Everything I feel about this book comes down to this one sentence: good for her.

Oh man, to have a book with an unapologetic, vengeful female lead with strength and conviction. Amazing. Bravo. This story was amazing and the writing was phenomenal. I have not read a book by Brom before, but consider me highly impressed by this creative entry into folk horror.

I don't often read books about the Puritan era, but I have to say that I was so enamored by all of it. The religious zealots were a lot to take in and some of this really does still ring true today which is really quite sad. But thankfully we have a strong protagonist to root for in Abitha, someone who is shunned by her society as an outcast and left with nothing but her wits after her husband passes.

This book is very dark in tone and atmosphere and it's the perfect spooky season read, although I would recommend reading it any time you have the chance. Abitha's metamorphosis is something to behold. I highly recommend Slewfoot to any reader of horror with an original spin. Sin has never been so fun.

If you're looking for a reading experience similar to the feeling of watching the movie The Witch, this is it. It's haunting and rich with folklore and tongue in cheek humor, with horror imagery that I found inspiring and unique. Abitha is a fantastically crafted character, and her experiences in a puritanical society and the threat of witchcraft were explored with so much nuance and eerie fun. Highly recommend to fellow horror fans, especially if you're looking for a new addition to your witchcraft reads!

3.8 what-an-odyssey stars.

Oh wow reading this book was quite the odyssey.

I tried SO MANY times to get through the eARC! I almost gave up! I even wrote a few drafts of DNF reviews but something told me I should kept trying, And I'm glad I did because I did like it! It took the hardcover with the marvelous illustrations and the audiobook to finally get me hooked.

If you like historical horror stories set in colonial times, the folklore of ancient creatures lurking in deep dark woods and stalking unsuspected villagers and strong, questionable anti-heroines that defy these villagers' religious fanaticism like "The Salem Witch Trials", "The Scarlett Letter" and "The VVitch: A New-England Folktale" then you'd love this book!

I definitely recommend the audiobook , which is FANTASTIC with creepy singing and all!

Four stars instead of five because I feel that for this specific book, it would have been good to get the illustrations to go with the galley.
Other than that, it works great as a witch origin story set in a rich puritanical world, what a slice of strange history. Will keep picking up books by deliciously creepy Brom.

Slewfoot is a well told tale of a woman that is forced to turn to “dark forces” to save herself from her puritan neighbors. But in the end, who is truly the evil one when you are dealing with hatred and denial of one’s human rights?

What a roaring good time.

This is the stuff witchy and horror dreams are made of.

Brom crafted a vicious tale of struggle, fighting the male patriarchy, and revenge.

Abitha must fight for everything she has, against everyone in her Salem-esque town. Set in 1666.

The book is filled with monsters, demons, horror, and lots of blood. It was terrifying at parts and extremely hard to put down.

The chef’s kiss is the accompanying artwork. This is definitely a must read in paper book just for that alone. It can be enjoyed without, but the experience with those beautiful full colored art pieces just adds something special.

I received a galley of the eBook and enjoyed it so much that I picked up a physical copy for my shelf.

This one is great!

SLEWFOOT, by Brom, is a blend of Dark Fantasy and Historical Fiction; it is set in the small village of Sutton, Connecticut, 1666, wherein nineteen-year-old Abitha, recently widowed and labeled an outcast in her pious village, seeks the help of an ancient spirit in the dark forest when her homestead is threatened…

‘The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector.’

‘The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil.’

SLEWFOOT feels unique to anything I have ever read before, though the early release version I read did not include the artwork I now know to be within—I believe—after viewing a few pieces online, each will deliciously serve to enhance the visual of the story further as it plays out in my mind.

I look forward to rereading a physical copy of the book I hope to purchase later this year, and delving into more of Brom’s writing. Perhaps, KRAMPUS THE YULE LORD for my December adventure…hmmm?

Decisions, Decisions.

Thank you, NetGalley and Nightfire (Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC.) for providing me with an eBook of SLEWFOOT at the request of an honest review.

