This week we are discussing Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson, Chapters 34- Epilogue.
Spoiler Warning!!! This post contains spoilers for Year of the Witching.
Trigger Warning!!! Violence, Gore, Death
Discussion #4:
Jacilyn: Welcome to our final discussion of The Year of the Witching! This week we are discussing chapter 34 through the epilogue. First of all, can I just take a moment to thank the Mother and the Father that Ezra didn’t die?????? I was honestly waiting for some sort of huge betrayal - either from Immanuelle in her determination to save Bethel or by Ezra after being manipulated in some way. Like we talked about last week, it was obvious from the get-go that the trial was not going to be impartial in any way. Apostle Isaac literally says “Did you raise her to be what she is?”... that sort of shit would (hopefully) not fly in a courtroom today.
Michaela: I am so glad that Ezra did not die. I was just waiting for it to happen the entire time. Then it almost did and I was preparing myself for the feelings. That whole trial was a sham! It was literally like a horrible play put on by the Prophet (*cough* Judith! *cough*). Apostle Isaac has some sort of weird obsession with watching people die, I’m convinced. Also I thought it was interesting that Apostle Isaac was the one who replaced Abram after they basically fired him from it. I think Apostle Isaac might have some hard feelings towards Abram considering how he talked to him. Also can we talk about how Abram was spitting hard truths with his “sin can be an affliction” and “we don’t punish ourselves”. Preach it! So many characters in this book have been speaking the hard truth and I live for it.
Jacilyn: This last part of the book definitely confronted some very real shit that is a part of our everyday life also. One of my favorite quotes was from after the Prophet told Immanuelle that he had Vera - “True evil, Immanuelle realized now, wore the skin of good men. It uttered prayers, not curses. It feigned mercy where there was only malice. It studied Scriptures only to spit out lies.” And I agree. There’s something truly malicious about those who hide behind the guise of holy law, or even just use their claims of “morals” as a mirage to hide true intentions.
I think Judith was manipulated. And honestly, it almost seemed like she was trying to save *Ezra*, not necessarily herself, by testifying at the trial. She was obviously taking cues from the Prophet the entire time. And I’m willing to bet that Isaac was passed up for lead Apostle spot by Abram back in the day, and still harbors bad feelings. You know, I think it’s hard to ascertain where complicity ends and begins when it comes to the people of Bethel. But I can say with absolute certainty that Isaac is one of the people who are just as complicit in the evil as the Prophet himself.
Michaela: The “true evil wore the skin of good men” gave me goosebumps. Such a good lie and so, so true. So many people, especially those in power, use the facade of being a ‘good guy’ to do horrible things to so many people. Then later when Immanuelle says “It was all the innocent girls and women who suffered and died at the hands of men who exploited them. They were Bethel’s sacrifice. They were the bones upon which the Church was built”. Both of these quotes parallel to our world just like so many other things Henderson has written about in this book. The blood, sweat, and deaths of women, people of color, and the non-wealthy are the ones who suffer and build the world but the ‘evil in the skin of good men’ take the credit every time. These lines and this book are so powerful with this message.
Judith was 100% manipulated, mentally abused, and physically tortured. The Prophet no doubt gave some empty promises about either saving Ezra or letting her out of contrition or both. She was constantly looking to the Prophet for cues and approval, it was disgusting honestly. Judith will have a lot of mental health issues for a very long time from the abuse and manipulation she has suffered from the Prophet. The Prophet and Isaac are exactly what is wrong with Bethel and why nothing has changed until now. The Prophet convinces himself he is allowed to sin because he is “the one man willing to damn your soul for the good of the flock. Salvation always demands a sacrifice”, then Apostles like Isaac and members of the flock ignore all the obvious signs of all of it because he’s the Prophet, he’s too special to do wrong. Then those people are prompted to promote the elimination of anyone who goes against the power of the Prophet and the Church. (sounds familiar to me…….)
