I loved this retelling of la Llorona story. The Haunting of Alejandra follows the story of Alejandra, a mother of three who is profoundly depressed and unhappy with her life. Her husband makes good money but around the house is a helpless man-child and is unsupportive of Alejandra's mental health struggles. Soon Alejandra begins to be menaced by a ghostly apparition of la Llorona. Alejandra begins to visit a therapist who also specializes in traditional Mexican folk healing and together they tackle her apparent haunting. The book goes back and forth between timelines, telling the stories of several of Alejandra's ancestors. In doing so, it weaves a narrative of the generational trauma of racism, misogyny, and colonialist violence, and shows the way that it can become a very real, and physical, curse.

I LOVED the story of this book, but unfortunately the writing style was not to my taste. I found it very hard to get into the way V. Castro actually wrote her prose, and it ended up making me hesitate to pick up this book. The story is a five star, but the style of writing brings it down to three for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Haunting of Alejandra went back and forth between fascinating look at women and their place in the world, especially as it relates to reproduction rights and roles, to kind of boring and shallow interaction amongst characters and more boring fantasy life.

Book Review: The Haunting of Alejandra by V Castro

The Haunting of Alejandra is a paranormal horror novel about a woman stalked by an ancient evil. It has elements of Latinx folk tales and historical fiction.
Alejandra is a married mother of three that is unhappy and isolated after moving to a Philadelphia suburb for her husband’s job. As she sinks further into misery a grotesque woman in white begins to appear to her. The demonic figure is pushing her to kill herself and become another mother in a long line of her ancestors that is cursed by “La Llorona”. As Alejandra begins to work on her mental health she reaches out to her birth mother to find out more about the women that came before her and discovers a curse that stretches back 500 years. She will have to use everything she’s learned about herself and the past to destroy “La Llorona” before her children become the next victims.
I enjoyed the historical parts of the novel that included POV’s of Alejandra’s ancestors stretching back to the very first in 1522. But, I had a harder time relating to Alejandra herself as she started in such a bad place at the beginning of the novel. She is whiny and miserable which makes her the target for the demon but also not the most enjoyable character for a reader to follow. Unfortunately, when she’s had a few weeks of therapy under her belt she swings the exact opposite direction and is constantly referring to techniques she’s learned in her sessions and is insufferable in a different way. But, my biggest critique was the dialogue. I found the way the characters spoke to each other unrealistic and it took me out of the story. There were many conversations that sounded like lectures or speeches that were drafted in advance instead of a natural back and forth between two people. Alejandra’s husband (Matthew) was such an nasty piece of work it was like he was set up for us to hate. For me personally, I prefer stories that focus on found family and tying people that aren’t biologically related together but this novel overemphasized biological and blood ties. This is evident in her constant reference (seventeen times according to Kindle word count) to the family that raised her as her “adoptive” mother/father/family who were painted in a bad light (white, religious and intolerant) whereas her biological family is loving and supportive. The high points for me were the tension around La Llorona’s sudden appearances and her general creepiness but the last two confrontation scenes were more weird and gross than scary.
Overall, The Haunting of Alejandra had a interesting take on the legend of “La Llorona” and readers might enjoy the feminist and Latinx centered approach to her story while they also have some chills.
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I jumped at the chance to read The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro. The cover alone is gorgeous, I love Castro's IG account and I've been excited to read more of her work after reading House of Filth last summer.

One of the things I loved about House of Filth was the strong and natural storytelling voice of the main character. It was relatable and funny. The Haunting of Alejandra seems to stumble a little here and I had a hard time connecting to Alejandra as a dimensional character. I stayed with it for the supernatural knowing it was promised in the title. It fell a little flat but that just means I have time to read another of her books later this month.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and support authors I believe in.

I LOVED this book! Definitely not an easy read because it deals with some heavy topics. But I loved the storyline. It was so creative and the writing is so vivid. I really love how the author incorporates Mexican folklore into the story, giving it some creepy parts. If you’re looking to read something different, this is a must-read! Can’t believe this is a debut novel !

