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enchantressreads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Everyone deserves to write their own story.”
Alejandra is a 30-something, stay at home mom with three children. Her life seems normal, except for the bloodied creature wearing flesh and fish skin for a dress that watches her children sleep.
I love books about trauma. I love books about mental health. I love *raw* and honest books about mental health. V. Castro is already one of my favorite authors, and The Haunting of Alejandra is no exception. I flew through this book quickly, devouring it in about two nights.
This was a hard book. I don’t have children myself, and don’t want them, but it shook something in me that made me take a look at my past and my trauma and how the people around me treated me over it. Women (and other marginalized communities) are meant to take so much trauma without creating a fuss. They are meant to give up everything to cater to others. And this is the norm, not an extreme. This book forces you to look at the uglier side of womanhood and motherhood. Reading this on the heels of The Lies We Weave by Grace R. Reynolds definitely added a bit of emotion to the story.
Tread with caution, and treat yourself kindly while reading this book. I loved Alejandra, and I hope you do too.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the chance to read this advanced review copy.
CW for death, murder, body horror, suicide, suicidal thoughts/ideation, blood, gore, toxic relationship, sexism, abandonment, sexual assault, emotional abuse, child abuse, rape, mental illness/depression, infidelity, miscarriage, colonization, and racism
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Minor: Colonisation, Infidelity, Miscarriage, and Racism
readyourbookshelf's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ARC provided for review through NetGalley
Alejandra knows what she is: a Mexican American woman, adopted as an infant and grown into a mother who puts everyone before herself. Now if only she could figure out who she wants to be. Quietly weeping in the shower one evening, the voice inside her head reminds her how worthless she is. But when the shape moving in the mist causes her to second guess where that small voice originated, Alejandra starts down a path of investigation and self-discovery.
I really enjoyed this book. It was generational trauma all the way down. . . but in a good way? This book is a story of not only the trauma that makes its way down the family line, but also the strength. While Alejandra is the protagonist, we are given multiple POVs throughout history that give us a clearer picture of where it all came from: the fortitude and the pain. The connections between Alejandra and the women she chooses to take her journey with are wonderful.
There are a few places where the dialogue felt a little stilted and the moral of the story felt a little heavy handed, but it still did exactly what it set out to do, which is talk about how we find our place in the world and how it is always easier when we find a tribe, be it blood relations or found family. Each of the characters is interesting and rooting for Alejandra, which makes the things happening to her all the more horrific. This is a horror story about hope and that is one of my favorite things. I highly recommend checking it out.
Alejandra knows what she is: a Mexican American woman, adopted as an infant and grown into a mother who puts everyone before herself. Now if only she could figure out who she wants to be. Quietly weeping in the shower one evening, the voice inside her head reminds her how worthless she is. But when the shape moving in the mist causes her to second guess where that small voice originated, Alejandra starts down a path of investigation and self-discovery.
I really enjoyed this book. It was generational trauma all the way down. . . but in a good way? This book is a story of not only the trauma that makes its way down the family line, but also the strength. While Alejandra is the protagonist, we are given multiple POVs throughout history that give us a clearer picture of where it all came from: the fortitude and the pain. The connections between Alejandra and the women she chooses to take her journey with are wonderful.
There are a few places where the dialogue felt a little stilted and the moral of the story felt a little heavy handed, but it still did exactly what it set out to do, which is talk about how we find our place in the world and how it is always easier when we find a tribe, be it blood relations or found family. Each of the characters is interesting and rooting for Alejandra, which makes the things happening to her all the more horrific. This is a horror story about hope and that is one of my favorite things. I highly recommend checking it out.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Blood, Colonisation, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
Minor: War, Dementia, and Infidelity
magalis's review
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey/Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I really wanted to love this one, but it just wasn't what I expected. I think the premise is great, and the horror is (for the most part) well-done, but the book itself falls flat. I do think with some editing and some polishing this could still end up being a good book, but as it currently stands (unpublished, expected out in April), it needs some work.
The good:
*I thought that the monster was really well done! The descriptions of it and its actions were genuinely creepy. The little segments at the end of the flashback chapters where we learned more about its origins were interesting.
*The premise itself is very interesting. The idea of a monster preying on generations of women, and the cultural aspects from Mexico that were brought in were interesting, and I wish there had been more of them.
The less good:
*I found the dialogue really stilted and awkward throughout (no one in real life actually talks like the people in this book). There were a lot of weird monologues that very much felt out of place, and all of the therapy parts felt like they were copied straight out of a psychology textbook example conversation. Pretty much whenever the characters were having a serious conversation I got pulled straight out of the story because of how awkward the dialog felt.
*I felt like this relied a lot on body horror, lots of descriptions of periods and childbirth and general female pain, which is fine, but not my cup of tea. (TW for rape, blood, and suicide throughout)
*The alternating chapter structure could use some work. The ancestor stories jump aren't chronological so you don't really get a good grasp on how the generational trauma is building.
*The final flashback chapter, featuring the original La Llorona, felt tacked on at the end, kind of like an afterthought. It didn't feel necessary.
*The pace of the book was very slow. A lot of time was spent on Alejandra's mental state, which was fine, but it really felt repetitive and boring after awhile. A book this length would normally take me about a week to finish, but this took me over a month because I just wasn't invested enough to want to pick it up and keep reading.
I really wanted to love this one, but it just wasn't what I expected. I think the premise is great, and the horror is (for the most part) well-done, but the book itself falls flat. I do think with some editing and some polishing this could still end up being a good book, but as it currently stands (unpublished, expected out in April), it needs some work.
The good:
*I thought that the monster was really well done! The descriptions of it and its actions were genuinely creepy. The little segments at the end of the flashback chapters where we learned more about its origins were interesting.
*The premise itself is very interesting. The idea of a monster preying on generations of women, and the cultural aspects from Mexico that were brought in were interesting, and I wish there had been more of them.
The less good:
*I found the dialogue really stilted and awkward throughout (no one in real life actually talks like the people in this book). There were a lot of weird monologues that very much felt out of place, and all of the therapy parts felt like they were copied straight out of a psychology textbook example conversation. Pretty much whenever the characters were having a serious conversation I got pulled straight out of the story because of how awkward the dialog felt.
*I felt like this relied a lot on body horror, lots of descriptions of periods and childbirth and general female pain, which is fine, but not my cup of tea. (TW for rape, blood, and suicide throughout)
*The alternating chapter structure could use some work. The ancestor stories jump aren't chronological so you don't really get a good grasp on how the generational trauma is building.
*The final flashback chapter, featuring the original La Llorona, felt tacked on at the end, kind of like an afterthought. It didn't feel necessary.
*The pace of the book was very slow. A lot of time was spent on Alejandra's mental state, which was fine, but it really felt repetitive and boring after awhile. A book this length would normally take me about a week to finish, but this took me over a month because I just wasn't invested enough to want to pick it up and keep reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Suicide
Moderate: Grief, Mental illness, Pregnancy, Violence, Sexual content, Infidelity, Rape, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent, and Dementia
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