Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of this book!

I was so enthralled while reading Castro's book! The setting and atmosphere were chilling, and I loved the interplay of magical realism with the thrilling element of human behavior and trying to figure out where things WENT WRONG. The characters were intriguing, and I found myself committed to their wellbeing and wanting to know what happened to them. I was also so glad to read a Latin-inspired story that combined mysterious elements with something beyond a true-crime gritty detective whodunnit. Such a great read!

I was a little unsure about this at the beginning, but the slow burn in the story was well worth the wait!

V. Castro has started carving out a place for her perspective in contemporary horror, and no one writes quite like her. Her stories have such a strong feminine point of view, informed by Latin American and Indigenous cultures, and are unapologetically sensual. Her traditional publishing debut, "The Haunting of Alejandra," retains those hallmarks from her earlier indie works, but something is lost along the way. The story is a riff on La Llorona and a curse that affects generations of women from the same family, but the present day scenes are a little too sedate. Ultimately, I was left wanting more.

Alejandra Is a wife and a stay-at-home mother with three children. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. However her husband, adoptive mother and biological mother can’t see who Alejandra has become:. She is a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her. Alejandra sees. In times of despair, a ghostly vision appears to her, the apparition of a crying woman in a ragged white gown. When her daughter tells having seen the woman in white to a teacher, Alejandra is called in to talk about these dreams her child is having. This creates for Alejandra the push she needs to seek therapy for herself. Her therapist is also a Mexican Curandera and she knows all about the legend of La Llorona. As she begins to delve deeper into her family history, talk to her biological mother and get in touch with her roots and spirituality, Alejandra discovers some truths. She is not alone in her struggles, the women in her lineage have all been haunted by La Llorona who is an angry vengeful mother who killed her own children. La Llorona has appeared to all of the women in her family and pushed them into dark places in an attempt to take them with her. Is La LLorna a ghost or a demon? This is one generational curse Alejandra will need help with breaking the curse. However Alejandra is not weak and she is strong. Will she break the curse?

The novel a dark story of grief, pain, generational trauma, and the harsh battles to exorcise the depression.
However, it’s also a story. that celebrates traditional healing and recognizes the importance of therapy when it comes to healing. The novel is also a critique of the historical and present-day violence against Women of color. This novel moved me when Alejandra feels alone and not understood. I enjoyed reading about La LLorna and how it was a generational problem for these woman. It is a novel that I did find creepy and haunting.

If you like fantasy, horror, or just stories about a woman trying to find herself, then "The Haunting of Alejandra" has something to offer you. This story spans centuries, tracing back Alejandra's lineage and the demon curse that has plagued the women of her family. Author V. Castro does a wonderful job at bringing the supernatural to life as she unwinds this tale of strength and fortitude.

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro is so much more than a story about a woman haunted by La Llorona. This work is about all the blessings and traumas that come with generational experiences of the Mexican American woman. Can this translate to all women? Yes, of course it can. It is especially meaningful, however, to the Mexican American woman because La Llorona is an urban myth that is particular to our culture as is the generational trauma that coincides with it.

Castro does a masterful job at creating this layered story of generations of women and their link to, not only each other, but to their individual experiences and the connections (or misconnections) to the people in their lives. You go in expecting horror and get so much more than that in my opinion.

I cannot wait to read more of Castro's writing, and I hope you, dear reader, will give this one a shot <3

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley.

This the first book I've read by V Castro, and I honestly loved their writing style.

The worldbuilding in this book was brilliant.
Be warned; this book does touch on a lot of dark topics. This book is heavy and raw. But it's also powerful.
It's an unique retelling of the "La Llorona" folklore. It's a mix of genres as well, which makes it all the more unique in my opinion.

If you enjoyed "baby teeth," I THINK you'll like this one too.

Ok I LOVED this. It had everything I love in it: folklore, generational trauma, motherhood horror, and proof that loving your family is a strength that must be nurtured!

Big recommendation for anyone interested in getting into this genre.

4.4 stars

THIS WAS... VERY DARK, UNSETTLING, AND UNIQUE.

CW: Postpartum Depression, Suicidal thoughts, sexual abuse, oppression, miscarriage, and gore

This book is not for everyone. I ended up enjoying it, but I struggled a lot to get through the writing style. The story deals with heavy topics and portrays mental anguish, which might be distressing for some readers.

If you like books with a dark take on motherhood like "The Push" and "Baby Teeth," you will probably enjoy this dark and violent tale of motherhood, perfect for the spooky season. Here are some reasons to read this book:

- Genre-bending: a unique blend of mystery, horror, fantasy, and history. Compelling unraveling of family mysteries, shocking revelations, and hidden truths.

- Unique retelling of the e"curse of the Weeping woman" (La Llorona). Dark and chilling Mexican folklore that will send shivers down your spine.

- Dark, relevant themes: Identity exploration, generational trauma, colonialism, oppression, womanhood, motherhood, postpartum depression

The Haunting of Alejandra is an evocative exploration of the ties that bind women across generations, their struggles, and the supernatural forces that can both terrorize and empower them. For those who appreciate horror that delves into the human psyche and the supernatural, this book delivers a chilling and thought-provoking tale that will stay with you long after "the end".

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro
A deeply haunting and harrowing story that retells the tale of La Llorona, yet deeply looks into the darkness of motherhood.

The synopsis
Alejandra is tired and over extended. She is a stay at home mother and has since lost sight of who she is. She has also recently been having strange visions and thoughts, sometimes capturing glances of transparent figures, and what looks like to be a crying woman.

Each day she devotes her hours to mothering her two toddlers and eight year old daughter. Giving all her energy and time to their daily needs, cooking her husband’s favorite dinner, even ensuring that he gets his pleasure whenever he asks for it. Leaving so very little time for Alejandra to check with herself, to remember how deeply human she is. As she seeks out professional help from a curandera (a healer both physically and spiritually.) Both in the Alejandra’s sessions and alone, she gets deeper into the meaning of the visions and family curses that might end with her efforts in finding herself.


My experience with this book…
I had such a profound connection to The Haunting of Alejandra, V. Castro was able to both retell a classic Mexican folklore yet also paint a secret picture of the dark side of motherhood.

With each new vision, revelation, and hauntingly relatable dark thoughts, thought-out on paper I felt such an attachment to Alejandra and her journey. Even when I felt the symbolism was too deep to explain, my heart felt the kinship to *that feeling.*

That goes to say that V. Castro’s writing style is rich, vivid, beautifully macabre, they are lethal yet take great care of details. The Haunting of Alejandra was my first V. Castro book and I now want to read the rest of their back-list.

Do I recommend?
I absolutely encourage everyone to read The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro! This book is eerie, it’s sharp like a knife, yet compassionate. V. Castro wrote an all-absorbing story that will shake you to your core and revive your senses.

I'm always here for a retelling of myth and this was a fantastic one! La Llorona is a myth that hasn't been explored as much as more colonial-based ones, so from the start Castro grabbed me. Even though the plot itself is a slight slow burn, the story becomes engaging the further you read, and as a reader I also feel haunted (in the best way).

This book is STUNNING. Castro really encapsulates postpartum depression and its intensity so well, but also describes it in such a delicate and tasteful way. The lore behind this story is so interesting, and I feel as though this book is a creative take on it. I loved it.

First I want to start out by saying that I really love Castro's writing and the voice that she uses. Technically, this book was well written and I enjoyed the prose itself. What I did not connect with was the story and the characters. BUT that said, this book was not written for me. This is the story of a Latina woman trying to reconnect with her roots and navigate motherhood and her marriage. I can not relate to a single one of those things. I struggle with stories about motherhood, but that is purely a person thing. Like I said, the book was excellently written and the unsettling moments were top notch, the story was just not meant for me. I can see so many people finding representation here though, and I would recommend people pick it up. Also, the cover art is phenomenal. I will continue to read and recommend Castro's books!

