- Hardcover: 368 pages
- Publisher: Bantam Press (23 July 2020)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1787632520
- ISBN-13: 978-1787632523
Synopsis
Born on the fringes of Bethel, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. For it was in Bethel that the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, and so cleansed the land.
And then a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel.
It is a forbidden place, haunted by the spirits of the witches who bestow an extraordinary gift on Immanuelle. The diary of her dead mother . . .
Fascinated by and fearful of the secrets the diary reveals, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once consorted with witches. And as the truth about the Prophets, the Church and their history is revealed, so Immanuelle understands what must be done. For the real threat to Bethel is its own darkness.
Bethel must change. And that change will begin with her . . .
Review
The Year of the Witching has been on my Amazon wish list for about six months, so I was delighted to be given the opportunity to recieve an invite to be part of the blog tour. This is not a magical witch story, it is very dark with a hint of the occult and horror. Bethel is a closed community run by the apostles and the Prophet. The residents go to church every Sunday and lead their life according to the scripture. History has it that the first Prophet, in a war, banished four witches to the Darkwood, a place forbidden to the residents. Immanuelle is tainted by her mother’s sin of being branded a witch, she feels an infinity with the woods, and when finds her self lost in the woods she comes across the witches who give her a gift of her mother’s diary. The diary is her only link to her mother, and the more she reads she realises that Bethel is in danger from within and that she is the only one who can help. Dark and sinister this is a story of one girls comming of age, with a nod to the Handmaid’s Tale.
I have to say that this book was not what I though it was. I hadn’t expected it to be so dark and menacing, but I have to say I loved it for thoses reasons. The Year of the Witching really drew me in and I read it in only two sittings. Bethel is a patriarchal society, run by the Prophet and his Apostles, where all are expected to go the church every Sunday. It is a place run by fear, distrust of those different, and punishment for not abiding by the laws. You can’t leave Bethel without permission from the Prophet, and are discouraged from mixing with those living on the outskirts of the town. The patriarchy religious element is very prominent, they believe in the light of the Father, and the darkenss of the Mother associated with witchcraft; power to the men and suspicion of women.
Immanuelle was a character I was fascinated by and really took to my heart. She is only seventeen, her mother died in childbirth and her father was burned on a pyre. Her mother was deemed to be a witch, tainting Immanuelle by association, and she has the dark hair and skin of the people who live on the Outskirts where her father was from. Her grandmother is over protective, wanting to keep her safe, but like most teenagers she breaks the rules and enters the Darkwood, a place her mother spent time. when she was pregnant. Her mother’s diary, given to her by the witches, holds details she never knew and is her only link to her mother. Both frightening and fascinating this diary sets Immanuelle on a path that is almost predestined. A journey that sees her learn more about her past and how she can use that to save Bethel and take on the corrupt Prophet. She shows great strength, both mentally and physically in her quest to save Bethel, with her only help coming from the Prophet’s son
Alexis Henderson’s writing flowed seamlessly drawing me further and further into the book. The plot was well developed and I am excited to see there is going to be a sequel next year. There are so many topics covered in the story, from sexism, to racism, good versus evil and of course how religion can be used to control. What I really enjoyed was the subtle feminist slant on the story. Immanuelle is not only the heroin, she also wants to stop the the Prophet’s treatment of women, includung his many wives who are cut to mark them as his, one of whom is her best friend. There is also the obvious light of the Father and darkness of the Mother, but as the book progresses the lines begin to blur as good and evil, light and dark murge into grey area.
The Year of the Witching is a brilliant read, full of action, tension, suspense and fear. The characters are well drawn and have a depth to them that I loved, bringing them off the page and into my mind. The plot builds slowly at first then gathers pace as the unease and trepidation increase as we hurtle towards the shocking conclusion. This reallly is a book of good versus evil, even when evil is hiding under the disguise of good and one girl’s journey to find who she really is. Deliciously dark and sinister this is book that will definitely keep you up at night. I can’t wait for the next book, a stunning debut novel.
I would like to thank Bantam Press and Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of the blog tour for this amazing book.
