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4.31 AVERAGE
4.31 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Incest, Sexual content, Blood, Kidnapping, Alcohol
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
I understand how some people may think the first half of this book is slow, but I was pretty captivated even in the beginning. It's well written, and drops hints along the way where yes, you can figure out who's the bad guy fairly early on. I didnt care, it was a wonderful read regardless. This is classified as horror but I'd say it barely qualifies. Not very spooky!
dark
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
A while back, I read Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic. While I found it a little underwhelming, I liked it enough to want to read more of her work. When I read the description for her new novel, The Bewitching, it captured my attention and has turned out to be a better fit to my tastes. Exploring mysterious disappearances and sinister forces that echo through time, The Bewitching beautifully interweaves a trio of narratives that drive one another forward. Though there isn’t a lot of surprise as far as whose malice drives the action, there is plenty of delicious suspense and twists along the way to inescapable confrontation.
In 1998, Minerva is working on her thesis project at a university near Salem, Massachusetts. Fascinated by horror fiction, she is determined to make Beatrice Tremblay, the author of her favorite novel the focus of her project. Working as a resident director for the handful of students left on campus over the summer, Minerva learns that not only was Beatrice’s novel inspired by true events, but the woman left behind a manuscript of her recollections of the friend’s disappearance that was at the heart of it all. The manuscript is in the care of another friend of Beatrice and the missing girl. The wealthy and eccentric Carolyn Yates actually married the missing Virginia’s fiancé after her disappearance was determined to likely be the result of an elopement with another man. As Minerva begins to study the manuscript and look into Virginia’s disappearance, lessons her Nana Alba used to tell her about witches and curses come to mind. Sinister forces similar to those Nana Alba once faced appear to be at work around Minerva. Will she have the wherewithal it takes to confront them the way Nana Alba once did?
For the rest of my review, please visit my blog: https://wp.me/pUEx4-1q3
In 1998, Minerva is working on her thesis project at a university near Salem, Massachusetts. Fascinated by horror fiction, she is determined to make Beatrice Tremblay, the author of her favorite novel the focus of her project. Working as a resident director for the handful of students left on campus over the summer, Minerva learns that not only was Beatrice’s novel inspired by true events, but the woman left behind a manuscript of her recollections of the friend’s disappearance that was at the heart of it all. The manuscript is in the care of another friend of Beatrice and the missing girl. The wealthy and eccentric Carolyn Yates actually married the missing Virginia’s fiancé after her disappearance was determined to likely be the result of an elopement with another man. As Minerva begins to study the manuscript and look into Virginia’s disappearance, lessons her Nana Alba used to tell her about witches and curses come to mind. Sinister forces similar to those Nana Alba once faced appear to be at work around Minerva. Will she have the wherewithal it takes to confront them the way Nana Alba once did?
For the rest of my review, please visit my blog: https://wp.me/pUEx4-1q3
dark
mysterious
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:
No
First and foremost, thanks to Kay Popple at Penguin Random and NetGalley for offering me a pre-approved eARC copy of The Beewitching in exchange for an honest review.
While it took me many months longer than intended to get through Garcia Moreno's newest publication (today is actually pub date!) due to being unexpectedly unemployed, and lots of life being adjusted as a result, I devoured The Bewitching in basically two days.
Split across three separate timelines (1998, 1934, and 1908) and three separate women battling bedeviled metaphysical forces across their particular timeline, The Bewitching tackles both multi-generational fights against evil, and very personal losses as a result of these fights. In 1998, our protagonist is Minerva, a graduate student just trying to get through the summer and work on her thesis - centered on witches and Northeastern US horror stories. In the 1930s, our protagonist is Beatrice Tremblay, writer and individual who is doing her own fighting against things that go bump in the night, which lead to a career in writing horror fiction, stories that have inspired Minerva's own interest in witches, horror, and more. Finally in 1908, our protagonist is Minerva's own grandmother Alba, who has just lost her father, and who has to engage in her own battles against witches and the occult.
