A review by annreadsabook
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes

4.75

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 about
why 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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings