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royallyreading's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Self harm and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, and Abandonment
Minor: Violence and Misogyny
laurenbookwitchbitch's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
My only criticism of this book is that it very much equates womanhood with motherhood. 🙁😐
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Child death, Genocide, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Abortion, Death, Grief, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Gore
jessreadreceipts's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Death, Suicide attempt, Self harm, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Child death, Body horror, Blood, Suicide, Gore, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Classism, Misogyny, Racism, Murder, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Colonisation, Abandonment, Cannibalism, and Gaslighting
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Car accident, and Infertility
ericarobyn's review
3.0
Graphic: Miscarriage, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
megandherbook's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Alejandra is a wife and a mother and is seriously struggling. She feels as though she has no identity other than those two things and she isn't even good at them. As her depression gets deeper she starts to see a ghostly figure of a woman in white - La Llorona. After deciding to get therapy this entity starts wreaking havoc on not only her but her children. This leads Alejandra to connect more with her birth mother who gave her up at birth and to learn more about her family history. She wants to learn more about this woman in white and how she can get rid of her for good.
This book is the epitome of how much heart horror can have. To start, Alejandra is such a beautiful, flawed character. I am not married and have no children but as someone who has depression I felt her agony. I have many friends who have felt the way she felt about their own partners and children and I know that Alejandra's struggle will resonate with so many. Yet the strength and love she has for her children will have you cheering for her the whole way through the book.
I also loved the exploration of her family history and heritage. Alejandra is a woman that was adopted and raised by people that had no ties to her heritage which made her feel even more lost in her identity. Getting to go with her has she learned and connected with her family and the strength it gave her had me crying. It was truly beautiful seeing her and the women of her family line experience the very real emotions that come with being human but specifically Mexican American women.
Finally, La Llorona is terrifying. I know enough about this legend and this take on it was so unique. The way that the moments of horror were paced seriously left me on edge. This book is told through multiple POV's and multiple timelines that made the story unfold in a way that made it hard to put the book down. I highly recommend this book!
Graphic: Death, Pregnancy, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide
Moderate: Body shaming, Child death, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Blood, Colonisation, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Slavery, and Violence
Minor: Religious bigotry, War, and Rape
keatynbergsten's review against another edition
- 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
3.0
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
- 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
A haunting novel of womanhood, mental health, generational curses and ultimately freedom and self forgiveness.
What a beautifully rich novel this was. Not only was I immersed in the frightening lore of La Llorona, but I felt a connection to each of Alejandra's ancestors and loved that we were able to get pov chapters from each of them.
I just wanted to cuddle Alejandra. Not being a mother myself, I can only imagine how lonely and filled with self hatred she felt with these emotions she was experiencing. I felt deep empathy for her and although it was hard to read due to a lot of the subject matter being incredibly dark and upsetting, there was uplifting moments and inspiration advocating for external and self help, both in therapy and spiritually (whether that's believing in a higher power, your ancestors or the magic of your own existence and will power).
The strength and female kinship displayed in this novel was breath taking. It felt visceral and attainable.
This was a strong novel, battling struggles of the mind, manifesting into a physical sinister entity and it was an incredibly, empowering read.
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
jrharris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
What can I say about The Haunting of Alejandra?
It’s dark. It’s painful. It’s a generational curse. But it’s also about Alejandra’s personal struggles. I personally believe a lot of people will relate to Alejandra’s mental health in this book. It’s a really well written display of postpartum depression and loss of identity after having children. V.castro’s writing constantly reminds us that Alejandra loves her children, but laments about losing herself and her interests in the process of raising them. That, plus a useless husband who berates her for not being happy with the comfortable life that he’s “given” her only adds fire to the fuel. This is a horror book but it’s more than just a ghost story. It’s a woman struggle with taking care of herself.
Castro takes the tale of La Llorona and makes it her own in this story. Using the imagery of La Llorana, she’s created a horror that lingers with you after you’ve finished the book. She created a being that’s been pursuing Alejandra’s family for generations with a hunger that can’t be satisfied. The moments of horror are full of gore and suspense, especially with the final confrontation at the end. Usually, i find multiple POVs a little too much after awhile but because all of the POVs were connected to Alejandra in some way, it really showed how this creature has impacted the women through the years.
This was a beautiful book and I think V. Castro deserves all the praise she’s getting already for this. This book doesn’t come out until April 18, 2023 but I was very kindly given a digital ARC through Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine. Thank you for the early access and all opinions are my own. V. Castro is one of my favorite authors and I loved this.
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, and Death of parent
ta2dlibrarian's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
What if the pain and suffering of your people never went away? What if it were inherited like other priceless heirlooms? What if it waited until you were most vulnerable, lonely, and sad to manifest itself? Except it came to you as La Llorona and whispered in your ear?
Alejandra finds out that some curses are real and supernatural enough to need the help of not just any doctor or therapist, but requires the help of a curandera, a healer that uses traditional Latin American, non-Western medicine.
Simultaneous to Alejandra's story we learn of the strength of her Mexican ancestors: how they battled the conquistadors, fought for their own independence, and how the legend of La Llorona was born of a woman's desperation and deep love for her children.
Will Alejandra be strong enough to stop the curse, save her children from future torment, and end La Llorona? There's only one way to find out!
Content warning: self harm, suicidal ideation, abortion, spousal abuse
Graphic: Suicide, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Violence, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Gore, Colonisation, Abortion, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Child death
Minor: Pedophilia
bookishbrenbren's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was fabulous! I loved the Mexican culture that is integral to this story and the very honest portrayal of someone who has been adopted out of their community and the struggles to reclaim a heritage or identity that was taken from them. I love that Alejandra's story is so thoroughly mapped to her therapy and takes readers through real therapeutic approaches to handling overwhelmingly negative emotions. I hope to see more books published that showcase the benefits of therapy in the future. Even as someone who is not a fan of historical fiction, I enjoyed jumping back into Alejandra's ancestor's stories (with one notable exception - more on that later). These are much shorter narratives, almost vignettes, and provide some action-packed breaks from Alejandra's emotion-heavy chapters.
There was much to love about this book but I also don't think it's going to be good for everyone. Most importantly, there is a lot of potentially triggering content with regards to suicidal ideation and deeply depressive though processes. There is graphic violence, emotional abuse from a partner, violence against children and the book touches on adoption trauma as well. Please check any other CWs I may have forgotten about.
Secondly, the book is very plot-driven - we only really get to know one character (the MC Alejandra) and even then her character is mostly sketched out through emotional episodes where she is at her lowest, and there is not much depth to the character's thoughts. Beyond that, the other characters are largely interchangeable in voice, although not in circumstance, and can read flat at times. So, if you are mostly into books for character dev, maybe this isn't your cup of tea.
As well, if you are not a fan of historical fiction, those parts of the books may drag for you. I typically do not like hist fic but in this book they were short and entertaining snippets that kept me engaged in the story at crucial points. However, I must complain about Flor's chapter - perhaps it's because the Mexican Revolution is much more recent history than the other chapters, or because I personally know a little bit about that time period, but ugh this chapter was SO BAD. It was incredibly cheesy and completely unrealistic and didn't fit in with the concept of generational curses at all.
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Pregnancy, Self harm, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Body horror, Death of parent, Grief, Toxic relationship, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Dementia, Colonisation, and Gun violence