Hello Blogging World!
Jonny
Hi, I’m Jonny, and I’m most certainly not a Puritan!
Misty
I have to agree with Jonny on this one. I’m definitely not a puritan!!
This buddy read and rant is for Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery by Brom.
Blurb:
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.
A spirited young Englishwoman, Abitha, arrives at a Puritan colony betrothed to a stranger – only to become quickly widowed when her husband dies under mysterious circumstances. All alone in this pious and patriarchal society, Abitha fights for what little freedom she can grasp onto, while trying to stay true to herself and her past.
Enter Slewfoot, a powerful spirit of antiquity newly woken … and trying to find his own role in the world. Healer or destroyer? Protector or predator? But as the shadows walk and villagers start dying, a new rumor is whispered: Witch.
Both Abitha and Slewfoot must swiftly decide who they are, and what they must do to survive in a world intent on hanging any who meddle in the dark arts.
Complete with 8 pages of Brom’s mesmerizing full-color artwork and chapter illustrations throughout, his latest book is sure to delight.
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Buddy Read Book Rant:
Jonny
Hey Misty, how’d you feel about Slewfoot? I’ve gotta say, I was a bit nervous about the historical fiction and fantasy elements jiving together, but this was a knockout for me. I loved it!
Misty
As you well know this isn’t something I would typically read. I don’t want to say it was out of my comfort zone because I don’t really feel like I have a comfort zone. I tend to read any genre just so long as the synopsis intrigues me(this one did) my go to is just always romance.
I went into this one cautious because I wasn’t sure how it would work for me but overall it’s enjoyed it.
Jonny
Yeah, same here. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be a match or not, but I’m pretty adventurous for a reader. Glad this was a pleasant surprise for both of us.
So what did you like most about the book?
For me, I think it was the era. There was something refreshing about taking a trip back in time where there are no phones or sophisticated technology. The world felt like this dangerous mysterious place that could easily kill you if you took a wrong step.
As much as I hate to admit it, the Puritans actually got me more into the book. Their attitude towards women or basically anything at all infuriated me, so I wanted to see each and every one of them suffer. I haven’t had a good past with organized religion, so maybe that’s why I clung to that element so strongly.
Misty
Yes I would say I’m an adventures reader as well. I’m glad we found another good one.
I guess I will have to say the era as well although the injustice happening throughout this book really pissed me off and I find that to be the case with a lot of historical books I read. I hate how unfair things are for a lot of different groups back then but unfortunately that’s part of history no matter how much it sucks. I like learning about stuff like this through the books I read.
The fantastical elements in this book were a bit weird and honestly had me confused for a big chunk of the book.
The puritans definitely added a bit of drama which added to that sitting on the edge of your seat waiting to find out how things would play out feeling. That’s the one thing this book excelled at in my opinion. It evoked so much anger in me I wanted to throw it across the room.
Jonny
Yeah, I had a feeling this read would annoy me, but I was hoping that a witchy read would tackle a lot of issues for Women’s History month, so I guess in that vein it was a success. Things were so unfair for women, especially Puritans. Practically no freedom, if they are wed, the husband controls everything, and of course being used to this treatment for so long, the men in this book are despicable.
I’ll admit, I was a bit confused at first as to how the fantasy element was going to work. It started out kinda scary, but it went more into the fantasy territory as things went on. It was still not super defined by the end, but somehow it still worked for me.
The drama was definitely there! All the politics between the small Puritan community of Sutton was pretty funny to watch. It makes me wonder how they thought their religion was going to work. Basically everyone accuses each other of not being holy enough and accusations just fly around. Did you actually throw it across the room? Pics or it didn’t happen lol!
Oh, how did you feel about Abitha?
Misty
Ugh pretty much every single man was horrible except for 2 maybe 3 of them. Like I seriously can’t believe that this was really a thing back in the day like how?
Yeah it never really got explained in a way that made complete sense to me but it somehow worked in the end for me as well.
Nope I did not throw it but I can’t say if that’s because I would never actually throw a book or if it’s because I didn’t have the book and I was reading it on my phone.
