Review: The Year of the Witching

 

Title: The Year of the Witching      

Author:  Alexis Henderson

Synopsis: “A young woman living in a rigid, puritanical society discovers dark powers within herself in this stunning, feminist fantasy debut.

     “In the lands of Bethel, where the Prophet’s word is law, Immanuelle Moore’s very existence is blasphemy.  Her mother’s union with an outsider of a different race cast her once-proud family into disgrace, so Immanuelle does her best to worship the Father, follow Holy Protocol, and lead a life of submission, devotion, and absolute conformity, like all the other women in the settlement.

     “But a mishap lures her into the forbidden Darkwood surrounding Bethel, where the first prophet once chased and killed four powerful witches.  Their spirits are still lurking there, and they bestow a gift on Immanuelle: the journal of her dead mother, who Immanualle is shocked to learn once sought sanctuary in the wood.

     “Fascinated by the secrets in the diary, Immanuelle finds herself struggling to understand how her mother could have consorted with the witches.  But when she begins to learn grim truths about the Church and its history, she realizes the true threat to Bethel is its own darkness.  And she starts to understand that if Bethel is to change, it must begin with her.”

Review:  I both loved and hated this book.  What I loved:  The Year of the Witching is extremely well written.  It’s like I was right there, with Immanuelle, whom I really started to care about.  What I hated: The Year of the Witching is extremely well written.  It’s like I was right there, with Immanuelle, whom I really started to care about.  Remember, this is a horror novel, set in a dystopian, puritanical, secluded society… I spent most of the time battling feelings of anger and terror.  At one point I had to put down the book for over a week to work out my emotions. 

     I love the idea of a secluded, low tech, mostly agricultural society.  The Village is one of my favorite movies, please don’t judge me. The idea of a simpler life is very appealing to me.  However, you add in a crazy, blood thirsty Prophet who is also a sexual predator, evil witches who live in the dark ominous woods, and a bloody curse, and it’s no longer the idyllic place I would imagine.  I loved it.  I hated it.  I wanted to throw it against the wall.  I had to put it in time out.  And that is how you know it’s a fabulous book.  I highly recommend The Year of the Witching for any fans of horror, and I just cannot wait for the next book in the Bethel series.

 

Publisher:  Ace

If you like this book you may want to read:

The Once and Future Witches by Alix Harrow

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Tails, You Lose - Review

Title:  Tails, You Lose

Author:  Carol J. Perry

Series: Witch City Mystery #2

Synopsis: “After losing her job as a TV psychic, Lee Barrett has decided to volunteer her talents as an instructor at the Tabitha Trumbull Academy of the Arts -- known as “The Tabby” – in her hometown of Salem, Massachusetts.  But when the school’s handyman turns up dead under seemingly inexplicable circumstances on Christmas night, Lee’s clairvoyant capabilities begin bubbling to the surface once again.

     “The Tabby is housed in the long-vacant Trumbull’s Department Store.  As Lee and her intrepid students begin work on a documentary charting the store’s history, they unravel a century of family secrets, deathbed whispers – and a mysterious labyrinth of tunnels hidden right below the streets of Salem.  Even the witches in town are spooked, and when Lee begins seeing visions in the large black patent leather pump in her classroom, she’s certain something evil is afoot.  But ghosts in the store’s attic are the least of worries with a killer on the loose…”

Review:  Tails, You Lose is a perfect continuation of the Witch City Mystery series.  The world that Perry has created is opened up to us as we learn about the Tabby and the secrets that lie below the town.  The character development continues as Lee grows in her career choices as a teacher, and with the persistent development of her psychic abilities.  My favorite character is still O’Ryan the cat.  His character has developed a lot from the first book in the series; he is more magical in this book, which I loved.  I read Tails, You Lose from cover to cover in a single Sunday afternoon.  There were a lot of “edge of your seat” moments in this book.  It is a great book and I highly recommend this series for fans of cozy mysteries, and for fans of the paranormal.  If you missed my review of the first book in the series you can find it here: Caught Dead Handed.

     I love this series and can’t wait to read more.  As of right now there are five books in the series, but there are two more coming out this year.  It Takes A Coven releases on February 27, 2018 and Bells, Spells, and Murder releases on September  25, 2018. 

Publisher:  Kensington

If you like this book you may want to read:

Look Both Ways (Witch City Mystery #3) by Carol J. Perry

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum(Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum #1) by Kirsten Weiss

Brownies and Broomsticks (Magical Bakery Mystery #1) by Bailey Cates

Accession - Review

Title: Accession
Author: Terah Edun
Series: Serath Web #1

Synopsis: “Sixteen-year-old Katherine Thompson wasn’t trained to rule a coven. That was her sister – perfect, beautiful Rose. But when a mysterious plane crash kills off the heir presumptive of the Sandersville coven she has no choice.
 “After stepping in to fill her sister’s shoes, Katherine realizes she didn’t have a clue – faery wars, depressed trolls and angry unicorns are just the beginning.
 “For centuries, her family has served the high Queens on both sides of the Atlantic but it is a well-known rule that mid-level witches stay away from high-level Queens.
 “But when Katherine’s youngest cousin vanishes without a trace in the Atlanta court and no one wants to investigate, Katherine decides to step into the darkness on her own. She will soon discover that nothing, especially in a queen's court, is as it seems.”



