Thank you, Zando Young Readers and NetGalley, for the chance to read this book in exchange of an honest review.

When her stepfather is arrested, Ceci and her mother move back to her mother's hometown of Santa Aguas, a small town steeped in the legend of La Cegua, a vengeful female spirit with a horse skull who appears on lonely roads to lure evil men to their deaths, a witch. Having taken up residence in the abandoned manor of the Sevilla family, rumored to have been cursed by the spirit, Ceci starts to uncover slowly her mother's past and to discover a connection with the feared La Cegua, who, according to Ceci, is been inspiring her painting of a door in the forest. When she decided to investigate with her new friend, Jamie, Ceci discovers a well for granting wishes, guarded by a veiled statue of a woman. The well of this spirit. What began as an harmless fun, quickly becomes something more sinister when Ceci sees that the wishes have been putting the people she loves in danger and now more people are looking for the same well. She will have to confront the truth about her mother's past and avoid that the wishes are used for the wrong reasons, fearing La Cegua's vengeance against those who wronged her.

These vengeful wishes is a brilliant, intriguing and compelling story about power, vengeance and revenge and I loved every single page. Not only Ceci is a wonderful, complex and well rounded main character, but I loved her search for her mother's past, her investigation, her relationship with La Cegua and the importance of the cost of the wishes.
It's a beautiful and haunting story and the setting is eerie and creepy and I truly loved the legend of La Cegua and her tale. I totally recommend this book to everyone!

These Vengeful Wishes was such a great read! Eerie vibes, a bit haunting, a lot relatable, a dash of achy, and a little bit of sweet to round it off! So many lines from this book really reflected my own experiences! And I loveeeee when women she their power and demand what is theirs! So, this one was a great read!

I found it very interesting that this book started off with a Nicaraguan myth of La Cegua. There's haunting, peculiar paintings, a small town with strange occurrences, and a wishing well. Suffice it to say this book has a lot of feminine rage with an entity in a horse skull for a face. Never has it been clearer to be careful what you wish for, because you might get exactly what you wish for.

A legendary witch spirit with a creepy appearance, a horrifying appearance and reputation and the ability and will to punish those who are unworthy? Sounds like a great story to me, and it is! Ceci and her mother return to her mothers home town shortly after the arrest of her stepfather and La Celia has been waiting for Ceci, it would seem, because a door like one the in her paintings appears shortly after her discovering the haunted wishing well where the spirit resides. Not exactly AS terrifying as it could have been, more a melancholy and deeply heartfelt read with supernatural elements but still an interesting premise with great storytelling.

I'm so conflicted about this story... The idea of the book was amazing — I couldn't wait to start it and get properly spooked. However, there was nothing spooky about this book, only a few moments leaning towards the paranormal.
What we got instead was a lot of teenage angst, snowflake behavior, a privileged kid being obnoxious, and so on.
I couldn't stand our main character for the majority of the book — to the point where I had to put it aside and take a week's break before picking it up again and trying to continue with the story.
The first part of the book was like watching paint dry — nothing happened except the constant whining of the main character.
The second part picked up the pace a little bit, and that alone helped me not DNF* this book entirely.

Unfortunately, I'm not a fan of the book, but I can see potential.

Thank you netgalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

A Nicaraguan myth-inspired story with an interesting dynamic between Cici's interpersonal relationships, her mother, and her traditions. A suspenseful read paired with languid writing

If you like a dark read with family secrets and where every wish has a price, then this is right up your alley.

When a teen girl’s stepfather was arrested, Ceci moves back to her mother’s hometown, there she discover a wishing well possessed by a female spirit. All she wanted was to make her wish come true but the wishes were bringing loved one’s lives at stake and the well was surrounded by secrets, mystery and dangers. It was all connected to her mother’s past. I loved the setting and author’s writing. The book gave me dark and eerie vibe. I loved every bit of it. The characters were so interesting

Thanks to the Publisher

4.5/5

This was one of my more anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint! I loved this start to finish. The found family and the connections made really tugged at my heart. The suspense and family secrets were great and kept me on the edge of my seat. The character development was also phenomenal. Thank you so much for my arc!!

