What a sensational debut! Henderson wove the most deliciously dark tale and I wanted to savor it as long as I could. Haunting, horrifying, and so, so human. I could not put this story down!

The Year of the Witching is a perfect story for an on-edge October read. It features a spooky forest, wraithlike witches, and–scariest of all–a hypocritical, patriarchal, puritanical setting.

This book was a really interesting combination of supernatural horror and horror of the human variety. I’ve seen it compared to The Handmaid’s Tale, and I think that is actually a pretty accurate likening (if The Handmaid’s Tale was also an episode of Supernatural). The story follows Immanuelle Moore, a girl who feels a strange calling to the Darkwood, a forest that is feared by the rest of her highly religious society, called Bethel. While in the forest, she has eerie encounters with ancient witches who had been shunned and burned by Bethelans hundreds of years ago.

I don’t read much horror, but when I compare this book to horror movies I’ve seen, it is definitely scarier. Letting your imagination fill in the gaps allows your brain to put its worst nightmares right alongside everything else in the pages. The spooky scenes in this book freaked me the hell out, so, in that regard, this book gets full points from me.

The setting also works very well for this book. Bethel is a settlement with vast farmland and a few small villages, surrounded completely by a monitored gate. The book takes place during an indeterminate time period and with indeterminate geography, so it’s hard to tell if it was supposed to take place in a historical era, or if it is complete fantasy. Honestly, I think this works well because it allows you to focus completely on Henderson’s world without thinking about outside politics or influences. The highly religious community in Bethel is led by a single Prophet, along with his Apostles. The Prophet, as you can probably expect, is a sleazy douchebag with absolutely nothing holy about him. It’s fascinating to see how he manipulates the townspeople using God as an excuse for his despicable behavior. There is very much of a cult mindset, so it’s interesting to see our characters fighting against that.

I think what brought the rating down for me were the characters. Immanuelle in particular just felt a bit predictable to me. Throughout the book, she is fighting between this call to the evil witches in the woods and her obligation to help the innocents in Bethel. I think the stakes of this struggle never felt high enough, it was easy to see that she would pick one side despite temptations to the other. I wanted to see her dip into darkness, I wanted to see her struggle to find her way out of it. It all felt just a little too easy. Not only that, but we also don’t see much characterization from her. Her dialogue is pretty limited, and we don’t really see much of her thoughts. She felt pretty static/boring, very much like a YA character. It would have been cool to see the perspectives of other characters, like the Prophet or Immanuelle’s mother.

Overall, this was an incredibly well-written, well-paced, and well-conceived story. It has themes of witchcraft, feminism, and rebellion that strangely work very well together. I would definitely recommend for those looking for something darker.

I received this title as an ARC from NetGalley. Interesting magical, feminist dystopian novel. Was quite a quick read. Would be interested to know more about the backstory and what is beyond the territory of Bethel, the dystopian community.

A dark fantasy title that manages to encourage critical questioning of your own beliefs, reminiscent of The Black Witch Chronicles by Laurie Forest, The Year of the Witching adds in puritanical tyranny and a feminist view of “the sins of our fathers”. Following Immanuelle, a young woman born of a forbidden union, we see our protagonist find herself, her past, and her future, all within the confines of a male elevated society and religion.
There were some poignant sections of dialogue that brought me to tears, which doesn’t happen often. Henderson’s ability to draw you so deeply into the world she’s created is incredible, and I became deeply attached to her characters through their trials and tribulations. The atmosphere she wrought is dark, with pinpricks of hope you chase along with Immanuelle. This upcoming release is not to be missed!

I don’t normally read a lot of books about witches but boy am I glad I read this book. This book has amazing intersectional feminism, a great exploration of identity and then some magical realism and issues with curses and plagues all rolled into one novel. I have no idea how Alexis Henderson did it! I am in awe.

Immanuelle is such an interesting character because she has such conflicting identities going on. She has her family, very much part of her past, the church and community, her present and then she has her own views and values which are basically her future. I loved the way she handled herself throughout the novel and that this book is very much about her and the way she handles the problems that she is faced with. I felt very sorry for her and wanted to champion her throughout the book.

