"The Year of the Witching" by Alexis Henderson

This is Alexis Henderson's debut novel, and I would say it is a pretty solid one. If you are looking for experimental writing or a mysterious setting, this is not the novel to pick up. In fact, in some ways, I thought the structure and the plot were pretty pedestrian and did not present anything new.

The setting is a remote village called Bethel, reminiscent of a pilgrim settlement in colonial America. The society is quite religious and run by the Prophet who is the head of the church and the local administration. The church's deity is called the Father, and the Prophet is the only one who can communicate with Him through visions. 

The village of Bethel is surrounded by a sprawling forest which is said to contain the dark power of the Mother (the opposite and dark side of the Father). Villagers are warned against going there lest they be attacked or seduced by powerful witches living in the woods.

Our main character Immanuelle Moore does venture into the darkwood one day and meets the witches she has heard about her entire life. Her encounter with them leads to unleashing of a curse that Immanuelle's mother placed on Bethel as revenge for killing her lover. 

I did like the main character and enjoyed the story. Even though I did think that some aspects could have been explored more. For example, the Prophet and his heir both have visions in the book. However, those visions do not provide any useful information. They are mentioned, but seemingly have no purpose. Seemingly, I could not understand why Immanuelle chose to make a deal with the Prophet in the end of the book instead of stealing the dagger she needed. Esther could have helped her. 

Overall, I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars. It is a solid fantasy novel that explores the power of dogmatic religion and blind faith. I would love to see what else the author will produce in the future.