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A review by pushingdessy
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
dark
sad
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
3.5
Who in Latin America hasn’t heard of La Llorona? In Argentina, she’s often one of the ghouls invoked to scare children into taking a siesta. The basics of her story are echoed across countries, although it originates in pre-Hispanic mythology: in a bout of madness, a woman drowns her two children, then kills herself, and is cursed to wander as a ghost, forever crying as she looks for her children.
📝 Here, we follow Alejandra and her cursed lineage of “bad mothers”: women struggling with motherhood, fighting a darkness that takes the shape and voice of La Llorona, telling them they’re better off dead so she can prey off their suffering.
This was another book where the premise sounded great, but the execution didn’t fully deliver for me. I thought it was a good exploration of the pitfalls of motherhood and gender roles, of mental health, generational trauma, colonization, and the ways those things and the social stigma they carry play into our collective imagination when it comes to folk stories. We see Alejandra’s POV but also visit other women from her lineage, including the original Llorona, weaving Mexican myth with history.
💬 However, the book had too much exposition and felt repetitive and too heavy-handed in places. The dialogue didn’t always feel natural, and Alejandra’s husband was a man-child, but came off as cartoonish at points. I could see real life men and relationships reflected in this fictional couple, but it was hard to believe why Alejandra would fall in love with such a guy because we’re *told* her reasons, we’re not really shown (he’s always been a major asshole!)
The main horror element also had strong “It” vibes, which might have been easier to digest if it hadn’t had its own, at times a little ridiculous, POV and dialogue. I also thought the therapist character was highly unethical and it grated me 😬
Overall, I feel lukewarm about it; it was just ok 😕
📝 Here, we follow Alejandra and her cursed lineage of “bad mothers”: women struggling with motherhood, fighting a darkness that takes the shape and voice of La Llorona, telling them they’re better off dead so she can prey off their suffering.
This was another book where the premise sounded great, but the execution didn’t fully deliver for me. I thought it was a good exploration of the pitfalls of motherhood and gender roles, of mental health, generational trauma, colonization, and the ways those things and the social stigma they carry play into our collective imagination when it comes to folk stories. We see Alejandra’s POV but also visit other women from her lineage, including the original Llorona, weaving Mexican myth with history.
💬 However, the book had too much exposition and felt repetitive and too heavy-handed in places. The dialogue didn’t always feel natural, and Alejandra’s husband was a man-child, but came off as cartoonish at points. I could see real life men and relationships reflected in this fictional couple, but it was hard to believe why Alejandra would fall in love with such a guy because we’re *told* her reasons, we’re not really shown (he’s always been a major asshole!)
The main horror element also had strong “It” vibes, which might have been easier to digest if it hadn’t had its own, at times a little ridiculous, POV and dialogue. I also thought the therapist character was highly unethical and it grated me 😬
Overall, I feel lukewarm about it; it was just ok 😕