This week we are discussing Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, Chapters 23- 33.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post contains spoilers for Year of the Witching.
Trigger Warning!!! Child Sexual Assault, Traumatic Birth, Death, Violence, Torture
Jacilyn: Welcome to discussion #3 of The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson. This week, we are discussing chapters 23-33. So, at the end of our last section, I was expecting Immanuelle to come upon the cabin that Miriam took refuge in, which is of course what happened. I thought it was interesting that Immanuelle mentions that it looked like it could have belonged to one of the early settlers/founders of Bethel, considering that she finds out later from Vera that the cabin has been used by generations of Ward women to practice their magic. I also thought it was an interesting tidbit that the people of Bethel originally resided in the Darkwood. That makes me think that the Darkwood didn’t truly become a place of evil until perhaps after the Holy War? I also wonder if the cabin was truly built by one of the founding citizens of Bethel and the Ward family ended up finding it and using it themselves, or if the Ward family has been present in Bethel since the beginning. If that’s the case, it goes against everything we have been told about the people of the Outskirts and how they immigrated from elsewhere after Bethel was already established.
Michaela: We learned earlier in the book that the Unholy Four actually lived with the people of Bethel for a while until some sort of event that is yet to be specified that triggered David Ford’s aversion to them. That brought on the Holy War and the deaths of the four witches triggered the beginning of the teaching that witches, witchcraft, and women being evil. I think both theories are possible for the cabin; either the Ward’s built it to use for witchcraft or they found it and took it over later on. Either way it seems to be the only house left in the forest which I think is interesting.
Everything Immanuelle finds at the cabin was really troubling. Obviously we knew Miriam was becoming unstable with her journal writings but seeing all the things she wrote on the wall in the cabin and the sigils was disturbing. I don’t blame Immanuelle for being angry with her mother because all the evidence really does point to Miriam using Immanuelle as a harbinger for the curse to get back at Bethel and that would be such a horrible feeling.
Jacilyn: I feel so bad for Immanuelle because from a distance, as I’m reading, my gut impression is that Miriam’s intent was not to use her as a weapon. Miriam loved her so much, which Vera confirms. I think the combination of Miriam’s rapidly deteriorating mental and physical health, her grief over the loss of Daniel, and the manipulation of Lilith led to the curse coming to life. Had Miriam been in her right mind, I don’t think it’s something she would have done. Even in her angriest moments, Immanuelle acknowledges that she could never sacrifice the innocents of Bethel in her desire to see the Prophet brought to justice.
I’ve said it before, but I still think it’s so interesting that Immanuelle still sees the witches as evil. In spite of how the Darkwood calls to her, in spite of her obvious connection to magic, she still sees them as evil. But really, in this world, neither the Unholy Four nor the Prophet and the church are innocent and good. Both “sides” of this have done and continue to do terrible things to people, and the innocents in the flock are the victims of that. I loved the line where Vera said “Bethel has placed its burdens on the shoulders of little girls for far too long.” Quite honestly, both Bethel AND the Unholy Four place their burdens on the shoulders of young girls. It doesn’t seem like there are very many differences between the two in that regard. Vera says that the Unholy Four are evangelists first and foremost, trying to spread their beliefs just like the original Prophets must have also done before Bethel was shut off from the rest of the world.
Michaela: I also felt weird about Miriam supposedly sacrificing Immanuelle to be the curse, but from Immanuelle’s perspective I can totally see why she thinks that is true. I’m really glad that Vera did not try to convince Immanuelle that Miriam was bad or evil. I don’t think Martha ever directly accused Miriam of being evil but she also never seemed to really argue against the Church’s trial decisions against Miriam.
