The Year of the Witching: Intro

For the month of September we will be reading The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson.

(image by author Alexis Henderson, @alexhwrites)

Trigger Warning Notification

We would like to notify readers that this book has scenes that some may consider to be scary and disturbing. There is also a Trigger Warnings for horror, gore, child sexual assault, sexism, religious oppression, racism, and violence. Please take note of these trigger warnings when deciding to read this novel or read our discussions, we will discuss many of these topics.

Introduction

In this book we follow Immanuelle Moore, a young woman, who is living in a strict, puritanical society called Bethel. She finds she is drawn to the Darkwood along the edge of the land. Immanuelle's existence is considered blasphemy in Bethel, where the Prophet's word is law. Her mother's relationship with a man from the Outskirts, a sub section of Bethel where people of a different race are cast aside, resulted in Immanuelle's birth and her family's current struggles. Her mother's actions threw the Moore family into disgrace so Immanuelle does her best to follow Holy Protocol, worship the Father of Light, and lead a life of devotion, conformity, and submission like all the women in Bethel have to.

While walking back to her home one day Immanuelle gets lured in to the Darkwood, which is forbidden to all in this settlement. This wood is where the first Prophet once chased down and killed four powerful witches. The spirits of the witches still roam the Darkwood and find Immanuelle to give her a gift: the diary of her dead mother. From this journal Immanuelle learns that her mother once sought sactuary in the wood, which is shocking and troubling for her.

Immanuelle finds that she has become fascinated with the diary and has a new found pull to the Darkwood, which she tries to ignore. She struggled to find who she is in the diary and why her mother could have willingly spent time with the witches. She begins to learn that the true threat to Bethel, after seeing the honest and grim history of the Church, is Bethel's own darkness. She starts to understand that if Bethel has to change, it must begin with her.

Initial Thoughts Before Starting the Book:

Michaela: I’m excited to jump into a dark fantasy story like Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. I don’t normally read books that are truly spooky and I’m anticipating this book to have some dark and spooky elements. Fall can not come soon enough for me and I hope this book will give off some of those spooky fall feelings. The story itself sounds fascinating to me; a prudish religion threatened by a Darkwood, ‘evil’ witches, a diary full of secrets, discovering religion can be its own evil. All things that greatly interest me and have definitely drawn me to this book.

Jacilyn: With fall approaching, we went on a search for a book with some good witchy vibes, and came across Year of the Witching. From what I can tell, it sounds like a combination of fantasy, dystopian, and almost a hint of Salem-esque magical realism. Like our last book, Year of the Witching has a biracial protagonist, and it looks like we’re in for some spooks as well. I’m excited to dive in and kick off our favorite season with this book!

Let us know if you're excited to read this book! Are you ready for something spooky? Ready to learn about a puritanical society? How about finally reading about some witches? Let us know in the comments below!