These Vengeful Wishes by Vanessa Montalban is charged with revenge and mystery. In a town hiding a place where wishes come true at a steep price, Ceci navigates her mother's newest divorce newly arrived at her mother's hometown. Yet when she arrives questions surge as a local legend seems to have its origins in the house she has moved into. Could her mother's unknown past be the key that unravels it all? I loved These Vengeful Wishes, and the character of La Cegua, this story truly brings Montalban's Latin American roots in the page and demands glory.

Every single time I hear of feminine rage, I feel like a lot of authors will use that term and I don't actually see it in the characters, but following our main character, you could feel the darkness of this story and the atmospherical feeling of being in the world which I appreciate, but in the end, a revenge story is always interesting to see unfold and I liked reading this one! I may revisit it in the future!

Vanessa Montalban’s These Vengeful Wishes is a richly atmospheric YA novel that intertwines Nicaraguan folklore, family secrets, and the perilous allure of wish fulfillment. Set in the eerie town of Santa Aguas, the story follows aspiring artist Ceci as she uncovers a haunting legacy tied to the vengeful spirit La Cegua and a mysterious wishing well. While some plot elements may feel familiar, the novel's compelling characters and evocative prose make it a captivating read for fans of gothic tales and dark fantasy.

This was wonderful! I loved the writing style, the characters, the world-building…everything about it was top-notch. I will definitely be recommending this book!

This novel had such a cool concept — I loved the dark, eerie vibe and the idea of "be careful what you wish for." The story created a wonderfully creepy atmosphere that pulled me in at the start.

Unfortunately, the execution didn’t quite live up to the framework for me. The pacing was very slow for most of the book, and while I don’t mind a slower burn, the sudden rush of action crammed into the last few chapters made the ending feel overwhelming and a little confusing. It felt like everything important happened at once, without enough buildup, and I struggled to fully absorb or appreciate it.

The ending was by far the most exciting part of the book, but it came too late and too fast. If the story had allowed the final events to unfold more gradually, I think it would have left a stronger impact. As it is, I ended up feeling a bit underwhelmed.

Still, I think readers who enjoy a slow-burn, atmospheric read will appreciate the mood and setting. While this one wasn’t a favorite for me, I can see others being surprised by the twist and loving the overall tone.

Some doors should never be opened… but what if they’re calling your name? 👀✨⁣
With curses, vengeful spirits, and a wish-granting well that demands a price, this book had me hooked!

This had a super cool premise but fell flat in the execution for me. I like the idea of a family curse, a vengeful ghost, a mysterious cavern and the overall vibe of be careful what you wish for. BUT the book had a very slow pacing, which is not a deal breaker on its own, but add in the fact the last 2 chapters of the book were a whirlwind of action to wrap everything up, I feel like I got whiplash. The ending was 100% the most exciting part of the story, but had too much crammed into it in just a few pages I am not sure I understood all that happened. If the ending could have been drawn out or happened more over time then I may have felt differently about the book, but as it is now I feel underwhelmed by it. I am sure others will love the overall creepy vibe of the story and may be surprised by the end reveal (which the entire book pointed towards) but it was not my favorite.

I wanted to love this but it felt like a 'thriller by numbers' with a lack of character development and depth. Though it's a young adult title, it felt very limited and lacking in ways that other young adult titles aren't.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Young Readers for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Initially I was drawn in by the beautiful cover of These Venegful Wishes but this book isn't just a pretty face, with a fast moving plot linez complex characters and a vivid world I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes fantasy, it was an easy and fun read.

Struggled to stay interested, and eventually found myself skimming entire chapters just to find out what finally happens. Interesting plot, but the writing and character development just weren't there to back it up.

***Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book to review.***

A little late with the review but I come with a lot of love for this book.

The cover was the thing that drew me into requesting 'These Vengeful Wishes' but right from the start, this book captured readers with an atmosphere of melancholy, longing, and anxiety.

Following Ceci as she returns to the town from her mother's childhood and to a manor haunted by a curse.
A mysterious curse surrounds the original families' deaths, and on the way to discovering the truth, she'll find out the cost of wishing.

I will say that this was very fast paced and while I could see more information or setup adding to the book, it still really hooked me, so my comment is only for what i think some might say.