I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson Published by Ace Books on July 21 2020
Genres: Adult, Horror
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Dark and unsettling, The Year of the Witching is perfect for fans of horror-tinged, dystopian fantasy.
You know me, when I see a book with the word “witch” in the title, I’m all over it! So of course I couldn’t wait to read The Year of the Witching, a debut that really impressed me. Henderson’s story has familiar themes and elements—a puritanical, male dominated society reminiscent of The Handmaid’s Tale, and a polygamous culture where woman are little more than breeding machines, which reminded me of the Mormon faith, just to name two examples—but it also has a flavor all its own. This book felt like a dark fairy tale at times, mostly due to Henderson’s lyrical writing style, but also because the story centers around a mysterious and dangerous forest called the Darkwood. I was mesmerized by this tale of witches, dark curses and dangerous family ties, and I raced through it in only a few days.
Bethel is a village cut off from the rest of the world, whose residents follow strict codes and rules and worship the Good Father. Sin of any kind isn’t tolerated at all, and those found guilty of sins are thrown into a desolate prison called Contrition or burned on the village pyre. The leader of the village is the Prophet, a man who channels the Father and demands obedience and piety from his flock. Those women lucky enough to catch the Prophet’s eye become his wives, and after a “cutting” ceremony where the Prophet carves his sigil on their foreheads, the wives dutifully begin to produce children, their reward for these burdens being protection and lives of ease.
Immanuelle is a young girl nearing her seventeenth birthday who has never really fit in with the rest of her peers. Many girls her age are already married, and even her best friend Leah will soon become one of the Prophet’s wives. Immanuelle is teased endlessly about her mixed race appearance—her dark skin and curly hair set her apart from the rest of Bethel’s inhabitants. Immanuelle knows little about her mother, who died giving birth to her, but she is drawn to the energy of the Darkwood, a forbidden place ruled by the Dark Mother, where the spirits of four witches are rumored to live.
When Immanuelle unexpectedly encounters the witches, she triggers a horrible plague upon Bethel, a plague that only she can stop. With the help of an enigmatic boy named Ezra, Immanuelle sets out to learn more about her family history and the reasons behind the plague. Bethel may not be perfect, but it’s the only life she’s ever known, and Immanuelle will do anything to break the curse and save her family.
Henderson is brilliant at evoking a sinister atmosphere, and I loved her descriptions of the different plagues that beset the village of Bethel. One plague involves blood, and the descriptions of blood seeping up through the ground and mixing with the mud on the road makes for some very disturbing imagery. I also loved the Darkwood and the witches who live there. You’ve seen many stories with creepy forests as settings, and this is another one that worked really well. The witches themselves are more beast than human, and the author gives the reader lots of backstory to explain how the witches came to live in the forest. This is a very dark story, although some of the darker elements are off the page (rape, abuse, etc). But readers looking for an upbeat, feel good story should definitely look elsewhere.
I loved many of the characters in this book, especially Immanuelle, a girl who sincerely wants to do the right thing, but who also discovers the corruption and evil lying just beneath the surface of Bethel’s ruling faction. Ezra is the potential love interest—although Henderson keeps the romance to a minimum—but I loved that Ezra wants nothing more than to leave Bethel and visit the wide world beyond the walls, even though he’s the Prophet’s son and must pretend to be pious and loyal to his father. Late in the story, Immanuelle meets her maternal grandmother Vera, who lives in the Outskirts, the slum part of Bethel where people of color are forced to live. We don’t get to spend a lot of time with Vera, but what I saw of her I loved.
I mentioned before that some of the elements seem very familiar, and this might be the story’s only downfall. You’ll not only find hints of other familiar dystopian societies, but also the Salem witch trials and traditional fairy tales. You won’t be surprised by how horrible the Prophet is, a man who thinks it’s his responsibility to put people to death for committing the smallest of sins—even seeing someone else sin is considered a sin. But I think Henderson has done a great job of twisting these elements into a unique story that has some surprises along the way.
Despite its dark tone, I loved the story’s hopeful ending. Immanuelle stands firm in her loyalty to Bethel, and I was surprised by her choices at the end. There isn’t any indication of a sequel on Goodreads, but when I checked the author’s website, she mentions that a sequel will be out next year! This is very good news, because as I was reading I had the feeling that Immanuelle’s and Ezra’s stories weren’t finished. Readers who like their tales on the dark side are going to love this book.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy.