Alejandra is a wife, mother, and adopted daughter haunted by a darkness that others can't see. The vision is of a crying woman in a ragged white gown, and she soon learns that this is La Llorona, the weeping and vengeful spirit of Mexican legends. Alejandra's therapist explores her biological history, the heartbreak in past generations. While Alejandra has inherited that pain they had, she also inherited their strength. Now she will need to tap into that strength to banish La Llorona.

From the start, we see Alejandra caught in the life she built. She's a stay-at-home mother of three, her husband's occupied by his job and the traveling he loves so much, and they all expect her to cook and clean without complaint. She feels hollowed out and empty, unfulfilled and unloved. She sees the spirit and feels incredible despair. Those with depression and intense anxiety will recognize the feeling, and applaud her when she seeks out a therapist. Melanie is a curandera as well, so she works with the traditional Mexican legends, traditional healing, and spiritual work. That aspect helps to give Alejandra back a sense of her culture of origin, as well as a positive support to tell her that she has a right to her feelings, no matter what they are, and that she has internal strength born from love.

I adore the message of this book. Yes, there are dark emotions and in this case, suffering from a curse that is supernatural in origin. But ignoring it gives that presence strength until it breaks others. We have flashes of Alejandra's ancestral mothers, what they dealt with in the name of family, and the creature's hunger for blood and pain. Together, Alejandra builds up her sense of self. It's not ignoring the pain and burying it, but focusing on the positive parts of herself and using that as a foundation to help build a future. At no point did it feel like toxic positivity or saying love conquers all. It's more that people can't function alone, they can't become shells of themselves, and can't find fulfillment through pain. She has a hard journey, but it's one that I loved reading.

I received this book as an advanced copy from Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey. Thank you to the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Alejandra is a mother - but not in a happy place. Though she loves her children, her marriage feels like a trap and she begins to have dark thoughts. These feelings are more sinister than simply mental illness, and Alejandra must work to end the generational curse that follows her bloodline to escape La Llorona.

This book wasn't my cup of tea, but it had some good aspects that many horror readers will enjoy.

The good: The writing was beautiful and the characterization exquisite. I enjoyed seeing Alejandra's growth throughout the book and her connection to her children, Melanie, and Cathy. I was very drawn in to the first half of the book. The Mexican American representation was also very interesting and I loved that there was a curandera in the story.

The bad: I didn't quite understand the creature's motivations or how it was feeding off them per see. I understood it at a base level, but I'm someone who wants to understand everything deeply. I also felt the jumps between POV were jarring and some felt like they added nothing to the plot.

Overall, this is a great read for those who are into horror.

You will like this if you enjoy: horror, generational curses, self love journeys, motherhood, familial connections, and finding your power.

This will be posted on Instagram and StoryGraph on 4/18 under the account @lalareadsbooks. Links added below.

I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading this and saw it wasn't only just a story about Alejandra but about generations of her ancestors and the struggles they also faced. I think the discussion of mental health and the representation of depression / lack of purpose that Alejandra felt was real and raw. I Alejandra's relationship with Melanie almost as a motherly figure and mentor. Alejandra's journey from wanting to die to having the strength to not only fight the demon that's been haunting her bloodline was an uplifting ending that I think was necessary in this story.


I think the curse that follows Alejandra's blood line is a representation of mental illness and generational trauma. Each new member of the family we read about has their own trauma they need to deal with but are unable to deal with it for various reasons, most of which has something to do with repression of women in general and more specifically, women of color. Cathy, who is Alejandra's birth mother, is the first woman we see who is able to slightly break the cycle. While she still struggles with mental health a little bit and having to deal with the repercussions of her actions of giving Alejandra up at birth, she's made a life for herself in which she feels fulfilled in her career and her life. Her reconnection with Alejandra is really beautiful in the story.


The reason I'm giving this book 3 stars is because I found the writing to be a little lack luster. It felt very repetitive at times and the dialogue was a little unbelievable to me. In most of the conversations between two characters, it felt unnatural the way the conversation was flowing and how the dialogue read. There were also parts that felt like it went on a little too long and the writing was a little convoluted.