Alejandra's return to her roots and the information I learned about her culture were incredibly interesting to me.
La Llorona could be considered the antagonist in this story, but it's more likely that she represents the trauma that society and successive generations have inflicted on women over the course of time in an effort to make them conform to certain stereotypes. Alejandra needs to find a method to defend both herself and her family.
I appreciate the chance to read it and would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

It took me longer than necessary to start this novel, a fact I regret. It is, most definitely, haunting.

I do not know anything about cinematography but I would say that this book has a cold open in the sense that it does not give you any time to prepare for what is to come -- you are right in Alejandra's head as she struggles with her will to live. In fact, the book starts so viscerally that I had to put it down for a while because of how permeating her feelings were. The book continues to be this visceral for the duration of the story as it details Alejandra and her ancestors suffering.

That is another thing I had not been prepared for: this is not a single POV book. It weaves between perspectives and times, which is something that felt necessary and worthwhile. I found the other perspectives fascinating as they provided a wealth of insight not only into history but also Alejandra's ancestry, giving the readers a much deeper glance into her as a character and making the theme feel incredibly fleshed out.

The word building was effective, the horror that the hauntings induced nauseating to read but I would still argue that this book is more literary than horror. The supernatural aspects are more of a vehicle to explore the generational trauma Alejandra has as she works through it, which was marvellously executed. I admired the author for allowing Alejandra to get mental health aid, it should be more common in the genre and as a whole. So that was great.

The writing felt a little bit too passive at certain moments, there was a lot of stating what the characters felt and what was happening, as well as them reciting things we hadn't seen. However, I think that's just the author's style and it is something that is easily accustomed to. Although I do wish we'd seen more emotion from some scenes.

The other thing is that sometimes it felt as though the story likened being a woman to being a mother. I think this is just because the story heavily focuses on the nature of motherhood in combination with generational trauma but nevertheless it was something that made me feel a bit uncomfortable. But maybe it's just me.

Overall, a haunting story of resilience and the strength it takes to overcome generational trauma.

I tried twice to get through this book. The main character is horrible and we are subjected to basically living in her head with the same recurring thoughts and little to no action. The dialogue is awkward and stilted throughout. Am I missing something? I'm not sure how this book has received so many good reviews.

I started this book because I was interested in the story of La Llarona and a Mexican folklore horror story. There is very little of that, but I did enjoy those brief gasps for air in a book that felt like I as drowning. Sorry, but not my cup of tea to listen to this woman complain for 150 of the 200 pages.

The cover, however, is beautiful.

Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've read this author's previous paranormal horror novella, Goddess of Filth, and I really loved it so I was so excited to dive into this new release from this author. Unfortunately it did not work for me. Because of the hype of this author's last novel being so fun and spooky, I went in thinking I was going to get the same vibe for this one. While it did have the spooky and ominous vibe, it was more sad and somber than fun, and that really took away from my experience. I think if I knw going into this book that it was going to be really heavy on the mental health rep and more about inner demons than actual demons, I would have enjoyed it more.

The book was still beautifully written and atmospheric just like I knew this author's writing to be, the tone just didn't work for me. I think this book can work for so many horror readers looking for a more realistic paranormal horror.

I appreciated Alejandra's journey with her depression and feelings of postpartum guilt; her journey is not linear or neat or tidy. THE HAUNTING OF ALEJANDRA explores the complicated bond between mother and children and uses the idea of haunting as a symbol for generational trauma and inherited mental health patterns, as well as a representation of Alejandra's uneven marriage. The interludes of other women/mothers in Alejandra's line was very smartly utilized and helped keep the quick pace of the main narrative. This horror novel highlights the importance of community between women, both blood and found. Looking forward to more novels by this author.

I would rate this somewhere between 3.5-4 stars.