This was an amazing review and I am glad you enjoyed this book so much!!
Thank you Susy!
Awesome review. It sounds like it’d be a disturbing book if not for the ending.
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…My 5th Sense
The ending was really good. I’m glad it wasn’t a complete downer:-)
Dark indeed, but very intriguing: stories based on small, closed communities are often fascinating and from your review it’s clear that the author knows how to bring this element to life. Adding this to my “wanted” list, and thank you so much for sharing!! 🙂
Maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…Short Story: SINEW AND STEEL AND WHAT THEY TOLD, by Carrie Vaughn
I find myself fascinated by these types of societies too. I think that’s why I didn’t mind so much that it reminded me of other stories.
Great review, Tammy. I’m really looking forward to this one!
Thanks Lauren, I hope you enjoy:-)
This sounds awesome. I’m on a book tour for it next month and now I can’t wait to pick it up!
Oh cool, have fun!
I’m looking forward to reading this one. My reading buddy and I both have it on our lists.
Heather Lindskold recently posted…Two Must-Read Novels in Verse: The Black Flamingo and Clap When You Land
Oh cool, I hope you both enjoy:-)
Fabulous review, Tammy – thank you! There are many elements about this story that pull me towards it , but I’m not in a place right now where I want quite so much darkness in my life. I’m glad you found it such a great read!
I definitely know what you mean, I choose my “dark” books carefully these days:-) Thank you Sarah!
Great review, Tammy. 🙂 Judging from the book cover, I had hoped it to be a good book. Your review proved me correct. As far as familiar elements are concerned, there are so many books in the market now, you can’t help but read the same things in many books. What’s important is if the author can bring a fresh perspective to it. Seems like Henderson has achieved that.
Debjani recently posted…The Ship of Shadows by Maria Kuzniar – Review & Blog Tour
Yes, it’s almost impossible to come up with something completely original these days:-)
Yayyy, great review! I can’t wait to read this one – hopefully this weekend! 😀
I can’t wait to hear what you think:-) Thanks Destiny!
Great review! This sounds like a must-read!
I really enjoyed it!
Eeeek! This sounds deliciously dark. I really wanna read it now!
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…ARC Review: High Flyer by Michelle Diener
I hope you get the chance!
Excellent review! I just wasn’t sure I could handle the dark right now but I’m sure I might enjoy this at some time.
I know what you mean;-) Thank you Anne!
Great review, I’m Looking forward to reading this one!
Heather @ RandomRedheadedRamblings recently posted…Review – Malorie by Josh Malerman
Thanks Heather:-)
Wow, Tammy. You’ve given me a lot to look forward to with this one. I even like the sounds of the touches of familiarity. Lovely review!
Sometimes that familiarity can be a good thing:-)
Not that I really knew what to expect, but this isn’t anything like it. This sounds worth checking out, darkness and all. Great review, Tammy!
It wasn’t quite what I was expecting, but I’m OK with that:-) Thanks Todd!
I loved this review, you did a great job selling the atmosphere in this book, I really want to read it now. Well not now now, maybe sometime with less plagues
Ha ha, I know what you mean. I’m surprised at how many plague books are coming out these days!
Excellent review Tammy. I really enjoyed this one as well and I’m glad to hear there’s a sequel because I felt like there was room to keep going once I reached the end.
I’m really glad there’s a sequel. I thought it ended fine, but I could tell the story wasn’t over.
I love dark, witchy books and this sounds so good! I’m glad you enjoyed it. I can’t wait to pick this book up.
Soudha Parsan recently posted…Cinderella Is Dead: Book Review + Author Interview
I hope you get the chance to read it!
This sounds amazing, also puts me in mind a little of the Shyamalan film the Village.
OMG – the prophet – you wouldn’t want to be ‘lucky’ enough to grab his attention would you! Urgh.
Lynn 😀
Lynn recently posted…Friday Face Off : Framed – more meanings than one.
Now that you mention it, it does sort of remind me of The Village:-)
Gotta love a hopeful ending! Glad you enjoyed this one, Tammy!
The book was pretty dark, so that hope at the end was a surprise:-)
I still need to read this, but I couldn’t resist taking a peek at your review anyway. xD Sounds like I’m going to like the writing style of this one! I can’t wait to pick this up even more now. I didn’t realize there was going to be a sequel, either, so that’s good to know!