All three timelines and stories converge as Alba and Minerva fight for their lives, their well-being, and those of their loved ones.
Inspired by Moreno Garcia's family's own stories of witches, the occult, and more, The Bewitching is a fairly fast-paced novel that will be great for fans of horror novels where witches aren't the "good guys" at the end of the story, but are up to something much more nefarious. Intertwined in the plot of the novel are folktales from Latin America and the US about witches and the occult, reflections on the era of studying the mysteries beyond the veil with séances and ectoplasmic art, and much more.
As always, this novel is well-researched, well-paced, and builds to a finale that is able to be anticipated in some ways, while in others not so much. The Bewitching will have you unsure who to root for at times as the reader, and keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages.
Happy pub day to Silvia Moreno Garcia!
While it took me many months longer than intended to get through Garcia Moreno's newest publication (today is actually pub date!) due to being unexpectedly unemployed, and lots of life being adjusted as a result, I devoured The Bewitching in basically two days.
Split across three separate timelines (1998, 1934, and 1908) and three separate women battling bedeviled metaphysical forces across their particular timeline, The Bewitching tackles both multi-generational fights against evil, and very personal losses as a result of these fights. In 1998, our protagonist is Minerva, a graduate student just trying to get through the summer and work on her thesis - centered on witches and Northeastern US horror stories. In the 1930s, our protagonist is Beatrice Tremblay, writer and individual who is doing her own fighting against things that go bump in the night, which lead to a career in writing horror fiction, stories that have inspired Minerva's own interest in witches, horror, and more. Finally in 1908, our protagonist is Minerva's own grandmother Alba, who has just lost her father, and who has to engage in her own battles against witches and the occult.
All three timelines and stories converge as Alba and Minerva fight for their lives, their well-being, and those of their loved ones.
Inspired by Moreno Garcia's family's own stories of witches, the occult, and more, The Bewitching is a fairly fast-paced novel that will be great for fans of horror novels where witches aren't the "good guys" at the end of the story, but are up to something much more nefarious. Intertwined in the plot of the novel are folktales from Latin America and the US about witches and the occult, reflections on the era of studying the mysteries beyond the veil with séances and ectoplasmic art, and much more.
As always, this novel is well-researched, well-paced, and builds to a finale that is able to be anticipated in some ways, while in others not so much. The Bewitching will have you unsure who to root for at times as the reader, and keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages.
Happy pub day to Silvia Moreno Garcia!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Incest, Misogyny, Blood, Murder, Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death, Mental illness, Death of parent
Note that the CWs around gaslighting, misogyny, and mental illness are, in part, at least, related to gender-centered understandings of mental illness and assumptions about mental illness and women in the United States in the 1930s.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
SMG's latest novel is a dark page-turner that whisks readers away to three eras filled with dark magic and witchery! I listened to the audiobook thanks @librom and the narration by Gisela Chipe was creepy in the best way!
This multigenerational tale tells of three women haunted by witchcraft. I loved the three protagonists but was specifically drawn to the 1908 timeline. The story was haunting and tense and I really felt transported into the mystery.
dark
mysterious
Possibly my new fave by Silvia Moreno-Garcia! It was so hard to put this one down and I loved how the 3 POVs intertwined. The MCs, young women from 3 different generations, were each compelling in their own way. My biggest complaint is that the story was fairly predictable by the halfway point, but the creepy vibes and Moreno-Garcia’s beautiful, chilling prose definitely made this read worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual assault
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-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
This new novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was full of suspense and delicious contradictions. It's very spooky, but also scaredy cat approved. I enjoyed the slow-paced, atmospheric unfolding of the story. I also appreciated how the pacing starts to ramp up around the 60% mark. The Bewitching has a gorgeous setup too: it toggles between two timelines, one in 1908 in rural Mexico and one in 1998 at a college in New England.
Since every plot line happens before 2000, reading this felt like a digital detox. Technology is analog, and there's a thread of oral storytelling in the narrative, I delighted in the physical media the characters interact with inside this book. Stuff like paper archives, handwritten ephemera, journals, and the library borrowing cards that were once pasted into the endpapers of books. This book is also strategically sprinkled with art, music, movie, and literary references and a fair amount of 90's nostalgia. My millennial heart was very happy.
