Brom

Set in Colonial New England, Slewfoot is a tale of magic and mystery, of triumph and terror as only dark fantasist Brom can tell it. Connecticut, 1666. An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil. To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help. Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake. “If it is a devil you seek, then it is a devil you shall have!” This terrifying tale of bewitchery features more than two dozen of Brom’s haunting paintings, fully immersing readers in this wild and unforgiving world. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A Tale of Bewitchery

Slewfoot

yaya

“…It was love, not pain, that broke her." 

"If it is a witch they want," she hissed, "then a witch they shall have." 

Emma Hak-Kovacs

"Why does her mother not ask the Christ God to heal her child?"

 "She has. We all have. Many, many, prayers.”

Abitha shrugged. "We shall see. Sometimes God helps, sometimes He does not." 

Samson shook his head. "They need a better god."

…it had been her mother who'd said that the serpent in Eden had brought not a curse, but the gift of enlightenment.

"I do not hear you ... I cannot hear you. For the dead do not hear."

Set in Colonial New England, Slewfoot is a tale of magic and mystery, of triumph and terror as only dark fantasist Brom can tell it. Connecticut, 1666. An ancient spirit awakens in a dark wood. The wildfolk call him Father, slayer, protector. The colonists call him Slewfoot, demon, devil. To Abitha, a recently widowed outcast, alone and vulnerable in her pious village, he is the only one she can turn to for help. Together, they ignite a battle between pagan and Puritan – one that threatens to destroy the entire village, leaving nothing but ashes and bloodshed in their wake. “If it is a devil you seek, then it is a devil you shall have!” This terrifying tale of bewitchery features more than two dozen of Brom’s haunting paintings, fully immersing readers in this wild and unforgiving world.

This is for fans of Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ and Robert Eggers’ ‘The VVitch’. The illustrations have such a simultaneously dreamy but lifelike quality to them. If you’re like me and your main concern is whether or not the protagonist gets her revenge, the answer is YES.

Set in 1666, the story has two main threads. The first thread follows Abitha’s life after being sold to a Puritan community. Being originally from London, she was not raised here so everyone ostracises her. The second thread follows a pagan creature recently awakened with no memories of his past, but he finds that contact with Abitha helps him remember. The two of them strike up an unlikely friendship that is mutually beneficial, but as their enemies press closer, each must fight their own battles.

Personally, this book got me very invested because I was SO angry at everyone in Abitha’s town. Practically everyone there is a ccb. I’m so serious. I thought the men were bad but wow the women were even worse. It was expected that at some point they were going to start a witch trial but the torture scenes were really quite brutal. Thankfully, when Abitha stopped trying to take the moral high road and decided to take revenge, the narration was sufficiently detailed and did not disappoint. Lots of catharsis there for the reader, if you enjoy reading about evil people dying extremely painfully.

a dark historical fantasy about new england, religion, witches and magic? Im sat. Overall I enjoyed the reading experience but it did fall short A LOT of places. The illustrations were magnificent but the pace, writing and feel was not worth more than 3,5 stars. I swear the phrase “all but…” was used on every single page. 

Alison Hinklom

Not bad but not what I wanted to get out of the reading experience either. The atmosphere at the start was excellent - I cannot imagine anywhere more hostile than the early settler days, a time when you are in an infamiliar land to which you have declared yourself the enemy by virtue of attacking its native population and disrupting its established order. But then everything sort of falls through as the novel becomes more engaged with magic - and I think the issue here is that the novel seems to overexplain and overelaborate where remaining vague would have had more impact.

I liked the environmental message, though. It gave it something a little different.

Not bad but not what I wanted to get out of the reading experience either. The atmosphere at the start was excellent - I cannot imagine anywhere more hostile than the early settler days, a time when you are in an infamiliar land to which you have declared yourself the enemy by virtue of attacking its native population and disrupting its established order. But then everything sort of falls through as the novel becomes more engaged with magic - and I think the issue here is that the novel seems to overexplain and overelaborate where remaining vague would have had more impact.

