At the beginning of The Haunting of Alejandra, Alejandra, a wife and mother of three, believes that she is just suffering from depression. Little does she know that La Llorona is waiting to take her soul. The reader gets a glimpse of how La Llorona made a deal with Alejandra’s ancestor from Mexico which resulted in a long line of souls to reap.

Alejandra has recently had her third child with her unsupportive husband. He provides for the family but he wants her to be a stay at home mom. He keeps telling her that this is the plan that she agreed to and Alejandra just goes along with it. I think she wanted to keep the peace but she does want to do something besides being a mom.

So Alejandra begins therapy with Melanie, who specializes in therapy with a focus on Hispanic culture. With the help of Alejandra’s biological mother, they discover the motivation of La Llorona and also a way to possibly defeat her.

When I started the book, I was traveling to Detroit. Between the spookiness of the book and the nightmare of highways, it was too much anxiety for me. I quit reading for the day. It has been a long time since a book has scared me so much. Kudos to the author – V. Castro! I will forever be scared of La Llorona and bad marriages.

Recommendation
If you want to read a seriously spooky book about La Llorona, then you will have a chance when The Haunting of Alexandra is published next April.

If you are more of a child to your spouse than a partner, then it is time to grow up. After maturing, maybe you can enjoy this book.

I received the ebook from NetGalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Haunting of Alejandra.

I really wanted to like this more than I did, but I didn't for a number of reasons:

First, I didn't like the writing style. The internal dialogue rang false; people don't talk like that, especially to themselves.

Second, I wasn't a fan of the flashbacks, some of which felt drawn out and read as filler. I realize these scenes were meant to showcase the generational trauma passed down but each ancestor seemed to make the same mistakes, drawn to the same men, have mindless, soul numbing sex before realizing nothing would heal their emotional and psychological trauma unless she took control of her life and destiny.

Third, there was gore and frightening scenes, though I wasn't scared at all. Once Alejandra connected with her therapist, the narrative became nothing but dialogue and read as more of a domestic trauma drama, rather than a horror tale.

Fourth, I would have preferred less interaction with La Llorona; when you start speaking to the ghost or poltergeist or Bigfoot, the fear and mystery is gone.

Fifth, the narrative was slow, full of dialoguing and monologuing and the urgency and pacing drags once Alejandra reaches out to Melanie, and her birth mother, Cathy, arrives to help.

The reader gets a lot of self help babble and mumbo jumbo from Melanie to Alejandra; I would have liked to see Alejandra discover, on her own, how to defeat La LIorona.

I understand Alejandra drew strength from Cathy and Melanie, and eventually empowers herself, but Alejandra is a weak character from the start, and when both women enter the story, it's easy to forget Alejandra is the main character.

I wasn't a fan of the constant shift of perspectives; the flashbacks, chapters devoted to Alejandra and Cathy, then Melanie, then back to Alejandra.

What I did like: the La Llorona myth, the topic of generational trauma and how each woman seems to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors.

I didn't sympathize with Alejandra; I didn't dislike her, but I didn't like her.

I wish there was more mythology, more darkness, but this read as more of a domestic drama with the myth of La Llorona as background.

Overall, I enjoyed this story of an unhappy woman's journey into the labyrinth of her soul by confronting her past and the (often painful) matrilineal history stretching back through her Mexican heritage. As a piece of women's fiction, there is much to appreciate, even if some of the more new-age elements had me rolling my eyes. But again, and disappointingly, we find another book misshelved as horror. There is a lot of telling instead of showing and zero suspense. Still, Alejandra's psychodrama intrigued me enough to award it three stars.

The Haunting of Alejandra had me hooked from the beginning thanks to the mixture of generational trauma/cursed and Mexican folklore. I immediately felt that I could somewhat relate to our main character, Alejandra as she struggles with parenting and loving herself. I loved that you got to follow several generations of family throughout the story. This was probably one of my favorite aspects.
On to the critical parts!
I do feel as if the book was a little….unfinished? I’m not sure if that is the right word or not. It read to me as if it were a rough draft that still needed to be worked through a bit. Some of the dialogue and timeline got a little shifty which did pull me out of the story. It didn’t make the book unenjoyable or bad necessarily but it did leave me sad.
If you are looking for a unique, tense horror read you should give this book a try. Just maybe go into it with these things in mind!

