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 Immanuelle 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.
Thank you to Edelweiss Plus and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book would be the perfect fall read. I loved every second of it and the world building was so spot on.
Immanuelle's story just pulls you in and makes you want to know everything about her world.
There were so many layers to this story and I just love how it was developed. I loved the character of Ezra and looked forward to all scenes with him.
There was one loose end that wasn't tied up that is very small and most people would probably not notice but for those that need to know all the details about everything I can see it being an slight annoyance that there is no closure for one small matter.
Aside from that issue this book is flawless. I absolutely loved it and definitely plan to reread it come October as it would be the perfect spooky Halloween read.
