“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.”
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.
Well, this one has been sitting on my shelf for quite a while and it took spooky season to finally make me pick it up and get to it. And I have to say I am very glad I did.
First off let me say, what a disturbingly lovely story. I love the idea of mixing the puritan witch hunts, that we all know and love lol, with real magic. The idea that the puritans might have actually killed a real witch or two with their ridiculous trials is kind of funny is a very morbid sort of way.
I have been having a dark fantasy itch lately and this witchcraft, horned goat man, evil shaman vibe really hit the spot for me. The funniest thing about that vibe is that the most disturbing parts of the books weren’t even the weird magical side of things, it was the regular old humans. I think this book really speaks to the effect greed and power can have on people to the point that they can convince themselves they are in the right no matter what they do.
The book has you fully rooting for the “bad” side, conventionally speaking, even though in the end no one is really the good side. Haha
Was that an incoherent ramble? Yes. Is that any different from normal? No.
Bottom line, I loved this short little tale of bewitchery. It was a perfect spooky season read.
The Shadow Library 