Brom

I really wanted to like this book. I has faeries! Peter Pan! An adult spin! But really, it was a hollow echo of a much better work, and I was severely disappointed.

Brom's writing is choppy, his editor ought to be spanked for not taking a firmer hand in the formatting. It was a huge turn off. That alone shaves a star off the rating. Miserable set up makes for unhappy reading.

The characters were shallow and lacked much personality. The mishmash of religion, abuse, myth was hamhanded. Worst of all, the complete lack of resolution of the central character's conflict - that'd be Nick, not Peter - is terrible storytelling and I can't believe that this is a third novel, instead of a 'could have used a stronger editor' first attempt!

It is a book to avoid unless you are REALLY that desperate for a new take on Peter Pan. Brom's a fantastic artist, but his fiction is not, sadly, worth reading. Maybe his other works are better -- but this one is a total pass unless you like poorly formatted stories wherein the protagonist does whatever he wants, and only the people around him suffer for it -- and somehow, you're supposed to be happy at his personal validation of all the horrible things he did at the end of the book.

Sorry, just not interested.… (meer)

Set in the 1600’s, new wife Abitha and her Puritan husband Edward struggle to make ends meet with a healthy portion of their farm’s crops earmarked to go to Edward’s brother, Wallace, for payment of land that Wallace inherited when their father died.

With only a single payment left until Edward becomes the farm’s deeded owner, there seem to be brighter days ahead, only Wallace has made another deal that put Edward’s ownership at risk.

Abitha urges Edward to speak out against Wallace, but women are not allowed to engage in business, and her boldness endangers her. When Edward dies, Abitha is left alone with a looming debt meant to ruin her. The events that follow leave her at constant odds with a brother-in-law determined to see her fail, which is when Abitha embraces her pagan roots, turning to her ancestors for aid in her time of need.

Enter Slewfoot, a magical being with a bit of an identity crisis who has been awakened to reign terror on the Puritans and instead seeks to understand his true nature while becoming entangled with the bewitching Abitha. Samson, as Abitha calls him, is both provider and protector, but is he also the devil? The Puritans think so, and things go from bad to worse for Abitha.

Will she keep her land? Will she die as a witch? Will Wallace win, or does nature have other plans?

A clever mix of historical fiction and folklore, Slewfoot is an engaging tale of the bond between a riveting cast of characters and the forces of good and evil. Highly recommended.… (meer)