I was really excited about this book, but unfortunately, I found it more frustrating than enjoyable. The storyline was great, but everything was explained to an excessive degree. The dialogue between characters was also far too formal, with over-explained situations which made conversations feel forced. I am a bit bummed to rate this as a 3-star. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

DNF around 30%.

While the synopsis for this book was very promising, I just don't think the execution worked for me. I did not find myself very engaged with the author's writing. There were long periods of introspection mixed with large segments of character's monologuing. I thought things were over-explained at times with lots of repetition used as well. Because of this, I didn't find the horror elements to be horrifying, and certainly not scary. The dialogue was unnatural, the characters were not speaking the way actual people speak.

I understand the project of this book, and I think at times some of the issues I mentioned above were intentional on the author's part. However, that didn't make this one any more enjoyable to read. I think this author's ideas and message were great, I just think the execution could have been better and more polished.

In the end I chose to DNF, which I rarely do, because I was just too bored. I hope this reaches its audience, though, because I'm sure there is a large number of people out there who will read and relate to this story.

- Meghan

Content warning: realities of pregnancy, child abandonment, adoption, miscarriage, suicidal ideation, death by suicide, child harm, child murder, self-harm, racist microaggressions, self-harm

Alejandra is a woman who is trapped in an ideal life that she isn’t sure is at all what she wanted for herself. A stay-at-home mother to three children, she and her husband recently moved to Philadelphia and a demonic presence adopting the visage of La Llorona haunts her shortly upon their arrival.

A horror that leans heavily into women’s fiction, this is a story about reckoning with generational trauma, the bonds that tie families together, and the resentments fueled by unrealistic expectations of perfect motherhood that threaten to tear them all apart, both literally and figuratively.

Alejandra is a perfect protagonist for this sub-genre of both horror and literary fiction. When we meet her, she’s literally hit rock bottom in a kind of PMDD-fueled breakdown exacerbated by a mysterious voice suggesting she end it all. Her thoughts are dark, especially in the context of her being primary caregiver to three children in an idyllic life that’s anything but. Her husband is a bit of a man-child, and her mother lives thousands of miles away. The loneliness is as haunting and tangible as the presence that starts manifesting in her house and beyond.

What makes this novel particularly interesting is the way Castro weaves the stories of the women who came before Alejandra, including the mother she never knew and the ancestor who originated the curse. This is a book that also clearly loves the women within it and deeply respects and manifests the power of those intergenerational connections. It’s a hopeful thread, especially with where Alejandra starts in the depths of a depression that she needs to rebuild her self-esteem in order to dig herself out from. It’s not afraid to critique certain expressions of motherhood, but also honors the bonds that can be built between mother and child.

I found the prose in this one to be a little too straightforward for my tastes, but La Llorona’s grotesque presence and Alejandra’s journey of personal growth more than make up for it, making this a compelling read both for those seeking a story of self-empowerment through the power of community and for those looking to be scared by supernatural forces.

This kinda took me longer to finish. It first felt very depressing because of the way the main character was feeling with her life and being a mom. It’s in a way relatable and interesting because the way she was feeling was due to the curse which led to La Llorona haunting all the women. Technically it’s not La Llorona. So I don’t know why this books made or seem to be a story of her. It was good but I wished it had more sorry of La Llorona.

Here’s another great one from V. Castro. There’s so much honesty about being a mother on these pages. That part reminded me of Gemma Amor’s “Full Immersion,” but this one is wholly unique drawing pieces from Goddess of Filth and Hairspray and Switchblades, as well as the La Llorona folklore. This book is emotionally gripping, and I’ll remember how it made me feel for a while. Such a cool take on possession as well. I love the inclusion of therapy and a curandera to help solve the mystery of what’s haunting Alejandra.

Alejandra feels trapped in her marriage and as the mother of three demanding children. When she starts to see visions of a weeping woman in a white dress, she fears for her sanity. As she begins to attend regular sessions with a therapist who is also a curandera, she realizes that what she’s seeing may be very real, and that she may have inherited an evil that has preyed on the women of her bloodline for centuries. In order to save her family, Alejandra will have to heal herself and draw on the strength of generations. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Random House/Del Rey. Trigger warnings: parent/child/spouse death, suicide attempt (on-page), suicidal ideation, drowning, miscarriage, gore, guns, violence, period horror, abandonment, mental illness/depression, neglect, racism, sexism.

