artwork is beautiful and the atmosphere was pretty good, but it lacked the proper tone for a horror. the only horror aspects were strewn in graphic violence that really didn’t match the rest of the story. and the story itself was pretty derivative, there wasn’t really any unique spin put on the puritan-witch-trials/“good for her” narrative and I was bummed by that. the characters were mostly caricatures from witch stories that have already been done before. and the ending was such a let-down; the last quarter was just unnecessary torture-p*rn and predictable oh shit moments. 

and this is a personal gripe but i’m almost certain that the characters are not using “mayhap” right and they say it so often that i just could not look past it. i liked Slewfoot and Abitha (even though they were sooo cheesy sometimes) but not enough to save the book unfortunately. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Religious bigotry, Blood, Colonisation, Sexual violence, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Death, Gore, and Misogyny

naereads's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Animal death, Blood, Gun violence, Misogyny, Torture, Death, Medical trauma, Religious bigotry, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Animal death, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Animal cruelty, Cultural appropriation, Excrement, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

kumquats87's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Classism, Death, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, and Torture

Moderate: Grief, Racial slurs, Fire/Fire injury, and Cultural appropriation

Minor: Vomit, Slavery, and Colonisation

swiveller's review against another edition

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Colonisation, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Torture, Death of parent, Death, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Cultural appropriation, Grief, and Violence