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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
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
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
dark
hopeful
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:
No
The Bewitching is a historical fiction horror novel told across three different timelines.
Alternating between 1908 farmland in Mexico and a New England college in both 1934 and 1998, The Bewitching tells the story of three different women who fall victim to a witch determined to destroy them.
In 1908, nineteen-year-old Alba’s ranch in Mexico has slowly become cursed, and the answer lies with the witches of Los Pinos. But everyone Alba once relied on is either dying or disappearing, leaving her to turn to her sophisticated Uncle Arturo.
In 1998, Minerva is a grad student at a small Massachusetts college, working on her thesis about Beatrice Tremblay, a horror writer and former student at the same college in the 1930s. When Minerva is given access to Beatrice’s diary and other writings, she uncovers details about an unsolved disappearance that inspired the author’s most famous novel. But eerie, unexplained things begin happening to Minerva as well, and suddenly her grandmother’s old stories about witches start to feel all too real.
I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing and her skill in creating complex characters and rich settings. From a ranch in early 1900s Mexico to Great Depression-era New England to the late 1990s, she builds three fully realized stories that could stand on their own but come together by the end. Speaking of the end—she absolutely nailed the final ten percent of the book. I especially appreciated how she wrapped up each storyline.
The only part I didn’t enjoy was the incestuous element in one of the timelines, and overall, I felt the book could have been tighter and more fast-paced. Still, for readers who enjoy a slow-burn novel with horror, family drama, the supernatural, and dark academia elements, this one absolutely hits the mark.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Disclosure: A copy of The Bewitching was provided by Del Rey for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
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
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I thought the New England of this book with be my in, but I had a really hard time getting hooked on this story. I think it was hard for me to identify with the main character or perhaps the pacing was off for me, I’m not sure.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Gripped me in the first quarter and then just fell off for me...
The plot took too long to unravel and really get going. I felt like it was world and character building for 70% of the book. The vibes were there tho so I'd still recommend for the rich history lesson you get with the vibes.
The story is told from 3 perspectives: minerva, her great grandmother, and betty (whom minerva is writing a thesis on)
Unfortunately I felt the detail we got into during minerva's great grandmother's chapters were so unnecessary it just slowed the plot down with detail that didn't add more than 'vibes' to the story.
I'd still recommend for other readers to check it out!
Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
The plot took too long to unravel and really get going. I felt like it was world and character building for 70% of the book. The vibes were there tho so I'd still recommend for the rich history lesson you get with the vibes.
The story is told from 3 perspectives: minerva, her great grandmother, and betty (whom minerva is writing a thesis on)
Unfortunately I felt the detail we got into during minerva's great grandmother's chapters were so unnecessary it just slowed the plot down with detail that didn't add more than 'vibes' to the story.
I'd still recommend for other readers to check it out!
Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I'm sure this book will be enjoyed by many. I'm DNF because it's much too research based with slow pacing. All the facts about the author's that the main character was researching were just not what I was in the mood for. I just wanted something creepy and witchy... not something academic that almost felt borderline nonfiction.
It's definitely me not the book. If that sounds like something you're interested in, this is probably a fantastic story.
It's definitely me not the book. If that sounds like something you're interested in, this is probably a fantastic story.