I liked the overall story and message in this book, but I didn’t vibe with the writing style or the main character. Part of the problem with starting the story when Alejandra first starts seeing La Llorona is that she’s already so deep in depression. It’s our immediate impression of her, with no sense of how she got there or who she is beyond that. It’s her dominating characteristic, and she can’t see past her own misery and self-pity enough to help herself. The writing style is also very dramatic and flowery, and it’s hammered in so many times that Alejandra’s life is a hopeless abyss (or something). It’s difficult to find a bright spot in a character like this. I cared, but I never felt what she was feeling, and I think I would have empathized more if the Absolute Crushing Darkness had been reined in a little.

It’s also not really a La Llorona story, if we’re being honest, at least not in the traditional folktale way. Castro trades in the myth for something more sinister and ancient, but I didn’t feel all the backstory on the creature was necessary. It gets less frightening the more we see of it, and the descriptions grow repetitive. Slobbery monster clothed in something else’s skin, got it. It’s never as frightening as the very real circumstances Alejandra and her ancestors face in widespread cultural racism and sexism, and I’d say the true monster of the novel is the generational horror of women being expected to be mothers and nothing else, even at the expense of their own well-being. While the past looks into her ancestors’ lives slow down the pace some, I think it’s necessary for the kind of story that’s being told. Alejandra draws strength from the women of her past, and her arc in healing herself is ultimately very well-developed. If it sounds like your kind of story, it probably is.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Inspired by the folk legend La Llorona, V. Castro tackles colonialism, generational trauma, and self-discovery in motherhood. The title character of <i>The Haunting of Alejandra</i> is tormented by a specter that feeds off the negative energy of women in her bloodline. With the help of her ancestors, Alejandra fights her demons, both literal and figurative.

The story, pulling from legend and imagined family history that spans centuries, is fascinating and original. A companion to Silvia Moreno-Garcia's <i>Mexican Gothic</i> and Isabel Cañas's <i>The Hacienda</i>, Castro crafts an atmospheric horror deeply rooted in time and place.

At times, the writing can be stilted or the dialogue unnatural. Toward the end, some of the exposition was disconnected. Like tying up loose ends we didn't even know were there.

My formal gripes are pretty small and certainly not enough to undermine how much I enjoyed Castro's novel!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Alejandra, the main character in V. Castro’s newest novel The Haunting of Alejandra, is dissatisfied with her life. With three kids and a husband who makes enough money and has the mindset that she can be a stay-at-home mother, she feels like her life is a prison. Her husband is gone for work for long periods of time, and she is in a small box that is closing in on her and make her wish that she was anyone else. When she starts to be haunted by a woman dripping with water and wearing a white dress that looks like a patchwork of rotting flesh, she starts to search for the answers, not only for why this woman is haunting her but also the answers about her heritage, her family, and who she really is.

This is my fourth V. Castro book, and there is a pattern to her stories that is emerging. Castro writes strong female characters who either have fierce independence or are looking for it. Whether it be Leticia Vasquez in Aliens: Vasquez, Belinda Alverez in Queen of the Cicadas, or Alejandra in this novel, Castro’s main characters are either women you do not want to cross or women growing into their roles as strong, fierce, and proud women. With Castro’s work, you also receive the spirits of ancestors, women who came before them to pave the way for their success. In the case of Alejandra, these women manifest as the females in her entire ancestral line, a line that she does not know at the beginning of the story but relies on by the end.

Castro also uses Mexican history and folklore to tell her stories. This weaving of old traditions with new fiction makes her work stand out. Not only does she write a good plot, but she places enough history throughout to where the reader feels like they understand Latinx culture just a little more. Castro has so many important groups of people that she represents. With her crosshatching of stories that represent Latinx culture, strong female protagonists, and great horror, V. Castro has solidly placed her in the middle of a list of who’s who in strong voices in this new golden age of horror.

