I also love the message that Henderson was going for here. A Puritan-inspired fantasy is a fresh idea and I appreciate her argument that women’s sacrifices in the name of duty and purity are at the heart of Puritan Christianity. She makes it clear that patriarchy is often masked by benevolence, its ugly hypocrisy hidden as men like the Prophet pretend holy authority but use their power to abuse women. It was also infuriatingly accurate that the Prophet frantically tried to hid this reality of his horrible actions by turning himself into a martyr unfairly persecuted malevolent women. (Witchunt, anyone?) This is more revolutionist, r ETA: I'm changing the rating I gave this book from a 3 to at least a 4 because I just can't get it out of my head. Slow burn horror crossed with a powerfully feminist coming-of-age novel . . . this book will haunt your dreams. CHRISTINA HENRY, author of The Lost Boy

Henderson blends the supernatural with the real, expertly and ingeniously using dark witchcraft, sigils, and magical plagues to weave in real world themes and issues like racism, the oppression and silencing of women, and religious abuse. NERD DAILY 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, author of The City of Brass immanuelle is also pretty much allowed to go everywhere, explore everything, and discover whatever she needs to as the plot demands. Alexis Henderson brilliantly blends horror, a paranormal dark, twisty witchy tale set the dystopian world of Bethel where the Prophet makes the rules everyone must follow. She weaves in real-world themes like racism, oppression, power and religion. The Prophet uses fear, cruelty and religion to gain power and control over the people.I love a good witch tale and was not disappointed. Fans of witches, dystopian tales, dark tales, beautiful writing and strong female protagonists look no further. Has a classic setup but updates the olde puritanical tale to deal with issues of racism and sexism."-- The Washington Post

Psst! Read Katherine Arden’s gorgeous Winternight Trilogy instead. Or better yet – just read The Handmaid’s Tale.) Good people don’t bow their heads and bite their tongues while other good people suffer. Good people are not complicit.” A magnificent, raw slice of folk horror, dark with threat and clenched with suspense . . . a brilliant debut to chill the brightest summer day. DAILY MAIL Full of blood and bigotry, The Year of the Witching is a chilling twist on stories about religious extremism and occultism. What’s not to love in a book where dangerous witches, cruel men, and oppressive religious zealotry collide, and the outcast girl who must sacrifice everything to stop them? With a keen eye and a sharp tongue, Henderson breathes new life into an old trope. Alexis Henderson is a fresh new voice in dark fantasy, and I look forward to hearing more from her. The Year of the Witching tells a universal, timeless story about women's power. O, THE OPRAH MAGAZINE

A 1986 article from Time Magazine explained that King planned on quitting horror after he wrote “It.” At the time he said there was too much competition, citing Clive Barker as “better than I am now” and “a lot more energetic.” But that was almost four decades ago. Since then he’s written some horror classics such as “ The Dark Half, “Needful Things,”“Gerald’s Game,”and “Bag of Bones.”

Bethel is a secluded community where the Prophet’s power is absolute and polygamy is the norm. It’s surrounded by the Darkwood, home of Lilith and her coven of witches whose tragic history many years prior led to their condemnation. The Year of the Witchingtells a universal, timeless story about women’s power.” – O, The Oprah Magazine The Year of the Witching was pitched as being inspired by The VVitch, so perhaps it's on me for allowing my expectations to climb sky-high due to the association with one of my favorite movies of all time. The VVitch is disturbing and unsettling and claustrophobic; The Year of the Witching is standard YA fantasy fare, and this despite the fact that it is not YA fantasy, but adult. One of the many emotions that burns inside of me when reading books like this is RAGE. Not towards the book, but towards all the horrible characters who invoke my sense of solidarity towards those they’ve wronged, especially the women. Burn, let them burn!!!in terms of atmospheric set dressing and imagery, this book is a delight; dark and brooding and dangerous. lots of blood, violence, and other disturbing imagery keep you on your toes and serve its branding as horror rather well. The prophet….man I hated that man with every fiber of my being. When a society or a community perceives one as the leader, how far are they manipulated into thinking that he’s allowed to do wrong with no consequences? Abuse of power was a heavy theme in this one and it really did hurt to read. How does Bethel expose the hypocrisy of the prophet and all who stand by him? True evil 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.”- This quote sums up the book. I could just leave it here, but let’s be realistic.