It's Spooky Season! Slewfoot by Brom

Available now

CW: animal death and cruelty, human torture, patriarchal bs, horror related terror

It’s almost Spooky Season and this book needs to be on your reading list! It’s so creepy and dark and sad and infuriating and All The Things! I saw this title on a list of underrated horror novels and had never heard of it before and the title and cover immeadiately hooked me. I don’t know about you, but I’ve gotten pretty good at watching the clock app with my Library app up so I can immeadiately put books on hold.

Friends, this book gave me nightmares. You have to read it. It has illustrations! Incredibly creepy illustrations.

In 1666 Connecticut, a young woman named Abitha is facing eviction from her home and years of servitude to her brother-in-law after her husband’s tragic and mysterious death. After a desperate plea to the town’s leaders, Abitha is given one last chance to plant and harvest enough corn to pay off her husband’s debts and finally be free from her evil and overbearing BIL.

Deep in the woods, an ancient spirit is slowly awakening. Surrounded by impish and mischievous spirits, the ancient one struggles to remember his past and his connection to the woods around him. When he notices Abitha, he is drawn to her in ways he can’t explain. Intent on gaining her trust, he leaves her small gifts of food and offers protections against the threats of the local men and the law. His quiet and protective nature slowly begins to win Abitha over and when her situation turns dire, she knows he is the only one who can save her and the two begin a tenuous friendship.

Together, Abitha and Samson, the ancient one, work to thwart the threats against Abitha’s land, but end up inciting a war between the Pagans and the Puritans.

Slewfoot is a beautifully written horror tale set in Puritanical New England. From the first page, we know that Something is waking up in the forest. In that same forest, we meet Abitha and learn that this is not the life she dreamed for. Forced to cross an ocean and marry a man she had never met, she has to hide her mother’s Pagan teachings and beliefs and live the strict and austere life of a Puritan wife. She’s tired, cold, hungry and has lost their last goat in the woods. If that wasn’t enough stress, she feels guilty her husband isn’t disappointed in her and they return home to find his evil, nasty brother there to inform them he has sold their home to pay off his debts. Edward, Abitha’s husband, is a timid and meek man and really struggles to stand up for himself and his wife. Abitha can’t speak her mind without the threat of harm and punishment from the Puritanical town leaders. It’s this exchange that sets off a dangerous chain of events that pits Wallace, the BIL, against Abitha. The amount of patriarchal nonsense that we are forced to listen to from These Men! It was absolutely enraging to read but our Abitha is a fierce and determined soul who and it’s impossible to not root for her. Even at her lowest point, she never gives up and puts up an incredible fight against everyone who is wishing her her failure.

Samson, or the Ancient Spirit, is a fascinating character. He awakens with the help of spirits who look like small children in animal suits-and bizarre animals at that. A floating fish, a raven, and an opossum but with human children’s faces-you have to see the illustrations, they’re incredible. Samson is named for Abitha’s poor goat how was lured to his death to feed him. He has no memory and isn’t by nature a hateful or evil entity. Being around Abitha seems to calm him he is drawn to her in a way he can’t understand. As he grows into his power, he becomes more and more animated and friendly with Abitha, but he also grows incredibly protective of her. It makes for a fascinating dynamic because Abitha is convinced he’s the devil, but he doesn’t want to hurt her, and in fact, wants to protect her. Also, Abitha seems to have some powers of some kind…that are amplified by working her magic with Samson.

I don’t want to spoil the ending so I’ll leave you with this:

Abitha is incredible. I loved the journey her character ended up taking.

I loved this book and now I need everything written by this author.

Everything.

If you’d like to add this book to your shelf, you can click on the cover or here for ordering information.

As always, links are affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases. As always, tell your Library they need this on their shelves because we can’t know about EVERY book even though we wish we could.

Happy Spooky Season!

The Violence by Delilah S. Dawson

Available Now

CW: Physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, animal death, graphic violence

Even with all that said, I was fortunate enough to read this book in 2021, but I can already tell you, it’s going to be both my favorite book of 2021 and 2022. I love this book so much! It’s fierce, it’s funny, it’s emotional, it’s rage-filled-bring-down-the-patriarchy-burn-the-world-down joy. I really, really love this book.

When the world is quickly overtaken by a mysterious and deadly disease that turns it’s victims into ruthless killing machines, one woman finally sees her way out of an abusive marriage. After years of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse from her husband David, Chelsea Martin finally has a way to escape and save herself and her daughters. But the road to freedom is far from smooth and along the way, Chelsea discovers that she, and all the women in her life, are far stronger and resilient than she ever thought possible.

Delilah S. Dawson has given us an amazing story that is the epitome of life giving you lemons and you turning them into an artisanal cocktail. The Violence is an extremely contagious virus that causes uncontrollable rage and violent behavior in its victims. The rage is so intense, the infected person often has to memory of attacking another person, or animal, and has increased strength and speed. As cases begin to mount, Chelsea is able to use the world wide panic as a way to frame her husband, kind of, and create an escape route for her children. It’s through Chelsea’s journey to find independence and safety for her two daughters, one in high school and one in early elementary, that we see how Chelsea’s own mother’s behavior and and personality was shaped by an abusive upbringing. Knowing only heartbreak from her own parents, Chelsea’s mother parented her in the same cold, and emotionally abusive way and is distant towards her only grandchildren.