All in all, I'd recommend this book. It touches on important topics like mental health, generational trauma and exploring your ancestral roots.


Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions here are my own.

In the waking world, Alejandra is shackled by depression and anxiety. Her family sees her as only a source of giving, not thinking or caring about how this affects Alejandra. She's been uprooted from her ancestral homelands without consideration, and she has considered suicide as a way out.

And she's begun to be haunted by La Llorna, the crying woman. It's said that La Llorna brings violence and death.

Through her sessions with a curandera, Alejandra discovers how La Llorandora has tormented and fed off of the emotions and pain of her ancestors, Her struggles to defeat Lallorandora parallel her struggles to take her own life back and to become he own person instead of a shadow.

I enjoyed the presentation of Mexican heritage and folklore--rich traditions and histories have just begun to be covered in gothic and horror literature. However, the book could have used a bit tighter editing as there were portions, especially in the beginning, where I was waiting for the story or scenario to start.

Recommended: three and one-half stars

I had never heard of La Llorna until I got married. My husband who is Hispanic of course knew all about La Llorna and I absolutely fell in love with the Mexican ghost story. If you aren’t Hispanic you will likely be unfamiliar with the legend but you might be more familiar with the song La Llorna from the movie Coco! I am a big fan of horror and ghost stories and the folklore story really intrigued me so when this book came up for review, I had little hesitation before I screamed YES.

The horror or paranormal genre might not be for everyone and that’s ok. I know that I love a good ghost story and for me personally, I would rather read it in the fall when it’s the ‘spooky’ time of year, but I am usually up for a good ghost story any time truth be told! I read The Hacienda last year and absolutely loved it, after reading that book, the legend go La Llorna was the first thing on my mind. La Llorna isn’t a well known tale but it sure is creepy and I thought it would make for a great mainstream-ish story if executed properly.

Author V Castro has written other horror stories seeped in Mexican history and culture. If there was anyone who could make this story come alive, it’s Castro. I haven’t read any other books by her but I have seen Queen of the Cicadas around the blog-o-sphere and know that she has an established fan base. Needless to say I was thrilled to be asked to review this one and check out Castro’s storytelling style for myself!

Summary

A woman is haunted by the Mexican folk demon La Llorona as she unravels the dark secrets of her family history in this ravishing and provocative horror novel.

Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her.

Nor can they see what Alejandra sees. In times of despair, a ghostly vision appears to her, the apparition of a crying woman in a ragged white gown.

When Alejandra visits a therapist, she begins exploring her family’s history, starting with the biological mother she never knew. As she goes deeper into the lives of the women in her family, she learns that heartbreak and tragedy are not the only things she has in common with her ancestors.

Because the crying woman was with them, too. She is La Llorona, the vengeful and murderous mother of Mexican legend. And she will not leave until Alejandra follows her mother, her grandmother, and all the women who came before her into the darkness.

But Alejandra has inherited more than just pain. She has inherited the strength and the courage of her foremothers—and she will have to summon everything they have given her to banish La Llorona forever. (summary from Goodreads)

Review

When I first started this book, my first thought was—it feels short. The book comes in at just under 300 pages (270 ish) and for me, I feel like most novels tend to run around 320-350 pages and that feels a bit more adequate for character and plot development. However I know in the horror genre some of the books tend to run around 250-300 pages so this fits within that genre as far as length goes. Though I will say even if this book is short on pages, it really didn’t feel that way. This story has substance and things for readers to unpack and themes that many female readers will connect with. It read quickly but it didn’t feel short if that makes sense. The middle did seem to loose a little bit of steam but generally it was paced well and I enjoyed my time with this book.

