The Year of the Witching

Starred review from May 4, 2020
Henderson’s bewitching feminist fantasy debut draws readers into a world of harsh contrasts and dark magic. Immanuelle’s mother dies in childbirth, proclaiming, with her dying breath, that her baby is “a curse.” Now a teenager, Immanuelle can’t find her place in the rigid, puritanical society of Bethel as the mixed-race daughter of a woman remembered only for adultery, madness, and an association with witchcraft. The forbidden Darkwood on the outskirts of town whispers to Immanuelle, and when she finally gives in and wanders into its thickets, the spirits of the town’s murdered witches bequeath her with Miriam’s journal. As Immanuelle learns more about her mother’s history and her own connection to the Darkwood, a series of plagues befall Bethel. With her newfound magic, Immanuelle, the town’s shunned, blasphemous daughter, may be the only one with the power to stop them. Henderson offers a powerful portrait of patriarchal, racial, and religious abuses in Bethel society, conjuring a sense of creeping dread and maintaining the pacing throughout. This riveting work announces Henderson as an exciting new voice in dark fantasy. Agent: Brooks Sherman, Janklow & Nesbit.

Narrator Brianna Colette gives a solid performance of this dense fantasy, which pulls back the curtain to reveal long-held secrets that have shaped the deeply religious land of Bethel and its haunted woods. After an unexpected trip into the Darkwoods, Immanuelle Moore finds herself even more at odds with the world around her as she struggles to come to terms with the twisted truths in the dark history of her home and the power behind the church. Through well-chosen voices and a steady narrative pace, Colette excels at establishing a brooding world of religious intrigue even as Immanuelle struggles to shine the light of truth on Bethel's tightly held secrets. E.M.U. � AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine