I tore through this book in a single day. It's the exact kind of witchy tale I've been looking for. The kind of achingly tense, terrifying atmosphere you get in horror with the "tear it all down" politics of today's best fantasy. Highly recommend!

Full review available from July 27th: https://inkandplasma.wordpress.com/2020/07/27/the-year-of-the-witching-by-alexis-henderson-review/

Rating: 4.5 stars!

Thanks to Bantam Press for the review copy of this book, this hasn’t impacted my honest review.

Trigger Warnings: misogyny, misogynistic slurs, branding, racism, persecution, pedophilia, coercive control, death.

I kept seeing The Year of the Witching advertised as a dark feminist story, and Alexis Henderson absolutely nailed that. It wasn’t the kind of dark that I usually go for, but I liked that. The Year of the Witching didn’t scare me, it empowered me. I honestly read the epilogue with tears in my eyes and a fire in my heart. Cliche? Sure, but I wanted to overthrow the patriarchy and rebuild.

The religious horror in this book included all the story beats I expected for a book featuring witch burnings, but at the same time it was so much worse than I could have anticipated. A lot of the trigger warnings in this book stem from the Prophet and the hyper-religious attitudes towards women. The women in Bethel are property to be handed from father to husband with little agency. Women are chosen as wives, and those married to the Prophet get a symbol carved into their forehead to prove it. Their role is homemaker and child-bearer and men can marry as many women as they want – while women are burned at the pyre for unfaithfulness. The way that Immanuelle and the other women in this book are treated is a misery to watch. By the time the plagues hit, I was rooting for the witches. But Immanuelle made a fascinating protagonist – and a much better person than I am! It turns out I have such a soft spot for infinitely powerful women who choose to Be Good instead of burning the world to the ground with their phenomenal cosmic powers (though for real catch me writing fanfic of Immanuelle heading a coven of witches and spreading plague).

The settings are as glorious and vividly described as they are terrible, and I could so clearly imagine Bethel wrapped in the Darkwood and the insular society that that kind of isolation would build, with the added benefit that no matter how awfully characters behaved, it never seemed outlandish or impossible. I adore horror that hammers home that people are far more dangerous and terrifying than any paranormal influence, and there’s no better setting for that then trapped-in-the-community. I kind of want to know what the world beyond the woods is really like, in the heathen cities, because it felt like Bethel was trapped in history and religious fanaticism.

The most beautiful part of this, to me, was the juxtaposition of the dark, evil actions of Bethel’s men and the Darkwood against Immanuelle’s fierce sense of right and wrong and the pure love she has for everyone around her. I absolutely adore Immanuelle, and I feel like with the right motivation she could do literally anything. It made it so easy to root for her, and left me finishing the book with a feeling of hope despite the darkness in the last part of the story.

4.5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House/Transworld for providing me with an e-review copy of this book.

The world in this book was scary to me, it felt dark, grey, gritty, empty but claustrophobic. It reminded me a bit of the VVitch movie, in many ways - but mostly aesthetically and atmospherically (like I said, it felt very grey and dark). It is full of religious fanaticism, burning people alive, a religious leader who has many wives, men who rape teenage girls, men who beat their wives, etc. Women are super oppressed, not that the average man isn't also oppressed, but as in all things even oppressed men are able to oppress their women. There is a scary forest that has evil witches in it.

The MC is a biracial 17yo girl whose mother was a crazy witch, and she lives in a place where black people (and her skin is indeed dark) are not viewed as good people. So she is super outcast. The story is mostly about her learning some truths about her mother, about the forest and the witches in it, the religion and Prophets who are in charge. There are also plagues: including one which turns all the water to blood, and one which makes people fevered and crazy and suicidal and homicidal.

The first half or maybe three quarters of this book felt like a horror book to me. As we explore the small world the MC lives in, learn about the world and the religion, see the literal sacrifices, hear about the burnings, see some truths about everything that the MC is a little too young and naive to recognise yet. And of course as we explore the forest and encounter some horrors in there. As a woman and a Goddess-worshipping Pagan I found it quite scary on a deeply personal level (I'd be burned years ago in that world), and creepy on a horror loving level. It was really amazing.