The other thing that was a bit puzzling was, I thought this book was going to be about the actual La Llorona but it was actually about Alejandra so it was a little disorientating for me at first. But then I started reading Alejandra and got hooked into her story. I thought the main protagonist, Alejandra, was a very relatable main character especially for mothers. She is a full time stay at home mom who by all outward appearances should have the perfect life. Except she does’t. She has given up her own career in favor of her husband’s and she is struggling with a number of things. In our culture of social media I think many new mothers get sucked into believing people have the perfect lives and women can do it all—–but we don’t know the full story which is what makes Alejandra so compelling as the heroine. I could identify with her struggles in so many ways! We as women and mothers carry so much of the family emotional burden and it’s hard. I loved that this theme can carry over through cultures and ages of women because being a mother is hard!

This book was a little more light on the horror that I expected but still good. It had a lot to recommend itself when it came to the main character and it was creepy and haunting but I just expected more horror in a way but in looking back I still think it worked out ok for the book. I think die hard horror fans might want more horror but if horror isn’t really your genre but maybe you like ghost stories then I think you will find a lot to enjoy in this one. I am eager to read more by this author, I really loved the blending of culture into this novel and it felt different and exciting. It’s out now so take a look and see if this book is something you might enjoy!

Book Info and Rating

Format 272 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 18, 2023 by Del Rey

ISBN 9780593499696 (ISBN10: 0593499697)

Free review copy provided by publisher, Del Rey, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and in no way influenced.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: horror, paranormal

Quick synopsis: Alejandra is haunted by the Mexican folk demon La Llorona as she unravels the dark secrets of her family’s history.

Honesty, I knew nothing of this folklore and found myself falling down a Google rabbit hole while reading. A simplified version of the legend is that La Llorona (The Weeping Woman) is a ghost of a mother who drowns her children so her husband can experience the pain he inflicted upon her. She immediately regrets the drowning and kills herself. Now, she’s often seen in white roaming near water, mourning her children.

Although the topics are dark, I enjoy exploring motherhood, marriage, mental health, and generational trauma. While the folklore envelopes horror, Alejandra’s true horror happens with her eyes wide open as she tries to survive the grind of motherhood, a neglectful husband, and a lack of understanding of why her mother left her so many years ago.

Through therapy, Alejandra discovers that La Llorona has haunted the women in her family for generations. The story’s timeline reverses, so the reader also discovers these generational stories. I love the narration by Raquel Beattie, but with the generational stories, I often re-read passages in the e-book to fully understands the depths and interconnectedness of these stories.

Highly recommend this to readers who enjoy:
✨Exploration of motherhood and mental illness
✨Mexican Folklore: unique spin on the La Llorona Legend
✨Horror: vivid descriptions of the supernatural that sometimes border on gruesome.

A gripping and haunting tale of family secrets, folklore, and horror! This book is well-written! I really enjoyed the writing. Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!

This is a really unique and interesting read, I loved it take on horror using more psychological aspects than simply scary or gore, but psychological makes sense when our MC is losing her identity, has lost her home and profession, is dealing with mental health and therapy, it’s almost hypnotic to read and I couldn’t put it down at all. Brilliantly atmospheric

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Del Ray for giving me the opportunity to read this incredibly moving novel early! I am only just now getting on board with horror novels, and I have Latinx/e horror novels like this one to thank for it.

The Haunting of Alejandra is a hauntingly beautiful and moving depiction of generational trauma, grief, depression, feminine rage, and justice. I loved how the story skipped between multiple narrators, including the woman that started it all. I loved how the story of Llorona was altered and changed so that it rang with divine and feminine rage that cascaded and rippled through the generations. The horrors of colonization are often overlooked by many, but their memories and scars are never far away. Many women carry these scars--and scars given to them from brutality of men and the idea of domination--and that is what makes this book fantastic. It is the story of Llorona, but it can resonate with every person who has ever been damaged by the patriarchy and all that came with it.

Haunting, gut-wrenching, and devastating in all the best ways, this book is one that should not be missed.

I’m in love with V. Castro’s new book! It’s a fantastic, dark yet hopeful story of grief, anger, and generational trauma, told through the history of a family cursed by a monstrous creature from beyond our world, who feeds on the pain and suffering of the families it stalks through the generations. I love when the monster/haunting/etc aspect of a novel parallels the human conflict, and Castro gives her readers that in droves with The Haunting of Alejandra.