I agree. Neither “side” of this religion is necessarily good or evil, they both just exist. I don’t know how the people of Bethel can view the Father of Light as beautiful and good when he requires “blood in exchange for a blessing”, that does not seem like beauty and safety to me. The witches have their own ways of doing things too but I don’t think they’ve ever tried to conceal their power and religious aspects as anything beautiful or ‘without sin’ or anything like that. The witches and the Mother of Darkness just ‘are’ in my mind, whereas the Father of Light and the Prophets are all held on this huge pedestal of lies and murder. I loved that Vera was just laying out truths like that; “...burdens on the shoulders of little girls for far too long”. I felt like Henderson was throwing around a lot of hard truths in this section of the book in particular that can easily parallel to our own world right now and our histories.
Jacilyn: I felt like Vera was actually quite fond of Miriam, which was so sweet. But she recognizes her weaknesses. The relationship Martha and Abram have with Miriam and the memory of her seems so complicated. I think they both show their love for her in different ways, but both involve Immanuelle. Martha’s betrayal is so much worse when you realize it probably truly was done out of love. I think she wants to save Immanuelle from the path Miriam took, and she really truly believes in the ways of the Father of Light and the Prophet. I can’t blame her, or most of the flock in Bethel to be honest. Remember, the flock is basically a cult. They have all been indoctrinated, secluded from the rest of the world, and live by rules that serve to enforce the Prophet and the Father of Light as the protectors, as the only chance of salvation and peace. And, of course, we’ve seen similar situations in our own history, of religion being manipulated and used as a weapon of control by people in power. It still happens, even if it’s not as explicit at burning people at the stake.
I think Ezra’s place in the religion is so interesting. I had assumed previously that Ezra was the first born son and therefore the heir, but it must be his gift of Sight that signifies him as the heir. We talked last week about how the relationship between Prophet and heir is bound to contribute to resentment and violence, but it surprised me how aggressively Ezra was bossing his father around at the Moore house. I’m sure Ezra’s love of Immanuelle is partly the reason, but the Prophet seemed to give in to Ezra’s wishes, which was fascinating. The Prophet is in poor health, obviously, but he’s still very much the Prophet and in charge. Ezra even said that he had the power to nullify the warrant to allow Ezra and Immanuelle through the gate. Their dynamic is so interesting to me, and I would love to know more about what happened between both the Prophet and Miriam, but also the Prophet and Abram. Abram referred to him as Grant. That literally shocked me.
Michaela: Martha’s betrayal really got to me. I know she probably thinks she’s helping Immanuelle but that just proves how convinced she is that the Church torturing Immanuelle because of her “sins” is okay. It’s so, so sad to see Martha being convinced of it all. The only thing I blame Martha for is going against her own word that she would let Immanuelle go. I would feel just as betrayed and unsafe as Immanuelle does, someone she loves broke a promise that resulted in her capture and most likely violent death. Religion or not, a broken word or promise is something I have never been lenient on even when I was younger. The whole Moore family’s relationships with each other and with Miriam is so complicated and yet so fascinating to read about. I think the author captures the complications of love and loss so well. Such good writing in all of it.
I had assumed Ezra was the eldest son too, especially since Esther was the First Wife. But we learn that actually his half brother Saul is the Prophet’s first son. I wonder how they identify who will be the heir of the Prophet then if it doesn’t just go to the first born son and they also said that they don’t start to develop the sight until the current Prophet begins to die. I thought a lot of Ezra’s ‘power over’ the Prophet has to do with Ezra taking over. But obviously the Prophet still has more power in the eyes of Bethel because he could have still denied Ezra and Immanuelle’s permissions to leave. Also, I feel like Ezra being so defensive of Immanuelle really confirmed some stuff for the Prophet so he was okay with it happening because it gave him some proof that he wanted or needed. I really think I would enjoy a short essay or something about how everything in Bethel works, it’s so intriguing.
Abram referring to the Prophet as Grant was startling to say the least. I think Abram has lost a lot of respect for the Prophet and possibly the Church because of what happened to Miriam, himself, his family, and how Immanuelle is treated in the community.