The magic in this book is just the right level of magic for me as a reader. I could picture the curses and plagues involved in all of the issues that Immanuelle faces. Everything is very believable and it all ties in with the stories of witches I grew up with, the Salem Trials and the dunking in Tudor England. I loved the mix of real and magical here, it ties together nicely with the issues of religion and darkness throughout the book.

I also really loved the description of the setting in this book. I could picture the dark woods and Immanuelle’s home. I could picture the other woman described and the pastor and their marriage ceremonies! Overall I really enjoyed Immanuelle’s story and would love to read more from this author in the future!

The Year of the Witching was pitched as being inspired by The VVitch, so perhaps it's on me for allowing my expectations to climb sky-high due to the association with one of my favorite movies of all time. The VVitch is disturbing and unsettling and claustrophobic; The Year of the Witching is standard YA fantasy fare, and this despite the fact that it is not YA fantasy, but adult.

Immanuelle is a character I struggled to get a grasp on, and perhaps that is because she is so...generic, almost as though, rather than an actual person, she's just a stand-in and mouthpiece for the various themes and ideas about gender and race that are heavy-handedly hammered through the narrative with zero subtlety. Similarly, the love interest, Ezra was milquetoast and bland; how convenient it is that despite his upbringing in this super patriarchal world he's magically a Good Guy and Rational Thinker. His romance with Immanuelle felt completely shoehorned into a narrative where it didn't belong.

There are some brief scenes and lines where the narrative starts to verge on horror, but these are few and far between, so the book as a whole never quite gets there, never reaches that apex of dread that The WWitch manages so easily. Oddly, the stakes never felt high enough, even though the stakes are literally death by plagues, but maybe this is just because I didn't care about any of the characters very much.

The main thing this book has going for it is its readability; I sped through it and generally enjoyed my time reading it, even if I had issues and was sorely disappointed. The writing is fine, the plot comes together just fine, and it's a decent enough book, but it had so much unused potential, discarded in exchange for standard fare YA romance and a generic protagonist. But part of this is on me, for having some very specific expectations, and I can't blame the book for not meeting those, since it is clearly aiming to be something very different from what I had expected. Since it was successful in fulfilling its own aims and it never bored me, it gets a lowish 3-star rating from me!

Take 2 parts the Salem Witch Trials, 1 part the Book of Revelations, 1 part a patriarchal cult community and 1 part feminism, and you get this book! The first half was a bit slow for me but by the end, I was literally holding my hand over the page so I would only read one line at a time and not accidentally see too far ahead and spoil the action.

Such a good witchy read: dark, atmospheric, gory, full of rage and defiance and blood (so much blood) and ultimately hope for the prospect of building a better, more just world. I always want more feminist horror in the vein of The Witch and Midsommar and this delivered beyond expectations. Excited to read more from this debut author.

I love a good witch story and this one does not disappoint!

The story centers around the Immanuelle Moore, a young woman who has no idea about the power she wields. She lives in Bethel, a town that reminded me of the same described in Handmaid's Tale. Everyone is super religious and the Prophet rules with an iron fist. Immanuelle is an orphan and raised by her God-fearing grandmother and grandfather. She follows the rules and does everything asked of her, but still can't resist the calling of the Dark Woods. It's not until after she gets ahold of her dead mother's diary that the story really takes off.

I appreciate an author who does a thorough job when creating new worlds. Alexis Henderson does a fantastic job with the land of Bethel and its characters. While the story moves pretty quickly (or maybe it's because I couldn't put it down after I started it?!) I couldn't help but to wonder more about Immanuelle's past. I think Henderson definitely has room to write a sequel to this one and if she does, trust and believe that I will be first in line to get it.

For about the first half of this book I thought I was going to rate it 3 stars. It was pretty slow in the beginning in my opinion and took a while to capture my attention. I’m glad a stuck with it though. I ended up rating it 4 stars because, while it was a little slow, it’s one of those books that really stays with you. The themes of race and religion were the focus of the book. The story is set in a puritanical society where there are plural marriages and the men’s rules rule. The darker skinned people are also known to live in the “outskirts”. Without giving away too much, I’ll just say this book stuck with me because you realize we really haven’t come anywhere near far enough in our society. So, as long as you don’t mind a slow start I whole heartedly recommend this book. It’s so much more than a witch in puritanical society type of book. It is a book with so much to say that we all need to hear.

