Frightful Read: Slewfoot by Brom

A tale of witchcraft, wrath, and a devil with questions.

This month’s Frightful Read doesn’t creep softly from the shadows—it kicks the damn door off its hinges, antlers-first. Slewfoot is a witchy, wicked folktale soaked in rebellion, moss, and moral ambiguity, courtesy of the ever-sinister, ever-brilliant Brom.

If you’ve been craving something dark and defiant—with a side of horned monsters, burning patriarchy, and full-colour illustrations that’ll haunt your dreams like fever visions—pull up a chair, light a candle, and get ready.

🕯️ What It’s About (No Spoilers, Promise)

1666. A Puritan colony marinating in famine, paranoia, and righteous fury.

Enter Abitha: a young English widow with too much brain, too much backbone, and far too little patience for her pious, torch-wielding neighbours. She’s trying to survive in a world where being clever is suspicious and being independent is basically an invitation to get witch-stamped and set on fire.

And then something ancient stirs in the woods.

Slewfoot—a horned, shape-shifting creature with the charisma of the Devil and the existential crisis of a poet—awakens. He’s not quite sure what he is. But the villagers think they know. And that’s enough to ignite something wild.

What follows is part dark fairytale, part metaphysical battle cry. A story about identity, transformation, and power—with a wickedly seductive edge.

🌿 Why It’s Frightful

This is folk horror at its most potent. No cheap thrills. Just dread that creeps like ivy across the page. The trees breathe. The villagers bristle. And the tension? You could cut it with Abitha’s wit.

But here’s the real horror: it’s not the beast in the forest—it’s the preacher at your door. The neighbour, who smiles while lighting the pyre. The way a community turns cruelty into virtue with nothing but a sermon and a crowd.

Brom doesn’t just write horror—he paints it. In the shadows. In theology. In moss and blood.

💀 Who Should Read This?

You’ll devour Slewfoot if you’re into:

🌲 Sentient forests that whisper secrets you shouldn’t hear 

🐐 Demons who make you question your loyalties 

🧙‍♀️ Witchcraft as revolution, not just aesthetic 

⛪ Stories that dismantle religious hypocrisy with poetic fury 

✊ Feminist horror that snarls instead of simpers 

🎨 And yes—haunting, full-colour illustrations that make this book feel like a cursed artifact

Abitha is no damsel. She doesn’t just resist the system—she unearths something ancient and burns the blueprint. And Slewfoot? He’s less “hellfire” and more “feral philosopher with horns and unfinished business.”

🌒 Final Thoughts

Slewfoot isn’t just a horror novel—it’s a reckoning wrapped in antlers and spell work. It’s a reclamation of monstrousness. A fairy tale where the witch might save you and the Devil might just be the only one telling the truth.

If you’ve ever felt like too much—too wild, too angry, too alive—this book will speak to you in rustling leaves and bonfire smoke. And it won’t ask permission.

So step into the forest. But tread carefully. The trees are listening. And he’s waiting.

🕯️ Have you read Slewfoot? Would you bargain with the beast to survive the Puritans? Let’s talk.

And don’t forget to stay tuned for next month’s Frightful Read.