I believe that you get two types of writers, storytellers and story-weavers. M.M. Olivas is a story-weaver of note. Sundown in San Ojuela, is a tale that has been woven into the the very fiber of my being. I did not merely read this story, but felt it, bled with it.

Each character, so perfectly imperfect tugged at my heartstrings and played them to the tune of love. For that is what this book is truly about. It is the importance of love of self, the love of culture, family and friends. It is about accepting ourselves but at the same time striving to be the best versions of our self no matter how many curveballs life throws at us.

It is also a tale of magic, darkness, dread and blood. It is art, it is an experience, it is a spell that brings the written word to life.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for providing this magnificent ARC and of course all my love and gratitude to the author, M.M. Olivas, who has crept into my heart and become an auto-buy author for me.

Sundown in San Ojuela by M.M. Olivas

Elizabeth has a history drenched in the lore of the Aztec gods thrusting their way into the world of the living. Armed with an innate ability to sense ghosts, she receives a beckoning call from her now-deceased Aunt, who is ushering her back to her roots. Reconnecting with her childhood friend Julian, life has become an ominous undertaking that blurs all senses of reality. With the help of her sister, Mary, they attempt to bring the curse of the town to rest. Who is committing these evil acts, and for what purpose?

I am silently walking on a treadmill, looking through a window onto the sea and its windblown patterns shimmering on the surface. I contemplated my feelings about this novel, comparing the ocean waves to my experiences with this read. Chaotic in nature with an untold number of possible endings. The author, M.M. Olivas, pens a book steeped in ancestry and one family member's values to keep those traditions afloat. This book was frightening, with moments of silence brazenly kicked aside with splotches of unknown entities waiting to pounce. The novel drearily exudes mysticism, embroiling the reader with a steady supply of fright and confusion. I conclude that the author's success rests in their ability to maintain a tight narrative during a tense setting.

Seeing the story unfold from multiple views caused me some confusion. It was distracting, and I forced myself to re-read passages to understand from which character's perspective I was getting. These issues aligned with my previous observations of uncontrolled sea waves passing through one another as if out of control. The gods of the Aztecs are in abundance here. They are the main course, exacting revenge through the willing human participants in San Ojuela. A prior knowledge of Aztec folklore, while by no means a must, certainly would help the reader's overall immersion by painting a more vivid picture and reference point. My knowledge of Aztec lore started and ended with Montezuma, simply because he had revenge on me as a child in Knott's Berry Farm in the form of a rollercoaster of the same name.

All that said, the author did a superb job. The book's creepy nature and ability to navigate without giving too much away lent to my enjoyment. The interpersonal strife and relationships bite at your heartstrings. I am giving this 4 out of 5 stars!

Many thanks to Lanternfish Press for the free ARC through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

This was a excellant read, I wouldn't say it's horror, but more like folk family horror type of book.
I honestly really liked it, the author makes you care about the characters, not just reading about them as a outsider.

I felt Alot reading this and it wasn't just thrilling horror, but also family bonds and sometimes it's not easy.

I cannot imagine not only going back to the place of a traumatizing accident but with what happened to her following the accident, which I won't say, but wow..

Read this it's written beautifully.

_Sundown is San Ojuela_ by M.M. Olivas is a dark and atmospheric horror read told from multiple perspectives. Sisters Liz, who can see ghosts, and Mary return to their family home after the death of their aunt. Along with and Liz’s childhood friend, Julian, they confront their traumatic childhood and discover real monsters, gods, and spirits that disturb the grounds. This is a haunting read including Mexican folklore, mythology, and immigrant experience.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

M.M. Olivas’s debut novel, Sundown in San Ojuela, is a haunting and evocative tale that masterfully blends elements of gothic horror, family drama, and cultural exploration. Set in the desolate desert town of San Ojuela, this novel takes readers on a journey through a landscape where the past and present collide in eerie and unexpected ways.

The story follows Liz Remolina, who returns to her childhood home in San Ojuela after the death of her aunt. The town, which was the site of a traumatic accident that left Liz clairvoyant, is now a place filled with ghosts and ancient gods. Accompanied by her younger sister Mary, Liz must navigate a world where monsters lurk in the shadows and her childhood friend Julian has become a haunted figure.

