THE BOOK: An exciting alternate world fantasy about a resilient, fiercely independent young woman staking out her place in an unforgiving society.COMPS:
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness - 145k mmpb; Louisa Morgan's
A Secret History of Witches - 6k mmpb;
Uprooted by Naomi Novik - 29k mmpb;
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden - 36k mmpb.CAMPAIGN: will target all who follow fantasy influencers; written pieces online, review coverage in genre media (podcasts, blog- and websites and print) plus mainstream print as well as reader reviews on consumer sites.CROSSOVER POTENTIAL: fantasy fans, YA readers (cf.
The Hunger Games) plus all who devour feminist dystopias such as
The Handmaid's Tale and
The Power.THEMES: rising up against and confronting intolerance, female and racial oppression, suppression of free speech and thought are timely and resonant.THE AUTHOR: is in her mid-twenties - a singular, powerful voice and passionate about witchcraft and ghost stories.
Alexis Henderson is a speculative fiction writer with a penchant for dark fantasy, witchcraft, and horror. She grew up in one of America's most haunted cities, Savannah, Georgia, which instilled in her a life-long love of ghost stories. When she doesn't have her nose buried in a book, you can find her painting or watching horror movies with her feline familiar. Her first novel was the twice Good Reads Awards shortlisted, critically acclaimed and bestselling
The Year of the Witching. Alexis now lives in Charleston, South Carolina.'A magnificent, raw slice of folk horror, dark with threat and clenched with suspense . . . a brilliant debut to chill the brightest summer day.A thrillingly brisk and bracing tale of magic and power, I loved this book. It takes the best tropes of horror and witchcraft and gives them a refreshingly feminist twist.A dark, dramatic tale of oppression and rebellion, ideology and morality, with a complicated, appealing protagonist caught in a
Handmaid's Tale nightmare . . . a fine addition to the body of feminist fantasy works, a great read.Bewitching . . . Henderson offers a powerful portrait of patriarchal, racial, and religious abuses . . . conjuring a sense of creeping dread and maintaining the pacing throughout. This riveting work announces Henderson as an exciting new voice in dark fantasy.Slow burn horror crossed with a powerfully feminist coming-of-age novel . . . this book will haunt your dreams.Beautifully sinister and beguiling,
The Year of the Witching is blood-drenched, horrific and enchanting from start to finish.Bone-chilling and breathtakingly beautiful . . .
The Year of the Witching is storytelling at its finest.
The Year of the Witching blew me away. It's a masterpiece.
The Handmaid's Tale meets The Village in this stunning feminist debut . . .
Shortlisted for the GoodReads Choice Awards 2020 for Best Debut Novel and Best Horror Novel . . .
'A magnificent, raw slice of folk horror, dark with threat and clenched with suspense . . . a brilliant debut to chill the brightest summer day' DAILY MAIL
'Thrillingly brisk and bracing . . . it takes the best tropes of horror and witchcraft and gives them a refreshingly feminist twist.'
S.A. CHAKRABORTY, author of The City of Brass
Born on the fringes of Bethel, Immanuelle does her best to obey the Church and follow Holy Protocol. For it was in Bethel that the first Prophet pursued and killed four powerful witches, and so cleansed the land.
And then a chance encounter lures her into the Darkwood that surrounds Bethel.
It is a forbidden place, haunted by the spirits of the witches who bestow an extraordinary gift on Immanuelle. The diary of her dead mother . . .
Fascinated by and fearful of the secrets the diary reveals, Immanuelle begins to understand why her mother once consorted with witches. And as the truth about the Prophets, the Church and their history is revealed, so Immanuelle understands what must be done. For the real threat to Bethel is its own darkness.
Bethel must change. And that change will begin with her . . .
And readers have been bewitched:
'I absolutely could not put it down' *****
'Hecking scary and tense, it gave me goosebumps more than once' *****
'Absolutely stunning read' *****
'A truly OUTSTANDING read! I am so glad I picked up this book' *****
