Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Bewitching

Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

31 reviews

nitrojen's review against another edition

2.75

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

It is a very slow book. The main section following the character of Minerva reads more like a research paper than a novel. There are too many details added at times, especially extra information on authors and academia, that slows down the book. Minerva is awkward and the dialogue and interactions reflect that. My favorite section is the 1908 timeline, however

the incest aspect (and pregnancy) was uncomfortable, and in my belief, unnecessary.

Content Warnings

jmitchell20's review against another edition

4.0

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A good witchy tale!
Definitely wouldn't call it horror though, so don't let that put you off if horror's not your thing. I'd called it mostly a mystery with a tiny smidge of gore but it's not in any grizzly detail. Also has a satisfying ending.
I liked learning about the Mexican witch lore.

Content Warnings

sittingprettystyle's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Three women. Three timelines. One very cursed family tree (and I do mean cursed—some of these relationships need holy water).

Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers another eerie, enchanting triumph with The Bewitching, a tangled gothic mystery dripping with witchy lore, secret love, and just the right amount of horror. We follow Minerva in 1998, a Type-A college student deep in thesis hell; Alba in 1908, charmingly naive and neck-deep in what can only be described as generational trauma with a side of black magic; and Beatrice in 1934, a horror author with a missing muse and a closet full of secrets. All roads lead to the disappearance of Ginny, a white car, and a hell of a lot of unspoken truths.

Highlights include:
💫 Tadeo’s twist—MONSTER reveal had me reeling.

💫 Carolyn: the witch behind it all, giving off major “don’t trust the smiling neighbor” energy.

💫The uncle-Alba thing. Ew. Why.

💫 Valentin. RIP, sweet himbo.

Despite a few narrative lulls, Moreno-Garcia keeps the tension high and the twists relentless. Even if you suspect who the Big Bad is (cough Arturo cough), it still hits like a brick when all is revealed.

Easily SMG’s best work since Mexican Gothic. Haunting, clever, and darkly feminist—The Bewitching casts a spell that lingers.

Content Warnings

jackysuave's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I thought I’d have a hard time following this story since it follows 3 timelines, but I literally couldn’t put the book down. The gothic atmosphere absolutely enthralled me, and each timeline was not hard to follow. This is a beautiful story of witches and warlocks both in the past and present. I highly recommend this!

Content Warnings

oblemons's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Silvia Moreno-Garcia the woman you are. Another banger, of course. I was concerned this wouldn’t be up my alley with the historical and fantasy labels BUT it didn’t matter one bit because the writing was so good that I enjoyed every little bit of this book.

Despite spanning 3 different decades and hosting a rotating series of characters, every portion felt captivating and each character was unique, developed, and intriguing.

Immediate add to the library.

Content Warnings

julielew58's review against another edition

5.0

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

llunari's review against another edition

4.75

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

Holy crap???

Last year, I went to SMG’s book tour for The Seventh Veil of Salome and when she teased this book? I KNEW I needed to read it. Witches in a horror historical setting? Let’s GO!

As a writer myself, I was able to pick up on the foreshadowing and predicted the Who about 15% of the way in, but I could still appreciate the craft of sprinkling the hints between the pages, and the dread of wanting the characters to figure it out in time, to BELIEVE. Felt like I was going insane too because what if I AM wrong? (I wasn’t!!!)

I also felt so sick to my stomach, watching beloved characters be tortured for someone else’s greed. (I wonder what kind of horrors someone evil would exact with magic—if they haven’t already.) And a massive warning for incest. It made my skin crawl; unfortunately, incest in Mexican families hides itself in despicable ways, and the way SMG highlighted it felt too familiar to patterns in my own family I heard about.

SMG always does a good job at highlighting something good and something awful from Mexico. Maybe that’s why I love her books so much. She always makes them feel real.

Since I read Mexican Gothic, I had to yet to feel the same for another SMG book—don’t get me wrong, I love many other books of hers, but none spiked the unease and intrigue in me that Mexican Gothic did. And here it is again: The Bewitching captured me between its teeth (🥁)

SMG does it again!

Content Warnings