The idea behind this novel is an interesting one and bits and pieces of brilliance shine through in the narrative. The love for El Paso is strong and there are interesting pieces of history sprinkled in throughout. For a debut novel, there was a lot of rich presence in the prose and some good protagonist development. I particularly enjoyed the character of Nena (Elena) and her evolution through the different time periods. Ultimately, I wanted to like this one more than I did, but the organization and flow left me feeling dizzy and there were too many things unfinished or not fully fleshed out. I feel like the author really has a good sense of storytelling, but this just needed a little more time and exploration.

The POV vacillates between characters and time...a difficult feat for any author to achieve and one that unfortunately did this book a disservice. It was hard to keep track of where I was in the story and I sometimes got confused, knocking myself from the narrative to try to piece things back together, reorienting myself to the time period and the protagonist at hand. This approach also left the narrative chopped up into small pieces, making things feeling disjointed and halting. Because of these small pieces, it also felt like the full story of each character was not explored. The story of Marta's case was left unfinished and the conclusion really left my understanding of the magic (La Vista) in question.

I very much enjoyed the magical aspects of the tale and the superstition which surrounded them. This was much more developed in the Nena storyline and I enjoyed the dark witchy atmosphere quite a bit. With Marta's story, I think the feeling was somewhat hampered because of her own lack of understanding of the magical powers.

Bottom line: A talented writer who will likely create some great novels down the line. This debut has some serious shining points and gives off good atmospheric vibes. The organization of the story did the narrative dirty and, eventually, left it feeling unfulfilling. This one lands solidly at a 3-star read.

I’m not a big fantasy reader, but I do love some brujeria. Give me a complex family with some witchy magic and a dash of time travel mixed with the rich culture of the Mexican/American border, and I’m locked in.

Great book. I really enjoyed it and read it quickly it kept me so entertained. I will definitely recommend it

This is a book that ties in the history of Mexico, and Texas with the mythical lore of witches. Although well written the story was lacking for me and I constantly found myself distracted and not paying attention, unaware of what was going on. etc. I considered DNF'ing the book many times, but decided to stick with it and honestly, I felt rather let down by the end of the book. It didn't really seem to have a solid end to the story, it just did end, and life goes on. It was very lackluster for me from beginning to end.

The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo is the perfect book for readers that loves paranormal reads, but do not like the ultra spooky. The magical realism novel will appeal to fans of Practical Magic and The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina.

A bit of fantasy in this read about time travel and witchery. My first read by this author, I thoroughly enjoyed this family story. Set in El Paso, TX, the author describes in vivid detail the dry, dusty land which the reader can almost taste. The story centers on teenager Nena who in the 1940's wants more out of life than being a housemaid to her sisters. She has visions and when called upon, the witches (La Vista) do visit. Her life then goes back in time to colonial Mexico. In present day, Nena recruits her grandniece Marta in a great search once again calling on help of La Vista.
An entertaining tale of family, witchery and survival, one which I highly recommend.

Mixed generations, time travel, nuns, witches, superpowers, litigation, musica and a baby born out of time. . . .

A delightful, mystical magical read.

*A sincere thank you to Luis Jaramillo, Atria Books, and NetGalley for an ARC to read and review independently.*

A poignant story of family across borders and time with soft dashes of humor. Lovely, relatable characters and mouth-watering food!


--Dianna Rostad USA Today bestselling and award-winning author of You Belong Here Now

I will read just about anything with 'witches' in the title really enjoyed this book! I found that it moved a lot faster than I thought it would and it kept me interested the whole time.

I won't be reading this. I've tried multiple times and haven't gotten into it. Thank you though for the opportunity. If I read it in the future I will come back and change this review.

I unfortunately did not finish this book. A classic case of right book wrong time. Thank you so much atria books for allowing me an early copy.

Unfortunately DNF'd this one. I really wanted to like this one, I love reading about fictions involving a thing that has to do with witches and powerful women....but I just had such a hard time getting through the first few chapters.

I wanted to really like this book, but it fell flat for me. The magic system was awkward, the MFC wasn’t someone I liked, and there was so much disconnect and time jumping with zero explanation.

I didn't love this as much as I expected - the multiple points of view were really confusing at times. I wanted this to be more cozy

Thank you for this ARC! This book didn't work for me at this time, I am a mood reader and this one didn't fit my mood.

Thank you Netgalley, Luis Jaramillo and Atria Books | Atria/Primero Sueno Press for the eArc of The Witches of El Paso.

This is a lovely slow burn book that mixes Intergenerational Magic, Time Travel, Mother Hood and blurred lines between two lives that are entwined. I also loved the latino culture that's built into this story. The character building and the pacing of the book felt constant and flowed very well. I was both engaged and intrigued with both Marta and Nena's stories. It did take me a little time to figure out which POV and could have been a little better signed posted. Although maybe now Ive listened to the whole book, this may of been deliberate.

4 stars

The Witches of el paso was a really intriguing novel. I loved the magical concepts and the characters.

An intriguing blend of historical fiction and magical realism. The premise is captivating and the story is rich in historical detail, however the pacing was a little uneven at times and the transitions between timelines was sometimes confusing.
Still an interesting read.
Many thanks to Atria and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had a hard time reading this one (I actually did not finished it but my rating it's for what I did read.)

I read up to chapter 9 and had trouble to continue because the story was not interesting enough to keep me reading, especially Marta's character. Nena's backstory was interesting but a bit confusing with all the sudden jumps in time.

The sex scene I read (the first one) seemed unnecessary to the plot, even if Nena says that "La Vista" makes one desire to make love. I didn't care for the interaction between Marta and Alejandro since it seemed flat and distant.

Another thing that made it hard for me to keep reading was the random Spanish words in between phrases or sentences. Some made a bit of sense but, most of the time, the words seemed to only fit in if translated to English (which is not how being "pocho" works.) Especially the "mi hija" instead of "mija" which sounds more natural.

Overall, I think the idea for this book was good but it needed more development and less focus on making sure the characters were "Mexican enough". The book could have been a lot better if it described more of the magic and explained a bit more on how or why Nena had "la vista".

Regardless, thank you NetGalley for the eARC copy of this book.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book and the fact that it takes place in El Paso, where I grew up. I loved all of the references to places and things related to El Paso as I have not been back to visit in over 10 years. I liked the dual timeline involving Nena and Maria. I just did not love the overall story. The witches were interesting, but the story just never really hooked me. It was not bad, just not for me. I am sure there are plenty of readers who will enjoy it.