Jacilyn: I’m wondering if Abram and the Prophet have more of a past than we know. I know that Abram used to be an apostle and obviously the Prophet was to have wed Miriam, but I’m wondering if there used to be a friendship there when they were younger. The familiarity that Abram uses when speaking to the Prophet was telling to me. Also, can we talk about how incredible it was that Abram stood up for Immanuelle like that. He had to have used so much strength to portray himself that way to the Prophet. His love for Immanuelle is so incredible. As is her love of her entire family. Immanuelle has the same strength Abram does, but I don’t think she realizes it. She’s so steadfast in her determination to stop the curse, even at her own expense. There’s so little hesitation there. Vera calls her out for being afraid of herself, her strength, her power.
It’s clear that the Prophet intends to use Ezra to hurt Immanuelle. Ezra clearly loves Immanuelle, and he doesn’t try to hide it. Unfortunately, that works to the Prophet’s advantage. Using Immanuelle as a scapegoat for the curses (which…. Isn’t exactly wrong, of course) allows the Prophet to claim that Ezra has been seduced by her wickedness, and if Ezra isn’t already dead, I can see the Prophet, or the eldest son, trying to use that as a way to take power from Ezra. I hope that Ezra didn’t die, but it was clear that he was shot while providing Immanuelle with a chance to clear the gates. Immanuelle says she sees Saul wearing Ezra’s holy dagger, but I’m hoping that was just an attempt to manipulate her.
Speaking of Immanuelle leaving Bethel, the way that Henderson has introduced the different stages of the curse have been incredible. The onset of each curse is so dramatic and terrifying. I find it interesting, though not surprising, that the curses have reached nearby towns such as Ishmel, but much less severely. I wonder what people in the other places think of what’s happening. It’s clear that these people are aware of Bethel and their practices, but I wonder if the Father of Light and Mother of Darkness are as important to the religions of other settlements. In Ishmel, Vera and Sage clearly had a witch symbol on display on their door, and Vera even participated in some way at the council meeting. It’s clear that Ishmel functions differently than Bethel, but I’d love to see more of that contrast.
Michaela: Abram is so different than I first perceived him to be and I’m grateful for it. I wonder if Abram and the Prophet grew up together, like Abram was around when the Prophet was taking over from his own father. And then they would have probably spent even more time together after Abram became an apostle and after he chose Miriam to be his wife. I feel like it’s possible that Abram, on the inside, didn’t support the marriage in the first place but being an apostle he couldn’t say no. Then, if Abram did know the Prophet when he was younger he would know the darker side of him and I can see that affecting how he feels about Miriam turning to Daniel, Immanuelle, and not being an apostle anymore. Immanuelle does get a lot of her personality from Abram, and I feel like it took me a long time to see it.
I think the Prophet wants to use Ezra to hurt Immanuelle and to use Immanuelle to hurt Ezra. The Prophet hates Ezra because he symbolizes the Prophet’s loss of power and death, then Immanuelle represents Miriam, the woman who escaped his power and hated him. I don’t think Ezra is dead yet but who knows really. I think the Prophet would want Ezra to watch Immanuelle die on the pyre, honestly, just like how he made Miriam watch Daniel burn.
It did kind of surprise me that the plagues reach beyond Bethel, I guess I viewed Bethel as a lot more secluded than it actually is. I thought Vera and Sage both seemed to be not as bothered by the plagues because they knew they were aimed at Bethel and not them. It’s like they think the run off of the plagues suck for them but they ultimately know that that’s all it is is just ‘run off’ from Bethel and it’s problems. I mean that could just be Vera and Sage’s personal feelings towards it but I can definitely see the other residents of Ishmel and the other outlying towns feeling similarly. Bethel can’t possibly have good relations with any of the “heathen cities”. Ishmel has to be a lot more accepting than Bethel. Not only was Vera practicing witchcraft fairly publicly, she was also dressed in men’s clothing (a for sure sin in Bethel), and I don’t think her and Sage really hide their relationship at all (clearly a lesbian relationship would be a huge sin in Bethel as well). Vera seems so comfortable in Ishmel, Sage seems to really love Vera, and I’m just so happy for both of them that they found each other and somewhere to be accepted and happy.
