Reviews with content warning for Child abuse - The Year of the Witching

Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

49 reviews

aseel_reads's review

challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

I think this had potential but I didn't realise it wasn't a standalone and now I can barely remember what happened, which shows how forgetable it is

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squisheebee_'s review

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dark emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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laaztecabella's review against another edition

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reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Okay, so I decided to give this book a 4-star rating which is probably higher than it should be but 3 feels too low. I absolutely love the theme of this book. As someone who has some religious trauma, I felt like it was relatable even if I never dealt with things to this level of church authority. I just felt like the story wasn't deep enough or the characters were not really fleshed out. I would still recommend to read to anyone who asks. I just felt like there needed to be more.

There were several quotes that really stood out to me. I will share one them as I don't think it's a spoiler but it does give an insight what the message of the book is.

"This was the great shame of Bethel: complacency and complicity that were responsible for the deaths of generations of girls. It was the sickness that placed the pride of men before the innocents they were sworn to protect. It was a structure that exploited the weakest among them for the benefit of those born to power."

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mari1532's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I checked this book out of my local library and once I started listening I was drawn into the story.

This is one of those books when you start reading it you immediately want to know everything that is about to happen and also do not want to read/listen to it too quickly. The nail-biting aspects of this story that Henderson achieves in her writing made it nearly impossible for me to draw myself away from the story.

The mix of religious fervour in the town of Bethel and myth made the story feel a bit like it might have happened in real life at some point in history.

Synopsis: Immanuelle is a teenage girl, coming of age in a society dictated by religious doctrine. In a society where women are property and physically marked upon marriage, Immanuelle has no desire to give up her independence. To complicate matters more her parents broke all the rules of Bethel and she is marked with the stain of their sin. As Immanuelle tries to find herself she must come to terms with her familial legacy and to do that she might just end up breaking all the rules.

The way Henderson writes her characters is so good. I truly hated several people in this book because they were just so awful and there were others who switched from hating to loving. The complexity made the story even richer and more engrossing. I cannot wait for the second book.

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