Dawson has created fully fleshed characters that draw you in to their pain and inspire you with their growth and determination. Patricia, Chelsea’s mother, grew up extremely poor and has married her away to a country club membership and sitting judge as a husband. With her new money and sophisticated lifestyle, she will go to any length to keep her history as a poor, single mother in the past. Her perfectionist attitude towards appearance and money made her relationship with Chelsea distant and cold. Chelsea, wanting a better life for her daughters, is scared to break the image of a perfect marriage and life she has made with David. Her days of keeping house, carpools, and hair appointments hide the carefully crafted home life designed to please her husband and her husband only. Seeing her mother cower from her father and the fights that occur night after night, Ella, Chelsea’s oldest daughter, has found herself in a precarious position with her first steady boyfriend. Dawson shows us, through these women, how strong the hold of abuse is and how hard it is to shake. Even with the best of intentions, it’s an incredibly hard cycle to break.

I loved this book and it’s fierce cry of pure, female rage. Time and again, our characters are thrown huge obstacles, often by men, and they come out on top, stronger and more confident than before. Their journey is incredibly hard, but it’s beautiful to see what they’ve made of themselves. Even with all the violence and darkness, there are many moments of hope to find within The Violence. Good people, strokes of good luck, and second chances are interwoven throughout providing light and hope. It’s a spectacular story that is both timely, and timeless. The Violence is an emotional roller coaster ride through overcoming trauma, finding the strength that was always within, and hope for a better future.

If you would like to add this amazing book to your shelf, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links, and I may earn from qualifying purchases.

The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

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In The Woman They Could Not Silence, Kate Moore once again tackles an incredibly grim and complicated portion of our history in an accessible and compelling way. Thoroughly researched and skillfully crafted, Elizabeth Packard’s harrowing journey through the murky medical systems, ruled by a patronizing group of doctors, unfolds. Sent to an asylum by her overbearing and strict husband for merely speaking her opinion, Elizabeth Packard quickly discovered that the law was far from being on her side. Faced with her new reality, Elizabeth swiftly begins contacting close friends and collecting information to build the case of her sanity. But in an era where women were unable to own property, control their finances, or be placed in an asylum for simply reading novels, Elizabeth faced a monumental battle. 

Kate Moore writes excellent narrative non-fiction and really brought Elizabeth’s story to life. Just as in her previous books, Moore really focused on the people and their humanity. While the situations these women were placed in were cruel and barbaric, Moore also placed emphasis on the women’s roles in society at the time and their lack of rights within the laws. At no point does Moore excuse anyone’s behavior, only placing the situations in context of the time period. While this heartbreaking and emotional story is well researched and well written, it did feel longer than necessary and the beginning of the book was much slower in pacing than the last half. Overall, Kate Moore has given us another important and emotionally moving look at the complicated history of medicine and mental health. 

If you would like to add this powerful book to your collection, you can find ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own. 

This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases. 

The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

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This just might be my favorite book of the year. I’ve read some pretty great stuff in the last month, but I really think this book was written just for me. Reader friends, we are given a foul-mouthed, whip-smart, magical badass who has to survive by her wits and ability to manipulate others, and of course, succeeds. 

Please don’t comment on my misuse of commas. It’s a quirk. It’s charming. I promise. 

Dellaria is short on her rent, her mother’s rent, and needs a job fast. After having a “hard promise” put on her by her landlady, Dellaria must come up with rent or risk having her face covered in magically applied pustules. When a shady card game leads to her arrest, Dellaria falsely claims she is expected at an interview for a powerful and wealthy family, and is completely surprised when a Lady from said powerful and wealthy family comes and retrieves her from the jail for her supposedly fake interview. Turns out, Dellaria is a pretty powerful fire witch and would make an excellent bodyguard for a wealthy woman if Dellaria can only keep her focus and not run off to have drinks and shenanigans with the local men. When Dellaria’s employer is attacked through magical means, Dellaria and her fellow bodyguards discover that they are in far more danger than they were led to believe. Now, Dellaria is caught up in the mystery of who wants to attack Dellaria’s employer, how that connects to the rising drug problems in the area, her growing attraction to one of her wealthy colleagues and should she pursue her for love or the possibility of wealth and safety. The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry is an engaging and thrilling adventure full of humor and action. It has a delightful cast of characters, nearly all women with magical abilities and all incredibly interesting. Dellaria develops what seems to be her first set of real friends and she really struggles to learn how to accept help and positive encouragement. The world found within this story is very interesting. While it appears to be set in old-timey England, with its social classes and fancy dress shops, it’s actually quite progressive. Those with money and social power can “household” another person which I took to mean a relationship similar to marriage. I could be wrong, but that’s how I understood it. These household relationships don’t have to be male-female. Same sex relationships are completely ordinary, happen all the time and it was just so nice to see it treated that way. Slight spoiler-when Dellaria finds herself in the position of potentially be householded, she is all flirty eyebrows and waggly eyebrows and her potential partner is all, slow down girl, we have all the time in the world and Dellaria is just floored! Who turns down Dellaria’s advances? There are some references to a prestigious school for magically gifted children that would make an excellent prequel. Fingers crossed that this book is written as well as many, many more in this world.

I swear a lot. A lot. It’s a miracle that my son’s first word was “dog” and not an f-bomb. Dellaria has at least two swear words in every sentence and it never feels performative, it’s just truly her personality. But even with all of her swearing and questionable grammar, Dellaria is still a smart and empowered character. She really does believe in herself and her worth and she works her butt off throughout the entire book. Everytime that she should just give up and give in, she rises to the occasion and pulls through. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait to hear what everyone thinks of it. I loved the world, the magic, the characters, it’s all just so good! If you would like to add this amazing book to your collection, you can get ordering information here:

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.  This post contains affiliate links and I earn from qualifying purchases.