Jacilyn: Vera and Sage are lovely. The way Sage speaks of Vera is almost sickeningly cute. I feel like their love is one of those that people can’t help but smile at. Sage knew who Immanuelle was immediately, and after being together for 11 years, I’m sure they’re closer to each other than anyone else. I really hope, for Immanuelle, that she has the opportunity to get to know them and be a family with them at some point. At this point, she’s lost everyone else. Martha has betrayed her, she’s made the terrible decision to leave the rest of the family, Ezra is who knows where, likely hurt, and Leah…. Poor Leah. Honestly, Michaela, I read through Leah’s death as fast as I could because it was horrifying. Just imagine that being us. I truly don’t know how Immanuelle was able to function and think clearly. I hate that the baby’s life was more important than Leah’s. The wives are nothing but breeders, that’s very clear. And I so hope that the nameless baby is being kept safe. At this point, everything else has been taken from Immanuelle, except for the knowledge of how to break the curse.
From what we’ve read so far, it doesn’t seem like Immanuelle is getting tortured like the other girls who were rounded up in the night raids. When Judith was sent to contrition, Immanuelle alluded to the torture that occurs there. Immanuelle was burned with the hot wax and denied adequate food or lodging, of course, but it seems like the brute force torture is at a minimum. Maybe for sake of spectacle during the trial? So that she might have some strength to fight back and defend herself? I’m not sure. I do have a prediction though…… I think Immanuelle might be sentenced to die on the pyre, but I’m wondering if that’s going to be when she embraces her power fully. “...you’re going to have to embrace yourself, all of yourself. Not just the virtues the Church has told you to value. The ugly parts too. Especially the ugly parts. The rage, the greed, the carnality, the temptation, the hunger, the violence, the wickedness.”..... And I think that the offer from the Unholy Four will come soon after.
Michaela: Vera and Sage are just beautiful and I love them. I also read through Leah’s death really quickly, it was just so disturbing and depressing. Immanuelle was so strong and I don’t know how she did it. I hated the entire birth scene for so many reasons and the biggest one was that Leah clearly did not matter to anyone especially Hagar, the First Wife of the previous Prophet. Hagar saw that Leah was struggling and just not mentally there and commanded Martha to “cut her”, basically a butchered c-section. No regard for Leah and her life. Then once the baby was there and Martha had no name for her, none of the wives, including Hagar, wanted to even touch the baby. I HATE it. This is a clear parallel to our world right now with women’s reproductive rights. The mother doesn’t matter as much as the baby but if the baby is born and it doesn’t fit into the norms of society then the baby no longer matters either. I can’t stand it and it was so painful to read. But in Bethel it’s clear that a woman’s only purpose is to bear children, raise the children, care for the home, and then be accused of witchcraft at some point for just existing. Immanuelle said it best, “Leah didn’t sin. We took what we wanted from her, ripped it from her belly, and then we watched her die”. She could have been saved but the Prophet wanted to hide his sin of having sex with a young girl before they were married. Again another case of a woman paying the ultimate price for the mistakes of a man in Bethel. “The great shame of Bethel: complacency and complicity that were responsible for the death of generations of girls. It was the sickness that placed the pride of men before the innocents they were sworn to protect.” Like speak the truth Henderson!
The Prophet has taken Ezra, Immanuelle, and the Darkness plague as permission to round up a bunch of women and girls which I feel like he’s been waiting to do for a long time. Immanuelle even says in her thoughts “they spoke of little girls being ripped from the arms of their mothers, homes invaded, dozens of women arrested, and marched to the Haven under cover of darkness. At long last, the Prophet's wrath was made manifest.” I think the Prophet has been waiting to take revenge on women in general since Miriam, which to me is just repetition of what happened with David Ford and Lilith. I’m almost convinced that Ford loved Lilith and he was rejected, or something similar to that idea, and that is what started the Holy War.
