Luis Jaramillo’s The Witches of El Paso is a captivating blend of historical fiction and magical realism that beautifully captures the essence of the Sun City. As a native of El Paso, I was immediately drawn to the title and synopsis, and the author’s vivid descriptions transported me back to my hometown.

The book's exploration of multiple time periods adds depth and intrigue, but keeping track of the different timelines can sometimes be challenging. I believe including chapter titles indicating the year they focus on would enhance the reader's experience.

While I found the historical aspects and the magical elements to be fascinating, I felt less invested in the present-day storyline. The book's pacing also fluctuates, with some parts feeling slower than others.

Overall, The Witches of El Paso is a well-crafted novel that offers a unique perspective on the city's history and culture. It's a perfect choice for readers who enjoy historical fiction and magical realism, especially during the spooky season.

Thank you to Netgalley and Luis Jaramillo for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had a difficult time differentiating between the multiple timelines at times. Overall, the story is good! I loved the characters and their relationships with each other. The timeline switches are what really got me.

The Witches of El Paso chronicles the life of Nena through 3 different timelines and showcases her experiences with La Vista and being a witch in 1792, 1943, and present day.

In the present day timeline, Marta, Nena's grand-niece, takes care of her while also trying to maintain her marriage, care for her children, and winning a case to keep the law firm she works for afloat.

I loved the elements of magical realism, ancestral pride and family. Where this story shines is the sheer creativeness and originality of what it means to be a witch. I enjoyed how much the author deviates from the stereotypical "witch" and the 1792 timeline was my favorite part to read.

Unfortunately, this book fell kind of flat for me. I think there was so much potential but I think having 3 timelines made it difficult to fully flesh out all aspects of the story that was introduced. More often than not, I was confused about which timeline I was reading about. There was not enough clarity at the beginning of each switch between chapters, and towards the middle and end of the book the multiple timelines felt convoluted.

The ending was also lackluster. Going back to stories not being fully fleshed out, Marta's lawsuit aspect was the biggest culprit. There was no resolution which led me to feel like overall it did not add anything to the book. This story would not only survive without that conflict, but it would be better for it.

I wanted to like this book more than I did and I'm sad that I don't. This book could've been at least a 4 star for me, but there were too many elements that made it difficult to get through as a reader.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.25 out of 5 stars

Marta gives legal aid. Right now she is trying to take a multi-client lawsuit against one of the most powerful business owners in El Paso for sexual harrassment. When one of her clients backs out, she suspects that the business owner has scared her off.

Meanwhile, her elderly aunt, Nena, seems to be less and less able to live by herself, and Marta is struggling, trying to convince Nena to go into an assisted living facility. Nena, however, has other things on her mind. Namely: reaching back in time to find her daughter, Rosa.

Following multiple timelines, we learn about Nena's past, and her past past, and how it all culminates in the present time.

To add to all of this, Marta is hearing humming, and ladybugs are showing up regularly. When her aunt begins to tell her of La Vista, visions and powers that have plagued her as long as she can remember, the cause of ridicule from her family, and it seems Marta has it as well. Marta, while not quite believing Nena, wonders if she can use this to her advantage to help the women she is representing. Nena, though, warns her that La Vista cannot be controlled, it controls the person, and it always has a price.

Incredible magical realism. Also, I was overjoyed about a certain missing trope when it came to Marta and her husband, Alejandro. That is what bumped it from a 4 to a 4.25 for me.

I did feel like the ending of Nena's journey was slightly rushed and not as fulfilling as I had hoped, indeed, as the storyline lead me to believe it would be. Still, it scratched that magical realism itch AND the need to see more of my mother's people represented. I've only been to El Paso a handful of times, despite having family there, and the landscape is familiar to me, the language stirring. I hope to see more from this author in the future. I believe if he continues in the magical realism genre, his name will be added to the greats of it.

a witchy theme with boundaries being set!
love a book full of strong female characters. they are well written and i appreciate the layers of the relationships that were explored. the jumping around in chapters i assume is intentional to go along with the characters in the wake of la vista. Nena is my favorite character. I found her more interesting than the others.
this is a perfect spooky season read!

