This was a great other voices story. It combined traditional Latin stories with Southwestern American culture.

this was a really well done book, the storyline was really well done and getting to know the characters. It was a wonderful story and I look forward to reading more from the author.

Fast-paced. I really enjoyed it, I didn't know the history behind Chavez Ravine. It made me look up more history about the area.

Los Angeles, 1952. When her father is attacked under mysterious circumstances, 22-year-old Trini Duran must return home to Chavez Ravine, a neighborhood mostly abandoned after the government sent letters to residents demanding that they leave.

Only two hundred stubborn holdouts remain.

While the Mexican American community fights to save their homes, they face a new threat that is even harder to combat than the politicians who want them gone.

Trini discovers the city and the supernatural have joined forces against her old neighborhood—monstrous creatures emerge at night, terrorizing the holdouts.

Trini, a handsome community organizer, a healer with dubious skills and a ragtag group of fighters, take up arms against the elusive enemy.

But to stop the demon invasion, Trini must decide how far she’s willing to go to save the place she once left behind.

I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one but I was pleasantly surprised. Castaneda has created a novella filled with important themes such as family, justice, civil rights, racism, culture, heritage and traditional and coupled it with the excitement and allure of the horror novel.

I really enjoyed viewing the world of Chavez Ravine through Trini’s eyes and experiencing her dilemma of wanting to be her own person but torn between her loyalty and responsibility to her family and her community.

Add on top of that a bunch of creepy ghouls and creatures and Castaneda is on to a winner. My only qualm with the overall story was that at times the pace dropped and then for me the ending was just too quick, but not bad for a debut piece of work!

#bookreviewsbymrsc #themonstersofchavezravine #debracastaneda

I just completed The Monsters of Chavez Ravine by Debra Castaneda. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley for an honest opinion. I freaking loved this! Trini the main character is called back to her home neighborhood by her father who is seeing some unusual things. Chavez Ravine is more or less a ghost town with few residents left - other than the monsters and ghosts. This is a battle of good vs evil as the remaining townspeople band together to fight for their town. This was a really quick read and is based on stories from the author’s family. If you are a fan of horror then this is for you! I gave this 4 stars.

The Monsters of Chavez Ravine is an urban fantasy novella about the events surrounding the “the battle of Chavez Ravine” which occurred in the 1950s & 1960s.

I had to read into this a little as I was not familiar with the events. In brief, Los Angeles’ Chavez Ravine, was an area mostly populated by Mexican-Americans. The government wanted to acquire the land and they essentially forced the entire population of Chavez Ravine out of their homes... because they wanted to build a stadium.

I really enjoyed this story. We follow Trini Duran, a young woman who has left Chavez ravine to move to the city when she is called home. Whist back in Chavez Ravine, Trini realises that there are a lot of strange things going on, some of which are very frightening.

This book has a bit of everything and I read it in one sitting because the plot was so enjoyable. The story has elements of fantasy/horror such as monsters, demons, ghosts and witchcraft which I loved. The horror is quite tame though (not too frightening or graphic) and would be great for anyone wanting to get started in the genre.

I liked the characters individually, but loved the sense of belonging and the culture within the community. There is also a really sweet romance, which I adored. My favourite part of this book was the social commentary, and the way that the author showed the community coming together to fight injustice.

I will certainly be doing further reading into the true events surrounding the battle of Chavez Ravine in the future.

I highly recommend The Monsters of Chavez Ravine to anyone who likes stories about communities standing together to fight injustice, with a few monsters and demons thrown in.

I’d like to thank Netgalley and Debra Castaneda for providing me with an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review.

Man, this was just.... not for me. I found the premise super interesting and I'm always excited to read a novella. Unfortunately, this just fell short in terms of the writing.

I feel like this story suffered severely from "telling, not showing" syndrome. It made for a very boring read, as I was unable to connect with the characters and plot. I also didn't feel like there were a lot of details to ground the story in its setting. For example, the piece takes place in 1952 but, other than a few comments on the year, I didn't feel like it was the 50s.

TL;DR = Super cool premise, sub-par execution.

This story had a solid beginning, middle and end, but it felt short and not very detailed. I wanted to know more about the monsters, more about the conflict between the residents of Chavez Ravine and the local government!

I'm not sure if this was a novella or a full novel, but it almost felt like all the substance had been edited out to make it a quick read, which is a shame, because I so wanted more.

I found the characters sympathetic but one dimensional, and although it was set in the 50s it didn't read as such. It felt very modern to me.

Thanks for the opportunity to read Netgalley. If the author publishes a revised edition I would read it.

