BookCompleted2020

The Year of the Witching

by Alexis Henderson

Book 1 in Bethel

A raw feminist rebellion against a puritanical theocracy - Immanuelle discovering her mother's journal in the Darkwood changes everything she believed about power, faith, and who deserves to be saved.

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goodreads 3.8/5 46,372 ratings

storykind_community 5/5 1 rating

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A decision-first view of the reading experience.

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Content warnings: Blood, Captivity, Child abuse (referenced), Death, Grief, Misogyny, Religious trauma, Sexual assault (referenced), Trauma, Violence, Racism/bigotry, Self-harm, Rape, Slavery, Gore, Animal death, Domestic violence, Forced marriage, Religious bigotry

Length368 pages

Series statusOngoing series

Spice1/5 · Closed door / fade to black

PacingMedium

Story profile

What the story promises

The strongest reviewed signals about romance, fantasy, and the reading experience.

Romance promise

Slow burn
Male/female pairing (M/F)
Low
Closed door / fade to black
Cathartic release
Secretly soft

Forbidden love
Tension / anticipation focus
Perspective shift
Reluctant hero
Reluctant allies to lovers
Gentle / romantic
The angst delivered
Morally gray
Class difference
Earned hope
Star-crossed
Only soft for them

Fantasy promise

Dark fantasy
Small town / village
Gothic
Witches/wizards/warlocks
Forest / wilderness
Low fantasy / secret magic

Ghosts
Secret relationship
Temple / church / monastery
Spirits
Hidden past revealed
Demons
Cursed love interest
Healing romance

Reading experience

Third person
Medium
Dark
Atmospheric
Heavy
Reluctant chosen one

BIPOC MC
Eerie
Outcast/loner
Black MC
Brooding
Survivor
Interracial romance
Lyrical
Rebel leader / revolutionary
Mysterious
Poetic
Intense
Tense
Dangerous
Forbidden knowledge
Power corrupts
Slow descent into darkness
Survival against impossible odds
No one is safe

Similar in ways that matter

Matched by the most important shared story signals, with the tradeoffs made explicit.

400 pages Standalone

The Whispering Dark

Kelly Andrew

Similar because

Reluctant hero · Reluctant allies to lovers · Tense

Different because

It is standalone rather than completed.

327 pages Completed

Faefever

Karen Marie Moning

Similar because

Power corrupts · Reluctant allies to lovers · Secret relationship

Different because

Spice is higher (4/5 vs 1/5). Fast pacing rather than Medium.

496 pages Completed

The Last Starborn Seer

Venetia Constantine

Similar because

Class difference · Star-crossed · Reluctant hero

Different because

Slow pacing rather than Medium. A longer read (496 vs 368 pages).

Book details

Length: 368 pages
Language: English
Format: Book