Jacilyn: I think The Prophet got cocky with his manipulation in the end there. The flock was becoming increasingly more upset with him as the book came to its conclusion. His decision to wed Immanuelle was clearly frowned upon, and when the curse didn’t lift immediately afterwards, they were clearly unhappy. I thought it was interesting that he says “We have purged, and we have burned, and we are all the worse for it” during the sentencing hearing. Obviously, he doesn’t truly believe this, but he uses this line in an attempt to manipulate the flock into agreeing with this act of “mercy.” He could have easily sent Immanuelle to the pyre and been done with it, but he wanted Immanuelle. Actually, no. He wanted Miriam. I think that was his ultimate expression of power… to gain control over the woman who fought back.
Speaking of control over women. The small detail that was thrown in about the windows in the brides’ rooms being barred. I think by this point we all knew that they weren’t exactly there of their own volition, but the illusion was there. Becoming a bride of the Prophet was seen as an honor, but everyone knew it was a sacrifice. I think that the Prophet’s desire for complete power was his undoing. And, as Immanuelle said… “...there was some poetic justice in it all. That seventeen years after Miriam had taken up the Prophet’s holy dagger, Immanuelle would take up that very same blade and carve the sigil that would reverse the curses her mother had wrought all those years ago.”
Michaela: The Prophet got way too cocky at the end where he didn’t even realize how deep he was in his own BS. I think the flock was on board until the Prophet proclaimed that the only way for the plagues to end was for him to wed Immanuelle. I think that simple act of selfishness and greed for power is what started the fracture with the flock. I don’t even think he saw his downfall.
The night before the cutting ceremony Immanuelle was sneaking out to find Ezra and the guardsman found her, he let her go! That kind of cemented to me that the flock was turning already, if a guardsmen was willing to go against the Prophet’s orders for Immanuelle and Ezra. Then during the feast he slapped Immanuelle in front of everyone! He definitely did that by mistake because he was even startled that he did it in front of the flock. Then he sentences Ezra to the pyre at the feast, I would think that was excessive if I was in the flock. While that’s happening Immanuelle and Ezra are very publicly yelling at the Prophet about broken promises. Immanuelle says very loudly that the Prophet promised her that if she went through with the marriage he would leave Ezra alone. Anyone in the world could see how much Ezra and Immanuelle care for each other.
A worthy mention here, real quick, is the meeting between Ezra and Immanuelle. They both showed so much love and maturity in that scene. I was surprised Ezra did not argue more about Immanuelle’s plan but when he didn’t I think that proved how different he is from his father. He accepts that Immanuelle is a strong, independent woman who can protect herself and save everyone.
Then when Immanuelle said she would take Ezra’s place the Prophet says “But you have my seal. You took a vow, to me”, again in front of everyone. Another big red flag for any sane person in Bethel to look at that whole situation and feel uneasy at the very least. Immanuelle then saying “I am my own”, get it girl. I totally agree with you that the Prophet wanted control over Miriam, Immanuelle was just the next best thing. Shameful.
That detail about the bars wasn’t totally surprising but still startling. Just another way the women of Bethel, especially the wives, are trapped. I agree that the Prophet desire to be the most powerful was his undoing. Immanuelle said it best when she was talking about the flock but the same thing happened with the Prophet, “They had brought the fate upon themselves. They were complicit in their own damnation.”
Jacilyn: I wish we knew more about that guard. I have a tendency to read extra fast and jump ahead a bit by accident when I’m reading tense or suspenseful scenes because I want to know what happens, so I accidentally saw that she ran into a guard before actually knowing what happened. But when the guard said “easy” I had a suspicion that he was going to help her.
I loved how simple their interaction with each other was. There were no dramatic declarations of love. Just quick promises and reassurances about what was to come. They trust each other, and after all they’ve been through, that’s to be expected. It read so much faster to me, but I think the entire book stretched out over a good chunk of the year, so what might have seemed like less time to us was actually quite a bit of time between when Ezra saw Immanuelle looking at the books in the market, and the Slaughter. Also, Esther mentioned that Ezra was being kept in the library with Leah’s daughter. I love that, in spite of being beaten and tortured and detained, he was still taking care of Leah’s daughter, just as he promised.