The last part of the book took a slight turn, but I knew it was coming. This is surely an adult book, and it is a horror, and yet for some reason it went a little bit YA at the end. We have insta-love, though thankfully it wasn't too overbearing or anything. But it did end up impacting the plot near the end and it was a bit... eye-rollingly ugh. Unfortunately the horror part of the book kind of disappeared before the end as well. Once we knew a good amount of secrets, suddenly the atmosphere dropped and things became just, normal feeling. It was weird. I think it's because it started focusing less on the world and everything, and a little bit more on the characters. The ending itself wasn't exactly what I was hoping for either, some of the things that happened were disappointing

In the end I would give the first parts of the book a fantastic scary 5 stars, but the last part brought it down a little bit - not too much, just a little - so this comes out at 4.5 stars for me. If Henderson writes any more horror I will definitely give it a go though, she did it really well at the start.

This book was on my radar but I don't usually read horror so I wasn't sure to read. When I had a chance to get an arc I wanted to give it a try. This book pitched as a feminist dystopian story and it definitely worth reading. I really loved it. Especially powerful female characters. It was definitely a dark and scary but amazing story to read.

My thanks to Random House Transworld Publishers/Bantam Press for their invitation to receive an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Year of the Witching’ by Alexis Henderson. The opinions in this review are my own.

It was published on 23 July and I elected to obtain its audiobook edition, narrated by Brianna Colette, and listened alongside reading the eARC allowing for an immersive experience.

This is something of a witchy ‘Handsmaid’s Tale’; set in Bethel, a strict religious community ruled over by the Prophet, the kind who feels the need for many young wives. Bethel is surrounded by the Darkwood, a forbidden place haunted by the spirits of four witches killed by the first Prophet.

Sixteen-year-old Immanuelle was born out of wedlock and raised by her maternal grandparents after her mother was executed for consorting with witches. She is a shepherdess and on returning from market with a ram, aptly-named Judas, that she had been unable to sell she is shocked when he rears, breaks free and bolts into the Darkwood. Immanuelle follows and whoops runs into witches! Yet rather than menace her, they present her with her dead mother’s diary: a very dangerous artefact.

I won’t say more in order to avoid spoilers though the diary proves an important key for Immanuelle to access her legacy though having it in her possession could lead to the pyre.

This was a compelling dystopian-horror though it did seem that the witches of the Darkwood were only driven by the desire for revenge. While this made for good horror there was little sense of a more moderate path between the strict quasi-Biblical teachings of the Prophets and these destructive energies.

However, there was a glimpse of a more positive religion when Immanuelle visits her father’s people. They are forced to live on the outskirts and are “dismissed as the lower, less-favored children of the Father. ... the rich ebony of their skin was an outward sign of their inner allegiance to the Dark Mother, who bore their likeness.”

During the visit Immanuelle notices a stained glass window in their small church depicting the Dark Mother that is unlike the grotesque images in the Bethel cathedral. Rather she is beautiful and gentle, her “skin was a deep shade of ebony, almost as dark as Her veil, but Her eyes were moon pale and wide. She didn’t look like the damned Goddess of witches and hells.”

I had hoped for this to be developed further recalling the medieval images of the Black Madonnas. I was also curious about how the world they inhabit came to be. There are hints of ecological disasters or possibly nuclear war: “a sky that wept fire and brimstone.”

However, after noting on Alexis Henderson’s website that a sequel is planned for 2021, I will be patient and see how the story continues.

I would note that Immanuelle’s youth might tempt this to be shelved as YA/Teen, it is clearly intended for adult readers and contains scenes of gore and mature themes.

Overall, this was a strong debut that was rich in descriptions and unflinching in its depiction of horror. I look forward to its sequel.

The Year of the Witching is a dark, deeply moody and atmospheric read that follows the story of Immanuelle. Born as the result of an illicit love affair, she is seen as an outcast within her cloistered village. Trying to blend in, she spends her days devoting herself to the Father and practising the religious law as directed by the all-powerful Prophet to atone for her family’s sins. However, the pull of the mysterious Darkwoods – a forbidden place haunted by witches, calls to Immanuelle. And one night she can’t resist the pull – leading to the start of four terrible plagues, which prophesies the end of Bethel and all its inhabitants. Immanuelle must choose whether to embrace the darkness, or save those in Bethel who have taunted and shunned her throughout her life.