Things I liked about this book:
1. Girl power! It was filled with strong females throughout.
2. It was packed with so much Mexican history and culture, including a bit about Emiliano Zapata and also, Colonel Amelio Robles Avila, a transgender hero during the Mexican revolution.
3. Highlighting the importance of therapy and making sure to find a support system when things are bad
4. Pointing out the stress that moms face every day, especially when they don't have a support system. Stay-at-home mom is one of the hardest jobs because there is NEVER a break! Castro did a great job of showing the stress and anxiety that Alejandra was going through.
4. That cover!! It is my favorite of the year, just gorgeous!!
Things I disliked:
1. The monster/creature wasn't necessarily scary, just gross. I don't know how else to describe it but gross.
2. I never really connected with the characters and maybe it is because the story was told through the eyes of so many different ancestors that I was never able to connect with any one character completely.

Castro did a great job of making the husband despicable. I kept hoping he would come to an untimely, horrendously bloody death. Maybe I have been reading too many horror novels.

THE 411...

When we meet Alejandra she is a wife and a mother living her days feeling invisible, under appreciated and unloved. She's in a dark place and any moment of solace she comes across allows her the introspection that otherwise she doesn't have time for. Mother to three children, Alejandra struggles with the feelings she's having towards motherhood as a whole. Her third child was unexpected after a tubal ligation didn't prevent her pregnancy.  She's not exactly in a loving marriage, her husband dismisses her cries for help and feels she should be satisfied in the life he has provided her with. Her adoptive parents (father) were just as dismissive of her struggles with mental health while growing up, as her husband is now. No one seems to really understand or want to acknowledge that Alejandra is not ok and is struggling daily with some dark thoughts. Soon enough she starts seeing a woman crying  in ragged white gown, always catching glimpses as she leaves or enters a room. When her daughter mentions having seen the woman in white to a teacher, Alejandra is called in to discuss these dreams her child is having. This gives Alejandra the push she needs to seek therapy for herself.

In what feels like kismet, her therapist is also a Mexican Curandera and she knows all about the legend of La Llorona. As she begins to delve deeper into her family history, track down her biological mother and get in touch with her roots and spirituality, Alejandra discovers some truths. She is not alone in her struggles, the women in her lineage have all been haunted by La Llorona who is an angry vengeful mother who killed her own children. La Llorona has appeared to all of the women in her family and pushed them into dark places in an attempt to take them with her. This is one generational curse Alejandra will need help with breaking before she too has a tragic ending.

WRITING & FINAL THOUGHTS...

This was an audiobook read although I was also very lucky to have been granted a DRC from Del Rey. Immediately when I heard Alejandra's voice narrated my first thoughts were this woman is tired. This woman is haunted. The bathtub scene in the first few pages where she's just trying to get a few more minutes alone but her very young children need her and her husband is not trying to help was tough. Readers should really take care to look into content warnings, suicide ideation is prominent as is depression. This story is told in alternate timelines between present day Alejandra's POV and one of her ancestors. Personally, I did find myself wanting to spend more time in the chapters told by her ancestor who was waging her own war against the patriarchy and reclaiming her body. These chapters have a different tone overall and gave me the break I needed from being in Alejandra's main story line.

I appreciated how learning of her ancestors gave Alejandra the motivation to take the reigns in her own life. The road to this discovery however is heavy with the thoughts of a woman who is close to losing her mind. It was interesting to see the way V. Castro wove in themes of body autonomy or lack thereof for all of the women being haunted by La Llorona. I was expecting this story to lean in a bit more into the horror vibes tied to the Mexican folklore of La Llorona. We still get a healthy dose of the legendary woman in white but it's definitely taken up a notch towards the end of the book. This could just be me since I do not watch horror movies AT ALL but do enjoy reading the genre, so I was surprised when I didn't really find myself spooked whenever I was reading this story. I'd recommend The Haunting Of Alejandra to readers who enjoy psychological horror, motherhood explored, folklore, spirituality, and stories of breaking generational curses.