Olivas excels in creating deeply nuanced characters. Liz is a compelling protagonist whose clairvoyance adds a unique dimension to her character. Her relationship with her sister Mary is both tender and strained, reflecting the complexities of family bonds.

San Ojuela is vividly brought to life through Olivas’s rich descriptions. The town’s desolate landscape, combined with its supernatural elements, creates an atmosphere that is both unsettling and captivating.

The novel explores themes of cultural identity, family legacy, and the struggle between past and present. Olivas’s writing is both lyrical and precise, capturing the eerie beauty of the desert and the haunting nature of the town.

Sundown in San Ojuela is a standout debut that marks M.M. Olivas as a powerful new voice in gothic fiction. The novel’s intricate plot, well-developed characters, and richly atmospheric setting make it a must-read for fans of horror and literary fiction alike. Olivas’s ability to weave together elements of the supernatural with deep cultural insights results in a story that is unique and unforgettable.

First thing, I love this book. My star rating is 4.5. The mix of social commentary and the pre hispanic mythology of Mexico is handled beautifully. I enjoyed the alternating points of view and had no issue with the flipping of tenses that bothered other reviewers. These devices were true to the story and the pov of those characters .
This is a brutal story of one family's inheritance of blood and magic. The consequences of the past and the injustices of the present all converge on the lives of a small town.
My reason for taking a half star off is the sheriff/ICE officer's pov and character, I understand why he was written that way and the purpose he served in the story, but the character was the least authentic in his voice.
Overall I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in mythology and grownup fairytales that have a sharp edge.
Thank you NetGalley and Lanternfish Press for the ARC.

Thank you Netgalley, author, and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this e-arc. I however will not be finishing this. This book gave me literal nightmares, and that would be praise for some, but for my sensitive soul, I need my sleep. Legit too scary for me to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lanternfish Press for this opportunity! This book will be available 11/19/24!

Okay this book a powerhouse of Latin horror. It is insidiously creepy but also a powerful narrative of a culture not my own. Liz’s past was darkity dark but her journey of living thru it was awesome. Honestly this book scared the poo outta me and I loved every dang moment of it!

I LOVED every second of this book. I know that sounds dramatic, but seriously I did. It was extremely well written, the characters and story was intriguing and not the mention that cover!!! Do yourself a favor and read this!!

The story combines elements of Latin American folklore with supernatural horror, evoking comparisons to "The Hacienda" and "The Devil Takes You Home." However, the execution falters with an abundance of perspectives and horror tropes, which left me feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from the characters. While the rich cultural backdrop is a draw, the narrative's lack of focus and the second-person narrative style detract from its overall impact.

Many thanks to Lanternfish Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 / 5 stars – rounded up to 4 stars.

Overall I enjoyed this creepy, ethereal horror novel. The writing style lent a dark beauty to the house and the desert in a way that gave them their own weight as characters – combined with the magic and rich mythology, I thought those were the most intriguing elements of the story. Even though I can’t say I felt a strong connection with any of the characters, it is obvious how much effort went into developing each individual character’s identity and motivations to make them feel realistic and relatable; the only perspective that felt a little purposeless was the sheriff’s. The chapter numbering and changing perspectives were a bit confusing with a digital copy, but I suspect it would be easier to follow on a physical copy where you can flip back and forth.

Not a terrifying read, but definitely a brutal and unsettling one where the mythology and the unforgiving desert shine. Would definitely recommend!

"We are Essences. We are stories, Julian. Of the wind, and death, and water, and soil. We persist as long as we are told."

I was immediately hooked by this family saga that incorporates pre-Hispanic folklore and mythology. Silvia Moreno Garcia's Gods of Jade and Shadow is one of my all-time favourite novels, and this darker take on gods and humanity didn't disappoint.

Mexica/Aztec deities take shape alongside a cast of flawed, deeply human characters, each with their own complex relationships with their Mexican-American identities. By unfurling the mysteries that plague San Ojuela and the Remolina family, this novel explores concepts around assimilation, respectability politics, language loss, and cultural erasure in an engaging, yet unsettling way.

Beneath the maelstrom of gods and supernatural forces lies the legacy of conquest, centuries ago and present-day. The conquest of the Americas is positioned in stark parallel to ongoing immigration debates and migrant issues – where brown bodies are treated as disposable. The complexities of this town have woven themselves into the lives, the very bodies, of those who inhabit it – eventually, tearing them apart in gruesome and spectacular fashion.

