Alyus The Amazing

A Feminist Book Review of Slewfoot: Witches, Patriarchy, and a Sexy Goat Demon? Before We Begin: A Warning for the Faint of Heart (and Those Who Like to Be Emotionally Prepared) This review contains major spoilers for Slewfoot by Brom. If you haven’t read it yet, do yourself a favor—close this tab, go buy the book , and let it consume your soul before coming back. Trust me, you’ll thank me later. (And no, I don't get paid for the links on my blog.) That said, Slewfoot is not a gentle book. It’s dark, brutal, and drenched in blood—so before we dive into feminist rage, horned demons, and Puritan nightmares, here’s your content warning buffet: Trigger Warnings for Slewfoot Misogyny & Gender-Based Oppression – Welcome to Puritan New England, where women aren’t exactly thriving. Religious Abuse & Fanaticism – The church is less about salvation and more about controlling women and outlawing joy. Witch Hunts & Violence Against Women – It’s as bad as you’d expect...

  Before We Begin: A Word of Warning  Alright, listen up, dear reader—I’m about to gush hard about To Shape a Dragon’s Breath , but before we dive in, I have to give you a spoiler warning . Yes, that’s right, this review will contain major spoilers , deep analysis, and possibly some yelling (the excited kind). So if you haven’t read the book yet and you prefer to go in blind, stop right here and do yourself a favor: go grab a copy, devour it, and then come back so we can scream about it together. Need a link? I got you: Buy To Shape a Dragon’s Breath here!  and no I don't make money on this link. If you’ve already read it (or if you’re a chaos gremlin who loves spoilers), then buckle up, because we’re about to break down why this book is an absolute 10 out of 10 masterpiece of feminist, queer, and anti-colonial storytelling. Let’s get into it. The Burden of Being “The First” You know that classic story where a scrappy protagonist stumbles into a prestigious scho...

Men Don’t Actually Like Women  (And It’s Not Just a Vibe, It’s a Systemic Issue) Let’s get one thing straight: obviously, not all men. If you still need that disclaimer, you’re probably one of the men I’m talking about... Anyway.  As a system? As a society? Men are socialized to reject, resent, and ultimately dehumanize women, and then they have the audacity to ask why no one wants to sleep with them. Masculinity Is Just an Elaborate “No Homo” Ritual The way we teach boys to "be men" is actually just an endless tutorial on how to not be women . Masculinity, as our fine patriarchal overlords have constructed it, is basically one long, aggressive game of Opposite Day. Want to be a man? Great! Just spend your entire life making sure you are never associated with anything even remotely feminine. You know, things like: Crying (unless it’s about sports). Being emotionally available (unless you count trauma-dumping on women and calling it “deep conversations”). Enjoying art that i...

  I can’t believe I’m writing this, but Valley of Wolves is finally coming out on March 13th, and I couldn’t be more excited! This book has been a labor of love from the very beginning, and to see it finally ready to go out into the world is both thrilling and a little surreal. I started writing the novel version of Valley of Wolves on Halloween of last year, right after completing the screenplay for the TV show version. At first, I thought it would work best as a film, but the more I sat with the story, the more I realized it needed the depth and nuance that only a novel could provide. The screenplay ended up being the perfect roadmap for my first draft, which I wrote in just a month. From there, Jessie and a friend of mine took on the editing process, helping refine the story while keeping its heart intact. Now, after months of hard work, it’s finally ready for the world to read. This book means so much to me, not just as a writer but as a person. Valley of Wolves is about tra...

    Nosferatu (2025) Robert Eggers' Nosferatu (2025) is more than just a reimagining of the classic vampire mythos—it’s an eerie, profound exploration of the complex dynamics between gender, desire, and power. By grounding the horror in the oppressive structures that have long subjugated women, Eggers crafts a feminist critique of toxic obsession, patriarchal control, and the fear of female autonomy. Yet, despite its haunting beauty, the film stumbles in key areas where it could have delivered more nuanced empowerment. 1. The Monster as Patriarchal Power At its core, Nosferatu is a story of predatory male fixation. Orlok’s obsession with Ellen isn’t a romantic yearning—it’s a destructive hunger. Eggers leans into this by portraying Orlok as the embodiment of patriarchal entitlement: an undead force driven by the belief that a woman’s life and body can be possessed, controlled, and drained of vitality. What sets this version apart is Ellen’s resilience. She isn’t a passive v...