Uptown Oracle Reads… The Year of the Witching | Stunning, Dark, Feminist Fantasy

The Year of the Witching Alexis Henderson

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A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy. Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches. Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanuelle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches. But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness. And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.

The Year of the Witching follows a patriarchal and religious society, where our main character is put in situations where she starts to overthrow it and change perceptions. There’s a bit of a mystery to unravel about exactly who the antagonist is and what they’re doing which is so wrong, and it kept me intrigued to find out more.

Our main character, Immanuelle, is a strong and smart woman who starts off the book just trying to get through her life in this society (even with a backstory which already alienates her a bit). Even when she has doubts about herself she still tries to do the right thing, and listens to her morals over what other people say is the right thing. I loved the evolution of Immanuelle’s character as the book progresses as she grows into herself. 

Immanuelle ends up finding a diary which reveals her mother’s interactions with the feared witches, and I was excited to see how this influenced Immanuelle to the very end. Whilst the society around Bethel isn’t unique but based on many other religious cult-like societies, the magical elements help build a lot of interest and atmosphere which is hard to ignore. 

Ezra is the character I assumed would be a predictable “bad boy” love interest, however I was fortunately wrong and there’s a lot of depth to his character. There’s an emphasis on his family, his religion and his relationships with multiple people on top of Immanuelle which I thought added to the storyline really well. 

Another relationship I loved was Immanuelle’s kind of sisters, Honor and Glory. Whilst not blood sisters, the sisterly bond was strong and the family ties that were there could have caused resentment didn’t. It doesn’t feel forced, and I found the characters to react realistically with a healthy upbringing rather than one that leant too much on the negative history of Immanuelle’s mother. 

I really enjoyed the use of the Darkwood and the witches imagery and lore that permeates throughout the entire story. Whilst these aspects can feel creepy and cause a lot of tension, I would say it’s very much fantasy over straight up horror which I found some people saying The Year of the Witching was. 

Overall I enjoyed reading The Year of the Witching, but it’s probably not my favourite book and as I was writing this review I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t a memorable book. 

Positives of The Year of the Witching

• Positive female friendships and family ties
• Intriguing lore around the Darkwood

Negatives of The Year of the Witching

• Unmemorable and sometimes slow paced

I received The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson from the publisher. This is an unbiased and honest review

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