✨ARC Review✨

“The Witches of El Paso” by Luis Jaramillo

I love witchy books and this one is included! Getting into the book was a little slow for me for the first 20 or so pages. The style of writing is a little different than what I am used to and just took a little time to adjust.

Once I was in it, however, I was IN IT. The story is filled with such rich and beautiful storytelling and it was hard to put it down. I loved the dual timeline and thought it was done really well!

The characters were also just really well developed. Personally, I felt that Nena was magnetic and I felt so connected to her and her story - I was invested in her journey from start to finish!

Some themes I picked up on and enjoyed in this book were:
- family and generational connections
- being you, the whole you
- collaborating vs dominating

Overall, I had a great time reading this book and will be recommending it to anybody who will listen. Thank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, and the author for making this advanced readers copy available!

Overall Rating | ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I tried several different times to get into this. I am ok with multiple points of view...but coupled with multiple timelines of same characters back and forth, it was hard to really even feel engaged. .
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

I really enjoyed this book. It was a perfect read to kick off fall. I recommended to a few friends and I hope they enjoy it as well!

This is a good book! I was impressed with the writing and the story telling. I will be recommending this book to friends. I enjoyed it.

This book is truly unlike anything I have ever read before! The magic was really interesting and I enjoyed the setting a lot! Nena’s character was so well done and I was really invested in her plot line!

The biggest struggle for me is that I had a hard time following the timeline switches. It was immediately clear when things were switching back and forth and I found myself having to go back and reread to make sure I was understanding!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

In this magical family saga, Nena, whose supernatural abilities allowed her to cross the borders of space and time seeks the help of her great niece to reunite with her daughter.

The story pulled me in from the first sentence and it took me on a ride I didn't expect. To me the story isn't about a group of witches, but about women tapping into the spirit of nature. Although, the story has magic in it, the actual magic isn't something conjured but some kind of energy that is in everything and some how Nena and Marta are able feel it, but they have no control of it and La Vista decides when they will or won't be able access it.
I found the story very intriguing since whenever Nena or Marta try to use La Vista (magic) in the story it usually gives them something they aren't prepared for. and it's usually not for the good. They receive what they asked for but not in the way they want and every time they encounter La Vista it makes them want to encounter La Vista more, but not because of what they get from La Vista but because of how La Vista made them feel. They get additive to La Vista itself.
And because of La Vista many of the relationships in the story are more strained and uncomfortable since most of the characters don't believe the women who are able to connect to La Vista. When Nena returns from the past, she tries to tell her sister what happened to her and they put her in a mental institution and with Marta, she loses a case because La Vista interferes in a way that scares her witness and makes the witness choose the other side and drops the case. So magic isn't all it's crack up to be.
All in all, the story seems to say, you should be careful what you wish for.

I want to thank Atria Books | Atria/Primero Sueno Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of a story about consequences from ones wishes

As a practicing witch, The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo resonated with me on many levels. This beautifully woven tale of magic, legacy, and motherhood is not just a story—it's an experience. The dual timeline, which follows Nena in 1943 El Paso and her grandniece Marta in the present day, is richly imagined and deeply moving.Nena’s journey from a young girl with premonitions in El Paso to finding her power in colonial Mexico is captivating.
The way Jaramillo portrays the evolution of her magic, alongside the consequences that come with it, is both haunting and empowering. Marta’s story, balancing her life as a lawyer, a mother, and the caretaker of her ninety-three-year-old great-aunt, is equally compelling. The connection between these two women and the supernatural gifts they share is portrayed with such depth and authenticity that I couldn’t put the book down.Jaramillo’s writing draws you in, making the supernatural elements feel grounded in the real world. The themes of family, identity, and sacrifice are beautifully explored, making this book much more than just a supernatural thriller—it’s a reflection on what it means to be connected across time and space.
If you’re looking for a book that blends magic with the realities of life, much like The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina or La Hacienda, The Witches of El Paso is a must-read. It's a story that stayed with me long after I finished the last page.

Time jumps were abrupt and chaotic. I often tried to remember where things were left off in previous chapy. The modern day story was not well done and left blurry and ambiguous at the end. Not sure why the Soto case was included. I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Witches of El Paso is the story of generational magic passed along a matrilineal line. I’ve seen comparisons to The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina; I agree and would add The Bullet-Swallower and Alice Hoffman.

What results is a series of complicated relationships between the family and the coven of 1792 disguised as a convent. Despite the magical elements the characters feel realistic in their ruthlessness and doubts and curiosity. I love the magic in this story, there’s no finite rules in how it plays its part in every woman’s life, making La Vista a character in and of itself.

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up

<i>’If you call to the witches, they will come.’</i>

A story shared between three timelines in El Paso 1792, 1943, as well as the more present time. A story of magic, of family, the present and the past, this story blends magical realism with a love story, culture, witches, loss and love, and an interesting cast of characters.

This begins with Marta Montoya’s life, a woman in her 40’s who feels unseen at her work at the non-profit office where she is currently working on a case which she finds increasingly frustrating. Marta and her husband, who is a doctor, have two sons. She also needs to keep an eye on her Tia Nena who somehow managed to ignite a fire in her kitchen, and she realizes she will likely have to care for her, as well.

This shares Nena’s story of her life, a story that is somewhat haunting as the story progresses, a sprinkling of magical realism, with moments of beauty, love and, ultimately, Nena discovering herself and her strength after all these years.


Pub Date: Oct 08 2024


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Atria Books / Atria Primero Sueno Press

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo is a dual-timeline third person dual-POV contemporary and historical fantasy. Marta and her great-aunt Nena are witches in El Paso struggling with their respective lives. Marta’s marriage and law practice are not doing well as she also faces new challenges with motherhood while Nena misses the child she left behind when she traveled back in time decades before.

Between the two POVs, Nena was my favorite. The scenes in the convent in the late 1700s often featured details I wasn't expecting, such as everyone drinking chocolate in the afternoon or further worldbuilding details for the magic system. Nena is lost as to why she's traveled back in time, but makes the most of it though she has to stay alert around the nuns that are higher up. I also really liked NENA's chapters that took place in her childhood in the 1940s, especially her love of war movies featuring strong women and the details with magic in her community.

Marta felt like a very realistic representation of a modern lawyer. Passionate about winning and the work and how that overshadows doing good in the world. She considers becoming a judge at fifty despite putting the idea of becoming one on the back burner for years to have her sons and establish herself in El Paso. Despite this, I never felt like she didn't care about the harassment suit she was pursuing on behalf of women in her community and I do believe that she does have a strong sense of justice. She just also likes to win and be challenged.

Another thing I really liked was the use of Spanish and the Basque language throughout the book. While my Spanish is rusty and my knowledge of Basque is pretty non-existent, I could understand most of the terms I didn't know from context or would figure it out later when they were used again. When words aren't completely translatable, it's always a choice for whether or not to use the word that fits best or to simply use that word and do what you can to make a reader will understand it or will feel compelled to look it up and I applaud any author that chooses not to use the English word that fits best.

Content warning for brief depictions of sexual assault and harassment

I would recommend this to fans of contemporary witchy fantasy, readers looking for fantastical books set in what is now Southwest US, and those looking for a dual-timeline book in the same city but different borders

In 1943, young Nena spends her days taking care of her sisters’ children, tending to the house, worrying about and caring for everyone but herself. The older she gets, the stronger her visions get. Desperate for a life that she can call her own, Nena escapes her duties in El Paso and falls under the wing of the enigmatic Sister Benedicta who teaches Nena to step in to her powers.

Fast forward to present day and Marta, a lawyer working for a struggling law firm, has taken responsibility for her 93 year-old great-aunt Nena. When the two join forces to explore Nena’s mysterious past, Marta begins to grow in to powers of her own.

I loved the strong female cast on display in The Witches of El Paso; Jaramillo expertly explores female familial relationships and the ties that bond us together. There is plenty of culture and magic to latch on to in this novel with intense imagery and beautifully bewitching passages. It’s a book that is simultaneously thought-provoking and hauntingly beautiful in its delivery.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review! Available 10/08/2024!

I really liked the themes of this book and the culture references. Perfect fall read. Thank you NetGalley for letting read this book

I liked the plot and strong female characters, but felt like I wanted a bit more out of the ending. (Left some loose ends. Maybe there will be a sequel?)