Our main character Immanuelle is a strong realistic character here with her traits and development. She starts off vulnerable and flawed by her Mother's choices and lives in the shadows. She grows into a multi-layered strong character with conflicts of her own and ones she must overcome to save her family, community and home. Not only is Immanuelle a complex, fascinating character, the dynamics between her and the other characters are also. And imagine this: Immanuelle and best friend are actually in love and it’s through their continued relationship after she is married to the Prophet that we come to learn even more about the truth of Bethel’s injustices. Immanuelle secretly comes to visit her and she’s able to play a similar role in the story as Ezra, providing Immanuelle access to the Prophet’s secret materials and the items that she needs over the course of the story. Also she doesn’t die and she doesn’t just exist to talk about being raped and she and Immanuelle live happily ever after!!!!!!

Bewitching . . . Henderson offers a powerful portrait of patriarchal, racial, and religious abuses . . . conjuring a sense of creeping dread and maintaining the pacing throughout. This riveting work announces Henderson as an exciting new voice in dark fantasy. PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

‘Dead by Daylight’ Video Shows Off Chucky and His Killer Moves in Action

but at the same time, these violent cornerstones of society are weirdly absent from the rest of the world, and the prophet’s motivations seem inconsistent at best. The prophet….man I hated that man with every fiber of my being. When a society or a community perceives one as the leader, how far are they manipulated into thinking that he’s allowed to do wrong with no consequences? Abuse of power was a heavy theme in this one and it really did hurt to read. How does Bethel expose the hypocrisy of the prophet and all who stand by him? because yes, the prophet’s son, indoctrinated from birth by the most evil misogynist in the history of bethel’s religion is of course The Wokest Man in Town™ on a mission to save The Women. i mean, to support immanuelle to save the women. and he likes her because she can read and she wants to fight the witches’ curse. we love an independent woman! Intrigued by the journal, Immanuelle becomes focused on discovering the truth behind her mother's life. The more she digs, however, the more she stands apart from the rest of her society. It becomes clear that the history of Bethel isn't as clear-cut as the leaders try to make it. Ezra is the character I assumed would be a predictable “bad boy” love interest, however I was fortunately wrong and there’s a lot of depth to his character. There’s an emphasis on his family, his religion and his relationships with multiple people on top of Immanuelle which I thought added to the storyline really well.

the gothic horror descriptions are definitely my favorite thing about the reading experience. the darkwood where the witches live comes to life in a deeply unsettling, intangible way, and the stained glass and heavy wood cathedrals almost loom over our characters like the oppressive regime that they represent. Bethel is a land governed by a strict, fundamentalist religion. The Prophet rules the people and his Apostles enforce his will. The citizens in this rigid, harsh society worship a brutal god, one of fire and punishments and retribution. Anyone who acts against the will of the state or in defiance of tradition are declared witches and blasphemers and burned at the stake. Before she was even born, a dark skinned man from the Outskirts of Bethel, was executed by the Prophet. Her mother, young, pregnant, and desperate for vengeance, fled into the Darkwood and made a deal that cost her everything.Slow burn horror crossed with a powerfully feminist coming-of-age novel . . . this book will haunt your dreams. CHRISTINA HENRY, author of The Lost Boy This is also a puritanical society so we do get a lot of Biblical themes. We get the classic “When a man sleeps with a woman, it’s obviously the woman’s fault for tempting him" because men apparently can’t make their own decisions. There are more guys, so be prepared for a lot of eye-rolling. Also, the cruel punishments jeeeeez. I loved how Bethel and Ezra question many of these beliefs. Bethel’s society is one with a massive sexual double standard where women are characterized as inherently sinful and scapegoated for every problem, especially if they don’t or can’t comply to rigid gendered expectations of purity and duty. There is an exploration of intersectionality in Immanuelle’s experience as a biracial woman in a racist and sexist society; I really enjoyed the sections of the story that focused on the people of color living in the Outskirts a lot. The Year of the Witching is Alexis Henderson’s debut novel, but you’d never know it.... The story is enchanting, enticing, enthralling, enigmatic.”–Tor.com Because had my expectations for Alexis Henderson’s debut novel, The Year of the Witching been lower (or at least, more accurate), I suspect I would be writing a more positive review than the one I am about to write. Yet again, my hopes got the best of me.