I received this as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that follows a lot of large themes and pushes them into an easily followed horror story. In being haunted by La Llorona, she truly being haunted by depression, motherhood, adoption trauma, generational trauma, feelings of inadequacy and feelings of alienation from her own culture. The imagery of this haunting figure is well-done, striking and pretty creepy. Switching between every day unhappy domestic life, horrific apparitions, and flashbacks to Alejandra's ancestors from whom she has lost connection. This book is a paranormal haunting, but takes on more of a psychological haunting feel as she deals with her depression and trauma. I thought this book had a lot of wonderful commentary around connecting with a clinician that you can relate to culturally and the importance of the therapeutic relationship.

Disclaimer: I received a gifted eARC and print ARC.

Thank you to @netgalley for my advance copy. This was the story of Alejandra. Doesn’t quite now who she is anymore. While going to a therapist she discovers secrets of her ancestory .

I love this cover so much. It is beyond gorgeous. I will say I found the story to be a bit boring and the beginning of it made it hard for me to continue. It could have just been me and my current life situation.

Alejandra is married with three kids and miserable. Her husband is distant and unsupportive and she is disconnected from her kids and her family. Soon she finds herself thinking about death and release from this life. But alongside her despair there are visions of a horrible figure who says terrible things to her, dragging her even deeper into pain. Alejandra is only the latest in a long line of women in her family who have been haunted by this figure and as she learns more about her family history, Alejandra finds the will and power to fight back.

I must be honest that this book was not for me. While the premise of generational trauma and curses stretching back through the centuries is compelling, I could not identify with Alejandra or most of the other characters. Though the glimpses into Alejandra's ancestors' lives was interesting - I enjoy historical fiction as well as multigenerational storylines - the dialogue in throughout the novel was stiff, forced, and exposition-heavy. Whenever the characters talked to others or to themselves, it pulled me out of the story because it felt so inauthentic. Decisions made by the characters also felt abrupt, with internal dialogue doing the heavy lifting of explaining reasonings that simply did not feel believable for the timeline. Castro addresses some very important themes - reluctant motherhood, embedded misogyny, generational trauma - but the pacing of the story doesn't allow for the narrative or the characters to develop as much as they need to. While I am sure there is an audience for this book that will love it, I am not one of them.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read The Haunting of Alejandra early in exchange for an honest review.

Great haunting story. Would recommend to others. Great Main character. The atmosphere created was intriguing. Can't wait to read more from this author.

The story of a woman haunted by the spirit of La Llorna, it is also a story of self-discovery and owning your power. Alejandra is a SAHM who seems deeply depressed and has no connection with her past. We come to learn that her bloodline is cursed and the “La Llorna” is actually an old demon that craves her soulful and the souls of her female ancestors. Alejandra will have to do the hard work in order to defeat this monster and break the curse.

*Special thanks to NetGalley & Del Rey for this e-arc.*

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for providing a review copy.

I discovered V. Castro last year when I read The Queen of the Cicadas. I quickly devoured everything she has written previously, and loved them all. As much as I loved Queen, The Haunting of Alejandra has overtaken its number one spot.

Oh, this book. Without getting too personal, I recently left a relationship that in many ways resembled the relationship between Alejandra and her husband. While it's a book about a haunting, it's also about the myriad of domestic barbs and abuse that occur in Alejandra's day to day life. Seeing Alejandra begin to take her power back was so encouraging.

This book is unafraid to talk about the sometimes ugly parts of motherhood. Loving your child more than anything else in the world, but still wanting to die. Having someone touching you constantly, but still feeling agonizingly lonely. Feeling constantly overwhelmed and underappreciated. I didn't know how much I could relate to Alejandra, didn't know how badly I needed this book. It helped heal a part of me I didn't realize was so badly twisted. 5 stars.

Indigenous authors are having a moment, one that I hope remains with us, and the writing of V. Castro is a large part of that resurgence. The Haunting of Alejandra will only increase her platform in the genre.

This book is dark, I mean, REALLY dark. The were a couple of scenes that made me squeamish. But as shocking as some of the material is, it feels so very real. Nothing is gratuitous. The word that keeps coming to mind is compelling.

Alejandra was compelled by the curse to despise her very life. And she was compelled by her ancestors to use the knowledge that they passed to her to take a stand.