I think Immanuelle is the only one not really being physically tortured because she can hear the cries and wails of the other women, and I assume they’re cries of pain. I agree that they might be not torturing Immanuelle so that she has strength to fight back (basically for a show). Your theory about Immanuelle taking up her full power once she is sentenced to the pyre sounds good to me. I think that that is where the story is going. She doesn’t really have time to steal a dagger and cut the sigil accurately right now. Something else will have to happen first. Oh and I also just thought of something, I wonder if Ezra might be a witness at her trial, I think Ezra trying to lie or even telling the truth will be proof enough for everyone at the trial to condemn Immanuelle. No matter how Ezra would try to help it would condemn them both no matter what. There’s no way the trial doesn’t already have a determined outcome. Just before the beginning of the trial they say “we will judge her not according to the passions of our hearts, but by the laws of our Father and Holy Scriptures”. This is literally so untrue it's almost comical, Immanuelle can already see and hear the flock’s reactions to her.
Jacilyn: I highlighted those two quotes as two of my favorites. I got actual goosebumps. I’m angry that Martha thought that Leah sinned, when it was clearly the Prophet who should know better than to have sex with someone who he’s 1) not married to and 2) underage. His secret should have been exposed then. I think Leah’s death really signified the disappearance of innocence in Immanuelle’s life. Leah was truly so *good*, you know? Always joyful, even while carrying such a terrible secret. But, honestly, I think Immanuelle needed Leah’s death to spur her into action. If she could have stayed to protect Leah, I think she would have.
That’s such a great theory. I hadn’t thought of that. I think you’re 100% right on that one. In the end, all of this hate, destruction, and slaughter is all because men were scorned and took revenge. Toxic masculinity at its finest.
I think Ezra will definitely be involved at the trial. The outcome is without a doubt predetermined, and I have no doubt that the Prophet will use the trial as an opportunity to get rid of the both of them. Perhaps it’s naive, but I really hope Ezra isn’t going to die. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happens, but I feel like Immanuelle and him haven’t had nearly enough time together. I don’t know if we should expect the sigil cutting in this book or not, since we’ve heard there’s going to be a sequel. At the very least, I expect we’ll see slaughter arrive before the end of the book. I don’t think that will be staved off entirely.
Michaela: It’s just another example of how consumed by the cult Martha and the wives are, honestly. It's really sad. Immanuelle did not understand how her mother could wish bad things to happen to Bethel until Leah’s death. The second Leah died Immanuelle she finally understood what it was like to really lose someone she loves. Leah really was innoncent; what she experience with the Prophet was 100% grooming on his part and no one who saw it decided to stop it. Them blaming Leah for this “sin” is ridiculous and just another part of blaming women for the pride of men. This whole book is a cautionary tale about how religion and toxic masculinity can affect society……..sound familiar??????
I really want Ezra to survive not just because I like him but also for Immanuelle. I don’t know if she can handle losing Ezra after Leah’s death, Martha’s betrayal, and learning the curse falls on her shoulders. It would be too much for me to handle, I know that for sure. Immanuelle is so strong right now. We haven’t talked about Ezra’s willingness to go outside of Bethel with Immanuelle so that he doesn’t lose her and then his sacrifice to make sure she can get through the gate. I was so excited and then immediately devastated, then in hindsight I don’t think he would have had to stay behind since the darkness plague hit right after that. I just want them to be together and be happy and gross together like Vera and Sage.
Yet again I feel like it was one thing after another being thrown at us in this section. I definitely cried during this read, I don’t know about you guys. I can’t wait to read the trial and yet also don’t want to read through all the stress at the same time. Let us know what you all thought of the new developments in this section!
What did you think of Leah’s death? What do you think happened to Ezra? Did Vera meet your expectations? Are you mentally prepared for this trial? Let us know in the comments below!
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