I devoured this in the space of two days. Atmospheric, dark and dangerous, it was a lot more intense than I thought it was going to be - with several chapters going into great depths about various dark magical practices and gory scenes of blood and slaughter. The writing is incredibly easy to get through, and the story itself is very well thought out with a plot that gradually builds up the suspense and tension throughout the first part of the novel in particular. The descriptions of the village and surrounding woods were really well done, as it managed to transport me into Immanuelle’s world. I could almost feel the oppressive trees surround me, as they do Immanuelle, and feel her panic and fear in the dark as she meets the witches. There are subtle hints of horror that creep up on you in these early stages of the book, riding on the back of Immanuelle’s uncertainty that I absolutely loved.

We also get to see Immanuelle’s character develop overtime, from a young woman who just wants to hide in the background and live her life according to the laws of the land, to starting to challenge her own destiny and what she believes is best for her people and herself. She goes to some dark places, and must face some tough choices. I also really enjoyed her relationship with Ezra too, which I thought was developed well and doesn’t ever overpower the central story of self-discovery in Immanuelle. It felt very realistic, and I still find it refreshing in novels when the female protagonist does not become reliant on a man.

I also think this brings up several important conversations about women, and their role within a heavily white male biased society, bringing into question the idea that the various plagues correlate with the learnings passed on by the Prophet. People dying are passed off as the result of a curse, when in reality they’re dying because of the complacency of men. All of the ‘villains’ are powerful, strong women who went against the suppressive laws of their people. They carved their own destinies, but are seen as sinners, whores and killers to the people of Bethel. Why? Because this is all they’ve ever been told by their leaders as they are not permitted to think for themselves, which is deemed a sin. The power is firmly told to be in the hands of men, and it must remain so if the villages are to find everlasting peace and harmony, as deemed by the Prophet.

I will say that at times I did find the mythology a little confusing, and there isn’t really much of backstory to explain the religion or what really happened during the days of the first Prophet. We have to rely heavily on Immanuelle’s limited knowledge and those of the inhabitants of Bethel who are unreliable at best when mentioning the Prophet, making it difficult to decipher what is the truth and what is legend. I also never really got a sense of what the powers within the village were, who had them and what they really do, to see any benefit of them within the storyline. They feel a bit like an afterthought and could have been expanded on better. Immanuelle also arrives at conclusions a little too quickly and easily for my liking, and the plot loses its way a little bit towards the end as things become a little bit too illogical and the writing loses a lot of its former subtleties.

A surprisingly dark and informative read, with a lot of subtle horror that managed to creep up on me and keep my enthralled throughout. Imaginative and original, I would highly recommend for those looking for a feminist tale of witches and revenge.

A girl is born into a town run by strict religion at the hand of the prophet.
With the ever present threat of the witches in the wood, does she have something to do with the curses that will spread across the land?

The Year of the Witching explores the potential of corruption in religion, especially at the hands of men, while also being an atmospheric spooky read.
There is a lot to uncover and discover as events unfold and the faith of many is tested.

The Year of the Witching is a creepy but down-to-earth story about plagues, curses and the danger of prideful men and the women who suffer at the hands of them. I really enjoyed this despite a slow start and some early heavy info-dumping, but once it got more action-packed, it maintained a good pace and kept my attention until the end.

We follow Immanuelle, a sixteen year old girl burdened with her mother's crimes of treason and witchcraft, as well as a longing for the Darkwood. The worldbuilding surrounding the religious beliefs of Bethel and what they consider criminal is definitely not unique but the novel fleshes out those staple concepts of religious punishment with a religion that is very much Christian-inspired, but darker and witchier, which was very enjoyable. Bethel believe sin comes from the Dark Mother and the four Witches, who haunt the Darkwood and the few scenes we see of the witches (Lilith, Delilah, Mercy and Jael) are incredibly atmospheric and as a visual reader, I could imagine them easily. The Darkwood was a very imposing presence in the story, just as it imposes on Bethel and the people in the town.

