The magical realism, multiple timelines, generational stories, empowered women, and vivid descriptions of locations made it difficult for me to book this book down. The author did an amazing job weaving together the characters and propelled the story forward across different timelines and spaces. The descriptions of the locations and people were so vivid and tangible, I was immediately transported each time.

This book is definitely for fans of The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina, Mujer de Luz, and La Hacienda.

Thank you to Atria and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️I predict a very popular book and one that book clubs will adore.

Nena longs for the daughter she left behind. Traveling through time, she goes back to the time of colonial Mexico where she’s taught the power of La Vista. Including the fact it's passed down from generation to generation. That may be the reason Marta has been experiencing such strange feelings and noticing weird events happening. Marta’s aunt Nena is teaching her all about this Mexican, magical folklore. Honing in on each of their skills, both women search for a Nena's child. This is their journey.

Luis Jaramillo has woven strong, engaging character development into The Witches of El Paso. The story moves at a good constant pace. I never felt any “slow” parts. I particularly enjoyed the bond-building between Marta and Nena. How it was always present during the story line. The conclusion wraps up wonderfully. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Thank you Atria Books for providing this ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A story rich in culture, magic, and family dynamics. The descriptions and details are so well done you can imagine every scene with clarity.

Loved the interwoven timelines, strong characters, and magical parts of the story. Strongly reminded me of the Inheritance of Orquidea Divina (which is a complement!). Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the electronic advanced readers copy!

Witchy literary fiction with a Mexican angle is right up my alley, and The Witches of El Paso definitely lived up to my expectations and excitement level! The author moves seamlessly through the past and present, and Nena’s story really resounded for me. The magical realism and the family dynamics were big highlights for me, and I thought the book was interesting, intriguing and well-plotted. Will definitely recommend to readers at my bookshop. Thanks to Atria and NetGalley for the ARC!

I want to wax lyrical about this book but I also want you to enjoy it for yourself! Here are all the things I loved about reading the Witches of El Paso, without any spoilers.

The themes in this book were *chefs kiss* - the nature of life, boundaries and borders, trust, morality and family. Of course, there were plenty of witchy vibes too.

As someone who comes from a matriarchal and very female family, I really appreciated how Jaramillo portrayed the complicated relationships between the women in this book. The layers of conflict and competition between sisters felt so authentic.

The majority of our central cast are women, and I love how Jaramillo has captured their jagged edges and their meanness - these women are daughters, mothers, sisters, wives, but we experience them primarily in the light of their own desires and vices. 


This book felt appropriately witchy. I loved the grossness and the grisly bits, especially how they related to summoning La Vista. I thought this really pulled in the theme that this is a force of nature, because nature is nothing if not grisly. The atmosphere and the setting were so evocative, too - the smell of unwashed bodies, the hot cocoa, the lengthy descriptions of local flora. It all added to the tapestry and I felt myself fully transported.

The chaotic and capricious nature of La Vista echos the unpredictability and unfairness of life and nature. While one day things might go your way, the next day they could go terribly. Mother nature giveth and she taketh away. Life can be cruel.

Jaramillo jumps us around in time and narrative - I would frequently start a chapter momentarily lost and confused before being anchored. This felt deliberate and provided a window into the confusion and lack of control our characters are experiencing as they are swept along in the wake of La Vista.

There are literal borders in the book - we get some beautiful imagery of the border between Juarez and El Paso - and our characters crossing them always carries significance. There are also metaphorical boundaries crossed - greasy fingers on an ancient artwork, a kiss stolen from the beau of another, an innocent woman cursed.

For a male author, I thought Jaramillo elegantly capture the constant sense of unease evoked by the men in this book. None of the men on page can be fully trusted, they all exploit or unsettle our female protagonists in various ways, and this was so delicately and faithfully written that I could almost feel myself sitting across from these men at dinner, in the confessional, at the kitchen island, eyeing them between my lashes and trying to judge if this was the moment they would reveal themselves.

I really enjoyed this book, and would heartily recommend it to anyone who enjoys some witchy vibes, complex female relationships, evocative settings and an exploration of what it means to be family.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for this advance copy of The Witches of El Paso.

It’s a good read. I don’t usually pick books about the occult, but my personal connection to the American Southwest and El Paso in particular made me curious about this one.

The relationship between Nena and Marta tackles universal themes of obligation, desire, love, and loss, all through the lens of brujería. Jaramillo does a good job of taking me back and forth through time without causing confusion. And his descriptions of some El Paso landmarks took me right back to when I used to live there. Overall, I enjoyed it. I plan on picking up a physical copy once it goes on sale because I like the cover.

The Witches of El Paso is a thrilling race against time to find a lost child. Can magic help locate them? Nona uses her gifts (and curse, in her eyes) to locate missing children in the area. Her granddaughter Mona reluctantly takes up the mantle when her gifts coincide with one of her. cases. A story about coming to terms with who you are, family history, and realizing your path in life.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Calling all Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Isabel Canas fans!! This beautiful historical fiction is going to be all the rage come October, and for good reason. Set on the dusty border of the United States less than a decade after the Great Depression, a young teenage girl fights her supernatural tendencies in hopes of being a normal girl. Toggling between her teenage years and present day, both Nena of young and old weave together this story about a family with a secret, and how managing it all kept them together when it should've torn them apart.

I really, really enjoyed this book. The writing was exceptionally strong, specifically around the setting and character descriptions. I loved the way that Jaramillo transported the reader back to 1943, snapping you to attention that something important was about to happen. I actually felt like this story would make an incredible movie as I was reading it. We learn so much from Nena as the reader, but it's also really delightful to watch her impart her wisdom onto others as well. I will be highly recommending this book once pub day hits.

Since childhood, Nena has been afflicted by visions, causing her peers to brand her a witch. The novel merges mystical elements with historical backdrops, transporting readers to centuries past alongside Nena, who finds herself living in a convent, pondering the sisters and life she left in another time. In the present day, her niece, Marta, endeavors to help Nena reconnect with her daughter Rosa. Through this journey, Marta awakens her own supernatural abilities, linking the ancient past with the modern world.