Horror Book of the Week: The Year of the Witching

 

This week’s HORROR BOOK OF THE WEEK is THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING. Written by Alexis Henderson, this book was her debut novel that won her praise for her unique storytelling prowess. 

The book was shortlisted in the 2020 GoodReads Choice Awards and still sits on the Bestsellers list for Horror Fiction and Dark Fantasy.

THE YEAR OF THE WITCHING has received praise for being a timeless story about women power. It has been described as The Handmaid’s tale meets The Village. 

Customers who bought the book has found The Year of the Witching to be a compelling read and hard to put down. It has been described as dark, and terrifying, yet satisfyingly compelling. 

Quick Review based on the sample: The author immediately pulls you in from the very first page with her descriptive writing. An ominous event occurs and then the birth of a child: Immanuelle. 

We then meet Immanuelle as a seventeen year old who is living in a community which reveres a Prophet. Immanuelle is a shepherdess who is a little disturbed by the fact that she hasn’t bled and that her best friend Leah has been betrothed and she may never see her again after her marriage. 

The characters are introduced in a timely manner and their personalities established. The story moves to what happened to Immanuelle’s mother and why she has been termed as a witch. 

The story does captivate you and you do want to follow Immanuelle as she learns the dark secrets of the place she has always called home. 

This is definitely a book you want to pick if you are into Dark Fantasy. 

The Plot (Taken from Amazon.com)

A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

 

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law, 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 worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and 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, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

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.

The book is available in the following formats: Kindle, Audiobook, Hardcover, and Paperback.