When Glory reacted to Immanuelle offering herself in Ezra’s stead, I started crying. And then Martha offered herself up…. That almost surprised me, but not quite. It’s clear that she loves Immanuelle. She just wasn’t good at showing it. Abram lost himself after Miriam died. I don’t think Martha had a choice but to become the backbone of the family and stand firm and resolute in her beliefs. It’s the only way she could see to prevent more pain. It breaks my heart. I’ll never forgive her for betraying Immanuelle because that was clearly a misguided choice, but I do think she was trying her best.
I’m honestly surprised that Immanuelle had the time to carve the symbol into her arm. There was a lot of confusion, but still. I also don’t remember the sacrifice knife being one of the options Vera mentioned, but I could be misremembering that. It obviously worked though. Gotta say, I wasn’t expecting Slaughter to be a legion of nightmares.
Michaela: Glory broke my heart. I kind of thought Martha’s offer was too little too late, honestly. But I appreciated the moment. I agree though, that Martha had to become the backbone and primary caregiver for the household which is a lot to put on anyone.
At first I thought that maybe Immanuelle had done the sigil wrong. She only had like a 10 second look at the sigil before the guards showed up. I don’t know how she could have had it memorized accurately in that short of a time but I guess if it was super simple. I also thought it would have taken her longer to carve it. I don’t think Vera offered the sacrifice knife as an example but it is a holy weapon all the same. I was thinking Slaughter was going to be more like that scene in the movie Kingsman where all of the church congregation turn against one another and kill each other. That’s what I was fully expecting. But I suppose fanged bats, bone animals, locusts, wolves, and legions of the dead is a lot more witchy.
The hardest part of this whole Slaughter scene was by far Abram’s death. It made me cry for sure. I was not expecting him to die, especially so violently. I was fully expecting Ezra to be the one to die like that, not Abram. Lilith offered Immanuelle a place with them and when she turned it down, it was almost like Lilith was killing Abram specifically to punish her for her refusal.
Jacilyn: I visualized the Slaughter the exact same way! I was surprised when the Unholy Four arrived, but I have to say, the drama was A+ on their part. I also didn’t really expect this to be the outcome with the witches, either. I was expecting them and Immanuelle to have more of a connection and more interactions. I feel like we didn’t get to know much about the Unholy Four as I would have liked, but at the same time I feel like keeping them as separate, very unhuman-like entities was a really good way to illustrate the way that their hunt for revenge and vengeance turned them into beasts. They weren’t relatable as human beings at all, really…”Immanuelle could almost imagine the kind of leader she might have been in a time, long ago, before the affliction of her vengeance and bloodlust turned her into the monster she had now become.” And of course, Vera was right. Lilith extended an offer to Immanuelle, just as expected. I think the witches wanted to gain control of Immanuelle’s power before she could use it against them. The killing of Abram seemed to be intended to force Immanuelle to join them to save the rest of those she loves, when they could have easily just slaughtered her along with the rest of the flock. Unfortunately for them, that was the wrong move.
The way Immanuelle killed each witch gave me goosebumps. It was so fitting. Each died at one of the curses, including Lilith. And the battle against Lilith was so intense, but I love love loved that both Ezra and Vera had a role in her demise. I wonder, with the witches gone, if there will still be a price to pay for Immanuelle taking in the power of the curses? We don’t find out by the end of the book, and it’s one of the many things that make me so anxious for the sequel.
Michaela: The witches showing up, the offer, and Abram’s death were all so emotional for me. The deaths of the witches gave me goosebumps too, it was so cool how they related back to the plagues. Just so freaking cool. I, too, was expecting there to be more with the Unholy Four. I am a little disappointed about that but I understand why we don’t get that and I think it’s exactly what you said, so that they don’t come off as human or anything.
I am still wondering how Vera predicted so much about what would happen. I would really like to learn more about Vera, her practices, and her past. Ezra and Vera fighting with Immanuelle was beautiful. I will say that the guns used in this book always threw me off, in my mind them having guns never quite fit but that was a really minor thing really.
I’m very curious to find if the witches come back because technically they weren’t alive during this book. They were murdered by David Ford and his flock hundreds of years ago. I feel like they will probably come back someday in a different form, possibly with these deaths affecting their appearance just like last time. Lilith would have a dagger poking out of her skull, Jael would be covered in liquid darkness, Mercy with an injured head maybe, and Delilah covered in blood. That would be really interesting to see in the next book.
