I loved the concept of this. I appreciated the maternal horror aspect and I think that was a fascinating concept. I enjoyed the tie in to Mexican folklore and La Llorona. As a woc, I really appreciated the in-depth look into Alejandra’s relationship with her mental health, her culture, her past and her children. The narrator style was just okay. I commend the author for keeping the timelines straight.

A housewife finds herself struggling with mental health when she begins seeing things. Are they real or not, she can’t tell at first. Eventually finding out some history from her biological mother, a family curse is discovered. This one held my attention for a while and then just kind of tapered off toward the end.

The story of Alejandra and her generational curse was a unique twist on a traditional haunting story. This is the kind of horror that I enjoy reading. You can feel the dread and overall sense of something awful while still being invested in what happens next.

I really enjoyed the alternating chapters between Alejandra and the women in her lineage. It really helps to build the story and show how the trauma moves from generation to generation. I will say that I did get a little lost at times and had to reread a few sections because I was confused. I think it might have been the writing style?

I did enjoy the end but found myself bored at times so it made it a little difficult to want to read.

Alejandra has just relocated to Philadelphia with her husband and three young children. Every day is a struggle, a struggle with the children, with her husband's new demanding job and with her own dissatisfaction with her life.

At her lowest point, she sees a woman in white...with a ghastly face...who tells Alejandra that the only way to rid herself of this pain and monotony is to end her life.

After connecting with a therapist, she begins to explore her family history as well as traditional Mexican folklore...that of the La Lalorna. She learns that this is something that has haunted her family far beyond her.

I wanted more from this book. I wanted a deeper exploration of Alejandra and her.... let's be honest...her depression. We read about WHY she's so sad and despondent, but even afterwards....Alejandra is still a rather dull - one dimensional character.

I feel like this has potential to be excellent, but fell flat for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review.

First and foremost, check trigger warnings for this book. This is not a light read, and while I wouldn’t say it’s scary (I’m not easily scared, though), I would not recommend it for those who are squeamish.

There were many aspects of this book that I enjoyed. The story is based around the Mexican folklore of La Llorona, and as a lover of most things scary and creepy, I was familiar with this tale, but learned so much more while reading this book.

I enjoyed how the author wove in generational stories, highlighting the impact of generational trauma. I also thought the horror writing was well done- if you’re easily squeamish, this might not be the book for you.

However, ultimately, it fell short for me. This book, while not lengthy, took me a while to get through. I didn’t want to give up, but I also just didn’t feel a pull to return to the story. I never felt a connection to any of the characters, and to be honest, found it to be a bit boring at times. This was a solid middle-of-the-road read for me…I don’t regret finishing it, but it did take me a while to get there.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you Del Rey, Netgalley, and PRH Audio for the complimentary book!

V. Castro is one of my favorite horror authors and she knocked it out of the park again.

The breaking of generational curses and motherhood and postpartum and mental health all intertwined in this fantastic take on La Llorona.

Castro’s ability to combine Mexican Folklore with the present day and write incredibly terrifying stories always blows me away.

If you haven’t read any Castro yet, you’re missing out.

The premise of this book is great; a haunting being a symbol of generational trauma. However, I didn't realize when going into this that it was a YA book (at least it read that way. I may also have just missed that in the description, very well could have been my fault). That being said, it wasn't a bad read, for the right audience I'm sure it would be a homerun, I am just not that audience.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an arc of this book.

Thank you NetGalley, Del Rey, and V. Castro for the advanced copy of The Haunting of Alejandra in exchange for my honest review.

I *really* enjoyed this book. It's beautifully descriptive, the characters are so well-developed, and the multiple timelines are expertly pulled off. From the very first page I was immediately rooting for Alejandra, and that never wavered as I continued reading. My only complaint is the chapters are LONG, but thankfully I had the audio to supplement which helped a ton.

I loved that Castro included the POV chapters from Alejandra's ancestors throughout the past, and the very last historic POV chapter was EVERYTHING!

