The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson
Morning BookWyrms,
I was kindly gifted an e-copy of Alexis Henderson's debut The Year of the Witching by Lilly Cox, Marketing Executive at Transworld Publishing. As a fan of anything with witch-y vibes I was excited to read this book having seen so much hype about it within the bookish community - I needed to see for myself if it was as good as everyone said.
Firstly can we talk about this cover art, there are two versions (both striking) but this was the cover on my copy. I appreciate that there are only a few elements on this cover, I like that the colour palette is simple and the design minimalist. I do think from the cover alone you can tell this is going to be an intense read. The smoking symbol with that tagline - really give you a feel for the tone of the book!
Here is the blurb taken from the Waterstones website:
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 . . .
Without spoiling the story I will just mention some trigger warnings for readers - sexual abuse, religious abuse and violence.
To start let’s talk about how much I loved the Darkwood. I have a huge respect for authors who manage to make a place feel like it is it's own independent character. And Henderson did this, expertly, with the Darkwood. This is a place that no good, 'Father fearing' Bethel resident would willingly go, but the way Henderson describes it and it's pull on Immanuelle had me wishing I could walk into the thick trees and shadowed pathways. I felt like the descriptions of the Darkwood were lush and alive while Bethel was the opposite. I fully supported Immanuelle's need to enter into the Darkwood and follow her instincts. Even if that didn't exactly turn out all that well for her.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for a well written villain but what Henderson has written here is something that makes you question who is the real evil in the story. I kept flip flopping between different characters as to who was the biggest bad in town and I appreciate a story that keeps me guessing to the end.
All too often fantasy/horror stories are predictable with how they end or what goes down in those final concluding chapters but not here. Not with The Year of the Witching. This story kept me guessing, the twists kept coming and I really didn't see the book ending the way it did. And although I couldn't figure it out until it was all over I really appreciated and enjoyed the ending of this story. I don't want to give anything away (you know I'm spoiler free here) but the final scene of this book......LOVED IT. It was everything you could want after the events that unfold just pages before.
Immanuelle was a three dimensional, well written, fleshed out character with flaws, weaknesses and imperfections as well as a bold heart and a strong will. I loved reading the story through her eyes. Immanuelle's character, and how Henderson wrote about her and the other female characters, really made me feel that this is a feminist story. A proper reflection of the fact that no matter what society does to keep women down, no matter how much they punish us and villainise us - women are stronger and bolder and braver and more capable of survival than anyone can ever imagine. And this is Immanuelle in a sentence for me.
I was kindly gifted an e-copy of Alexis Henderson's debut The Year of the Witching by Lilly Cox, Marketing Executive at Transworld Publishing. As a fan of anything with witch-y vibes I was excited to read this book having seen so much hype about it within the bookish community - I needed to see for myself if it was as good as everyone said.
Firstly can we talk about this cover art, there are two versions (both striking) but this was the cover on my copy. I appreciate that there are only a few elements on this cover, I like that the colour palette is simple and the design minimalist. I do think from the cover alone you can tell this is going to be an intense read. The smoking symbol with that tagline - really give you a feel for the tone of the book!
Here is the blurb taken from the Waterstones website:
*****
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 . . .
*****
Without spoiling the story I will just mention some trigger warnings for readers - sexual abuse, religious abuse and violence.
To start let’s talk about how much I loved the Darkwood. I have a huge respect for authors who manage to make a place feel like it is it's own independent character. And Henderson did this, expertly, with the Darkwood. This is a place that no good, 'Father fearing' Bethel resident would willingly go, but the way Henderson describes it and it's pull on Immanuelle had me wishing I could walk into the thick trees and shadowed pathways. I felt like the descriptions of the Darkwood were lush and alive while Bethel was the opposite. I fully supported Immanuelle's need to enter into the Darkwood and follow her instincts. Even if that didn't exactly turn out all that well for her.
Anyone who knows me knows I am a sucker for a well written villain but what Henderson has written here is something that makes you question who is the real evil in the story. I kept flip flopping between different characters as to who was the biggest bad in town and I appreciate a story that keeps me guessing to the end.
All too often fantasy/horror stories are predictable with how they end or what goes down in those final concluding chapters but not here. Not with The Year of the Witching. This story kept me guessing, the twists kept coming and I really didn't see the book ending the way it did. And although I couldn't figure it out until it was all over I really appreciated and enjoyed the ending of this story. I don't want to give anything away (you know I'm spoiler free here) but the final scene of this book......LOVED IT. It was everything you could want after the events that unfold just pages before.
Immanuelle was a three dimensional, well written, fleshed out character with flaws, weaknesses and imperfections as well as a bold heart and a strong will. I loved reading the story through her eyes. Immanuelle's character, and how Henderson wrote about her and the other female characters, really made me feel that this is a feminist story. A proper reflection of the fact that no matter what society does to keep women down, no matter how much they punish us and villainise us - women are stronger and bolder and braver and more capable of survival than anyone can ever imagine. And this is Immanuelle in a sentence for me.
I'd also like to take a moment to say that I loved how the events that happened in the story to the female characters were not plot devices used to further a male characters story-line or development. This was a story about women overcoming men and I am here for that in 2020!
I really, really, really loved Henderson's writing style. The words flowed for me and it was easy to get caught up and lost in her brilliant descriptions of the world she created. There were some very dark, horror like, elements to this story which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would say this is a fantasy/horror cross when it comes to genre. It is bold and unflinching - which comes from commitment from the author to write us something that is true to the world they have brought us, the reader, into and it helps to create a sense of reality in even the most unnatural of events or settings.
The Year of the Witching is one of the best books I have read of 2020 so far with Immanuelle topping out as one of my top five heroines of 2020 - I'm a sucker for a powerful outsider with a heart of gold.
With this being Henderson's debut I am excited to see what she comes up with next and I can fully see why so many people within the bookish community were raving about this novel. I am happy to report I too am now raving.
Here are the links to buy:
I really, really, really loved Henderson's writing style. The words flowed for me and it was easy to get caught up and lost in her brilliant descriptions of the world she created. There were some very dark, horror like, elements to this story which I thoroughly enjoyed. I would say this is a fantasy/horror cross when it comes to genre. It is bold and unflinching - which comes from commitment from the author to write us something that is true to the world they have brought us, the reader, into and it helps to create a sense of reality in even the most unnatural of events or settings.
The Year of the Witching is one of the best books I have read of 2020 so far with Immanuelle topping out as one of my top five heroines of 2020 - I'm a sucker for a powerful outsider with a heart of gold.
With this being Henderson's debut I am excited to see what she comes up with next and I can fully see why so many people within the bookish community were raving about this novel. I am happy to report I too am now raving.
Here are the links to buy:
The Year of the Witching - Waterstones
The Year of the Witching - Amazon
If you want to know more about the the author then go to her website:
Alexis Henderson
Once again thank you to Lilly Cox, Transworld Publishers and Alexis Henderson for the chance to read and review this book.
Until next time, keep on reading,
Lottie
The Year of the Witching - Amazon
If you want to know more about the the author then go to her website:
Alexis Henderson
Once again thank you to Lilly Cox, Transworld Publishers and Alexis Henderson for the chance to read and review this book.
Until next time, keep on reading,
Lottie
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