The Year of the Witching

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she dreamed of scarecrow witches burning like torches in the night, tangled limbs and stolen kisses. in her nightmares, she saw the lovers toiling in the dirt, grasping at each other, teeth bared, pale eyes sharp with moonlight.” Has a classic setup but updates the olde puritanical tale to deal with issues of racism and sexism."-- The Washington Post Adark, dramatic tale of oppression and rebellion, ideology and morality, with a complicated, appealing protagonist caught in a Handmaid’s Talenightmare.”-Louisa Morgan, Author of The Age of Witches

Bethel’s society is one with a massive sexual double standard where women are characterized as inherently sinful and scapegoated for every problem, especially if they don’t or can’t comply to rigid gendered expectations of purity and duty. There is an exploration of intersectionality in Immanuelle’s experience as a biracial woman in a racist and sexist society; I really enjoyed the sections of the story that focused on the people of color living in the Outskirts a lot. 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).

Stephen King’s ‘The Long Walk’ to be Directed by ‘Constantine’ Director, Francis Lawrence

There are a few other points where I just feel like Henderson sabotaged her own great message. For one thing I kept expecting it to be revealed that the original four witches weren’t actually evil; instead, the religion’s founder simply scapegoated the four powerful magical women and drove them from the society so that he could instate his own patriarchal law instead. But… no, the witches actually ended up being evil and a huge part of the book’s finale involved defeating them. It seems jarring to try to convey this message about the Church being built on lies and oppression but nevertheless have them be entirely right about these witches at the cornerstone of its mythology being iredeemably evil. Like, it is absolutely implied that they were warped into being that way because of how they were treated but even with that in mind it just felt so tonally discordant for them to be killed in an epic battle right before the Prophet was defeated. The Year of the Witching is a gripping and powerful debut filled with horror and macabre recommended for fans of dark (feminist) fantasy, religious cults, and witches tearing down the patriarchy. Forget my poor attempt at a review and go read the book!!!! The Year of the Witching is a very, very good book. It’s unsettling and horrifying, beautiful and incisive, and ultimately, radiantly triumphant… I was torn between wanting to tear through the chapters as fast as possible to see how things resolved and savoring every sentence.”– Smart Bitches, Trashy Books true evil, immanuelle realized now, wore the skin of good men.”so what happens when immanuelle is faced with the prophet himself, fully aware of his crimes and how consciously he has committed them? how does she deal with a tyrannical, virulent, and violent abuser; a rapist, a pedophile, and a murderer?

Alexis Henderson brilliantly blends horror, a paranormal dark, twisty witchy tale set the dystopian world of Bethel where the Prophet makes the rules everyone must follow. She weaves in real-world themes like racism, oppression, power and religion. The Prophet uses fear, cruelty and religion to gain power and control over the people. and the text even explicitly asks the question if ‘innocents’ are truly good people if they continually turn a blind eye. it’s wild! methinks false equivalence is at play, and that left a decidedly sour taste in my mouth. The following version of this book was used to create this study guide: Henderson, Alexis. The Year of the Witching. ACE, 2020. Kindle. Our main character Immanuelle is a strong realistic character here with her traits and development. She starts off vulnerable and flawed by her Mother's choices and lives in the shadows. She grows into a multi-layered strong character with conflicts of her own and ones she must overcome to save her family, community and home. Not only is Immanuelle a complex, fascinating character, the dynamics between her and the other characters are also. Henderson’s writing is a thing of beauty. It is, at once, harrowing and seductive in ways that Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, for example, has never quite attained. Where that show chose to broadly sexualize its characters almost by force, Henderson chose to give Immanuelle agency over her sexuality and ties an inherent power to her choices.A haunting, unique read I couldn't put down—a story that cuts to the heart." - Tamora Pierce, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Tempests and Slaughter Beautifully sinister and beguiling, The Year of the Witching is blood-drenched, horrific and enchanting from start to finish. TASHA SURI, author of Empire of Sand

he has also caused his youngest wife leah to die in an absolutely HORRENDOUS graphic birth scene in which a midwife is forced to cut her baby out of her womb while she dies screaming -- because he wanted to keep it a secret that he was boinking her while underage and not married. And imagine this: Immanuelle and best friend are actually in love and it’s through their continued relationship after she is married to the Prophet that we come to learn even more about the truth of Bethel’s injustices. Immanuelle secretly comes to visit her and she’s able to play a similar role in the story as Ezra, providing Immanuelle access to the Prophet’s secret materials and the items that she needs over the course of the story. Also she doesn’t die and she doesn’t just exist to talk about being raped and she and Immanuelle live happily ever after!!!!!! Until one day she is drawn into the Darkwood, the cursed forest that surrounds Bethel. There, she encounters the spirits of four dead witches who were killed inside the forest walls years ago by the very first Prophet. They present Immanuelle with the gift of her dead mother’s diary, who Immanuelle is surprised to learn once sheltered in the forest and bargained with the witches. 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!in terms of atmospheric set dressing and imagery, this book is a delight; dark and brooding and dangerous. lots of blood, violence, and other disturbing imagery keep you on your toes and serve its branding as horror rather well. i feel like this is one of those books where you either really love it or it just isnt for you. and being that my fatal flaw is indecisiveness, im right down this middle with this one. A magnificent, raw slice of folk horror, dark with threat and clenched with suspense . . . a brilliant debut to chill the brightest summer day. DAILY MAIL Adark, dramatic tale of oppression and rebellion, ideology and morality, with a complicated, appealing protagonist caught in a Handmaid's Talenightmare.”-Louisa Morgan, Author of The Age of Witches 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

Bone-chilling and breathtakingly beautiful…storytelling at its finest.”– Rena Barron, author of Kingdom of Soulswomen are married off by the dozens to men old enough to be their grandfathers as soon as they menstruate for the first time. such as leah, immanuelle’s best friend and one of the prophet’s many wives, who only ever seems to pop into the story to illustrate just how badly women are abused. Creepy, compelling, and compulsively readable…blends the terror of the supernatural with the all-too-recognizable human evils of power and dogma.”— Fonda Lee, Award-winning author of the Green Bone Saga