Immanuelle as a character was very enjoyable and her dynamic with Martha, her maternal grandmother, and the idea of them grieving Immanuelle's mother in different ways was very subtle and well done and something that really stood out to me. I really enjoyed Immanuelle's desire to learn about Miriam and in essence, the entire plot derives from Immanuelle trying to understand her mother's choices, and then ultimately learning the dark secrets of Bethel and the rotten core of it. I also very much enjoyed her dynamic with Ezra, the Prophet's rebellious son and their growing fondness and care for each other had a very natural development. It's rare that I become invested in romance, but I found myself worrying for Ezra because Immanuelle did and the few moments they have were so fittingly sweet. All these character moments fit really nicely into a world that feels very grounded. I would have liked to know more about the world outside of Bethel but as much as the Outskirts and the Heathen towns are mentioned as part of Bethel's doctrine, they don't feature much.

The messages of this book are where it really stands out for me. Although some of it might be a little ham-fisted, watching Immanuelle become disillusioned with Bethel, with her family's dedication to the town and the Father and Prophet and become more radical in her beliefs and more heartbroken with the circumstances that led to her mother's demise was very powerful. Immanuelle begins the novel quietly concerned with what people think of her; her peers believe she's cursed as her mother was and only her friend Leah, and later Ezra, really believe otherwise. When Immanuelle sheds her loyalty to proving people otherwise, the book really shines. Immanuelle becomes an incredibly ambitious and brave character, but also a character with rage and betrayal and disgust which teenage girls aren't often granted. The book ends with a powerful statement about what evil men can do when we are complicit, and why it's important to stand up for something more than yourself.

The year of the Witching is the Salem Witch Trial version of Handmaid’s tale and although Handmaid’s Tale was something I didn’t like, this one I definitely did!!!
Immanuelle is the daughter of Miriam Moore who abandoned the Holy Scriptures to commune with the witches of the Darkwood. She has tried to lead a quiet life obeying the Scriptures but her one unexpected foray into the Darkwoods starts a chain of events that lead her to question everything she has been taught so far.
This was so beautifully atmospheric, dark, a bit weird at times (but good weird) and so chilling that certain passages gave me literal goosebumps! I felt strong and empowered and powerful after reading certain portions and that was just, such a high, I can’t even describe it. So I was getting geared up for an amazing punchy heart soaring end when it all started unravelling bit by bit.
Whereas the first 70-80% was strong, the last 20% felt a little wishy-washy for lack of a better word. It became diluted and a bit rushed. The climax felt more like a convenient wrap up than an exciting finale. I liked the hopeful note on which it ended but I needed... more. I can’t really quantify what more is but I just needed something extra 😅
But overall this is definitely a stunning debut and I am looking forward to reading more of Alexis Henderson’s works in the future.
I would definitely recommend this book to everyone looking for a fast paced feminist witchy read!!!
Rating : 4 stars
P.S. Beyoncé’s ‘Run the World’ was running through my head the whole time I was reading this and it’s the perfect song for this book.

Ugh! Wow. I just don’t know how to put my love and enjoyment for this book into words. I have absolutely found a new addition to my list of my all-time fave books and will be reeling from Alexis Henderson amazing story-telling for some time.

This is a fantastically built dark, twisted, feminist fantasy novel that is so captivating that I struggled to put it down, and when I wasn’t reading it, I was thinking, talking or dreaming about it. I was obsessed. This book is stunningly subtle, it’s a slow-burn in the way of the plot, but the narrative is so compelling that you relish the speed at which the story is told and built. The novel straddles areas of multiple genres from horror, to fantasy all with a touch of romance; one minute I was unsettled and on the edge of my seat, the next I was beaming at the potential romance that could blossom. It definitely kept me on my toes!

The character development for the main characters was fantastic, bringing them into a life of their own throughout the pages of the book, making you buy into them and their mission more and more with every development. The protagonist, Immanuelle starts as a quiet, wary character who is constantly out of place and overshadowed, but she slowly develops into a fierce, feminist leader that girls and women alike need to read.

