Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
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:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
**Thank you NetGalley (Kay Popple) and Penguin Random House/Del Rey for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Posted to: NetGalley and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 23 July 2025
4.1 (rounded down to 4) out of 5 stars.
(Okay I know I’m late posting this, I’m so sorry! Reading slumps are real and travel plans interrupted my normal schedule. Anyways, here is my belated review!)
“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches.”
Another Silvia Moreno-Garcia banger!!!! I feel so biased saying that because it’s very clear that she is an auto-buy author of mine. The title is not without its own faults, however. I still find that I really enjoyed Silver Nitrate and Velvet Was the Night a taaaad more than The Bewitching. Regardless, it’s still an exceptional read to have gotten to during Summerween and I’m beyond glad to have been invited to check it out!
To start with, it’s a bit of a slow build up in the beginning for each of the three intertwined stories. This isn’t a bad thing, I’d say, but I also know that the slower pace is not everybody’s thing. At the same time, however, I feel like the pacing is a little weird towards the end in that it feels a bit more rushed? Or it almost skips around some (more-so in Alba’s case but also some in Minerva’s storyline). It wasn’t bad, but noticeable enough especially during some more major scenes happening. The lead up to what’s going to happen feels almost stronger than the actual Big Events- yet everything still ends satisfyingly enough to bleed over those hiccups (I would say, anyways).
What I really love about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing, though, is her characters. I love how human they feel. I think that Minerva was a little reminiscent to Monserrat from Silver Nitrate, so her character did feel more familiar but to me it helped to fuel that interest that led into me wanting to binge more and more chapters.
My only other qualm about this is the ending. Mild spoilers here for this paragraph (or beneath the spoiler tag for those finding my review on Storygraph!) so please skip to the next if you’d rather avoid spoiler chat! Okay good? Alright-so the ending, to me, was also reminiscent of Silver Nitrate some. I can’t pinpoint how exactly without saying too much, but I feel like you’ll know it if you read it? I guess I wouldn’t say that’s a ‘qualm’ exactly though, but it did kind of kill a little of the suspense only because I kept thinking “huh, this is very familiar to Silver Nitrate/to something that would happen there too.”
There’s some folklore built into this book. There’s some witchcraft, some occult, some academia, and some horror. It’s a nice blend of everything that set the scene of spooky and tense, and I all but devoured it. Despite my few little issues to pick about it, The Bewitching is deliciously dark. Amassing all my thoughts together, it’s safe to say that in the end, I enjoyed this a lot! It’s definitely one of those books I’d love to re-read if only to find any foreshadowing bits seeing as Silvia Moreno-Garcia seems to sprinkle those into her novels all the time (whether purposefully or accidentally is mystery to me, but I’ll eat it up every time!)
CONTENT WARNING(S):
Blood, drinking of blood, violence, mentions of murder, self-harm, suicidal ideation, ritualistic killings (in mention, no details), animal death, incest, sexual content (on page with mild descriptions), passing mentions of car accident and death from car accident, death of parent (in passing), stalking/thoughts of being stalked, brief alcohol use/inebriation (at a party/during a party but nothing else comes from it), vomit (no details, in quick mention and only brought up a few times after also in non-detailed use)
CONTENT WARNING(S):
Blood, drinking of blood, violence, mentions of murder, self-harm, suicidal ideation, ritualistic killings (in mention, no details), animal death, incest, sexual content (on page with mild descriptions), passing mentions of car accident and death from car accident, death of parent (in passing), stalking/thoughts of being stalked, brief alcohol use/inebriation (at a party/during a party but nothing else comes from it), vomit (no details, in quick mention and only brought up a few times after also in non-detailed use)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Incest, Sexual content, Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Suicide attempt
Minor: Alcoholism, Vomit, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
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
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The latest novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a dark, atmospheric horror/mystery, consisting of three clearly defined storylines. Minerva, a young Mexican woman, is a student at a New England college, writing her thesis. It's 1998, and strange things happen. She often feels a sense of foreboding, as if she has been watched. At one point, she is almost crushed to death by a sliding bookshelf at the library. Regardless, Minerva is determined to conduct thorough research for her thesis about a forgotten writer, Beatrice Tremblay. She is delighted to find a connection: Beatrice Tremblay attended the same college, and her friend at the time was Carolyn Yates, a wealthy woman who now lives in a nearby mansion and owns the entire collection of Beatrice Tremblay's letters and notes.
In the second storyline, we follow Beatrice Tremblay, whose first-person narrative describes the terrifying experience of having her close friend Ginny disappear. The third storyline takes place in 1908, in rural Hidalgo, where Alba lives on a farm, dreaming of a better life, as represented by her handsome and charismatic uncle, Arturo. However, unexplained accidents occur after Arturo's arrival, and Alba is afraid that she has been bewitched or is about to be charmed by a powerful creature.
I enjoyed reading "The Bewitching" very much. Each of the three women, Minerva, Beatrice, and Alba, is skillfully described, and we can relate to them very well. There is a feeling of something lurking in the dark, and that hidden creature is not someone whom our protagonists may easily overcome with suddenly discovered powers of their own. Witches and warlocks are out there looking for blood.
Minerva's great-grandmother, Alba, says," Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches." Minerva concludes that these words are still relevant, and the witches are not extinct. She will have to gather the same courage as Alba did to fight for her life.
In the second storyline, we follow Beatrice Tremblay, whose first-person narrative describes the terrifying experience of having her close friend Ginny disappear. The third storyline takes place in 1908, in rural Hidalgo, where Alba lives on a farm, dreaming of a better life, as represented by her handsome and charismatic uncle, Arturo. However, unexplained accidents occur after Arturo's arrival, and Alba is afraid that she has been bewitched or is about to be charmed by a powerful creature.
I enjoyed reading "The Bewitching" very much. Each of the three women, Minerva, Beatrice, and Alba, is skillfully described, and we can relate to them very well. There is a feeling of something lurking in the dark, and that hidden creature is not someone whom our protagonists may easily overcome with suddenly discovered powers of their own. Witches and warlocks are out there looking for blood.
Minerva's great-grandmother, Alba, says," Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches." Minerva concludes that these words are still relevant, and the witches are not extinct. She will have to gather the same courage as Alba did to fight for her life.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Multiple timelines in 1908, 1934, and 1988 following Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva who all have mysterious things in common. At first a little confusing, but after a bit it becomes clear how these stories intertwine.
This book included some of my favorites: occult rituals, witches, warlocks, academia, and horror lit. This was an atmospheric, well written family saga horror.