Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Haunting of Alejandra

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital ARC in exchange for a review!

If you’re looking for some creepy horror fiction to add as a late addition to your October TBR, consider The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro! I had a few stylistic issues with it, but in terms of creepiness and content, I can’t fault that - I had to hold off reading it for a night when my girlfriend wasn’t here as I couldn’t deal with the idea of seeing La Llorona at the end of my hallway when I went for a nighttime wee 😂😂

Alejandra finds herself struggling with her sense of self and purpose being a stay-at-home mother to her three children, with her husband expecting her to be the perfect Stepford wife. Her suicidal thoughts begin to get overwhelming, and she’s suddenly confronted by a figure in white encouraging her to end it all. I found the merging of motherhood, postpartum depression, Mexican folklore and actual hauntings to be super compelling - and super creepy! Castro’s writing shines the most when she’s delving into the nitty gritty of body horror, demonic apparitions and tension.

Unfortunately I did think her style falters elsewhere. The dialogue sometimes felt stilted and unnatural, and I often felt like I was being spoon-fed certain aspects of the plot. I don’t like it when things are over explained and the reader isn’t able to infer. I also get that Matthew, Alejandra’s husband, was intended to be a villain, but his sexism came off as cartoonish at times. There are definitely men out there who act like this, but I would have appreciated a little more nuance.

Concerns aside, I do still think this book stands strong as a piece of horror fiction that’ll have you running up your stairs as fast as you can on a night, while also tackling the pressures of motherhood and the idea of reconnecting to an identity previously denied to you!

Content Warnings

mfrisk's review

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adventurous challenging dark hopeful 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

4.5

This read is another highly rated read for me from V. Castro. I can understand why there are low ratings from folks who are expecting fast paced action packed horror. This is not that. This book is a character study of Alejandra and is a story about mental health, relationships, family history, and love (with a dash of creature feature/mythology). As we get into the story there are split perspectives which bring us deeper into the story and bring depth to Alejandra’s family tree. This is a slow burn horror with so much to say and I’m hopeful this book can find the people who will love it as much as I do.

Content Warnings

bookdragon217's review

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

"You don't have to be the woman anyone else wants you to be or tell you you should be to make them more comfortable in their own existence."

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro was a fantastic retelling and reimagining of the folklore of La Llorona stories. Castro's ability to blend genres seamlessly and give us a horrifying yet beautiful tale is her special gift. In this one she gives you a multi-generational story about grief, loss of children, mental illness & suicidal ideations/attempts, post-partum depression, effects of colonialism, the loss of language/culture through trans-racial adoption, motherhood, patriarchy, and feminism. Castro gives us an often gory yet realistic depiction of what healing looks like through reconnection with ancestral knowledge and lineage through reclamation of identity and the past.

The theme of motherhood runs deeply and is at the root of this story. It exposes how society has failed mothers through patriarchal expectations and taking away of choices. You see the difficulties of maintaining self autonomy and the dangers of removing women's abilities to tell their own stories. Alejandra navigates so much generational trauma and takes a bold leap to end generational curses through therapy that us culturally competent. I loved that Melanie was not only a therapist but also a curandera which allowed her to take a holistic approach to how she helped Alejandra. Cultural competency is something that is lacking in therapy and seeing how impactful it is to the healing process was a breath of fresh air. Spinning the narrative of La Llorona as being a woman who needed empathy, support and understanding rather than someone to be constantly feared is a reminder that the human experience is not black and white and that everyone has deep rooted issues that need to be explored and worked on to prevent the vicious cycles of trauma and pain.

If you love stories about complicated motherhood, ancestral power, feminism and grief/trauma work then pair this one up with:
✨️ River Woman, River Demon- Jennifer Givhan (fiction)
✨️Woman Who Glows in the Dark- Elena Avila & Joy Parker

Thank you to @delreybooks and @hearourvoicestours for the ARC.

Content Warnings

jessreadreceipts's review

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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

enchantressreads's review against another edition

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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

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