The Year of the Witching

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Bone-chilling and breathtakingly beautiful…storytelling at its finest." – Rena Barron, author of Kingdom of Souls 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. This is a 2.5 star rating at best. I feel terrible about that because I feel terrible about disliking any book that isn’t outright malicious in content but…here we are, gang. I did not really think this was very good. Positives first, though! I did love all the witchiness involved, as I do with any book where witchiness is involved. The ominous Darkwood was oozing with atmosphere and the four original witches (Lilith, Delilah, Jael and Mercy) were suitably creepy every time they showed up. Each of the plagues was horrible in its own way and all of the story’s atmosphere and imagery were oppressive and eerie.

The Year of the Witching is a dark wood ready to swallow you whole with its tense stakes and beguiling prose. Henderson takes witchcraft to its very depths, unraveling the horrific nightmares of bone-deep ideology and devastating oppression." - Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles series Says author Holland of writing Oh Mother, What Have You Done? (which contains an afterward by Bates Motel producer Anthony Cipriano), “ I wrote Psycho II, the first sequel that began the Psycho legacy, forty years ago this past summer, and the film was a huge success in the year 1983, but who remembers? To my surprise, apparently, they do, because on the film’s fortieth anniversary love from fans began to pour in, much to my amazement and pleasure. And then (Psycho II director) Richard Franklin’s unpublished memoirs arrived unexpectedly. I’d had no idea he’d written them before he passed in 2007.” 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.

New Image of Nicholas Hoult in Upcoming Nosferatu Film

Immanuelle's gaze shifted over to a group of young men and women about her age, maybe a little older. She watched as they laughed and flirted, making spectacles of themselves. The boys puffed out their chests, while the girls played in the shallows of the creek, hiking their skirts high above their knees in the streaming current, careful to avoid drifting too far for fear of the devils that lurked in the depths of the water. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Henderson, Alexis. The Year of the Witching. ACE, 2020. Kindle. This is a beautiful, powerful, important book, and I hugely recommend it." - Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of The Unkindest Tide

As the conversation wore on, Immanuelle did her best to make herself small and unassuming, willing herself invisible. Unlike Leah, she didn't have a stomach for socialities. In comparison to the grace and charm of Hope, Leah, and Judith, she suspected she looked about as dull as one of her sister's corn-husk dolls. Leah raised a hand to her brow to shade her eyes from the sun, smiling as she peered up at them. "Will you join us?" Except for “ The Outsider” (2018) King has been releasing crime novels and adventure books instead of true horror in the past few years. Known mostly for his terrifying early supernatural novels such as “Pet Sematary,”“It,”“The Shining” and “Christine,” the 76-year-old author has diversified from what made him famous starting with “Carrie” in 1974.A brutal tale of religion, witchcraft, & patriarchy. The perfect read for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale.”–amanda lovelace, National bestselling author of the princess saves herself in this one A great deal of comparison has gone on since the novel’s announcement with reviewers relating the story to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Witch, and even Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. While those comparisons will no doubt help some readers decide whether they will settle in to read The Year of the Witching. I almost think that it does a disservice to the author’s vision.

immanuelle moore is a sixteen-year-old biracial girl who lives in bethel, where the religious teachings of the holy father rule the day. the leader of their farming community is a figure called the prophet, whose power extends to burning witches at the stake, upholding an inquisition-like prison system, and marrying as many women as he can. these women get marked as property with a carving of a star on their forehead once they’re wed. You know I'll still come visit you," said Leah, as though sensing Immanuelle's fears. "You'll see me on the Sabbath, and after my confinement I'll come to you in the pasture, every week if I can." In The Year of the Witching we follow a young woman, Immanuelle Moore, who lives in a Puritanical-feeling settlement known as Bethel. decades ago, there was a holy war between the prophet and apostles of bethel and the witches of the nearby darkwood, and the prophet won. the inhabitants of bethel follow the teachings of the holy father, and the witches the teachings of the dark mother -- the latter of whom is, of course, demonized by the prophet. there are a lot of good things about this - the relevant themes, the relatable characters, and the easy-going writing. i like how this is set in a very distant and dated world, but so much of the story applies to reality. i love immanuelle as a character and i appreciate that she had a determined strength to her, but is also kind and thoughtful. i feel like i dont see enough of this combination in books. i also like her interactions with ezra and enjoy their narrative.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. i thought that was one of the more poignant parts of the novel, even if it does show up as an in-depth exploration rather late (about halfway through the story). firstly: this book was not for me. loved the prose, but disliked almost everything else. now that we’ve got that out of the way...