I absolutely loved this story. It really touched me in a way other books have not.

I just reviewed The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro. #TheHauntingofAlejandra #NetGalley

Generational curses, an urban legend, and self-acceptance come together in a fast-paced haunting package in V. Castro’s The Haunting of Alejandra. Told in alternating point of views, Castro’s novel is more than a simple ghost story to be read during spooky season, it is a story about bonds. The ones people share, with themselves, their culture, friends, and their ancestors—the ones shared by blood and trauma.

Alejandra is a stay-at-home mother, an adoptee, and she feels lost. She has no connection to her culture, barely knows her birth mother, has never met her father, and recently moved with her husband and children from Texas to Philadelphia, losing the community she once had. Alejandra is a supportive wife and mother, but her dreams—if she had any to begin with—fall to the wayside to make room for her husband’s wants and her children’s needs. As the novel progresses, Alejandra finds strength in herself with the help of Melanie, a therapist/curandera, who connects to her ancestors so she can face La Llorona head on and from her mother, who offers love, support, and familial stories.

Alejandra’s journey of self-acceptance and self-love is punctuated by one scary moment after another creating a nicely paced novel. Taking on trauma can be terrifying and isolating but add a creature that feeds on the despair into the mix and you’ve got an amazing horror story. Castro’s work is deep and speaks to all the things that make people human.

I tried reading this book multiple times, but the beginning just did not draw me in. I found the writing bland and boring. I eventually skipped ahead and was able to somewhat get into the novel. However, I found I still couldn't connect with the main character. I did end up enjoying the book when I made the connection with mental health. There are a few kinks with the writing to be sorted out- I don't dislike the author's writing style, but I don't feel it was appropriate for this novel specifically.

This is probably not the best book to read while being pregnant myself. A twist on the myth of La Llorona, this takes a deep dive into Mexican lore and the overwhelming feeling motherhood can bring. The inner dialogue of how Alejandra feels was so painful and powerful that I actually had to set this book aside at times because I didn't want to take away from the personal joy I was feeling.

This was such a great concept. The idea that La Llorona was the embodiment of generational trauma women in Alejandra’s family had to deal with was so interesting. I’d hoped for the gothic feel of Mexican Gothic and The Hacienda couched with a modern woman. This was not that.

The first quarter of the book was fantastic, but I lost interest and had to keep forcing myself back. It had its moments, but I felt overall the story was rushed. I felt the historical scenes were some of the best in the book at development, I wanted more development with Alejandra. I think this story still has a lot of promise, I just wish it hadn’t felt so disjointed.

Thank you @netgalley for this book in exchange for my honest review.
Okay, this cover!!!! My goodness! 😍
I absolutely love the premise and the fact that the author incorporated Mexican culture and folklore into this piece. I also appreciated the authors writing style and structure. And the incorporation of generational trauma and curses, all tied into the La Llorona folklore.
The book was haunting and told the La Llorona story beautifully, but it was not as scary as I had hoped for it to be. Still, very well written.
I would love to read more by this author in the future.

I have left this review on my goodreads and I strange am

The Haunting of Alejandra brought to readers by V Castro is a hauntingly modern take on the Mexican legend of La Llorona. I was personally really excited when I first read the description because my husband who is Mexican, has told me all about the horrifying tale of La Lorena. Through this story you will go on a journey as Alejandra is haunted by generational curses passed down to her, but as you read you will see if Alejandra gains the strength to push beyond the past traumas and find her own strength and willpower to overcome her haunting. Alejandra is a woman who from an onlooker seems to be living the perfect life, a mother to three, married to a husband who with his job allows her a 6 bedroom home, but all is not as it seems, when the dark shadow of depression wraps itself around her. Will she be able to defeat the evils threatening to break her? Find out in The Haunting of Alejandra, coming in April 2023!

I am so thankful that one of my end of the year reads is this one. I can not put into words how much I loved this book and I will be picking it up when it comes out.

