The Year of the Witching

By: Alexis Henderson

Narrated by: Brianna Colette

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2020 Alexis Henderson (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A thrillingly brisk and bracing tale of magic and power, I loved this book. It takes the best tropes of horror and witchcraft and gives them a refreshingly feminist twist." (S.A. Chakraborty, national best-selling author of The Daevabad Trilogy)

"The Year of the Witching is a dark, dramatic tale of oppression and rebellion, ideology and morality, with a complicated, appealing protagonist caught in a Handmaid's Tale nightmare. It's a fine addition to the body of feminist fantasy works, a great read." (Louisa Morgan, Author of The Age of Witches)

"The Year of the Witching is a dark wood ready to swallow you whole with its tense stakes and beguiling prose. Henderson takes witchcraft to its very depths, unraveling the horrific nightmares of bone-deep ideology and devastating oppression, and giving readers a complex heroine ready to face fire." (Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times best-selling author of The Belles series)

Needs a better narrator

The book itself is entertaining. I don’t know if I’d call it a “feminist” novel like it’s marketed as but it’s a fun read. The only thing that took me out of it was the narrator, who read every line, dialogue and all, with the same flat monotone like she was reading off a daily bulletin.

Turn it into a movie

Slow start setting the scene. Although a great read from Chapter 6 to the end !!! Would make a fantastic movie.

I need more!

I am so in love with this story and it’s characters. I need a second and a third and more more more! Such a pulling story and you can’t help but be fully invested in it and the characters.

I would recommend this book

The Year of The Witching was not what I expected, but I really enjoyed it!

Excellent Book

Excellent Book. I highly recommend this one. The story was well developed and narration was really good.

So enthralling!

I very much enjoyed this book. The descriptions are detailed enough without unnecessarily slowing down the pace of the story. After chapter 2, it was so difficult to take any time away from the story. The ending wasn't what I expected and I wonder if this will be the 1st in a series...? I look forward to reading more like this.

Great story, monotone narrator

Great listen especially for this time of year! I feel like I would’ve enjoyed better if the narrator wasn’t so blah but it didn’t stop me from finishing it

Slow simmering story

Took me several tries but once I settled into it, I loved this book! Great story!

Highly Recommend

I devoured this book. I really can't remember being this compulsively obsessed with a book since Twilight or The Host. I love how deep intimacy is explored without there being a single drop of actual sex. I love the main character's inner dialogue. I could list endless praises. eagerly anticipating the sequel.

Dope read!

This is not the genre I typically read, but that did not slow the pace at which I wanted to consume this book. It's a really good read. I look forward to the follow-up from Alexis Henderson!