A review by hearth_hobbit
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I received a free copy of this eBook from Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review. 
 
5 Stars: I loved it

Genre: Horror

You may like this book if you like:
  • Ghost stories
  • Hereditary (movie)
  • Mother (movie)
  • Existential dread 
  • Black coffee

Summary: The spirit of La Llorona has her sights set on Alejandra and she won’t stop until she drags Alejandra into the same darkness all the women that came before her were dragged into. 

Thoughts: This story explores the horror of intergenerational curses, toxic cycles, and the trauma that’s passed on from parent to child if those who come before can’t heal. We all want to be a “cycle breaker” and while we all may not have to battle an ancient demon to do so, this story illustrates how monumental a task that can be. Alejandra was a fully fleshed out character and perfectly crafted for this story.

I felt Alejandra’s despair and I shared many of her worries about motherhood. The fear of failing as a parent, passing on unhealthy coping mechanisms to my (future) children, not knowing enough about my heritage to pass on to my children. 

While I feel like this story was done well symbolically, the monster was also genuinely scary. The description of it was very creepy, definitely something you might see at the edge of your vision in the middle of the night. 

*spoiler*
I loved that the breaking of the curse is finding community, learning about your heritage, and taking action for your own story. Horror stories don’t often offer a solution for the topics it touches on but I appreciated the conclusions this story came to. 

While I appreciate this book a lot, it did lag at points. I’m willing to over look that though because I enjoyed it but other readers may not. Also, if motherhood or parenthood is not a topic you’re interested in, this may not be interesting.

TW: Suicide, body horror, mental illness, SA, Death
    
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