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A review by vortensity
Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I just realized I never reviewed this book after 5-starring it. Maybe because I'm a hater at heart so when I actually enjoy something it doesn't feel like there's much for me to really say.
I think many strong-willed, ambitious, independent women will find Abitha relatable and compelling as I did. There was a particular passage in the book I highlighted and wrote a note that said "This bitch would be a lawyer in modern times," and I promise that wasn't just me (current law school student) projecting but like she as a character is a badass who knows her legal rights (not that women had many of those in Puritan New England). I also found her dynamic with Edward to be quite sweet? I also loved her character arc, because it was extremely cathartic to read.
And then there's Samson who is extremely compelling and intriguing and a god of death and life and nature and probably chaos? He had unwilling trickster god vibes to me, which in the setting of Puritan New England and context of a Horror novel worked super well.
Even some of the side characters felt so well developed to me? Brom does a good job at making some characters extremely sanctimonious and hateable. Which like... yeah, they're Puritans. The ones who aren't like that are outliers who lack the power to change their society in any meaningful way and that felt also extremely real and relatable?
Finally there was the plot and the horror aspect of worldbuilding which were pretty intertwined. I'll be honest: I have no idea how much of the lore was borrowed from actual Indigenous mythology and how much was made the fuck up from scratch (could have been all of it for all I know and I didn't immediately find the answer on Google so 🤷♀️.) There was one scene in particular that made me have to go find my cats and give them lots of affection (to their annoyance). That being said, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and plot in this book because it felt like reading an old myth or fairytale. I actually think that this leans more fantasy than horror and the horror aspects are about on par like shock/gore wise with Flanagan's Midnight Mass.
I think many strong-willed, ambitious, independent women will find Abitha relatable and compelling as I did. There was a particular passage in the book I highlighted and wrote a note that said "This bitch would be a lawyer in modern times," and I promise that wasn't just me (current law school student) projecting but like she as a character is a badass who knows her legal rights (not that women had many of those in Puritan New England). I also found her dynamic with Edward to be quite sweet? I also loved her character arc, because it was extremely cathartic to read.
And then there's Samson who is extremely compelling and intriguing and a god of death and life and nature and probably chaos? He had unwilling trickster god vibes to me, which in the setting of Puritan New England and context of a Horror novel worked super well.
Even some of the side characters felt so well developed to me? Brom does a good job at making some characters extremely sanctimonious and hateable. Which like... yeah, they're Puritans. The ones who aren't like that are outliers who lack the power to change their society in any meaningful way and that felt also extremely real and relatable?
Finally there was the plot and the horror aspect of worldbuilding which were pretty intertwined. I'll be honest: I have no idea how much of the lore was borrowed from actual Indigenous mythology and how much was made the fuck up from scratch (could have been all of it for all I know and I didn't immediately find the answer on Google so 🤷♀️.) There was one scene in particular that made me have to go find my cats and give them lots of affection (to their annoyance). That being said, I really enjoyed the worldbuilding and plot in this book because it felt like reading an old myth or fairytale. I actually think that this leans more fantasy than horror and the horror aspects are about on par like shock/gore wise with Flanagan's Midnight Mass.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Sexism, Violence, and Religious bigotry