This was my first time reading a book by author/artist Brom. Fearing puritanical forces of oppression out of control, Abitha turns to Slewfoot, the Devil who is being reborn in the dark recesses of a nearby forest. Horror fans thirsty for horror centering on witches will find this dark, historical tale exactly what they have desired.
If you don't read SLEWFOOT in October just around Halloween, ask yourself what you're waiting for.

My only complaint is that I didn't feel invested in this book, just a mere observer. Entertained. My reader's heart was not warmed to any of these characters.

There is literally nothing Brom writes that isn’t mystical magic all around. So dark and yet so beautiful.

Slewfoot by Brom is by far one of my favorite witch stories ever. The world building behind this novel will captivate you. The characters and the plot are also worth mentioning. These characters will live with me for some time.

I don’t typically read horror stories, they always give me nightmares. This one was unique and I loved the time period. I was rooting for Abitha and the demise of Wallace. When Slewfoot killed a young boy though, I stopped reading. I just can’t do that. Anything involving children is pretty much a deal breaker for me when it’s bad or violent.

The author did a good job in character and world building though. Others would enjoy this story.

Oof, this was good.

Have you ever wondered why, during the Salem witchcraft trials era, if the women accused of being witches really were witches, they didn't perform some sort of magic to survive? I'm thinking author Brom may have wondered this.

Abigail is an innocent and energetic young English girl, sold by her father to a Puritan in the Colonies. She arrives, nervous, but staying positive and looks to make the best of the situation. Fortunately, her husband, Edward, is a good man who is willing to work hard to make a good life for he and his bride.

But Edward dies under suspicious circumstances, and his brother, Wallace, claims Edward's property (including his wife, Abigail) which, due to Edward's work, is in much better condition than his own. But Abigail knows enough about the local law to stake her claim on the land as long as she meets the agreed upon terms and can pay for the land when the payment (to Wallace) comes due.

Abigail has a deep connection with the land and continues to farm it well, which annoys Wallace no end, and he is determined to see Abigail fail - even if he has to help her out in that regard a little bit.

Enter the dark stranger who recognizes something special in Abigail and who helps her build on her connection to the natural world around which in turn keeps her farm healthy and prosperous. Which in turn, drives Wallace absolutely mad. The better Abigail does, the hard Wallace works to cut her down in order to get the land.

And the harder Wallace works to bring Abigail down, the more she must turn to her dark friend to get her out of trouble. But by doing so, Abigail is giving Wallace the best ammunition to use against her. He recognizes what she has become even before she does, and being accused of being a witch in Puritan New England is a death sentence even she can't escape.

Or can she?

There is so much power in this revenge story, and make no mistake, this is a revenge story, for both Wallace and Abigail. But it's also a tightly woven character study of Abigail, who never loses her faith even after she's changed, but even she reaches a breaking point.

As readers, we watch her growth and her slow conversion to the bewitchery indicated in the title, and we're absolutely held spellbound. We want her to maintain her sweetness and her kindness and her innocence, but Wallace and his cronies are set up so well, so evilly, that we also want Abigail to triumph over them. I mean, we REALLY want to see them suffer for what they do.

The first three quarters of the book is set-up. Setting up the characters, the relationships, the obstacles. There isn't a lot of horror, darkness, or gore in this set-up, but once it starts, it's full on graphic horror that might just turn your stomach. But what's most fascinating, even here, is that this graphic horror starts with the human, Puritanical world. What Abigail and another suffer, as enticement to admit to their crimes of witchcraft and consorting with the devil, is every bit as gory and horrific as what will later befall them as part of the supernatural aspects of the book.

Yeah, this is smart, well built horror. And I love that author Brom isn't just picking on the so-called religious Puritans. There is a reverend here who really is the 'good' in the book, holding true to his beliefs and representing what can be, or should be, about religion.

