Today on my blog I’m delighted to bring you my review of this stunning new book, The Year of the Witching by Alexis Hendersen. It was published on the 23rd of July by Transworld Publishers and is sure to be a big hit. Below you will find the book cover and book blurb followed by my review.
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Hendersen
‘A thrillingly brisk and bracing tale of magic and power . . . it takes the best tropes of horror and witchcraft and gives them a refreshingly feminist twist.’
S.A. CHAKRABORTY, author of The City of Brass
The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Village in this stunning feminist debut . . .
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 . . .
The Year of the Witching – My Review
Before I get into my review, I’m going to say that The Year of the Witching has been added to my top 10 reads of 2020 so far. This book pulled me in and spat me out in a heap at the end. The stunning prose along with the succulent metaphors brought Bethel to life on the page and I was transported to a place and time that felt so real. For me, this was a story of finding yourself and uncovering who you truly are. Packed with action, adventure, treachery, danger, suspicion, and discovery, Immanuelle’s story is one that will stay with me for quite some time.
Immanuelle is an orphan. Her father burned on the pyre for witchcraft, her mother dying giving birth to her. She is raised by her grandparents Martha and Abram to live by the Prophet’s rules and to obey. But the Darkwood calls to Immanuelle whispering on the wind and coaxing her to disobey. It is here in the woods that Immanuelle is given her dead mother’s diary and her quest for answers and truth begins.
When a curse is unleashed on Bethel, first blood, then blight, Immanuelle knows that if she doesn’t find a way to stop it darkness and slaughter will follow. This is what’s written in her mother’s journal and the only way to find a way to stop it for her to escape Bethal and find her paternal grandmother, the only living Ward remaining. Ezra, the prophet’s son and the next in line to succeed seems to be the only person to see Immanuelle for who she is and not just the daughter of outcasts. But can she trust him?
This book is a page-turner and one that will have you on the edge of your seat and peeking at the pages through the gaps in your fingers as you meet the four witches of the Darkwood and hold your breath during some tense and gripping action scenes. The author built a believable world with characters that you will love and hate. It is definitely worthy of 5 stars and the ending although complete still leaves things open for a follow up book too.
The Year of the Witching is available now in ebook and hardback and I highly recommend getting your hands on it. Buy it now from leading bookshops or from Amazon.
Until next time,
Keep reading and writing,
Amanda
Amanda J Evans is an award-winning Irish author and writing coach. Amanda writes adult romance that often crosses into paranormal and fantasy. Growing up with heroes like Luke Skywalker and Indiana Jones, her stories centre on good versus evil with a splice of love and magic thrown in too. Her books have all won awards and her novella, Hear Me Cry, won the Book of the Year Award at the Dublin Writers Conference 2018. Amanda is also the author of Surviving Suicide: A Memoir from Those Death Left Behind, published in 2012.
