By Alexis Henderson
This book is about a town called Bethel that is ruled by tradition and a “Prophet”. The Prophet is a religious leader whose word is law, and guides the flock through his visions sent by God. In this town, the prophet takes many wives, physically carving his mark into their face with a knife during the wedding ceremony. His chosen few Disciples enforce his laws and “interpret” his visions for the community. Biblical texts and words written by former Prophets are words to live by and ways to which one should aspire.
Immanuelle is born to a fallen wife of the Prophet who dies quickly after birth. Her mother had wanted to run away for love with a man, who was burned on a pyre. His sin was loving Marian, her mother, back. Marian escapes to the dark forest surrounding the town, and supposedly cavorts with witches and black magic for months before returning in labor. In this shroud of guilt by association, Immanuelle grows up with a family chosen by the Prophet. Her ancestry and her race force her apart from the others, a pariah.
Mysterious plagues start to afflict the town. The livestock die. People begin getting sick, and the worst is still foretold to come. Immanuelle must discover the truth behind the plagues so she can stop them. This involves the chosen heir of the Prophet, Ezra, helping her subvert the rules and discover the truth about her past and who lives in the forest.
This book gave me The Crucible vibes. It also seemed pretty predictable for most of the plot; the love interests, the bad guy, the inevitable burning. I will say the witch in the forest angle was novel, and I appreciated how ferocious Lilith was during her parts. I just wish there was more innovative twists and less same old same old.
Pros & Cons & Potential Spoilers
Pros
- Female main character that has to save her people with her intelligence and bravery
- Male lead that is noble and sacrificing
- Messed up society and governing body that gets what they deserve
Cons
- The idea has been done before
- Characters can seem flat
- You can guess how it ends pretty early on