Handmaid’s Tale meets Salem: Born of rebellious feminist resistance by a girl who is branded as cursed because of her mother’s sins and facing the dark powers to make definite and concrete changes at the dystopian, puritanical, secluded society consisted of hypocrisy, ignorance, illogical and unfair laws.
This is another terrifying, fist clenching, soul shivering, mind crushing, heart pounding, forehead sweating, edgy, spooky, bleak, dark journey take you to the dark woods to face the four witches are ready to haunt you in your dreams and place a quite irritating thoughts inside your brains.

Immanuelle Moore kept her silence for years, trying to stay head above the water, living at the outskirts with her disgraced family because her mother’s disobedience ruined their family name, suffering from poverty, obeying the rules of their community. Prophet’s each word is the law because he’s holly man even though he is the pure definition of sexual predator seduces under aged girls and having a heavenly polygamous marriage life (Prophet reminds of a mean and ruthless cult leader but as the society keeps the silence and obeys the rules nothing can go wrong!?)

Immanuelle acts like she adapts in her outcast life till the day she takes the attention of Prophet’s charming son Ezra and gets lost in the dark woods she is forbidden to enter because there are so many stories about that spooky place. Once you enter, you never come back intact. She may share the same faith with her mother who ran into the woods and lost her mind completely after giving her birth, losing her life. But as soon as she takes her first step to the haunted place, she encounters with four witches who offer her mother’s journal filled with her impressions about the witches and dark woods. The passages at the journal are mind bending and ominous telling her upcoming apocalypse. There are four phases: BLOOD, BLIGHT, DARKNESS, SLAUGHTER.

As those four phases start to occur, Immanuelle tries to find a way to save the society even though it may coast her own life but what if her sacrifice doesn’t change anything? What if the government system they accepted and the holly rules declared by their Prophet were corrupted, distorted and unhealthy for those women’s lives who have been massacred without fair judgment. Sometimes to build something new, you need to tear down everything apart!

This is more revolutionist, reformist and outstandingly brave and powerfully feminist dystopian story! This is about a young woman’s fight to change the system, not to be victimized, harassed, abused by the men who used the law and religion to justify their wrongdoings. It’s bold, moving and fascinating.

I have to warn you about last 30 pages! It is really intense, dark and terrifying! But I liked the promising, hopeful conclusion that also may be considered as a sign of sequel.

I’m giving my five impressed, mesmerized stars and I’m clapping the debut authorAlexis Henderson for her brilliant work.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing/Ace for sharing this intriguing ARC in exchange my honest review.

The Year of the Witchling is one of my top books for 2020 so far. I managed to read it start to finish in a single day because I couldn't get enough of it. It's creepy and witchy, and has those Puritan witch story vibes that I enjoy in witch stories.

Immanuelle struggles to fit into society because of her mixed race, and trouble with following the teachings of her Church. She is drawn to the Darkwood, a place full of monsters and witchcraft that is feared by her town. The Prophet forbids anyone to enter the Darkwood, but Immanuelle cannot help but explore its secrets.

This story is a coming of age story set in a dark world. There are themes of individuality and Immanuelle is a fierce character who embraces herself in such a oppressive society.

First of all, I really love this cover! Second, I'm not really into horror, but cults are kinda my thing, so when I saw The Year of The Witching, I was like "signed me up!" This was creepy and spooky

A compelling commentary on racial and gender struggles set in a witch trial-based society. While trying to work out the cause of the plagues in her town, the main character confronts her society's biases in an organic matter, and achieves some nice character development.
I do wish the main character's relationships with friends, family, and the love interest were more fleshed out, but I can see a narrative reason why she'd have overall superficial connections to others due to her place in society. However, it currently reads as a "Not Like Other Girls" trope, especially in her relationship with the love interest.