I liked the environmental message, though. It gave it something a little different.

A hot demon who is an ACTUAL demon and a witch who gets her revenge? Absolutely give me more of this 

Chelsea

This was a fun October read. I was craving something witchy and a lil set in Puritan sooceity and this scratched both those itches. I really liked the themes explored in this book, and I felt the character relationoships were really well-written and refreshing.

Ashley Denktas

         Hubs and I decided to go to a book club meeting in 2023, largely because it was at our favorite brewery attached to one of our favorite restaurants, and we had both read the book they were discussing.  We thought it might be fun, so we went.  We genuinely found an amazing and fun group of book people.  This is a horror book club, and since Hubs and I are both huge horror fans, we dove right into this book group.  We missed one meeting (I’m still mad at my husband over that), but we’re still fully invested in these books and these meetings.  Slewfoot was our selection for February of 2024, and we were both excited to dig in. 

            Brom is a hugely talented artist, and he’s proven his meddle repeatedly as an artist.  His fans have been following him for decades, so when he made the jump to author, he immediately had a huge fanbase.  I was excited to read this book simply because of the level of admiration people have for this man.  While I am awed by his artwork, his talent doesn’t seem to have crossed the line to author all that well.  It’s a solid story, but the battle of good vs evil has been around for a while, so he didn’t really have to try hard to craft the basic plot. 

            I sincerely enjoyed the first 30% or so of this book.  Brom did a fantastic job of blurring the line between good versus evil.  He highlighted the hypocrisy of religion, making the church, and many of the parishioners, seem unapologetically evil, whereas the devil seemed like a genuinely decent fella.  Samson (the devil) spent the first half of the book grappling with his identity, while the Puritans spent the first half of the book being terrible people and claiming it was all the will of God.  Brom was crafting an interesting story, and I had hopes for the rest of the book.

            Then, alas, it fell apart.  This book was like watching a kid build an amazing medieval castle with Legos, then turn into a destructive monster and stomp the entire thing into smithereens.  I like to call it the Godzilla effect.  He built a masterpiece, then he destroyed it.  However, upon further reflection, I realize that Brom’s masterpiece was much more similar to a dilapidated villa…there was potential, but in reality it was deeply flawed.  The second half of the book was a jumbled mess of folklore and biblical innuendoes.  Samson was able to “find his identity” and the outcome was pretty anticlimactic.  Then we have Abitha, with her Stephen King-like revenge situation…except it was nowhere near as well done as Carrie was.  And then we have the end, which was about as exciting as a soda that had been left on the counter for two days. 

            Combine the unraveled story with the inconsistent language and this book was just a major disappointment.  I would have given this two and a half stars if the book rating websites would let me, so I rounded up to three…but that’s a very, VERY low three. 

Kristen Claiborn

         Hubs and I decided to go to a book club meeting in 2023, largely because it was at our favorite brewery attached to one of our favorite restaurants, and we had both read the book they were discussing.  We thought it might be fun, so we went.  We genuinely found an amazing and fun group of book people.  This is a horror book club, and since Hubs and I are both huge horror fans, we dove right into this book group.  We missed one meeting (I’m still mad at my husband over that), but we’re still fully invested in these books and these meetings.  Slewfoot was our selection for February of 2024, and we were both excited to dig in. 

            Brom is a hugely talented artist, and he’s proven his meddle repeatedly as an artist.  His fans have been following him for decades, so when he made the jump to author, he immediately had a huge fanbase.  I was excited to read this book simply because of the level of admiration people have for this man.  While I am awed by his artwork, his talent doesn’t seem to have crossed the line to author all that well.  It’s a solid story, but the battle of good vs evil has been around for a while, so he didn’t really have to try hard to craft the basic plot. 

            I sincerely enjoyed the first 30% or so of this book.  Brom did a fantastic job of blurring the line between good versus evil.  He highlighted the hypocrisy of religion, making the church, and many of the parishioners, seem unapologetically evil, whereas the devil seemed like a genuinely decent fella.  Samson (the devil) spent the first half of the book grappling with his identity, while the Puritans spent the first half of the book being terrible people and claiming it was all the will of God.  Brom was crafting an interesting story, and I had hopes for the rest of the book.

