Hello friends! Welcome to the first book review of 2025! 🌸 Today, I am back with a 2024 read. I had the opportunity to join the book club of my high school friends, and these girls are insane with their witchy books—I must say that I am forever grateful for it because every now and then, I do like a change in my books. It was not the first book I’ve read with this group but it was the first one that helped me to commit to this book club so it holds a dear place in my heart. I could say so much about how fun this club is but I am planning to make a separate post just for it, so let’s start the book review.
I spent a lot of time thinking about how to review this book. Usually, I’d go into all the little details, breaking down every important moment. But this time, I want to focus on what really stuck with me: the themes, the atmosphere, and the way this story made me feel. Right from the first page, this book sets a heavy tone. Instead of slowly leading us to the inevitable, it throws us straight into it. We already know something terrible has happened in this Puritan village. The air is thick with dread before we even meet the main characters. There’s no warm introduction, no time to settle in. The darkness is already waiting. Then we meet Abitha. She’s strong-willed, sharp-tongued, and far from the quiet, obedient woman this society expects her to be. She didn’t grow up in this world of strict rules and religious fear, she married into it. Her husband, Edward, is different from the other men in the colony. He’s kind, hopeful, and determined to build a future for them. But kindness doesn’t count for much when you owe money to someone like Barnabas Goodson. He’s a man who hides his greed and cruelty behind the mask of religion, and in a place like this, men like him always hold the power.
Edward’s death changes everything. It happens quickly, almost unnaturally. One moment, Abitha has someone to shield her from the worst of the colony’s judgment. The next, she is alone. And for a woman like her, in a place like this, that is a very dangerous thing. This is when we meet Slewfoot, or at least, the being that will eventually go by that name. At first, he has no memory of who he is or what he can do. He is something ancient, something powerful, but also something lost. Watching him rediscover himself is one of the best parts of the book. Everyone else is trying to tell him who he is. A demon. A monster. A devil in disguise. But is he really? The truth is much more complicated. He is not the evil force the Puritans fear. He is something wilder, something older than their rigid beliefs. He is tied to nature, to cycles of death and rebirth, to the kind of power that men like Barnabas will never understand. Abitha and Slewfoot’s connection grows naturally, built on necessity and understanding. She needs him because she has no one else left. He needs her because her belief in him helps him find himself again.
One of the most striking things about this book is how it portrays Puritan society. These people claim to be righteous, yet they are driven by fear, greed, and the need to control. They twist faith into a weapon, using it to punish those who don’t fit their narrow expectations. Women, in particular, suffer the most. If you step out of line, if you are too independent, too outspoken, too different; you become a target. And once you are a target, there is little you can do to escape your fate. But this is not a story about helplessness. OH. NOPE. This is a story about power. What happens when those who have been oppressed refuse to back down? What happens when the thing you fear most turns out to be real, and it is no longer willing to hide?
Brom created such a rich, immersive world that blended historical horror with the supernatural so seamlessly that you stop questioning where one ends and the other begins. The book is brutal at times, full of fear, paranoia, and some truly horrifying moments. But it’s also satisfying. Because when the tables turn? Oh, it’s soo worth it. At its core, it isn’t just a story about witches and demons. It’s about power. It’s about survival. It’s about what happens when people let their fear drive them to do monstrous things—and what happens when those they’ve wronged finally get their revenge. It’s intense, gripping, and completely unforgettable.
Let me know what you think about it if you have read it! I am curious about your thoughts. Until I see you in my next post, see you friends! ⭐
Luster of Books 