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A review by kcummings
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
At first the dystopian setting felt a little heavy-handed: women bad and sinful, men pious and good. But I stuck with it and started to really enjoy the dark tone, the tension, and the way the stakes kept rising. Immanuelle grappling with her desire to be a loyal member of the society that never accepted her due to her background, while also starting to see the cracks and corruption and wanting to do something about it was highly satisfying. I also enjoyed her relationship with Ezra. I was worried it might turn into an overbearing romance, and while it's obvious they have feelings for one another, their shared goals of saving Bethel and wanting to improve society somewhat drove the plot instead of them falling head over heels.
It's hard to describe but the last 1/4th of the book felt simultaneously rushed and dragged-out. Immanuelle finally figures out how to save the day and formulates a plan to put in motion and then... things just keep stalling and stalling. There's a part involving a human sacrifice that felt like characters taking turns yelling "I'm Spartacus!" for ages. Then, the final confrontation withLilith the witch seemed to take forever. How many times did Immanuelle stab them before they finally died? I lost count.
The book builds up the puritanical society of Bethel as one built on the lies of the corrupt men in power and the toll it takes on the women under their rule. The witches are almost sympathetic figures in comparison, rebels who paid a terrible price for fighting back against the tyranny and misogyny of their society.Except no, they were actually just evil all along, and needed to be destroyed in the end! But the greedy, power hungry, rapist prophet that abuses every woman he interacts with and destroys every man (including his own son) who dares oppose him was spared? Kinda left a sour taste in my mouth, and didn't really mesh with the feminist tone of the rest of the story, imo.
It's hard to describe but the last 1/4th of the book felt simultaneously rushed and dragged-out. Immanuelle finally figures out how to save the day and formulates a plan to put in motion and then... things just keep stalling and stalling. There's a part involving a human sacrifice that felt like characters taking turns yelling "I'm Spartacus!" for ages. Then, the final confrontation with
The book builds up the puritanical society of Bethel as one built on the lies of the corrupt men in power and the toll it takes on the women under their rule. The witches are almost sympathetic figures in comparison, rebels who paid a terrible price for fighting back against the tyranny and misogyny of their society.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Religious bigotry