Review: I have no idea how I managed to read this whole novel. Was it strength of will? Was it great determination? Or was I punishing myself for something? I really have no idea. When you learn to write creative pieces in grade school you are taught to show, not tell. Based on this novel I would say that perhaps the author was absent the days they went over that in class. This novel could have used an editor or two, it's full of mistakes. For example: “Katherine narrowed her eyes. She didn’t want to debate lineage with her mother now. Although she was very much aware that the queen’s mother and her sister’s mother were different individuals. It was why the younger sister was Queen of Sandersville and the older one was not.” (ch. 25 Loc. 2907) There is so much wrong here. It’s all telling, no showing. This is an info dump (a lot of info crammed into a short narration), and there is a sentence fragment in there. The line that starts with although needs more. Although they were different individuals they had a lot in common? Although they were different individuals they were still very much the same? Although they were different individuals what? Finish the thought please! The entire novel is full of mistakes like this and then it doesn’t end. That’s right; the novel just abruptly cuts off. Each novel in a series should have its own plot that has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Even if there is a larger storyline that continues into the next novel the current one must have some sort of fulfillment or your reader will feel cheated and be ticked off. Accession does not have a plot that ends (I really had trouble finding any type of plot at all). There is no ending.  And as a reader I do feel cheated and ticked off. At this point I don’t really care, but I would like to ask the author what exactly the plot was because I couldn’t find it. Don’t read this one, you’ll regret it like I do.
 **I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review via NetGalley.**

Publisher: All Night Reads

Skip this book and try one of these instead:

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

Enchantment Emporium by Tanya Huff

Wicked Witch Murder - Review

Title:  Wicked Witch Murder

Author:  Leslie Meier

Series:  Lucy Stone Mystery Series

Synopsis: “When the bewitching Diana Ravenscroft comes to quiet Tinker’s Cove and opens Solstice, a quaint little shop offering everything from jewelry to psychic readings, Lucy Stone writes her off as eccentric but harmless.  Even after Diana gives her a disturbingly accurate reading, Lucy can’t help but befriend the newcomer.  But not everyone in town is so enchanted.  And when Lucy stumbles upon a dead body near her home, she can’t shake the feeling that something sinister is lurking in the crisp October air…

          “Convinced Diana is an evil witch, prominent businessman Ike Stoughton blames her for a series of recent misfortunes, including Lucy’s gruesome discovery and his own wife’s death, and rallies the townsfolk against her.  But after Lucy learns the murder victim was a magician and close friend of Diana’s, she starts to wonder who’s really stirring up a cauldron of trouble.  By Halloween, her suspicions lead her to a deadly web of secrets – and a spine-chilling brush with the things that go bump in the night…”

Review:  Cozy mysteries are one of my dirty little secrets.  I call them fluff books, and I love them.  These cute little novels don’t play with my emotions and I don’t get so involved that I can’t put them down, but I still look forward to picking them back up.  For those who are confused and wondering, what is a cozy mystery?  Don’t be embarrassed, it took me awhile to figure it out too.  Click here to go to a page that explains cozy mysteries.

          I love how the Lucy Stone Mystery novels are all based on holidays.  I picked up Wicked Witch Murder right before Halloween and had planned to read it during the holiday.  However life had other plans, as that’s when I started getting sick.  I also bought another of these cozies, Turkey Day Murder and had planned to read that one during Thanksgiving, but I was still too sick to feel like reading.  So I am now catching back up on all of this reading I had planned to do.

          I love everything about this novel.  Diana Ravenscroft is delightfully eccentric and naïve, and Ike Stoughton is a bad guy that I found it easy to dislike. I love the change in the heroine that this novel shows.  When Lucy first meets Diana she doesn’t believe in witchcraft or witches at all, but by the end of the novel she has changed her mind.  Rebecca Wardell reminded me of my mother and my nana and I wish that she was real so I could be her friend.  I couldn’t figure out the who-done-it until it was revealed at the very end of the novel.  I had many theories, but they all ended up being wrong.  This novel was amazing, as are Leslie Meier’s other Lucy Stone Mysteries. 

Publisher:  Kensington Publishing Corp

ISBN: 978-0758229304

If you like this book you may want to read:

Mistletoe Murder by Leslie Meier  (ISBN: 978-0758228895)  First book in the Lucy Stone Mystery Series

On What Grounds by Cleo Coyle (ISBN: 978-0425192139) First book of the Coffeehouse Mysteries