            Then, alas, it fell apart.  This book was like watching a kid build an amazing medieval castle with Legos, then turn into a destructive monster and stomp the entire thing into smithereens.  I like to call it the Godzilla effect.  He built a masterpiece, then he destroyed it.  However, upon further reflection, I realize that Brom’s masterpiece was much more similar to a dilapidated villa…there was potential, but in reality it was deeply flawed.  The second half of the book was a jumbled mess of folklore and biblical innuendoes.  Samson was able to “find his identity” and the outcome was pretty anticlimactic.  Then we have Abitha, with her Stephen King-like revenge situation…except it was nowhere near as well done as Carrie was.  And then we have the end, which was about as exciting as a soda that had been left on the counter for two days. 

            Combine the unraveled story with the inconsistent language and this book was just a major disappointment.  I would have given this two and a half stars if the book rating websites would let me, so I rounded up to three…but that’s a very, VERY low three. 

Page turner and excellent character writing. 

Poppy Keogh

this book was a slow build and that made it hard to read until you get to the last third of it. other than that i would recommend it but I’ll probably never read again. makes me wanna watch fear street 1666 again that’s for sure

Cici Pearson

LIMEKI 

catalina

2,5. Me da rabia darle esta calificación porque estaba emocionada por leerlo.

Lo bueno es el primer 10%, el último 20% + prólogo y Forest.
Le bajé estrellas por los desnudos innecesarios y ciertas descripciones también innecesarias en el juicio.

Se supone que hay fallas históricas pero como no cacho nada de los puritanos no opino.

Really enjoyed the atmosphere of this book, and while the beginning was slow and world building, the last 20% was engrossing.  I felt the FMC's frustration with the 1666 Puritan lifestyle, so the ending was very satisfying.   

Jenny Engel

farrah 

actual rating: 3.5

the pacing of this is probably its biggest weakness, but then again i'm not used to reading slow, atmospheric horror/dark fantasy 

otherwise, good for her (abitha)!

short and delayed review so i'm missing details

3.25⭐️ - loved the middle and the buildup. minus points for being too grotesque at times.

Reagan

short and delayed review so i'm missing details

3.25⭐️ - loved the middle and the buildup. minus points for being too grotesque at times.

**most mild of plot/spoiler mentions**

- loved the writing style of the author

- the first death broke my heart

- many of the later deaths were grotesque- i had to start skipping during one of the last ones because it felt so over the top

- the BETRAYAL of the townspeople - i knew it was coming but STILL

You know that kind of story where you have been like really suffering alongside the character and you hate everyone, that’s so much of this book. Like the righteous misandrist fury I felt reading this. I was almost startled by my own “1600s Connecticut puritan” bloodlust (every other minute I was like, he can die too tbh) but that’s why we read… to learn not just about the world, but about ourselves. And I learned that it isn’t enough to merely strive to be the “granddaughters of the witches they couldn’t burn” or whatever that coaster in your Facebook aunts house says, nay, the new goal is to invest our collective energy into time travel because some dudes simply just, gotta go, and it’s worth the time paradox to see em gone. 

Anyways this is a story about a woman who tried to mind her own business but men who fail at their own shit bother her because they need her posessions to undo their mistakes. And it just so happens that she also around the same time befriended a guy with goat legs who is hanging around the forest. And well, sometimes circumstances converge and things go badly.

Apiecalypse Jen

You know that kind of story where you have been like really suffering alongside the character and you hate everyone, that’s so much of this book. Like the righteous misandrist fury I felt reading this. I was almost startled by my own “1600s Connecticut puritan” bloodlust (every other minute I was like, he can die too tbh) but that’s why we read… to learn not just about the world, but about ourselves. And I learned that it isn’t enough to merely strive to be the “granddaughters of the witches they couldn’t burn” or whatever that coaster in your Facebook aunts house says, nay, the new goal is to invest our collective energy into time travel because some dudes simply just, gotta go, and it’s worth the time paradox to see em gone. 

