by Alexis Henderson
SYNOPSIS
The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Village in this stunning debut from an important new voice in feminist fiction . . .
Born on the fringes of Bethel, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. For it was in Bethel that the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, and so cleansed the land.
And then a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel.
It is a forbidden place, haunted by the spirits of the witches who bestow an extraordinary gift on Immanuelle. The diary of her dead mother . . .
Fascinated by and fearful of the secrets the diary reveals, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once consorted with witches. And as the truth about the Prophets, the Church and their history is revealed, so Immanuelle understands what must be done. For the real threat to Bethel is its own darkness.
Bethel must change. And that change will begin with her . . .
REVIEW Immanuelle has always been an outsider. Despite the fact that she follows the rules of the Church and has a close relationship with her grandparents, she will always be treated differently to the other townsfolk in Bethel because of her mother’s association with witches.
One day after getting lost in the Darkwood, Immanuelle stumbles upon these same witches who give her the diary her mother left behind before she died. As she reads more and more of her mothers’ story, the startling truth about four plagues which will be cast on the town begins to unfold. Forming an unlikely bond with the Prophet’s son Ezra, Immanuelle attempts to save the lives of the people of Bethel while at the same time combatting the oppression of the patriarchal society responsible for her mothers’ exile.
Every year in the lead up to Halloween, I like to add a few books to my TBR that have a spooky gothic atmosphere. The Year of the Witching was the perfect choice to escape into a dark-fantasy world. A tale of forbidden love, laced with horror and witchcraft, following Immanuelle as she puts her own life at risk to save the people she loves while at the same time exposing the injustice faced by the women in Bethel.
When I started reading the book I was expecting a bleak, macabre, dystopian world and the standard story of the prosecution of witches. What I was not expecting were the real-world parallels addressing issues of race, gender, religion, feminism and poverty which all added great depth to the storyline.
Considering I am mainly a crime thriller fan, I actually surprised myself by finding the love story between Immanuelle and Ezra the most intriguing element, and felt that this part of the story was cut too short at the end of the book. Sequel anyone? I certainly hope so!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alexis Henderson is a speculative fiction writer with a penchant for dark fantasy, witchcraft, and cosmic horror. She grew up in one of America’s most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, which instilled in her a life-long love of ghost stories. When she doesn’t have her nose buried in a book, you can find her painting or watching horror movies with her feline familiar. Currently, Alexis resides in the sun-soaked marshland of Charleston, South Carolina.
Thanks to @RandomTTours and @alexhwrites for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Dark Fantasy / Witchcraft
Product format: Hardback
ISBN: 978-1787632523
Pages: 368 pp
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