V. Castro is an excellent dramatic writer with a flourish for unsettling horror. In this novel, you follow Alejandra and other women from his family's history that have been plagued by an other-world creature thought to be La Llorana. It's emotional, creepy, and powerful. Some of the pacing is unsteady due to stretches of telling over showing, and the finale left me a little confused (I think I missed a vital piece of info at some point), but I adored reading this novel. I devoured it whenever I had a moment to read. It is definitely recommended for all, whether you're a fan of horror or not. This is a thematically moving story.

That was pretty good and is good for if you want something to read between that September to December timeframe I think that it should be on many peoples TBR list

At first I wasn’t sure what to do think of this book. I thought, it’s listed under horror, so why does this not feel like horror?

It just took me a little while to realize what type of horror this book was about. Generational trauma is a real thing. It can often feel as if something is just lingering overing you and you don’t understand why. What was the cause of this unhappiness?

Is it the curse of a demon haunting every descendent? Or is it what happens when each generations trauma is thrust upon the next and a pattern is created? A pattern in which feels as if you may never get out of.

We follow Alejandra on her journey to see if she can break the trauma pattern. If she can do what is best for her and not just what is best for others.

I really ended up enjoying this book. I loved to see the strength that Alejandra brought and showed her children. To stop that trauma from spreading. One of my favorites this year.

I saw another user describe Alejandra's husband as "cartoonishly evil" and I wholeheartedly agree. I'm really interested in the concept of intergenerational trauma within horror but this just didn't feel focused enough. There seemed to be tension between whether the REAL monster was motherhood/forced heteronormativity, or an actual ghoul woman, or both, or neither?

V CASTRO is the new voice of Latinx Horror 💀

When I heard of “ The haunting of Alejandra” a contemporary horror novel about “LA LLORONA” I knew I was going to be in for a treat.

Alejandra seems to have the perfect life, Married with 3 Children living in a beautiful house in Philadelphia. Right? But on the inside… the darkness is taking her.. the sense of who se was and who she is.. lost in her. She has lost herself so much that she starts hearing voices & seeing things ( someone 💀) and so the story begins…

With the help of a Curandera Melanie Ortiz, Alejandra goes out to find out that the things are suddenly happening to her have been happening to the women in her family for generations..

This story was Fantastic! I’m obsessed and I can’t wait for you all to read it! V Castro does what she does best to bring Mexican folklore and generational trauma and paints a perfect picture of what that is like.

Definitely pick this one up! It’s a MUST read in 2023

This books was not quite what I was hoping for. I think I had gone into it looking for something like Mexican Gothic and instead felt shortchanged. I never really connected with Alejandra and kept waiting for that moment to click. I think it's an interesting take on multi-generational trauma, but ultimately, not what I was looking for.

My thanks to Netgalley for a review copy of this book!

This book was not for me. Alejandra's internal dialogue is a well written portrayal of depression. It was too much for me. Triggering. So, a warning to anyone for whom themes of depression/postpartum depression/generational trauma may hit too close to home.

I think characterizing this book as a provocative horror novel is a bit off - it would be better characterized as a family history that explores generational trauma, with elements of horror.

That said, I love Castro's incorporation of Mexican folklore and culture. The only character I really got to know was Alejandra, and she was well developed. Definitely some good elements here!

The prolific V. Castro is back with a story of generational trauma, misogyny, and La Llorona. Alejandra is a mother of three, in a loveless marriage, she yearns for a better life, but feels trapped by her lack of financial independence, and the societal expectations placed upon her as a woman. Not to mention the generational curse that has plagued the women in her family for generations.

Alejandra delves into her past, and with the help of her therapist, and her newly-reconnected mother, discovers how to save her children and herself from the various supernatural and natural terrors of the world.

This book is absolutely terrifying. The history of Alejandra’s family contains some incredibly disturbing moments. The visions that haunt Alejandra and her family leave the reader with some real nightmare fuel.

V. Castro’s voice is tremendous. Not only has she created a truly scary horror novel, she also writes of the pressures and expectations of womanhood in an incredibly astute and poetic way. This was the first work of Castro’s that I have read, and I am a total convert.