Minerva, the main character, is a coffee drinker and big time book worm. As a result, this book made me crave late night coffees and library visits.
Other things I really enjoyed: the theme of collective consciousness that was explored, the presence of warlocks (not just witches!), the hint of vampirism, the poetic writing, and how much Mexican and American folklore was infused in the pages.
Since every plot line happens before 2000, reading this felt like a digital detox. Technology is analog, and there's a thread of oral storytelling in the narrative, I delighted in the physical media the characters interact with inside this book. Stuff like paper archives, handwritten ephemera, journals, and the library borrowing cards that were once pasted into the endpapers of books. This book is also strategically sprinkled with art, music, movie, and literary references and a fair amount of 90's nostalgia. My millennial heart was very happy.
Minerva, the main character, is a coffee drinker and big time book worm. As a result, this book made me crave late night coffees and library visits.
Other things I really enjoyed: the theme of collective consciousness that was explored, the presence of warlocks (not just witches!), the hint of vampirism, the poetic writing, and how much Mexican and American folklore was infused in the pages.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Narrated by Gilesa Chipe | 14 hours 7 minutes
Silvia Moreno Garcia delivers another hauntingly atmospheric novel in The Bewitching, a multigenerational gothic family horror saga that is as mesmerizing as it is unsettling.
Told across three timelines: 1908, 1934, and 1998, this story weaves together the lives of women from the same lineage, all bound by secrets, ambition, and an eerie darkness that lingers over generations. In 1908, a mysterious uncle’s attempt to acquire a family farm sets off a chain of resistance and suspicion. In 1934, we follow an aspiring writer navigating shifting dynamics at a women’s college. In 1998, a determined graduate student’s search for thesis material brings her face to face with a wealthy family that may be hiding more than just old letters and family trees.
Witches, secrets, and disappearances blur the lines between myth and reality. The slow, deliberate unraveling of the mystery is deliciously eerie, with Moreno Garcia’s signature lush prose and layered storytelling. Each timeline builds on the last, creating a chilling sense of inevitability. When witches are hunting, no one is safe and not everyone can fight back.
Gilesa Chipe’s narration is superb, capturing the distinct voices and moods of each time period with precision and nuance. Her performance heightens the tension and brings the characters to life, making the listening experience immersive and unforgettable.
The Bewitching is a masterful, slow burn horror novel rooted in family, legacy, and the price of knowledge. It’s perfect for fans of gothic fiction, complex female characters, and stories that linger long after the final chapter.
Silvia Moreno Garcia delivers another hauntingly atmospheric novel in The Bewitching, a multigenerational gothic family horror saga that is as mesmerizing as it is unsettling.
Told across three timelines: 1908, 1934, and 1998, this story weaves together the lives of women from the same lineage, all bound by secrets, ambition, and an eerie darkness that lingers over generations. In 1908, a mysterious uncle’s attempt to acquire a family farm sets off a chain of resistance and suspicion. In 1934, we follow an aspiring writer navigating shifting dynamics at a women’s college. In 1998, a determined graduate student’s search for thesis material brings her face to face with a wealthy family that may be hiding more than just old letters and family trees.
Witches, secrets, and disappearances blur the lines between myth and reality. The slow, deliberate unraveling of the mystery is deliciously eerie, with Moreno Garcia’s signature lush prose and layered storytelling. Each timeline builds on the last, creating a chilling sense of inevitability. When witches are hunting, no one is safe and not everyone can fight back.
Gilesa Chipe’s narration is superb, capturing the distinct voices and moods of each time period with precision and nuance. Her performance heightens the tension and brings the characters to life, making the listening experience immersive and unforgettable.
The Bewitching is a masterful, slow burn horror novel rooted in family, legacy, and the price of knowledge. It’s perfect for fans of gothic fiction, complex female characters, and stories that linger long after the final chapter.