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jessreadreceipts's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.75
Content Warnings
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
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.0
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro is a story of grief, anger, and generational trauma that won’t remove its claws from the backs of the women in this bloodline.
Content Warnings below.
Alejandra is struggling. She has a privileged life when it comes to classic things like the family and the house, but that’s where the picture-perfect reflection ends. Within her mind, there’s a storm that won’t settle. Finally hitting a breaking point, Alejandra goes to therapy. But there, she learns that this wasn’t all just in her head. There is a real danger, and it has set its sights on her and her children.
Will Alejandra be able to sever the cord of this generational curse once and for all, or is her bloodline doomed to keep repeating the horrors of the past?
Set up in a way that jumps from the current mother struggling with the demon to each of her ancestors throughout the years since the curse began, we slowly learn why each mother seems destined to meet a horrible end after an unhappy life.
I will caution readers, the first half of this book was difficult to read as it is very raw and will leave readers feeling miserable if you’re one that puts yourselves in the character’s shoes. But eventually, the story starts to come out of the darkness as Alejandra becomes stronger and the focus shifts to determination and hope!
My Favorite Passages from The Haunting of Alejandra
For years she abandoned herself to be a willing sacrifice to please everyone around her, and now nothing existed within her anymore. Even her own hand was not a hand at all, but a blade she used to carve her heart for anyone who asked for it.
I’ve come to learn that thoughts often get in the way of intuition. You have to turn the dialogue down and listen to the music of your soul.
Words could eviscerate or they could be a miracle.
My Final Thoughts on The Haunting of Alejandra
This deeply distressing tale is an amazing example of real-world horror mixed with the paranormal.
Get ready with your tissues and a stress ball (or a stiff drink!) to prepare for the rage some of this will induce, and dive into this story. Just make sure you have calmed your inner demons by the time you hit the last page so you don’t bring the cursed one back to life!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Gaslighting, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Self harm
megandherbook's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
This is my favorite book of 2023 so far.
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!
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!
Content Warnings
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
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
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
keatynbergsten's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Mental illness, and Suicide attempt
gen_wolfhailstorm's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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
Thank you to Hear Our Voices for including me in this book tour. All thoughts remain my own.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Abandonment, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
shereadytoread's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- 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
This is a book that follows a lot of large themes and pushes them into an easily followed horror story. In being haunted by La Llorona, she truly being haunted by depression, motherhood, adoption trauma, generational trauma, feelings of inadequacy and feelings of alienation from her own culture. The imagery of this haunting figure is well-done, striking and pretty creepy. Switching between every day unhappy domestic life, horrific apparitions, and flashbacks to Alejandra's ancestors from whom she has lost connection. This book is a paranormal haunting, but takes on more of a psychological haunting feel as she deals with her depression and trauma. I thought this book had a lot of wonderful commentary around connecting with a clinician that you can relate to culturally and the importance of the therapeutic relationship.
Disclaimer: I received a gifted ARC
Disclaimer: I received a gifted ARC
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Pregnancy
Moderate: Child death, Body horror, Suicide attempt, and Miscarriage
chloesnotscared's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Mental illness and Grief
Minor: Pregnancy, Racism, and Violence
aldourquiza's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Miscarriage, Abandonment, and Body horror
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Pregnancy, Violence, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, and Sexism
Minor: Colonisation and Medical content