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legs_n_chins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Tl;dr: Main character suffers too much from Main Character Syndrome and too much of the story felt spoon-fed. Messaging was muddled. But horror elements held up through the end and atmosphere was appropriately dark.
The writing was technically solid. Henderson can set a scene well and creates a solid atmosphere. I felt the pacing was steady, quick to get from one part to the next without falling stagnant. However, the author also fell very heavily into the trap of telling, not showing. Many things that we were told occurred or things we were told the mc was thinking would’ve been more impactful if we had any basis of textual evidence for these statements. I also felt that information was spoon fed to the audience far too often, almost to the point that I felt condescended to. Some of the revelations, for example, that come toward the end that seem shocking to the mc shouldn’t have been shocking at all, as we seemed to have dwelled on this information for a long time prior.
I did really enjoy some parts of this book. The tension of the climax was excellent and the elements of nature and darkness were utilized well. I like the horror aspect, the constant haunting that seemed to dog our steps as the story progressed. The plagues were creative and helped continually raise the stakes through the narrative. And the way Henderson envisioned the witches, Lilith especially, was really incredible. I loved the image of the witches and the sinister otherworldliness of them.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book fell short of my expectations. Maybe I’m judging to harshly because of that, but I felt that the characters were shallow and relationships hollow. Some scenes between characters I felt were undeserved, the relationship not built enough for me to grasp the emotion the author was trying to convey. The mc never convinced me of her motivation or strength of character, and far too often it felt like she was in a bad quest epic where the most significant steps she took in her own narrative were to decide who to ask for help and when. And then in those cases she seemed to receive answers or aid without any significant obstacle. I could really overdo the word count on some examples, but this is already getting long and my main gripe is more significant.
I was confused by the commentary or message this book was attempting to impart. I’ll admit I can be dense about these things, and maybe I was told to expect something different that what this was intended to be, but this was billed to me as a dark fantasy wrapped around an intersectional feminist narrative. As a female-presenting poc myself, I was eager to see how Henderson would dig into this, but like everything else it felt rather shallow. The message I believe I could see here was that the patriarchal system seeks to make monsters of us all and turn women against each other to keep the structure in place. Which is all well and good, but I was hoping the narrative would allow for a breaking of that and give the women a chance to be allies with each other. Minor end spoilers:
There was also a part toward the middle of the book where the mc, a biracial woman, seeks to connect with her Black heritage and the time spent on that subplot was unfortunately brief. I’m biracial myself, I recognized some of what the author was saying here, but it still felt too surface-level because I didn’t feel the mc had a clear enough through-line of deep desire to make these connections. Though she expressed feelings of being an outsider in her own family, I wasn’t convinced of her consistent motivation to find the piece that was missing.
All in all, I was hoping for more depth and found it lacking. I may have been blinded by my own expectations and, unable to shake them, let my disappointment color my potential enjoyment of the book. But, I stand by my own critiques.
Graphic: Pregnancy, Gore, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Sexual assault
Minor: Pedophilia and Incest
oesterzwamsnack's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Torture, Death, Sexual violence, Blood, Body horror, Violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse, Grief, Rape, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury
niamhyjay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Animal death, Blood, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Gore
Moderate: Sexual violence, Rape, Pedophilia, and Child abuse
mooshake's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Religious bigotry, Blood, Racism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Adult/minor relationship, and Animal death
jessn13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Religious bigotry, Racism, Violence, Gore, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse
erkietheturkey's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Death, Pedophilia, Violence, Body horror, Child death, Classism, Death of parent, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, Sexism, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Homophobia, Pregnancy, Racism, Sexual assault, and Confinement
Minor: Medical content
leanne_miron's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Death, Religious bigotry, and Adult/minor relationship
Moderate: Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, and Pedophilia
Minor: Rape
moodreadererin's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Grief, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Pregnancy, Violence, Death of parent, Bullying, Hate crime, Murder, and Pedophilia
Moderate: Rape, Vomit, and Sexual assault
hngisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Blood, Animal death, Pregnancy, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Racism, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Pedophilia and Sexual assault
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson is book 1 in the Bethel series. This is the first book about witches in a puritanical society I've read that features a black MC. This is the witch and Salem witch trial adjacent story I've been looking for! There is way more rep for black people in this book than I've seen for this time period other than slavery.
We follow Immanuel Moore, a mixed race black girl in land called Bethel, that is puritanical to its core. Women have no rights and they and the younger girls bear the burden of sin due to the belief in witchcraft. Except in Bethel, witches are real, and Immanuel's mother consorted with them. In Bethel, the only way to purge and purify a sinner such as a witch, means burning them on a pyre.
When Immanuel accidentally sets off plagues in Bethel, she realizes she's the only one that can stop the curse and save Bethel and all the innocent girls in it. Soon Immanuel realizes the threat isn't the witches, it's the system the Church and the Prophet created to harm and exploit women and girls, and the complicity bystanders who do nothing.
This was a very gruesome read, but fascinating nonetheless. Henderson examines themes around religious and patriarchal oppression as a means to gain power and control, the hypocrisy of the Church, and the endless cycle of violence. She examines how prolonged abuse and oppression can turn someone who used to be gentle into a violent, vengeful thing. She tells us that mercy is the only way to move forward and leave the violence behind. "Blood begets blood."
There were so many passages I tabbed, because the messages are just so good. It's nice to see a fresh take on puritanical witches and society. I will be reading the next book.
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Misogyny, Blood, Death, Domestic abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Sexual content