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A review by nightmarebees
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
this is a DEBUT?? my jaw is hanging open. i knew i would love this from the first few chapters, and i was not disappointed. exactly the witchy, cultish, don't-go-in-the-woods read i needed to kickstart yearning for fall. i personally was destined to love this book just based on vibes and wheelhouse items, but it also twisted classic themes in a new enough way to feel fresh.
"Some of them were innocent, others complicit; still more were caught in the gray between right and wrong. Few were wholly blameless, and none were free of sin. But there wasn't a single soul in that sanctuary she would condemn to the ruin that now lay before them."
the overarching conflicts of this book are, at a glance, rather dichotomous. black vs white, church vs occult, women vs men, etc. however, henderson has written them into the world of bethel with careful thought and complexity. immanuelle herself is a study in plurality: mixed race, both witch and faithful. the sides of her family aren't pitted against each other with a clear 'bad guy'. vera accepts immanuelle entirely, doesn't conform to the violence of the church, but also hesitates to help save the people who her granddaughter loves. the moores are outwardly loyal to a corrupt prophet, but they still love immanuelle, have raised her as their own and do eventually stand by her in the end. even ezra is the rebellious son, the heir who claims to see everything wrong with his father's reign, but is willing to try and run away, protect himself and immanuelle alone at the expense of those still oppressed in bethel.
there wasn't a moment of this i wasn't excited to be reading. alexis henderson you are an auto-buy author now for sure
"Some of them were innocent, others complicit; still more were caught in the gray between right and wrong. Few were wholly blameless, and none were free of sin. But there wasn't a single soul in that sanctuary she would condemn to the ruin that now lay before them."
the overarching conflicts of this book are, at a glance, rather dichotomous. black vs white, church vs occult, women vs men, etc. however, henderson has written them into the world of bethel with careful thought and complexity. immanuelle herself is a study in plurality: mixed race, both witch and faithful. the sides of her family aren't pitted against each other with a clear 'bad guy'. vera accepts immanuelle entirely, doesn't conform to the violence of the church, but also hesitates to help save the people who her granddaughter loves. the moores are outwardly loyal to a corrupt prophet, but they still love immanuelle, have raised her as their own and do eventually stand by her in the end. even ezra is the rebellious son, the heir who claims to see everything wrong with his father's reign, but is willing to try and run away, protect himself and immanuelle alone at the expense of those still oppressed in bethel.
there wasn't a moment of this i wasn't excited to be reading. alexis henderson you are an auto-buy author now for sure
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Misogyny, Blood, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Pedophilia, and Racism