Anyways this is a story about a woman who tried to mind her own business but men who fail at their own shit bother her because they need her posessions to undo their mistakes. And it just so happens that she also around the same time befriended a guy with goat legs who is hanging around the forest. And well, sometimes circumstances converge and things go badly.

"Let us dance, you and I. Let us stir up some big magic this night. Let us call the moon and the stars to show us who we are."

I adored this, this was the first book in a long time that has given me that truly spooky, enchanting, bewitching feeling. I could envisage this story so vividly in my mind and it was beautiful. Abitha is a young women who was sold by her father from London into a Puritan village in Connecticut in 1666 (that year is great foreshadowing 😉) to marry a man named Edward. Edward is a disabled farmer who is paying off his debt to his older brother so that he can own his portion of their farm, and Abitha wants to help him because he is a kind man - but unfortunately she possesses the sharp tongue and witty mind of a street smart, cunning woman rather than a solemn, god-fearing Puritan woman and this gets her into trouble. Things start to get tense when tragedy strikes, leaving Abitha struggling to prove herself capable and worthy of the people judging her and of God. Then one day Samson shows up, he's a shadowy, enigmatic figure who seems bent on bloodshed, but in a brief altercation between the two, they realize they have a deeper connection and can help each fulfill their true selves and wants and needs.

"Devils at home, devil in the woods, devils at church, devils everywhere, is there no escape?"

The beginning of this book was a bit of a slow start, we are introduced to the daily lives of Abitha and Edward in their Puritan culture and we get previews of Samson's awakening and his confusion over who he is and why he's been called back to the land of the living. Due to the nature of the culture it does get a bit heavy into religious monotony, until about halfway through when things start to get really fascinating. I think it made for a good juxtaposition between the two halves of this book but I can imagine for some readers that would be a bit hard to slog through at first - but in my opinion it's worth it for that last 25% where things get properly devil-some and mischievous.

"If it is a witch they want... then a witch they shall have."

It was great to read an example of feminine rage portrayed by a male author, it was done pretty well in general although there were some parts that bordered on "not like other women" - but in the end I do think it was pretty realistic to how many religious women may have acted in those days, especially in a time where anything that was done differently to the norm, especially by a woman, was seen as evil. Abitha's character was powerful and smart, and I found it fascinating to follow her journey as she really genuinely tried to fit in with the village, her battle between innocence and morality in the face of people who would judge her for being strong willed and faced with the alluring call of magic and spiritualism. This really was a tale that portrayed "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and showed the two faces of religion, the people who think they are in the right often do terrible things to show it and the people who are seemingly in the wrong are often the ones who are the kindest and most caring.

"Angels must often do dark deeds in the name of the Lord."

Overall, a truly fascinating ready if you enjoy stories of witchcraft, devils, Mother Earth and the dangers of living in a time and place surrounded by pitchfork carrying angry mobs of villagers. I don't think this story would be for everyone but I truly enjoyed reading this!

Genevieve 

"Let us dance, you and I. Let us stir up some big magic this night. Let us call the moon and the stars to show us who we are."

4.5⭐'s

I adored this, this was the first book in a long time that has given me that truly spooky, enchanting, bewitching feeling. I could envisage this story so vividly in my mind and it was beautiful. Abitha is a young women who was sold by her father from London into a Puritan village in Connecticut in 1666 (that year is great foreshadowing 😉) to marry a man named Edward. Edward is a disabled farmer who is paying off his debt to his older brother so that he can own his portion of their farm, and Abitha wants to help him because he is a kind man - but unfortunately she possesses the sharp tongue and witty mind of a street smart, cunning woman rather than a solemn, god-fearing Puritan woman and this gets her into trouble. Things start to get tense when tragedy strikes, leaving Abitha struggling to prove herself capable and worthy of the people judging her and of God. Then one day Samson shows up, he's a shadowy, enigmatic figure who seems bent on bloodshed, but in a brief altercation between the two, they realize they have a deeper connection and can help each fulfill their true selves and wants and needs.