Not only are the plot and characters totally enthralling, but within her masterful telling, Alexis also tackles some really important issues around race and gender as social constructs, with the main focus being around sexism within the fictional society of Bethel (but also you can see where it reflects in the modern world and our history). The themes Alexis weaves throughout her plot were so intricately built in that they left you thinking about the concept for ages after, and sometimes you completely missed the point before having an ‘Ah-Ha’ moment later. Between quotes like “Shared or spilled, it seemed that blood did not matter as much as appearance did. And so, no matter how many centuries passed, no matter what they rendered in service of Bethel’s betterment, it seemed the Outskirters would always be consigned to the fringes.” and “It was not the Prophet who bore Bethel, bound to his back like a millstone. It was all of the innocent girls and women who suffered and died at the hands of men who exploited them. They were Bethel’s sacrifice… It was the whole of them, the heart of Bethel itself, that made certain every woman who lived behind it’s gate had only two choices: resignation, or ruin. No more, Immanuelle thought. No more muzzles or contrition. No more pyres or gutting blades. No more punishments or Protocols. No more girls beaten or broken silent. No more brides in white gowns lying like lambs on the alter for slaughter.” the story delivers an incredibly clear and poignant message. Phrases like this were the sort of writing with meaning that had me hooked and really feeling everything going on in the story.

I could go on about this book for hours, or days even, but I will leave you with my final absolute recommendation and a final quote to make you think “Good people don’t bow their heads and bite their tongues while other good people suffer. Good people are not complicit.”.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this eARC of The Year of the Witching, in exchange for an honest review!

⚠️ Content Warnings: Grooming, Paedophilia, Abuse, Racism, Sacrification. ⚠️

Blood. Blight. Darkness. Slaughter. Four plagues have come to the small village of Bethel – but who summoned them and who can stop them?

The Year of the Witching is a great standalone fantasy story. Personally I much prefer standalone book to sprawling epics with endless installments and unknown publication dates. I’m also likely have forgotten everything about the last book by the time the next one comes out! This book packs a lot in for the word count and there were a few times where I was worried it wasn’t going to wrap everything up in time but then it surprised me with a great ending. The author does a great job of introducing you to the world with strong world-building which draws on historical parallels from real life (think Salem Witch Trials) but also introduces a realistic man vs woman religion. There are some great characters that you feel empathy for – Immanuelle in particular is a strong lead but even the more controversial characters of The Prophet and her mother also felt well drawn and interesting. There is also a lot of action packed into the plot that makes the reader speed through the book effortlessly as the pace keeps up the tension.

There are certain points of the plot that don’t perhaps feel as fully explored as I would have liked but the book on the whole tackles some important topics. We explore how women are treated in a patriarchal society for example as well as the issues of organised religion and race. Immanuelle is a likeable main character - she has flaws but it never felt preachy or wooden – she felt well rounded and realistic at all times.

My only gripe would be that the ARC I received had a few odd formatting errors – double fs for example, were completely missing and the first 4 words of every chapter were also omitted which led to you needing to guess at times. I’m sure these will have been sorted out by publication though and they didn’t detract too much from the story.

Overall The Year of the Witching is a great, well rounded read with a strong female lead and a great message about standing up for what you believe is right. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Transworld Publishers & Bantam Press for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this premise. I am a sucker for anything occult, but this failed on a few levels.

As stated by some already, the worldbuilding is lacking. There is so much space to build this world to a state of tangibility. Yet it doesn't. You feel lost in limbo in trying to get the depth of locations. The other, is that in no way was the premise poised to line up with a YA-Esque reading experience. Flowery prose that doesn't hit, and could use with some trimming down to get the story across. Descriptions lack depth, even though they are overused. It's an odd marriage.

Overall, it is decent. Nothing mindblowing, but worth your time.

If you frequent my Twitter account (@anaveragelife88) you may have seen my dismay at the wreckage of an ARC I received from Transworld.
The first line of every page was missing, I had to guess from one letter what the entire sentence could be. Any word containing a double f was incomplete meaning I had to fill in words written as 'shu led' and 'o erring' the entire way through, and random letters and numbers were scattered throughout.
Usually this would make me turn away, but even realising a chapter into The Year Of The Witching that these format errors were continuous, I could NOT put it down!

Bethel is ruled by a prophet, you know the kind- he marries pubescent girls to birth his many successors. He sacrifices animals to 'the Father' and banishes all people of colour, except for Immanuelle. Bastard daughter from the son of a black witch and the child of a once loved Apostle, Immanuelle is raised by her devout grandparents to honor the Prophet's law. But the Darkwoods call out to Immanuelle and only by entering the forbidden forest will she find answers.

