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4.29 AVERAGE
4.29 AVERAGE
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.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A story following three women’s encounters with the supernatural across multiple decades. Each finds themselves facing the question can bewitching be a real thing.
This might be my favorite Silvia Moreno-Garcia book and I do not say that lightly. Steeped in academia, folklore, and mystery this book kept me on my toes wondering what truth would be revealed next. I loved the way we were given three narrators across different decades. As their stories each progressed our understanding as a reader increased and left me personally feel uneasy. It is not surprising that Moreno-Garcia managed to achieve the perfect balance of tension and terror. I look forward to reading this again closer to Halloween.
This might be my favorite Silvia Moreno-Garcia book and I do not say that lightly. Steeped in academia, folklore, and mystery this book kept me on my toes wondering what truth would be revealed next. I loved the way we were given three narrators across different decades. As their stories each progressed our understanding as a reader increased and left me personally feel uneasy. It is not surprising that Moreno-Garcia managed to achieve the perfect balance of tension and terror. I look forward to reading this again closer to Halloween.
I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I am so grateful to the publisher for giving me early access via NetGalley!
This book was one of her best so far in my opinion. It was mysterious and atmospheric. I loved the three timelines and how they connected with one another. I don’t know how to describe the author’s novels sometimes because they are all so different and yet I think the passion for horror (both film and literature) and Mexican history (of all sorts) really stands out in all of her books.
I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a witchy horror read.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for an eARC of this title in exchange for my review.
I absolutely love everything from Silvia Moreno-Garcia and was excited for this book. The Bewitching is a dark atmospheric witchy vampy gothic horror ghost story with three timelines that catch you breathless and pull you under. The balance and writing has the perfect vibe and tension, making it unputdownable and creeptastic at the same time.
Some highlights for me include multi-generational POVs, themes of power, privilege, family, friendship, greed, envy, jealousy, loneliness, isolation and revenge. The story is so much more than witchcraft/forces of evil, but also about how power corrupts and classism, prejudice, sexism, and status quo play a role in shaping society, no matter how it is achieved.
I really enjoy how Silvia Moreno-Garcia is truly masterful at weaving together disparate pieces into a griping and memorable tale.
I absolutely love everything from Silvia Moreno-Garcia and was excited for this book. The Bewitching is a dark atmospheric witchy vampy gothic horror ghost story with three timelines that catch you breathless and pull you under. The balance and writing has the perfect vibe and tension, making it unputdownable and creeptastic at the same time.
Some highlights for me include multi-generational POVs, themes of power, privilege, family, friendship, greed, envy, jealousy, loneliness, isolation and revenge. The story is so much more than witchcraft/forces of evil, but also about how power corrupts and classism, prejudice, sexism, and status quo play a role in shaping society, no matter how it is achieved.
I really enjoy how Silvia Moreno-Garcia is truly masterful at weaving together disparate pieces into a griping and memorable tale.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
The Bewitching follows three different women across three different timelines. Despite living in different eras, all three women experience the same threads that tie their lives together: witchcraft and the seemingly inexplicable that follows.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia did it again! This story had me unnerved and feeling the creepy crawlies (in a good way) from the start. Her writing style genuinely makes it feel like you have been transported in the novel and are experiencing everything firsthand with the characters. As a horror novel, this story will definitely have you checking over your shoulder. The characters, as usual, are each so compelling. With each woman getting a perspective and their own chapters, there was never a moment that I wanted to rush through someone’s pov to get to someone else’s.
The Bewitching earns only my second 5/5 rating for the year! Easily sliding into one of my favorite books of 2025 so far, I highly recommend The Bewitching for horror lovers that are looking for something a little more psychological thank physical. As always, please check the content warnings before diving in.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!
Thank you to Del Rey via NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!
The fact that this was Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s new novel is what initially pulled me in, but the second I read the synopsis, I knew I NEEDED to read it: “Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.”
Mullti-generational POVs, can be hit or miss for me, as I can sometimes get over-invested in one POV over the others, but I really enjoyed reading all three POVs. This book tackles so many themes: power, privilege, family, friendship, and the horror of humanity. There were points where I wanted longer tension, or others where there were subplots I wasn’t very invested in, but overall, I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to add it to my Silvia Moreno-Garcia collection!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Release Date: July 15th, 2025
The fact that this was Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s new novel is what initially pulled me in, but the second I read the synopsis, I knew I NEEDED to read it: “Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.”
Mullti-generational POVs, can be hit or miss for me, as I can sometimes get over-invested in one POV over the others, but I really enjoyed reading all three POVs. This book tackles so many themes: power, privilege, family, friendship, and the horror of humanity. There were points where I wanted longer tension, or others where there were subplots I wasn’t very invested in, but overall, I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to add it to my Silvia Moreno-Garcia collection!
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Release Date: July 15th, 2025
dark
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
SMG does not miss
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Silvia Moreno-Garcia's latest novel is a dark, twisted tale of folklore, magic, misogyny, unrequited and forbidden love, and power. I was hooked from the very beginning, and Moreno-Garcia's depiction of witches and bewitching went beyond anything I expected.
Throughout the book, we follow three young women during three different time periods: Minerva, a Mexican graduate student at a seaside New England liberal arts school; Betty, a young woman at the same school in the 1930s who will forever be changed by the disappearance of her beloved classmate; and Alba, Minerva's great-grandmother who contended with evil forces on their property in Mexico as a young woman.
The three separate narratives at play are easy to keep track of, with each chapter revealing *just* enough to keep you coming back for more. Even though I guessed the big twists at around the 60% mark, I didn't mind at all--I still found myself gasping and at the edge of my seat until the very end. I was STRESSED. Throughout the book is commentary on entrenched wealth, misogyny, and academia, and I loved every second of it. I will say I did have some questions aboutwhy Carolyn decided to bewitch Ginny...the motivation seemed a bit muddle and poorly explained. How is it that bewitching someone and drinking their blood helps someone become richer? It's not immediately clear to me and I think that could've been better explained. Additionally, I was ultimately confused at the fact that apparently there's no link between Arturo being a warlock and Carolyn being a witch...the timelines were linked in one way through Alba/Minerva, which made it seem as though there'd be some sort of link between Carolyn and Arturo somehow. But I suppose not. That seemed strange and as though connective elements were left on the table.
Throughout the book, we follow three young women during three different time periods: Minerva, a Mexican graduate student at a seaside New England liberal arts school; Betty, a young woman at the same school in the 1930s who will forever be changed by the disappearance of her beloved classmate; and Alba, Minerva's great-grandmother who contended with evil forces on their property in Mexico as a young woman.
The three separate narratives at play are easy to keep track of, with each chapter revealing *just* enough to keep you coming back for more. Even though I guessed the big twists at around the 60% mark, I didn't mind at all--I still found myself gasping and at the edge of my seat until the very end. I was STRESSED. Throughout the book is commentary on entrenched wealth, misogyny, and academia, and I loved every second of it. I will say I did have some questions about
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Violence, Grief, Murder