Reviews

The Year of the Witching by Alexis Henderson

heiheiheini's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

mschat12's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• 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

4.5

pitabread69's review against another edition

3.0

A quick and easy page-turner, but rather lacking in layers. Lots of symbolism that just happens to be there rather than intentionally placed. Personally, I thought it would be about a woman discovering witches and creating a redemption arc for them, but she just fought them and engaged in fighting them like the rest of her bigoted town.

eleonora_98's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• 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

5.0

honnari_hannya's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to love this so, so much. It seemed like the kind of book I was looking for: a gothic horror story about witches and girls who are drawn to the dark. And you get some of that, at least at first. This book's start was incredibly strong and I really felt like, for the first third, this would become a favorite of the year for me. There's certainly an atmosphere to this book that I really enjoyed, even though I couldn't tell for a little while if this was supposed to be a fantasy world or if it was a historical setting in the real world with magical elements (it's the former, as far as I can tell).

Unfortunately it didn't stay that way. The middle section began to flag for me. The atmospheric writing of the first third fell by the wayside as the plot kicked up into gear. I don't think Henderson was able to really balance both the character introspection that a gothic requires and the mechanics of her main plot. There were many times towards the middle, and certainly towards the end, where I felt as though she were giving stage directions rather than writing prose—certainly during that final battle scene.

Speaking of the ending, I honestly felt it was a little too saccharine given the overall tone of the book. It was all very nicely wrapped up in a big red bow, and the only thing that stopped it from veering into a "happily ever after" was that the Prophet didn't get a redemption arc (thank g o d).

I wish there was a little more ambiguity, a little more mystery. So many times, I feel like Henderson spelled out her point a little too clearly for the readers via Immanuelle's bouts of frenetic righteous anger as she rails again the patriarchy, religious conservatism, etc. A lot of grand speeches are made inside and outside her head, and I found myself wearily nodding my head to them and wishing we would just get on with it.

Spoiler

And I also didn't really understand the Prophet's motivations for wanting to marry her. Because she vaguely looks like her mother? Because he wants "control" over her powers? Even though he has no idea what they are, nor that she is really the locus of the plagues—especially since his interest in her precedes that.

I get that he's an evil, predatory bastard and all. But why risk the condemnation of his flock just to get himself another wife before he inevitably dies in a few weeks? Makes no sense.

rachelrulezz's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

3.0

orionreads127's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

mainereading's review against another edition

4.0

Warning!: animal death, murder, pedophilia, sexual assault, sexual abuse, racism, and homophobia.

The cover of this book drew me in, and I had to read it. I enjoyed the book and I adored Immanuelle and her friends and family. It was a fun read with lots of eerie moments. I read through this book in two sittings because I just couldn't put it down. I would have read it in one sitting, but I had to go to sleep. Also, there was a nice little romance in the book that I wasn't expecting, so I was pleasantly surprised!

cobaltbookshelf's review against another edition

2.0

2.5 stars

I very much like atmosphere, it is very eerie and book easy readable. But characters are bland and ending was...something. Still I will read sequel.

creidhe's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

Wow. High praises.