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courtneyreadsitall's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
TW: suicidal ideation, suicide, mental illness, generational trauma, postpartum depression/anxiety, body horror, violence
I started off really enjoying this and then about halfway through felt like it was falling flat. The story was repetitive, had a lot of what the characters were thinking but lacked action, and I felt like it was choppy. I also feel like the end fight between Alejandra and La Llorona happened quickly, wasn’t very clear in what occurred/how La Llorona was defeated (though this could just be because I was trying to push through to the end to get it finished), and sort of anticlimactic. The dialogue between characters felt so forced and unrealistic - take, for example, the conversation between Alejandra and her father at their first meeting:
She too felt this undeniable familiarity as they matched each other’s gaze. “Are you Rogelio?”
He nodded. “You my daughter with Cathy?”
In this scene, I just feel like it would be so unrealistic for him to immediately recognize her when he’s never met her and she’s coming into his shop for the first time. Why would he automatically assume she was his daughter?
I felt like the alternate timelines was cool and helped develop the generational trauma point that the author was trying to make but I would have liked more character development for Alejandra as as soon as the book starts she’s already seeing La Llorona and deep in suicidal thoughts. I also think the author did well in explaining what postpartum anxiety and depression can look like/how it can develop, though Alejandra’s was because of La Llorona.
I enjoyed the tie-in of Mexican folk-lore, which is the initial reason I picked up this book. I think I would have liked more information on how the entity became La Llorona/how it came to Earth (I know it was briefly touched upon).
Overall, I enjoyed the book but found that it took too long to get to the finish line - which is saying a lot for such a short book. I found the final showdown to be short and still don’t really know how La Llorona was defeated. The author did well with descriptions of La Llorona and other aspects of the story, but the body horror & violence could be construed as graphic so be aware of that!
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
I started off really enjoying this and then about halfway through felt like it was falling flat. The story was repetitive, had a lot of what the characters were thinking but lacked action, and I felt like it was choppy. I also feel like the end fight between Alejandra and La Llorona happened quickly, wasn’t very clear in what occurred/how La Llorona was defeated (though this could just be because I was trying to push through to the end to get it finished), and sort of anticlimactic. The dialogue between characters felt so forced and unrealistic - take, for example, the conversation between Alejandra and her father at their first meeting:
She too felt this undeniable familiarity as they matched each other’s gaze. “Are you Rogelio?”
He nodded. “You my daughter with Cathy?”
In this scene, I just feel like it would be so unrealistic for him to immediately recognize her when he’s never met her and she’s coming into his shop for the first time. Why would he automatically assume she was his daughter?
I felt like the alternate timelines was cool and helped develop the generational trauma point that the author was trying to make but I would have liked more character development for Alejandra as as soon as the book starts she’s already seeing La Llorona and deep in suicidal thoughts. I also think the author did well in explaining what postpartum anxiety and depression can look like/how it can develop, though Alejandra’s was because of La Llorona.
I enjoyed the tie-in of Mexican folk-lore, which is the initial reason I picked up this book. I think I would have liked more information on how the entity became La Llorona/how it came to Earth (I know it was briefly touched upon).
Overall, I enjoyed the book but found that it took too long to get to the finish line - which is saying a lot for such a short book. I found the final showdown to be short and still don’t really know how La Llorona was defeated. The author did well with descriptions of La Llorona and other aspects of the story, but the body horror & violence could be construed as graphic so be aware of that!
Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Violence, and Suicide
mrsscottisreading's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Suicide, and Pregnancy
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
ta2dlibrarian's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
This book includes dark themes. Check all content warnings.
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
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
Content Warnings
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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 beautiful story takes the very real premise of inherited trauma and generational curses and paints a supernatural portrait: what if your family's curse was an actual haunting, a malevolent something feeding from and encouraging the suffering of your people? What would it take to stop something like that? Jumping between Alejandra's present-day attempts to work through her depression with therapy and her ancestors' past stories and struggles with the same curse, this book reminds us that we are not just the products of women who have suffered, but of women who have survived.
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. Did she really have to get with Emiliano Zapata? Did the author have to include a trans fighter in her story only to have that trans character reveal his transness to her upon their first meeting & BY UNBUTTONING HIS SHIRT???? I get it, you learned a fun fact about a trans revolutionary and wanted to put it in your story; but just by the way it was written, it is obvious that it is not your story to tell (as it was not handled with due care), and doubly obvious that it did not go through sensitivity readers before being published. In fact, if I may digress for a moment, that scene seems to me to be a case of self-insert, with the author jumping to show her readers that she is queer friendly (especially since the curse appears suspiciously heterosexual) than actually adding to the story or bringing attention to Amelio Robles Avila's story with the respect he deserved. Anyways. Right around that chapter I felt the quality of the plotting fell off quite a bit. What was that ending? We were not given an explanation before or after as to the logic behind this resolution. Also, as far as the haunting being a metaphor for generational curses, that ending is pretty awful... I also felt like more could have been done with the analysis of generational trauma in general (no mention of poverty as the main cause of such an inescapable cycle?). BUT ALAS, I still enjoyed it and thought it was a good idea and decently executed. Maybe a stronger editor could have pushed it over the edge into great.
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.
Content Warnings
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
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