Many Angeleno's know the name "Chavez Ravine" as the place where the Dodgers play baseball & not much else... that was what drew ME to this title initially. I am SO GLAD I requested it! This very interesting and somewhat fictional look at 1950's L.A. before the "boys in Blue" came, when the Latinx community was being run out by the city by "eminent domain" in the name of gentrification is both a timely and fun read! The "monsters" are bizarre, but that this story is actually based on real, historical events is also sad. It is so important to tell the stories of the past - before we forget them. Highly recommend - both to Californians and anyone looking for a good read! My thanks to the author, publisher and Net Galley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this but felt it would have benefited from being longer, that way things could have developed more slowly and with more detail – which I think was needed in some parts.

The overarching plot and the characters themselves were well written and I really liked Trini and how her perceptions and attitudes changed over the course of the story. I could also picture the locations well and felt like I was walking down the streets with her.

My main issue was that the discovery of the reason for the events seemed anticlimactic and rushed. In one scene the residents go to investigate and immediately identify the source of their trouble – I felt this could have been a longer process with more evidence and searching required. Also I thought the justification for why was quite weak given the serious outcomes the actions resulted in.

However, the story within Chavez Ravine was great. The interactions between the characters in the community, the monsters themselves, the hunting, and the ending were all thoroughly entertaining. I will continue to follow Debra and eagerly await her new releases.

Found this in the Read Now section of Netgalley. What a lucky find! Thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for letting me check it out.
I've read a lot of not so enjoyable books, lately, so this was refreshing. I had a hard time putting it down. It's a fairly quick read, so, if, unlike me, you don't start it after midnight, you probably won't have to.
Start to finish, it was a satisfying read. Well-developed, likable characters and a compelling plot that successfully blends the supernatural with all too real social issues that we are still struggling with, 60 some years later. Gentrification was the big one, forcing people out of their homes because there is money to be made off the land, but also the way Mexican Americans are treated by those in authority.
It almost read like a movie. Great pacing, lots of action, some heartfelt moments, some tragedy, a romance side plot that, shockingly, doesn't feel forced, and a satisfying ending.
I really enjoyed it.

The Monsters of Chavez Ravine
by Debra Castaneda
Second Rodeo Books

Set in the 1950's, there is a small town of about 200 hold outs that won't be bullied or bought out by the corrupt government. They are burning the vacated homes, bulldozing them down, and making life miserable for the few families left. It's a Mexican American town and calling the cops just gets the residents arrested. Prejudice is well known here.

Trini moved out from this town to one closer to a college so she can someday get away. But is called back to Chavez Ravine due to her father's health. He had a heart attack. Someone is attacking and scaring the village people. She has to quit her job and move back to run the store and care for her father.

An old friend, now very handsome and a community support worker, helps her. They battle the creatures and find they are not dressed up people! How they deal with this, fight them and the corrupt government, and stop the creatures is very exciting and unique.

Great suspense, supernatural creatures, plot, characters, world building, and social issues are described extremely well! I felt I knew each character personally by the end of the book! The heartfelt issues Trini and the people there are also very much an issue today!

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this awesome book!

The story of Chavez Revine is a powerful and painful one. Castaneda captures the horror experienced by the displaced communities of Chavez Ravine by making this a horror story where the monsters are real. Most people in Los Angeles know what the result of the displacement was but I would have like a note at the end of the book explaining Dodger stadium.

The narrative in the story moves very fast. That worked for me. I would have liked more development of the love story but that was a minor issue. It is really amazing when we consider how long we have really been dealing with racism and the problems of gentrification in this country. It is these themes that make the story so relevant today.

The Monsters of Chavez Ravine is a really great story. It is about monsters and culture and eminent domain evictions of Mexican Americans. It weaves in history and legends into an engaging story about a group of holdouts in a place called Chavez Ravine. They are refusing to be bought out and suddenly some really weird and scary stuff starts happening. The monsters were freaky which was great, the characters were well-written, and the setting was really interesting. The author obviously knows what she is talking about and really has a way with words. I could not put it down and read it in one sitting. Fantastic story.

Wow! What a great story! Really deep cultural and historical background which I find especially enlightening in light of events of 2020 and into 2021 of racism, profiling, and brutality.


1952 Los Angeles: the city powers determine to clear out the three Hispanic neighborhoods in Chavez Ravine, families who've lived there quietly and productively are bought out by rule of Eminent Domain and find they cannot afford to buy residences elsewhere.


But bulldozers and fire trucks are by far not the biggest danger: the Ravine is under midnight attack by ghosts and demons, summoned by a powerful covert spellcaster who will not scruple to attain his goals and that means emptying Chavez Ravine of people by any means.