I think there is still a lot to come from the next book and it will delve deeper into how Immanuelle is still affected by the plague curse. I don’t see how all her power could just be gone now, all of a sudden. That wouldn’t seem realistic with the magical system of this world.
Also, can we talk about how after Lilith’s death (that whole scene was so suspenseful and it was such good writing) the Prophet tried to blame Immanuelle again. He still didn’t realize the flock that was present had turned against him at this point. Then all Vera, Glory, Honor, Anna, Martha, and all the women present stood up against the Prophet and his guardsmen (who refused to shoot their wives, daughters, and mothers). Talk about goosebumps, best part of the entire book. Such a beautiful and strong moment.
Jacilyn: I have a feeling we’ll probably see the Unholy Four in some fashion later on. Even if it’s just their lingering presence in the minds of the flock. I’m also guessing that Immanuelle still has this power, but that it takes extreme feelings for her to wield it. I think she’s different from her mother in that. She doesn’t WANT the power. But we’ve seen it pop up throughout the book as wind during stressful moments. I’m guessing we’ll see the power of the curses reappear at a later date also.
I do like that the book doesn’t end with happily ever after. It’s unrealistic to think that Bethel has risen from the ashes anew, and I appreciate that the lingering issues are addressed before the book ended. There are still people who support the Prophet and the church, and the question of the Prophet’s succession…. There is still work to be done. I think it’s fair to expect another war of some sort in the next book. I hope that in the process, we’ll get to learn more about Vera and her magic. The fact that her magic existed independently of the Unholy Four has been so fascinating to me. When I first started the book, I thought they may have been the source, but that’s obviously not the case. I hope that, before shit hits the fan in the next book, Immanuelle gets the opportunity to exist as herself with Ezra, the Moore’s, and Vera and Sage. She deserves that peace.
I absolutely loved that scene when the women stood up to the men and protected Immanuelle. And the scene where the Prophet was given mercy…. “The world you want can’t be bought with blood. You build it with the choices you make, with the things you do. Either we can keep purging, keep the pyres burning, keep hoping that our prayers will be enough to save us - or we can build something better. A world without slaughter.” That line spoke to me so deeply. It’s on us, our personal choices, to make the world a better place. We can’t just hope and pray. We have to actively choose to make a difference, we have to actively choose to take the route of mercy and forgiveness instead of vengeance and suffering. ‘“Today, we choose mercy.”’ The flock answered her as one. “Now and forevermore.”’
Michaela: I would love to see more of Immanuelle’s power and her trying to control it more, possibly with the help of Vera and Sage. I’m so glad this book didn’t end in a way that it was pretending everything was happy for evermore, the end. That would have been horrible and so unrealistic. I’m excited to read the next book to see what comes of the schisms and the impending holy war. Peace and justice take work, it will never just happen because of one battle.
I was almost expecting to meet the Mother or the Father in this book by the end. But we didn’t. I’m wondering if at some point we might get to meet them, even in just a ‘vision’ kind of way through Immanuelle. I love the magic system in this book and I really want to learn more about it and its source.
If Immanuelle and Ezra don’t get at least some time to be calm and happy together, I will write a petition! They both deserve a moment's peace together with her family, if nothing else.
I thought this book showed how important it is for us as individuals to figure out what we believe in independently and then as a group and on our own we have to be willing and brave enough to stand up against oppression. The world or the situation you are in will not change unless you make the first step towards the change you want to see in it. “There was no divinity in this violence. No justice. No sanctity. All that ruin and pain had been wrought not from the Mother’s darkness or the Father’s light, but from the sins of men.”
I think you could almost teach an entire class on this book and the messages in it that parallel our society and what we can learn from the text. Such a good story and beautiful writing.
Jacilyn: Absolutely incredible writing, and such a good way to examine the issues of religious oppression, sexism, manipulation…. The list goes on. I can’t wait to dive back into Bethel in the sequel, which, if I had to guess, will be titled The Year of the Dawn. I look forward to seeing more of Alexis Henderson’s work, also!
What did you think of the trial? What about the Prophet’s actions at the end of the book? How about that battle scene? Let us know in the comments below!
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