“The Haunting of Alejandra” was a bit of a tough read for me in some aspects, specifically any part of the book from the titular character’s perspective for the first half of the book. Alejandra is so miserable, and sometimes that kind of storytelling has a hard time striking he balance between gaining reader sympathy versus dragging the reader down with the character. I got reeled in by the backstory though; the lore behind the horror was masterfully crafted and the dynamic of everything playing out was an intense and good read. The ending felt earned and also made up for some of the earlier issues as well.

THE HAUNTING OF ALEJANDRA appealed to me on many levels. It is a nuanced and horrific tale mixing Mexican folklore, possessions on various levels, and the exploration the generational trauma of Alejandra’s family history. At first glance, Alejandra is not a likable character. Tortured by her life choices and pondering suicide, and worse, she is also considering taking her children with her. She is hurting and filled with self-loathing, so it was a little hard to stick by her side early on, but Castro has told many great stories, so I stuck with it. Once Alejandra started with Melanie, her therapist and curandera, the story became much more interesting. On another note, as an adoptee and adopter, I found this aspect of her journey highly relatable. My main complaint is that toward the end of the story, some of the ancestor stories acted like cardboard cutouts making the end feel a little rushed. A 3.5-star rating for one of V. Castro’s stories is a 4 for most other authors.

I feel like I've read a number of sci-fi/horror colonialist stories lately, but this is the first one I've read that gives the concept of generational trauma a kind of sci-fi origin. I thought it was utterly unique. At first I was having trouble absorbing the events of this tale—I initially found the prose, which meanders, and changes perspective kind of at whim between the characters within a given scene, confusing. But something clicked for me and I found the style was very effective at giving the story a pretty fittingly dreamlike, out-of-body quality.

Book Review:
The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
4 stars
Release Date: April 18, 2023 (today!)
I’ve been dying to find a modern retelling of La Llorona, and Alejandra created it beautifully! The description of this being(character) is sooo creepy! Creepier than I could have ever imagined!
I would recommend this book to so many people. I truly enjoyed it
Thank you to Netgalley for providing a copy for review, and happy release Date to The Haunting of Alejandra!

Outwardly, Alejandra's life seems perfect. She has three beautiful, healthy children, a successful husband, a well-appointed home, and all the creature comforts of wealth. But she lost herself somewhere along the way while playing the roles of wife and mother, and inwardly, she is haunted by dark, intrusive thoughts. At her lowest, when she sees an apparition of a crying woman in a tattered white gown, she knows she must seek help. As Alejandra visits a therapist and begins exploring her family history, she realizes she isn't as alone as she feels. Because generations of women in her family have been haunted by the crying woman, La Llorona -- and she must call upon them if she is going to overcome the darkness trying to drag her down.

The Haunting of Alejandra is a gripping exploration of multigenerational trauma, mental health struggles, and the complexities of womanhood and motherhood, viewed through a horror lens. V. Castro incorporates Mexican history, folklore, and culture seamlessly into the story as she examines Alejandra's family history, chronicling the lives of several of her female ancestors going back to the time of Mexican colonization. It was fascinating to learn about these other women with their own struggles that mirror Alejandra's circumstances in unique ways. This is a well-composed, intentional novel, and Castro's writing is full of visceral, disturbing imagery, with the descriptions of La Llorona being particularly grisly.

This wasn't an entirely successful read for me, though. It felt a bit unpolished, with writing that did more showing than telling, stilted dialogue, and a lack of nuance in many of the characters. Alejandra herself is well-developed and sympathetic, but several of the supporting characters feel one-dimensional. Alejandra's husband Matthew, in particular, has no depth, and because their relationship isn't explored in a meaningful way, he feels like nothing more than a catalyst for Alejandra's mental breakdown.

Nevertheless, The Haunting of Alejandra is compelling and inventive with its themes of female empowerment, the bonds of family, and the battling of demons -- of both the literal and figurative variety. Thank you to Del Rey Books and NetGalley for the advance reading opportunity.