I liked Abitha. She’s resilient even though the odds aren’t in her favor. She never gave up and this is spoilery but I love that she got her revenge in the end. I’m not sure what that says about me but whatever. They deserved what they got.
Jonny
Oh, for sure! And those that were okay tended not to stick up for anyone else because of the collective oppression. Yeah, I’ve got no idea how this was a thing, but it’s terrible.
Totally. Kudos to the author for somehow making that work for the story. I doubt I could do it!
Yeah, I read this on my e-reader so I wasn’t gonna throw it, but I was tempted here and there.
Right? Abitha really made the story work because she wasn’t brought up Puritan, had her own opinions, and wasn’t afraid to let them be known as long as she could fly under the harsh radar of the other Puritans. She got in a lot of trouble but she had more of a modern sensibility to her that I think the book needed. Eh, that’s not that bad of a spoiler if you ask me. I recently watched a movie where the comeuppance was hinted at but never came and I wanted my two hours back by the end of it. This town definitely deserved what they got.
Misty
I can understand being afraid to speak but at the same time someone has too.
Yeah I would never be able to do it either but that’s because I am so not a writer.
Abitha was probably my favorite character but I think that was the authors intentions. That’s the worst when something is hinted at but never actually happens. And yes they definitely deserved what they got for sure. Again I don’t know what that says about me. 😂
Jonny
Right. I kind of wanted a bit more support for Abitha, but given the situation I understand it was a losing battle.
Shoot, I don’t even know if I could spin something like that.
Abitha was worth rooting for, for sure! I also liked Edward a lot, Abitha’s husband. He had this weird fatherly energy and it created this interesting dynamic that I wish we would’ve gotten to see more of. Although Abitha and Samson had an interesting relationship that was fun to watch blossom into something that wasn’t quite defined. The author really has a knack for that, huh?
I think I know what it is in general. We’re at this cultural moment in the states where we’ve gotten really fed up with unfairness and I think it carries over into books. It definitely works for the book instead of against it.
Misty
Yeah it would have been nice if Abitha had a little bit of support but that would have been a different story.
I liked Edward as well so I was a little surprised about his role. I was going to say I would have like more of the story after the events of what happened in this book because I feel like there’s more there if that makes sense. This is actually the first book I’ve read by this author but I’d like to read more.
Jonny
Yeah, that’s fair.
I agree! I think this story had so much potential that it could keep going. It doesn’t seem likely that the author is going to do that, but it would be nice to see. Either way, I’m definitely going to consider their other works in the future. So glad we did this, friend!
What were you thinking of for our next buddy read? Next month’s heritage month is Arab American Heritage Month and I was thinking of trying out Jina Bazzar’s Shadow Walker fantasy series. Seems like a lot of fun.
Misty
I’ll definitely have a look and see if I’m interested anything else and let you know.
I’ve actually read a lot of her books. I think there’s something not 2 series I haven’t read and 1 I need to continue. I’m good with Shadow Walker. I’ve actually been meaning to read it for a while now.
Jonny
Perfect!
Okay, sounds like a plan. Thanks again for doing this with me. We’ve been having a lot of good luck lately with our picks, so hopefully that’ll continue!
Misty
Thanks for suggesting this one. It’s been on my TBR for a while and probably would have stayed there otherwise. Fingers crossed we can continue on this good streak.
That’s A Wrap!
Thanks for joining us on our buddy read and rant of Slewfoot! We had a lot of fun, and hope you did too! We will definitely be doing some more buddy reads in the future, so stay tuned!
In the meantime, why not check out Misty and Jonny’s other fun buddy reads?
Buddy Read: Cemetery Boys
Buddy Read: Ravensong
Buddy Read: Wolfsong
Buddy Read: Magic Bites
Buddy Read: The First to Die at the End
Buddy Read: They Both Die at the End
Buddy Read: Under the Whispering Door
Buddy Read: The Burning World
Buddy Read: Warm Bodies
Buddy Read: The Wicked Deep
Buddy Read: The Locke & Key Series
Buddy Read: Dark Lover
Buddy Read: Please Don’t Tell My Parents I’m a Supervillain
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