Told in third person, past tense, The Year Of The Witching has an authentic old-time small village setting that I always love. Lately it seems I've read a few novels that centre around empowered women overthrowing the patriarchy- but my cup does not overfloweth yet!
We see Immanuelle and prophet son Ezra turn their back on the Scriptures in a desperate attempt to halt the four curses plaguing Bethel.
Blood. Blight. Darkness. Slaughter.

Whilst the witching and time period lend the novel an edge of fantasy, this is no doubt a work of horror. From the chokehold of the Church and her late mother's insanity, to fear of the plagues and finally the terrifying witches themselves, Immanuelle isn't safe for a moment from beginning to end.

Fit for film, I easily give The Year Of The Witching top marks and will be on the hunt for more from Henderson immediately!

I loved this book! It had me absolutely hooked from start to finish. Highly recommended, great story and well written.

This book was everything I was hoping for and more. It was dark, twisted, beautiful, feminist and captivating. I was gripped from the very first page, and found it difficult to stop reading! I had so many questions throughout that I couldn’t wait to be answered, and it’s not often I find myself on the edge of my seat not only unable to guess what will happen next, but actually being anxious about the outcome. This book does contain horror elements that may not be for the squeamish, but they certainly don’t overwhelm the book. There is, however, some triggering content, and I will be making a (non exhaustive) list of triggers at the end of the review. I loved the blend of pastoral and horror imagery, as it really set the tone of ‘The Year of the Witching’, and created a realistically unsettling atmosphere.
Immanuelle was an incredible character, she starts out so afraid and ashamed of who she is, forever in her mother's shadow and feeling full of 'sin'. Throughout the book we follow her as she discovers more about Bethel and its corruption, about the witches in the heart of the forest and about her family and birth. This is a difficult, horrible journey for Immanuelle, as she struggles to be a part of a society that doesn't want or trust her. She is an outsider no matter where she goes due to her skin colour, and this highlights the racism that is rampant in Bethel’s society. The combination of racism and patriarchal society in Bethel that blames and shuns women for perceived ‘sins’ creates a hostile environment for Immanuelle to have grown up in, and she has internalized a lot of the doctrine which has been pushed upon her. Because of this, Immanuelle’s battle with herself is even more incredible to read, because she has so much to overcome. She doesn't make decisions lightly. She agonizes over them, and feels so much pain and guilt and grief, for herself and for others. Immanuelle felt so real to me because of this, and had so much internal conflict. There is a lot of rage in this book, not just from Immanuelle, and all of it is justified and beautiful to read, because too often, rage is seen as something to be glossed over, hidden away and ignored. Here, we see rage explored in a variety of different ways, and I can’t really say too much more on that without veering into spoiler territory, but it was incredible to read. I also really enjoyed the romance, which was really well written, and didn’t shift focus from the main events. It didn’t fall into ‘instalove’ territory, which I’m not a fan of, instead it was a subtle slow burn and it worked really well for me!
The horror elements in ‘The year of the Witching’ are beautifully crafted to create a slightly unsettling omnipresence in the form of the witches and the Darkwood. I loved the witches. They were dark and inhuman, and the lore surrounding them was really interesting. I would have loved more time with them, to learn more about their history and their powers, their original place in Bethel’s society far before the events of the book, and how they came to be the way that they were. Everything about them was fascinating, and I have so many questions about them. The Darkwood was also an inescapably creepy presence throughout the book, as it surrounds Bethel and calls to not only Immanuelle, but unsuspecting travellers. No one who goes in at night ever seems to come out again. Creepy forests are honestly one of my favourite things to read about, and this one, which houses some of the most terrifying witches I’ve read about in a good while definitely makes for a brilliantly spooky and slightly disturbing time.
Overall this book was a stunning debut and the writing was beautiful, emotive and lyrical. I really appreciated the scriptures and letter fragments used as chapter headings, as it meant there was a lot of information without any infodumps. I really enjoyed reading about Bethel, the scriptures and history. Everything about this book made me want to keep reading and left me wanting more after it was over. I can’t wait to read more from this author - I hope there is a lot to come, and I also hope we will see more of Immanuelle, Ezra and Bethel.
TW: Death, blood, scarification, animal death and sacrifice, racism, sexism, sexual assault, physical assault, paedophilia (off page grooming & sex with a 13-year-old by a much older man), implied rape, burning of witches, and probably a few more I can’t remember. I would advise also searching for other triggers, just in case!