As if that weren't enough positive praise, there are some excellent horror scenes sprinkled throughout the story as well. I definitely need to read Castro's backlog now!

The Haunting of Alejandra will be on US bookshelves April 18!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the digital ARC of "The Haunting of Alejandra" by V. Castro.

I began reading, and couldn't stop.
The heartbreak was so tangible, and the pain of these connected women echoed through time.
The shared heartbreak, and trauma throughout the generations was what hurt the most.
It might just be my opinion on how I read this... but in every segment it felt like almost every woman lost part of themselves (who they were/what made them strong), or had to give up something precious - due to a man... and ultimately childbirth became a strength, and a weakness for them.

The real horror for me wasn't the supernatural aspect... but how real the trauma, and losses were.

The only real downside to this book though was how quickly things wrapped up at the end, and there were a few parts that felt a bit disjointed from the pace the story started taking.

Overall though, I am thrilled to be able to recommend this book to anyone that will listen!

4/5

Big yikes for me on this one. I am so sorry, I hate giving ARCs low ratings based on writing quality because I feel like there could be a lot of editing that still could take place. That being said, this was not good. The story was okay. But the writing was so bad it was a major distraction and led to me not enjoying this book at all. This author needs to learn how to show, not tell. It felt written by and for about a middle-school aged child, if you ignored the content. Also, The content. I couldn't stand the MC. Her character arc could have been beautiful but she spent 95% of the book being such a whiny, annoying, turd, it meant that by the time the last chapters/epilogue came around, I just really didn't care what happened to her.

But thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me give it a try!

This book was so haunting as the title says. Also as a mom dealing with her own darkness, this is the first book that made me feel seen.
I’m gonna buy it for my shelf for sure!

This book started off intriguing, but ultimately it wasn't for me. The POVs in the past wound up becoming boring and I couldn't focus through them. I understand why they were there, it just didn't fit with the tone of the rest of the book, I found myself wishing for the book to end. However, I did like the haunting being a metaphor for generational trauma and Alejandra being the one to break it. I liked her character growth and I liked the side characters of Cathy and Melanie. Matthew definitely should've been punched in the face many times, but I understand that it's not that easy. While this book wasn't for me, I did like the writing and the plot, and I might try others by this author.

DNF @50%. I really tried to get through this whole book, but the writing just didn't do it for me at all and it was feeling like a chore to pick up. I've gotten to a point where my eyes glaze over whenever I try to read this and I'm just not absorbing what's happening anymore, so I think I need to just stop.

Aside from the stilted writing, all the characters just felt so flat and undeveloped, even the main character Alejandra. She's undergoing such a terrifying journey over the course of this book, but I felt literally nothing because I felt like I had no sense of her as an individual or any of the people around her. Her husband, especially, just reads like a caricature of a "bad husband" with no depth, and it's impossible to see why they even fell in love in the first place or why they've stayed together.

It's a shame I couldn't get past the writing and the characters, because the actual plot and the themes it's trying to explore are so interesting! I just couldn't bring myself to push through the way it was executed.

This book was chilling and beautiful. I loved the way they tied in the story of la llorona with the difficulty of healing generational trauma. Had the perfect amount of creepiness, and was a beautifully woven stpry. Loved it!

Wow….just wow, will probably have to edit this as I’ve lost my words having just finished this AMAZING story! Gah! Hooked me from the start, and never let up! Such an emotional outpouring from Alejandra throughout her journey to find herself and save the ones she loves. This. Book. Was. Everything! I highlighted so many wonderful passages. The verbiage and scenery were exquisite. I feel this will touch many women out there who feel misunderstood, and feel they lack having a voice. Beautiful, amazing, wonderful, captivating, mesmerizing……this book was IT. V Castro is an amazing writer for the women of our times for sure!

Ahhh this is a story that deals with La Llorona, whose story is part of Mexican folklore, and it is SCARY! 🫣 Like, damn. I be having nightmares now.