And I was compelled to look at the trauma that generational curses within families creates and see both the hope and the hopelessness of resisting.

A wonderfully dark book that I highly recommend.

Wow, what a book. Based on the Folklore of La Llorona, this was so well done, even though what Alejandra goes through with her children and her thoughts were so INTENSE at times, I loved the back and forth between the centuries, and how Alejandra’s own ancestors and what they experienced circled right back to her now. This book was so heartfelt I had to holdback tears. The demons that started to haunt the characters throughout their lives and into the future was gruesome as hell, all and all this book was full of culture, trying to find your identity in the world and relying on your ancestors for that support and love.

A haunting story featuring the legend of La Llorona. This is a spirit that haunts women who are sad and suffering. Particularly those with children. La Llorona appears dripping wet and decayed to try and devour Alejandra and her emotions.

This was really good. I loved the characters. I think I liked the depictions of La Llorona the best, though. The real fear in this story were the inner demons of the main character, Alejandra, and how that attracted this spirit who wanted to take all the pain away.... however, in a very bad way.

Out April 18, 2023!

i really enjoyed this book. I found myself wanting to read more trying to guess what was going to happen next. I loved the mutiple POVs i loved the use of lore put into the story.

Alejandra doesn't know who she is anymore. She is one thing to many different people. but who is she really...She begins to see something that no one else can see, a ghostly image. As she begins to explore things with a therapist, she finds many family secrets that she never knew about. Will this exploration help her find hersel?

"Women with nothing to lose are dangerous."

This is a review I struggled to write, as I found the story and vivid descriptions compelling and soul-chilling, but dialogue and personal narration parts poorly written. There are extensive trigger warnings I listed at the very end for easy access. Let's dig in.

As soon as I read that La Llorona's legends inspired this, I was in. A sorrowful folktale woven with threads of maternal pain that has survived to cross both time and borders, La Llorona has always captured my interest as someone interested in gender studies and ghosts. This story takes a refreshing, almost sci-fi spin on the legends, as something unearthly takes the form of La Llorona to manipulate its desperate victims. This frightening entity and villain of this story is the physical manifestation of generational trauma, fortified by it, blood, and maternal anguish.

The Haunting of Alejandra is by no means an easy story to read; we start in the shower with titular character Alejandra sitting in there, menstrual blood running down her legs as her family demands dinner. On-page suicidal ideation begins from the very first pages. The husband and at times the children are such caricatures of selfishness and neediness that I couldn't tell if it was true to the story, or the result of unreliable narration influenced by the curse coloring everything domestic as worse than it really was. And perhaps that's the point - postpartum depression, domestic anxieties, burnout - or a curse? As a reader you're not sure where the lines blur and that was very interesting to read along with.

There are multiple POVs in this story, as Alejandra's female ancestors are flashed back to so we can see where their lives intersected with the curse. It was interesting how, for the first lady in her line, the malevolent entity represented both salvation and damnation, at first, before implications of the bargain became clear. The different POVs offer analysis of what it meant to be wife and mother through the ages. I was pleasantly surprised by both the bisexual representation from Alejandra herself, and the trans man soldier Amelio in Flor's flashback to the Mexican civil war.

Castro absolutely excels at description, at detailing injuries, mental pain, all sorts of trauma and anguish. There were vivid depictions of gore, from that of childbirth to the violence committed by La Llorona. The writing is at its best during these points. Where it faltered for me was during any dialogue or any unspoken explanations by characters, when the prose became painfully clunky, simplistic or awkward. It didn't sound like things people would say aloud, like weird, unrealistic phrasing. Some parts are outright redundant, like when Alejandra repeats the entirety of an encounter with La Llorona on-page, when it already happened on-page and we know what happened as readers.

I found the stilted dialogue really impacted reading flow, particularly when Alejandra speaks to curandera Melanie, or her mother Cathy. That said, the ideas behind this story were so impactful to me that I've bumped the rating to four stars.

TW for menstruation, suicidal ideation, mentions of sexual assault, pregnancy and birthing, bloody injury and gore, portrayals of patient-shaming and judgment by medical professionals, parental abandonment, religious oppression by adoptive family.