The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

Welcome Back, Booklovers! 

This week I decided to take on fantasy with Year of the Witching. I had been hearing Rena Barron promote this story and since I loved her Kingdom of Souls and this one sounded intriguing I decided to take the plunge. And the Penguin gave me the opportunity to download the book from Edelweiss. Earlier this month I did an interview with Alexis Henderson so feel free to check it out.

Some of you have been looking for adult fantasy stories and this is one I fully stand behind.

I will say this is darker fantasy then I usually read. If dark fantasy and occult is not something you're comfortable reading then skip this one. I went in open and fell into a story that drew me in. I flew through the first half after one day of reading. I loved how Alexis Henderson described the violence with just enough details that make you squirm and suck in a break but at the same time doesn't feel like it's too much. And I didn't find any violence for the sake of violence. There was blood, assault, pedophilia, and domestic violence but it wasn't thrown in for shock value. It was written in a way that had great impact.

Immanuel Moore lives in Bethel a very religious town town where a bishop-like figure name The Prophet and his apostles of the Church govern all. The Church worships the Holy Father and condemns The Dark Mother and the witches who serve her. As someone who grew up in Catholic school during the week and Catholic Church on Sundays I caught many of the references.

Most of the people of Bethel are fair-skinned with straight hair while Immanuel is of a darker complexion with curly hair. This is because her father was a farmer from The Outskirts which is where the people with dark skin reside. The people of the Outskirts are considered lesser and in need of sanctification.  So though they are not explicitly called Black and White you will see many parallels throughout the story that elude to the experience of the people of the Outskirts to Black people such as the forcing of this religion as well as language and other customs of the "white" people of Bethel on to them. Immanuel is seen by the other girls her age as lesser than them because of her appearance.

The Prophet who is a much older man has numerous wives and his most recent betrothed is Immanuel's best friend Leah. Despite Leah being a teen on the cusp of adulthood it is seen as an honor to be his wife. With Leah soon to be busy with her new role as wife Immanuel is unsure of her place in the world as she doesn't quite fit into their society but she also doesn't identify with the people of the Outskirts who live a very different life than hers. For while her family has little money they aren't on the fringe of society completely. 

The wedding ceremony scenes stood out to me because they have the brides climb on an altar like a sacrifice and then carve a symbol on their foreheads to solidify the union.

Despite her grandmother's resistance Immanuel finds herself drawn to the Darkwood. After an experience in the Darkwood, a blood plague strikes Bethel causing all the water to turn to blood Immanuel believes she has brought about a curse and sets out to amend this. And in turn she ends up bringing her friend Ezra, the prophet's son into the madness with her. Ezra and Immanuel's relationship is very well done. And their feelings for each other do not hinder the plot but rather strengthen it as they work together against the church while the threat of the purging pyre hangs over their heads.

So if you're looking for a fast paced well written fantasy that will keep you enthralled I suggest you purchase The Year of the Witching. It's a tantalizing tale ripe for discussion.