Also, this book really goes in on Motherhood and the stay-at-home wife life. It describes the sacrifice many moms make in a lyrically haunting way that was very chilling to read.

It all begins when the main character, Alejandra, moves with her husband and 3 children into a new home. It’s large, and beautiful, and she knows she should feel lucky…but the feelings she has instead are troubling.

Then, the book rewinds to expand on the generations of mothers before Alejandra. They too felt the heavy darkness. This presence is something that has stalked her bloodline for centuries, and it is choosing this moment to be known. But why? What is this entity? How can Alejandra rid it from her life and protect her children?

I want to make it clear that this story has gruesome moments and is not for the half-in horror fan as it goes full out. It is essentially an interesting take on generational trauma and Mexican folklore, as well as an artistic commentary on women’s place in the world, and the expectations society has historically hefted onto them. It was frightening to read as the character’s mental and emotional stability falter in the face of maternal duties and the darkness that lurks around her…but women are powerful and motherhood brings forth a new force within us.

I am gonna slap a huge TRIGGER WARNING for postpartum, or any form of depression or suicidal ideations, especially if those are tied to motherhood. This book gets very heavy and dark at times.

3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review

The premise of this book was so interesting. Alejandra, the main character is stuck with a generational curse, the curse of La Llorona who has followed her since the birth of her daughter. The story was so well done, and very informative and interesting. I learned a lot of things about curanderas, La Llorona herself, and Mexican-American culture that I would not have known about before. The story follows Alejandra as she starts experiencing more and more serious run ins with the curse, and goes about trying to handle the situation without causing worse things to occur. As I said, the story was nothing like anything I have read before, which honestly was a breath of fresh air since I was able to find out about things outside my usual realm of understanding. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes supernatural things, but also enjoys mysteries.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Through a retelling of La Llorona, this book tackles themes of self identity, motherhood, and mental health.

Alejandra is a mother of 3, very unhappy in her marriage, overwhelmed by her children, unsure if she’s even fit to be a mother, and has completely lost herself. On top of all that, she is also haunted by a generational curse at the hands of the La Llorona, the murderous mother in white. Alejandra, who was given up for adoption at birth, must learn about her blood family’s past in order to stop La Llorona from harming her and her children. The story is told through the alternating lens of Alejandra and her ancestors, a group of strong women who range from the present all the back to the 1900s.

This is not your typical horror book. I’m my opinion it’s pretty light on the horror but some scenes are definitely very creepy to read alone at night. I don’t often read retellings so I don’t have a baseline to judge this book off of but I really enjoyed it. I thought the writing was compelling and the stories of each ancestor tied everything together nicely. The scenes with La Llorona were creepy but based off the description, I was expecting it to be more horror focused.

Our protagonist, Alejandra, is haunted literally and figuratively by the so-called curse of La Llorona and years of resentment, loneliness, and overwhelming lack of acceptance. She seeks the help of a therapist when her crippling fears begin to come to fruition.

This story is unique as it is FAR from your average haunting. There is an overall theme of self-discovery as our marginalized protagonist tirelessly fights to overcome her fears and force recognition in a life she has always been deserving of... she just needs to believe it herself.

I was berated on all sides by the intended feelings of dread, hope and a need for the protagonist to overcome her fears and fight to save her family from a grotesque presence determined to feast on their flesh and despair. An ancient being who's only known hate...

The only difficulty I had in reading was in the frustrating way our protagonist was treated by her husband. He is not a likable character by any means, which makes the continued belittlement tough to take in as it is a recurring theme. It naws at you!

Overall, this story was well written and held my attention throughout its entirety and CREEPED ME OUT!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review and am so thrilled I was granted the ability to do so!

☆☆☆☆ 4/5 rating

An emotional, finely knit portrayal of a woman who is being haunted by a spirit that has doomed the women in her family for years.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.