Overall, an incredibly compelling read with themes that will resonate for many children of immigrants. I loved the mythological and folkloric tie-ins, and the cosmic horror element of gods, humans, and Faustian bargains really worked for me. Definitely recommend this for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Isabel Cañas.

I love Latin American fiction, especially horror, but this story fell flat and fast. I didn't find myself enjoying the story and just had to give up.

It’s always good to read something you normally wouldn’t, I believe, and it’s always nice getting new perspectives and voices through literature. This, however, wasn’t for me – but I’m happy I tried and cannot fault the author what so ever.

A brilliant blend of horror, fantasy, and Mexican folklore. Some truly horrifying imagery and a plot that keeps you nailed to your seat reading. I loved this book.

After her aunt’s death, Liz returns to the desert town of San Ojuela, site of a childhood trauma. Liz has to reckon with her past and family secrets in order to dispel the darkness in this town. This reminded me a little bit of The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas mixed with The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias.

This felt like a case of everything but the kitchen sink. There were so many POVs and horror elements/tropes that it felt a bit unfocused and bogged down. I wanted to like this more than I did. 2.75

Oh this book… I think it’s a 2.5 stars, I am torn so I’ll just round up to a 3 for a good effort.. alright let’s get into it. I loved the synopsis for this one and paired with the fact that it gripped me in right away, I had SUCH high hopes , I really did. Unfortunately it just did not live up to what I had hoped and it took a really long time for me to get through. And I’m so sad about it.

I have found that I absolutely LOVE Latin American folklore, so again you can see why I was drawn to this book. I won’t say much as I don’t want to spoil it- it totally did have those aspects mixed in, but again I find the human element ruined it for me. That seems to keep happening. But I found some of the characters to just be tedious (there was a lot of characters!) and I truly didn’t care, which made it hard to get through as I kept losing interest. It took me 10 days to finish, which is abnormal for me. I typically read a book in 2-3 days. Each time I went back to the book I kind of sighed… like oh here we are again with this character I just don’t care about.

I think if all the extras were taken out and it just focused on the main character and maybe one or two side characters just trying to battle evil, it would have been better. Too much was going on.

Also the use of “You” in one of the main sections really took me out… “You walked to bla bla bla”… I don’t envision myself being a character? it’s like watching a movie in my head when I read… I’m not in there…. so I would have preferred the character being referred by their name or pronoun. I’m not sure what that was about.

I have to give a huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one, I wanted to love it and I’m sorry I didn’t!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lanternfish for the arc. I’ve been having a string of disappointing reads lately, and unfortunately this book only added to it.

My most glaring complaint: nothing in this book serves a purpose. The tense changes, the POVs, the “romances.” I just sat there screaming “WHAT IS THE POINT” on multiple occasions; nothing felt necessary. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should. It feels forced, and at worst it felt like a sloppy attempt at recreating a Simon Jimenez book, except in Jimenez’s books his literary choices actually have meaning and a purpose. As a result, this book often seemed incomprehensible. No payoff was satisfying, including the ending. I had no connection to this book or its characters at all. It just all fell flat, and like a block of text that had no idea what it wanted to be.

The author also made choices that harmed my impression of the characters and their characterization. We simply don’t need the Sheriff’s POV. I would have preferred the police as a looming presence. I do see it as an attempt to educate and humanize, which would have worked if the author went about it a different way instead of forcing us inside this random man’s head. Maybe one of the mcs could have had a family member in the police, maybe Samuel is a retired cop, or maybe some mcs had some type relationship with one. It does not help the story having a POV from this rando. Julian’s POV does not help the story either. It would have benefitted the story more to keep Julian as a mysterious and ominous presence instead of immediately clearing the veil. Samuel’s POV would have served much more of a purpose imo. And again, the tense changes add absolutely nothing. As such, I don’t give a shit about any of these characters at all.


Also, the entire plot and premise of this book was different from what I expected from the synopsis. Going into this I was excited to read what I thought was a Latino/Mexican weird and possibly eldritch western. It instead focused on Brujeria and one leathery old fuck who I didn’t care about at all. I would have much preferred the fantasy weird western, with a razzle dazzle of Brujeria, but definitely not what we were served here.

To sum it all up: bruh