"Devils at home, devil in the woods, devils at church, devils everywhere, is there no escape?"

The beginning of this book was a bit of a slow start, we are introduced to the daily lives of Abitha and Edward in their Puritan culture and we get previews of Samson's awakening and his confusion over who he is and why he's been called back to the land of the living. Due to the nature of the culture it does get a bit heavy into religious monotony, until about halfway through when things start to get really fascinating. I think it made for a good juxtaposition between the two halves of this book but I can imagine for some readers that would be a bit hard to slog through at first - but in my opinion it's worth it for that last 25% where things get properly devil-some and mischievous.

"If it is a witch they want... then a witch they shall have."

It was great to read an example of feminine rage portrayed by a male author, it was done pretty well in general although there were some parts that bordered on "not like other women" - but in the end I do think it was pretty realistic to how many religious women may have acted in those days, especially in a time where anything that was done differently to the norm, especially by a woman, was seen as evil. Abitha's character was powerful and smart, and I found it fascinating to follow her journey as she really genuinely tried to fit in with the village, her battle between innocence and morality in the face of people who would judge her for being strong willed and faced with the alluring call of magic and spiritualism. This really was a tale that portrayed "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" and showed the two faces of religion, the people who think they are in the right often do terrible things to show it and the people who are seemingly in the wrong are often the ones who are the kindest and most caring.

"Angels must often do dark deeds in the name of the Lord."

Overall, a truly fascinating ready if you enjoy stories of witchcraft, devils, Mother Earth and the dangers of living in a time and place surrounded by pitchfork carrying angry mobs of villagers. I don't think this story would be for everyone but I truly enjoyed reading this!

Michaella 

This book is just...excellent
From the setting to the characters to the writing, this was just immaculate. I love this book and we stan Samson (he got some serious character development) and Abitha (she is an absolute badass). (we don't like Wallace tho). And the art is just gorgeous!

Also, what happened to Edward?

Could not put this book down. Perfect spooky season read. All I can say is - GOOD FOR HER! 

Gisela Ayala 

Loved the ambience, but the actual plot was so boring.

Heather Harrington

Mark Anderson

Slewfoot is the first book I have read by Brom and I 100% plan on picking up his previous (and future) works. To start, the character development in this book was amazing. I really enjoyed watching Abitha’s journey and growth as a character. It was so interesting seeing how Abitha navigated Puritan life in 1666 Connecticut and the lifestyle, beliefs, and hardships that accompanied those during that time. Brom did a great job setting the stage for the story and building to the climax of the book. The authors use of folklore and the Puritan beliefs was seamlessly woven into the story. It was great to see a story that stayed true to how the puritans spoke (for the most part) and how they viewed the world, including what they believed a witch to be. Brom did a fantastic job at building the paranoia and hysteria amongst the villagers and how it spreads like a virus.
However, this book is not without its faults. Towards the middle of the book, I felt the momentum come to a halt as the reader is introduced to a new, and rather brief, element. During this middle portion there are two moments where the author info dumps. This portion I found difficult to get through, but once you push through it, the last 30% of the book is wild. The climax of the book definitely makes up for the slow parts of the story. 
Overall, this book was full of mystery, self-exploration, and dark magic. I would highly recommend this, especially for anyone who enjoys dark fantasy as well as to fans of the movie The Witch (2015). As my eARC didn’t include the beautiful and haunting images that accompany Brom’s books, I cannot wait to see what the final product looks like when it is released on September 14. 