A few chapters in, and I was rolling my eyes and preparing to rate this 2 stars. I felt like the prose was over the top and there wasn't enough world building for my liking. I was also a bit disappointed by the main characters - they all just felt like every stock YA character we've seen in fantasy YA for the past few years. Once I'd read a while longer though, it did start to grow on me. I liked the interactions between Immanuelle and Ezra - they weren't quite as Insta-Love as I was expecting. I did definitely still want more world building though, and I never really was able to connect with any of the characters, so in the end didn't really care what happened to any of them. I was interested enough to keep reading though, and I can see that people will really enjoy this.

I'm not sure if it was just the review copy, but the formatting for kindle was terrible! The first 1-2 sentences were missing from the beginning of every chapter, and it had erased every instance of the ff. So for example, the word affinity (which came up a surprising amount of times!) would be displayed as a inity.

In theory I should have loved this however there is something missing which I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

There wasn’t enough world building for me to become fully invested in the story or the characters. As a result it was hard to get into the story, however just around the 40% mark it started to warm up a little.

Promising enough however needed more descriptive writing in some parts. An ok read.

Great read, really enjoyed this.

Immanuelle lives in the community of Bethel, in an ultra-religious environment, with protocol dictated by the living Prophet. Immanuel's best friend Leah is about to receive the ritual cutting of a facial scar to mark her as another of the many wives of the Prophet.

Immanuelle is on the margins of the community and does not find her role easy, she is uncomfortable with the Prophet's rule, and the expectations on the female members of the community.

Following her escaped sheep into the Darkwoods, Immanuelle encounters the dark witches who are legend in the community who gift her her dead-mother's diary... and hence come the plagues which it seems only Immanuelle can tame.

Filled with a rich cast of characters, and vivid description language, this was a really enjoyable story. I wouldn't personally have termed it "horror".

This book has torn me in two. On the one hand, I really like Alexis Henderson's writing style and the whole idea of the story is brilliant... On the other hand, "The Year of the Witching" didn't get its hooks into me the way I thought it would. Reading felt like I was watching events through a gauze curtain. This might be a book that reads better the second time around.

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance copy to review. This review is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

To be perfectly honest, The Year of the Witching is a book I don’t have any particularly strong feelings about. About the full extent of those feelings is, yeah I liked it. Because that’s about it. I liked it and not much more.

The book follows Immanuelle, the child of a forbidden relationship between a member of Bethel, the community in which she lives, and an outsider. Bethel is a highly religious community, led by the Prophet and following Holy Protocol, and Immanuelle and her family are mostly shunned, for she is visibly the offspring of this forbidden relationship. But then Immanuelle ventures into the Darkwood, and everything changes.

The best part of this was the relationship between Immanuelle and Ezra, the Prophet’s son and chosen heir. I mean, first you have the whole forbidden relationship aspect of it, but also two people in different walks of life, and two people who might reasonably not be expected to interact. It was so so good, and the development which led to the ending? The way they were both willing to [redacted] [redacted] for the other? Just beautiful.

Relationship aside though, this is a book that had to grow on me. That’s not to say I disliked it at the start or anything, but I couldn’t exactly say I was immediately engaged. Which is probably a me thing, because I tend towards faster paced plots than there was here. But once I got into it, I definitely enjoyed it.

But I think the major problem that struck me about this book was it’s fairly light on the worldbuilding. Which wouldn’t ordinarily be a problem, but for the fact I had not a clue where the boundaries of this community lay and what the world outside was at all like (for example, how does this highly religious community fit into the world as a whole?). I mean, it’s a book set in Bethel, it makes sense to not really go that much in depth into what’s outside, but I’d like something. Also it made it confusing who actually these “outsiders” were. Did they just live surrounding a compound? Were they technically within the community limits? What I really needed here was a map to visualise it all.

Despite all that, though, it’s definitely a book I would recommend. Especially if you want that creepy witchy feel.