Penguin Random House Australia

The Year of the Witching – Alexis Henderson

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I cannot believe this is a debut novel.  Alexis Henderson has built an atmospheric tale that is impossible not to lose yourself in.

With the perfect amount of eeriness, creepy vibes, and a chilling haunting feel to it I was completely mesmerised by the entire story.

Set in the town of Bethel that borders the Darkwood where it is rumoured the spirits of four evil witches lie in wait for their latest prey, where entering the woods marks certain death or madness, where the town folk follow only the words of their Prophet and any who would dare speak against him or the Church must surely lean towards witchcraft and therefore must burn on the pyre. 

Argh, how good does that sound!!  I’m in!!!

In a world where a girl’s sole purpose is to bleed and therefore be ready for the cutting ritual.  Where the prophet can take as many wives as he likes to serve his needs, and women have no purpose other than to obey, Immanuelle stands apart.

Raised by her grandparents after her mother was killed for consorting with witches and her father burned on the pyre as a traitor to the Church, she constantly feels the pull to the Darkwood.  When one day this pull becomes to strong Immanuelle’s future will be changed forever.  After a dark and chilling encounter with the witches, as terrifying plagues start to befall the township of Bethel, is Immanuelle to blame?  Can she stop them or should she watch them all suffer for all they have put her family through?

This is so descriptive and beautifully detailed.  I was absolutely captivated and although not a huge fan of horror, and trust me, it’s interwoven into this one, I honestly could not put it down.

I was soooo excited to read that the author is currently locked away writing the sequel.  I can’t wait.

5 fabulous witchy stars for this one.

The Night Swim – Megan Goldin

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This was a highly anticipated read for me and it didn’t disappoint.  I love a courtroom drama so this definitely ticked the boxes.

Renowned for her true crime podcasts Rachel decides to do something a little different for her latest one.  Follow a trial live as its happening.  A local college student is accused of raping a high school student after a party one night in a small town where everyone seems to know everyone.  The boy is a local legend, an acclaimed swimmer headed for the Olympics, while the girl is a popular teen, who just happens to be the granddaughter of the police chief.  It has all the hallmarks of a great he said she said story.

Thrown into the mix is a side story that at first I found a little confusing.  Ex local girl Hannah mysteriously starts stalking Rachel while she is trying to cover the trial.  Desperate to draw her attention to the death of her sister over twenty years earlier when she drowned at the local beach.  Hannah is convinced her sister’s death was foul play and will stop at nothing to have her story heard.

The more Hannah’s story unfolded the more hooked I became, almost to the point where it overshadowed the trial storyline itself.

Although I don’t normally list trigger warnings, there are definitely a few parts of the book where I felt upset and appalled and anyone who has had to deal with any form of assault may find difficult to read.  The author has built into the storyline with a lot of detail, but it’s not out of place and sensationalised for shock value which I think is important to note. I think she’s actually done an incredible job.

An absolute page turner that had the perfect amount of suspense and build up throughout.  This was so close to being a 5 star read for me but I couldn’t quite get over the line with the ending.  I don’t want to spoil anything, and please don’t get me wrong, it’s not that the ending let the book down, there was just a certain outcome that I found frustrating regarding a certain character….hmmm…can I be any more vague. 

For those that have read it, do you know who/what I mean?  Would love to know your thoughts. 

The Night Swim definitely deserves all the rave reviews it’s been receiving.

Review – A Lifetime of Impossible Days

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A Lifetime of Impossible Days – Tabitha Bird

I laughed, I cried, I felt every emotion reading this amazing story.  It is whimsical, it is fantastical (is that a word) but at the heart it is a story of trauma and grief and how dealing with the past can have drastic effects on our future.

Tabitha Bird has truly written a masterpiece.  It’s strange, it’s unusual, and it’s hard to put into words how to even describe it but is a truly stunning book.  You really need to let yourself go when reading this, think Alice in Wonderland disappearing down a rabbit hole.  Don’t expect things to make sense.

We meet Willa in 1965 at age 8, in 1990 at age 33 and in 2050 at age 93 when on one impossible day, 93 year old Willa mails two parcels with a note “One ocean; plant in the backyard” setting off a magical time slip that allows Willa to visit her future and past selves. 

Willa at all 3 stages of her life is so full of depth and emotion.  I adored Willa at 93, she was my absolute favourite.  Her sense of humour had me laughing out loud, her strength had me full of admiration for her and her confusion and her fear had me in tears.  I hope at that age I am running around in brightly coloured gumboots or moonboots and possibly ordering a cow for the backyard off a talk-back radio show.

Willa at 8 is the most heartbreaking.  No child should have to know such trauma in their young life.  Feeling responsible for her younger sister, trying to help her mother who has become unable to be there for her daughters both physically and emotionally, all the while living with the terror of a violent father. The abuse was handled with care and was mostly inferred which I also appreciated.  As a reader I could take it as far as I was comfortable with and it was just as impactful without making the whole book disturbing.

33 year old Willa is possibly the most important of all.  The adult who is now a mother herself, who has never dealt with the pain of her past but needs to in order to be able to have a future for herself and her own family.  “I’m not sad or happy…….I’m nothing.  I’ve forgotten how to feel.  I’ve stuffed everything that happened in the past so far inside me.  I’ve stuffed myself inside, too, and now I’m not even me.”

This was one of the very few books I’ve read that after I finished the last page and closed the cover, I put the book down and just sat there.  I really had to process it all.  I still can’t believe it’s a debut. 

To quote 8 year old Willa “amaze-a-loo” I really wish everyone could read this one.  Thank you so much to the author for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for this review.

*****