Immanuelle Moore is an outcast in her home of Bethel because her mother broke the society’s rigid rules and fell in love with an outsider of another race. Because of this, Immanuelle tries to fit in as much as possible and worship the father properly. When she finds herself going into the forbidden Darkwood, she is met with the spirits of four powerful witches who were killed by the very first profit of Bethel. They give Immanuelle her mother’s diary, and she begins to understand some terrifying truths about the world she lives in.

Even though The Year of the Witching is set in a fictional universe, the allusions to our own past and present are very clear. The town of Bethel brings to mind early Puritanical societies where women were seen as inferior, and everything revolves around the church. Even several names were biblical; Immanuelle, Leah, And Ezra, to name a few. Intersectionality also plays a big role. Immanuelle, being a woman, is seen as inferior in Bethel, a place where men have all the power and can have multiple wives who are often much younger than them. She’s also biracial, which adds to her feelings of not belonging anywhere.

The only critique I have is with the witches. I wanted to know more about them, and I was disappointed by how little time was spent with them and the direction their story went. Despite that, I loved this book.

Henderson blends supernatural themes with the fears women and people of color deal with all the time. Her description of the witches is incredible and terrifying, and yet the book gave me the same kind of vibes that the movie The VVitch did. It has a very foreboding feeling to it. The Year of the Witching is an excellent comment on religious hypocrisy, patriarchy, and racism, but it’s also a frightening dark fantasy with witches, blood, and ghosts. ( )

4.5 happily rounded up. A wonderfully witchy, feminist, and intriguing read to kick off the fall season. I just loved the emotion and rage throughout the whole story! It was nicely fleshed out and well written, and I look forwards to what Henderson does next. ( )

This was a fun book to read. It also calls out the patriarchy in the most beautiful way. I actually ended up really loving the message, it hit me at a point when I was getting bored and then BAM I was hooked again ( )

Female submission by sadistic, narcissistic males. Doesn’t sound very original? Well think again. This story is that, yes, but it’s also so much more. I’m not sure if it’s considered YA but it seems much too dark for that qualification in my opinion. What I love is that the witches in this book are real! Finally, a story about truly creepy, powerful, shaking in your shoe’s witches! Lately any title with the word “witch” ends up being ok. I did Finish the second book in the A Discovery of Witches series but, that’s more time travel and magical. This is more a chill you to the bones kind of read.
The Year of the Witching is set in a fictional puritanical society similar to that of Salem, where women are persecuted for witchcraft and other crimes that the men of cloth get away with scot-free. Bethel is a society based in hypocrisy and its history is riddled with untruths. I appreciated how Alexis Anderson told a feminist story in which the main character, Immanuelle, is a strong female who is dedicated to changing Bethel for the better by protecting the vulnerable and punishing those who abuse their power behind the Church.

There were some positively spooky scenes set in the Darkwood and the witches were both frightening and captivating. Yet, towards the middle of the book, the story began to slow for me a bit. For one, I wanted more interactions with the witches and more magic. I felt the story stalled a bit until we reached the climax. I also felt the relationship between Ezra and Immanuelle was more of a friendship and I could never buy their romance. Their relationship needed to be more developed and I would have loved to delve more into the relationship between Vera and Immanuelle as well. Overall, this was a good debut, there were just certain elements I wanted more of that I hope to get more of in a second book maybe?
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Loved the idea on paper, but it's a DNF at 50% for me. No obvious problems with anything so far and there has been the odd moment of fascinating imagery, but I am discovering the more horror I consume, the more I am aware of what I like and don't like.

For me, this was copetant all round, but, beyond the premise, nothing sparked any interest in me. The narrative is slow and ponderous, which I enjoy in a gothic story with rich prose, but the writing and characterisation weren't of a quality to keep me interested. The audiobook performance is fine, but not exciting. It all just comes together to in no way offend or evoke animosity, but I made the call that this just wasn't for me. I really did want to love this.

Giving there stars because there's nothing wrong with this and it absolutely could be a me problem. I you want some witchy goings on and have more patience than me, I would still say it's worth looking into. ( )