Review of The Year of the Witching

Love dark stories about witchcraft? Feminist stories about standing up against patriarchal oppression? Spine-tingling suspense? Then you’ve got to check out my review of The Year of the Witching!

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. To be published on July 21 2020 by Ace/Berkley Books. Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Synopsis from Goodreads: Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement. But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother. Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.

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Review of The Year of the Witching

Part feminist fairy tale, part dark witchy horror, part historical-inspired fiction, part dystopian nightmare, The Year of the Witching is a gripping and atmospheric book with fascinating and important themes. 

Immanuelle lives in a religious society ruled by a polygamous man called the Prophet. She was born of an illicit romance between a local boy and a woman betrothed to the Prophet. When their secret love affair was discovered, he was burned at the stake. She bore his child and then fled into the Darkwood, a spooky forest that is home of a coven of vengeful witches.

Immanuelle is now raised by her maternal grandparents and is close friends with Ezra, son of the Prophet. One day Immanuelle takes the family ram to sell at market and he escapes into the Darkwood. She chases after him and encounters the witches, who give her a diary that belonged to her mother. Already a bit of an outsider in her community due to the circumstances of her birth, she tries hard to conform to the rules and hesitates to look at it. But when she finally decides to look into her mother’s story, she learns about terrible things that have happened both in the Darkwood and within her own community. At first Immanuelle believes she’s cursed, but then realizes that she is the only person who can stand up against the forces of darkness and save her community from ruin.

The Year of the Witching was such a vividly told, atmospheric story. It did feel like part historical fiction (Puritan society and the Salem Witch Trials) part Handmaid’s Tale (dystopian, misogynistic society) and maybe part Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (dark, cinematic witchery!) Immanuelle was such a strong and inspiring character, the society she lived in was creepy and repressive, and the dark pull of the witches and their anger and sadness was poignant and chilling.

If you love horror, stories about witchcraft, or just a well-told spooky tale, I definitely recommend this one – if you’re kind of a scaredy cat like me, it’s not TOO terrifying. Just the perfect amount. I could not put it down!

If you love witch books, check out my list of YA Books About Witches!