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4.27 AVERAGE
4.27 AVERAGE
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.
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