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A review by julinino19
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
1.0
I don't give out many 1 stars, in fact I think this is only the second time I've done so. I'm gonna keep this short and sweet.
THE CONCEPT
This is marketed as a retelling of La Llorona, which is a folktale I have always been familiar with.
THE PLOT
Alejandra is a mother of three and is experiencing severe depression. Her marriage is a crumbling thing; she feels zero support from her husband and has no friends since their move to a new city. Alejandra hears a voice in her head that feeds into her suicidal thoughts. This voice tells her she is a terrible mother and that there is only one way out. Alejandra also begins to see a strange figure lurking in dark corners. She starts to think that this being isn't a hallucination, but a very real entity that wants to harm her and her children. With the help of a curandera, Alejandra learns more of her ancestry and the possibility of a generational curse that has been affecting the women in her family for centuries.
WHY IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME
La Llorona is a story I grew up hearing (belonging to the folklore of many Latin American countries), so despite my genuine intrigue, I can't say this book met any of my expectations.
To put it simply: I didn't enjoy the writing and plot execution. I found the writing to be scattered, like it didn't know what it wanted to be. The metaphors and similes made me cringe and felt extremely forced. The dialogue was always so overly convenient and made the characters feel one dimensional.
The plot was somehow incredibly basic and convoluted at the same time. I can appreciate Alejandra's character arc, truly I can, but it wasn't enough to make me enjoy this. I wanted a horror retelling of La Llorona, but it missed the mark for me. I get creeped out pretty easily, but the boredom was so great that I didn't find anything overly chilling, and the way La Llorona is integrated felt very unimportant. I can also appreciate the exploration of Mexican culture (e.g. Día de los Muertos), but even those elements fell short in the grand scheme of things. They felt thrown into the story at random times when convenient.
I would never wanna put anyone off to reading something that genuinely intrigues them, so I hope my experience isn't the case for the majority of those that read this.
TW: suicide, blood, gore, murder, abuse
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
THE CONCEPT
This is marketed as a retelling of La Llorona, which is a folktale I have always been familiar with.
THE PLOT
Alejandra is a mother of three and is experiencing severe depression. Her marriage is a crumbling thing; she feels zero support from her husband and has no friends since their move to a new city. Alejandra hears a voice in her head that feeds into her suicidal thoughts. This voice tells her she is a terrible mother and that there is only one way out. Alejandra also begins to see a strange figure lurking in dark corners. She starts to think that this being isn't a hallucination, but a very real entity that wants to harm her and her children. With the help of a curandera, Alejandra learns more of her ancestry and the possibility of a generational curse that has been affecting the women in her family for centuries.
WHY IT DIDN'T WORK FOR ME
La Llorona is a story I grew up hearing (belonging to the folklore of many Latin American countries), so despite my genuine intrigue, I can't say this book met any of my expectations.
To put it simply: I didn't enjoy the writing and plot execution. I found the writing to be scattered, like it didn't know what it wanted to be. The metaphors and similes made me cringe and felt extremely forced. The dialogue was always so overly convenient and made the characters feel one dimensional.
The plot was somehow incredibly basic and convoluted at the same time. I can appreciate Alejandra's character arc, truly I can, but it wasn't enough to make me enjoy this. I wanted a horror retelling of La Llorona, but it missed the mark for me. I get creeped out pretty easily, but the boredom was so great that I didn't find anything overly chilling, and the way La Llorona is integrated felt very unimportant. I can also appreciate the exploration of Mexican culture (e.g. Día de los Muertos), but even those elements fell short in the grand scheme of things. They felt thrown into the story at random times when convenient.
I would never wanna put anyone off to reading something that genuinely intrigues them, so I hope my experience isn't the case for the majority of those that read this.
TW: suicide, blood, gore, murder, abuse
Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Ballantine for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.