I've never read anything by Brom before, but now I want to read everything. This is so incredibly well structured, with fantastic characters, and I was pulled into the story and felt as though I was an active viewer, a member of the crowd so to speak, rather than just a guy holding a book.

Look at the glorious cover. Really look at it. If this makes you think. "Oh, wow" then read the book.

Looking for a good book? You found it. Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom is a fantastic tale of the descent, or ascent?, to darkness with a fetching young girl as our protagonist.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The first part of the book started off a little slow although the ending is filled with events that happen quickly. I enjoyed this book immensely as I enjoy books filled with magic and magical creatures and I love animals and nature. I rooted for the main characters-just one human, and some magical creatures and hoped for a good ending. And I did enjoy the ending that turned out really fun. The partI had a problem with was the one character who flipped-flopped on whether he was good or not I was very impatient!
I recommend this book to witch, nature and animal lovers who enjoy mystery, suspense, and retribution.

Witchy, gory, dark, scary! This book is just perfect and will definitely satiate any of those desires especially around spooky season. Brom totally knocked it out of the park with SLEWFOOT and I will continue reading everything going forward!

The first chapter of this scared the living hell out of me. It was creepy and gross and I honestly thought that it was going to be a book that I could only read during the day which is difficult for me because I am busy as hell right now with work and the end of the school year and our new dog needs a lot of attention.

It is about this creature who is in the bottom of this pit and the book opens to a little goat being lured into this cave and being eaten. Then we meet the main character of the story, Abitha who is trying to lure the goat back home because if he goes missing, then she wont be able to breed her nanny goats and she doesn't want her husband upset.

This story takes place in 1666 during Puritan times and I am not a religious person at all. Anytime I read a book that talks about God and everything that is holy, I roll my eyes. But the time period worked and i wasn't at all bothered with the religion. I also kept thinking of the Demon Goat Man while reading, because Slewfoot or Samson is a bipedal humanoid goat. Also while I was reading this, I went to Brom website and looked at the illustrations of the characters and the pictures of Forest, Creek and Sky was fucking freaky as hell.

Highly recommend this!

Wow! Gerald Brom can tell a story. He has this talent of bringing the reader into his book with exquisite descriptions. Similar to “Krampus”, I cannot narrow this book to a genre. “Slewfoot” has a horror, fantasy and historical fiction mixed into this dark magical story.

“Slewfoot” is so much more than a witch story in the Puritan era. It was a lovely tale surrounding the devil at that time. It is a bit of a slow burn. I did not mind the pacing of this books. Ot was a perfect mix of magic and darkness. “Slewfoot” is beautifully illustrated, which really allows the reader to envision the characters.

Set in 1966, Albitha, a young wife whose father forced her to marry a Puritan in Connecticut. Albitha has difficult time adjusting to this way of life. Everything’s changes when she meets Slewfoot and develops a friendship with him.

Albitha was a strong and determined character who did not always make the best decisions. I thought she was the best developed all the characters.

Then, the story switches to Slewfoot. A forest spirit who is reawakened. He stumbles through the world, trying to recreate memories of what happened to him. In true Brom fashion, He takes a villanous character and makes the reader feel sympathetic.

Although the book switched between these characters, it intertwined well at the end. I thought the ending was beautiful. “Slewfoot” is a great Fall read.

Dark fantasy, set in New England with revenge and gore thrown into the mix; what's not to love? The pace and writing build to a great conclusion.
I plan to read this again on Halloween when I have the actual book in hand.

I've never read anything from this author, but was pleasantly surprised. There is growth with the characters from beginning to end which is a sign of great writing! Overall I enjoyed the read.

I am a huge fan of anything Brom and this book captivated me so much that I ended up buying a copy. It is one that I tell all of my horror customers about and have even gotten a coworker hooked on his work. He simply weaves a spell of dark magic that I don't want to wake from. Love it!

Brom is always good for a gothic fantasy story. I love his dark imaginings, the realistic characters and word that he creates. Everything is so beautifully articulated.