Thank you NetGalley and Brom for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Celeste Richardson

Brom is almost distressingly talented. Not only is the man a brilliant artist, he has a deft hand and quick wit when it comes to storytelling. Krampus was the first book I had ever read by him, and it was one of my top reads of 2021. This book didn’t hit me quite as hard, but it did prove to me that Krampus was definitely not a one-off. Slewfoot is an exploration of control through religion, the subjugation of women under the patriarchy, the dangers of suppression when mingled with superstition, and the near mystical ability of nature to heal herself from wounds inflicted by man. And on top of all that, it’s just a fun, if brutal, story.
“Angels must often do dark deeds in the name of the Lord.”
Our story takes places in Connecticut in 1666, in a small Puritanical colony. Abitha and her husband are trying to earn the rights to their land when Edward’s brother and landlord, Wallace, sells the land out from under them. After being forced to honor his deal with his brother instead by the ministers of the colony, Wallace is thrilled when tragedy strikes and Abitha is left a widow. But Abitha refuses to give up the land without a fight, instead pledging to pay off the debt and secure the land herself, in her husband’s name. Wallace is dead set against this, and will do anything to see Abitha fail. But Abitha isn’t as alone or unsupported as she appears.
“It seemed at times as though they took great joy in others’ failings, as it made them appear the better, the more pious, more likely to be included when the great rapture finally came and God gathered his flock to him.”
One of the things I love most about Brom is his balance. His stories are by turn beautiful and brutal, charming and grotesque. Nature is benevolent and malicious in equal measures, and those who call the wilds their home are innocent while also being fiercely bloodthirsty when such is called for. He also brilliantly presents the dichotomy between organized religion and more nature-based, traditional folklore and belief systems. I found this fascinating in Krampus, and equally as fascinating in Slewfoot. The wild magic he wrote into this book was lovely and terrifying. Yet another dichotomy that I really appreciated. 
“That is not what you want, that is what you need. You are not made out of needs, you are made out of your dreams and desires.”
Brom also did a wonderful job with his characters. There were some, like Wallace, who were completely and utterly despicable. There were other townsfolk, like Reverend Carter and the sheriff, who were more layered. The wildfolk were suitably creepy and impish and childlike, and I was fascinated by Brom’s artistic renderings of them. Then there were Abitha and Samson. These characters were incredibly multifaceted. I ached watching them struggle, and I loved watching their relationship change over the course of the novel.
“It’s not that complicated… Just do your best to treat others as you wish to be treated. What more needs to be said? … Puritans tended to make most moral matters as complicated as possible.”
I love Jesus, but I would never have survived in Puritanical New England. I would have been labeled a witch before I hit my twenties. We might have our share of issues in the current age, but I’m fervently thankful for the freedoms I have as a woman, that would not have been available to me in any past era. This is almost always my takeaway from historical fiction, and Slewfoot was no exception. This was definitely a “down with the patriarchy, down with the establishment” kind of book. Which could have felt awkward in the hands of some male authors, but Brom wrote a wonderfully multifaceted female main character in Abitha. There’s a saying I heard recently: “I support women’s rights, but more importantly, I support women’s wrongs.” That’s a perfect description of this book. 
“It is time to be magnificent.”
The horror elements in this were so well done. There was no doubt that this was truly a horror novel, complete with some horrific gore, but it wasn’t too gory to stomach. If you loved the movie The VVitch, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I’m going to need more horror in this colonial setting. And I’m definitely going to need more Brom.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

Stark Koenig

DNF, this was written by someone in dire need of an editor. Super repetitive and not particularly well researched or written. Loved the premise, hated the execution. 

Author cannot seem to imagine a human existence outside of colonial violence, so he represents the pre-European-contact Indigenous peoples of the region to be exactly like the colonists who wiped them out and ruined the natural habitats of the spirit folk. I find it particularly frustrating when the harms of capitalism and the colonial project are confused with so-called "human nature". 

I also get peevish when characters are written with anachronistic attitudes and speech patterns, unless it is consistent across the board and for a specific narrative reason. The main character is written as though she is a time traveller from the 20th century (I would say 21st but her feminist sensibility is distinctively second wave) who has never experienced the crushing patriarchal oppression of the time and place in which she lives, and the only reason for this seems to be a lack of effort on the part of the author to make her a more complex character.  

I gave it a couple of stars for good, spooky, atmospheric descriptions. Brom sets a good visual scene. 

Slewfoot A Tale of Bewitchery

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