Moreno Garcia does it again - another fantastic gothic tale mixed with magic and fun worldbuilding that increased excitement the further along you go and the ending was so good. It wrapped up everything perfectly with a twist.

DNF @ 19%

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

I found myself struggling to get into the story and I found the pacing to be quite slow. One of the POVs (Minerva) was not engaging at all and her chapters were a drag. I think starting the story off with her chapters started this off on the wrong foot, at least for me.

This was soooo good. I' mexican and I love gothic horror, this wasn't exactly scary, but definitely dark and so atmospheric. The setting was what I was most excited about (specially after reading Mexican Gothic, which is set in my favorite part of Mexico close to my family's hometown) and it did not disappoint. The author's references to other writers and novels is so well done, that was another thing I enjoyed about the previous book I read by her, and she had excellent social commentary as well. It has everything: witches, multigenerational povs, academia, folklore... I only wish I had read this during autumn, but I will probably get back to it during that time of the year again. Amazing.

Another great addition to Silvia Moreno-Garcia's already impressive oeuvre. I love how <The Bewitching> (and really all of Silvia's books) blend paranormal and historical elements, it always reminds me of reading classics such as The Haunting of Hill House. I was particularly drawn to Alba's story/timeline, as I think she was a unique blend of strong-willed and ambitious female character while also being allowed to make mistakes.

Compared to Moreno-Garcia's other works, I still think Mexican Gothic is my favorite, but this is a solid 4.5 star read. I highly recommend to anyone who, like me, enjoys this kind of "dark academia" setting with just a hint of the paranormal.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia was such a atmospheric and gripping read. I've become such a fan of Moreno-Garcia's writing and The Bewitching delivered as much as her previous works. I love a witchy tale and this story grabbed me right from the start. I liked the three different storylines that took place in three different times. The pacing worked really well for this story and at certain points of the story, I felt unnerved. It was great! The writing was done so well and enjoyed my time reading it. I cannot wait to see what else Silva Moreno-Garcia comes up with and will continue to read everything she writes!

Moody, lush, and delightfully eerie. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is always a master of atmosphere, and this was no different. Magical realism at its finest with a slow unravelling of secrets that felt almost hypnotic. Would recommend if you liked Mexican Gothic.

"The Bewitching" is a captivating blend of horror and historical fiction that interlaces three timelines—1998 and 1934 in Massachusetts, alongside early 1900s Mexico—into an enthralling multigenerational saga. This intricate narrative promises keep you reading through the night with its eerie charm. Blending witches, a feeling of dark academia, and unraveling a generations old mystery. Couldn't put this book down.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.

I love Silvia Moreno Garcia's writing. Her books have similar themes, gothic historical setting which gives a musky and claustrophobic feel to the whole book. Whether I overall like the book or not, I can't help but admire her writing. There are people who are born to be writers and Silvia Moreno Garcia is definitely one of them.

That's why whenever I see her books, new release or an old copy , I always grab the opportunity or the book to read it. And I'm mostly able to devour them in few sittings which is a huge thing given I'm a toddler mom. This story is set in three different periods but they are interconnected. Of course you can make sense of two stories early in the book but third was revealed later.

The storyline was intriguing. I had kind of figured it out who might be the responsible person for the deaths (cons of being a mystery/detective works reader) but the reveal was powerful yet and it really got me. Overall the book is well written but I would have liked more spooky incidents and if story had been a bit shorter.

Although characters were good, personally I felt they were not fully fleshed out which kept me away from actually feeling anything for them. Even though I was totally invested in the story, there were moments when I was drifting away while reading which doesn't happen when I'm enjoying the prose. I was just blanking out in between which is strange and totally new for me.

So in parts, I liked the story, it kept me interested throughout but yet a part of me wanted to quit reading coz the pace was alternately getting slow and fast. Overall I will recommend reading it if you are into gothic horror.

Star rating : 3.5 stars

Thank you Del Rey books and NetGalley for an early ebook for an honest review and opinion!
Okay "The Bewitching" is amazing. Period.
This is a story within a story within a story. We follow Minerva, a student researching for her theasis on an horro writter not gratly known. Within this story there are two other timelines and stories that all blend together.
Silvia Moreno Gracía's writing is so beautiful, loved the way she interconects different witches and folk's stories from Mexico and New England, and how she waves the differences between generations, but looking at the past with love and without leaving behind our roots.

4.5 stars. I’ve heard of Mexican Gothic before, but everything Silvia Moreno-Garcia has ever written is now instantly on my tbr list. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read the book early in exchange for an honest review.

This is a multigenerational horror tale, inspired by Mexican folklore, in which stories of three women facing dangerous witchcraft in different time periods intertwine. I was rooting for all three characters as they faced similar malevolent forces. All their stories captivated me, and I don’t think I have a favorite POV.

1908: Alba is a farmer’s daughter who is discovering the disturbing secrets around her brother’s death.
1934: Beatrice is a college student and a future horror writer whose most well known novel was inspired by the unexplained disappearance of her enchanting best friend.
1998: Minerva brings the timelines together. She is Alba’s granddaughter and is also writing a thesis about Beatrice’s work at the same college she went to.

The author’s writing really stood out. She paints such incredibly vivid pictures. The atmosphere is dark and creepy, and I love how quickly she’s able to completely shift the mood with a single bone-chilling detail. I like that the evil forces are kept a mystery for most of the book because I think the horror elements are stronger when you’re still guessing what’s going on. I suspected who the villain would be about halfway through, but there were still enough mysteries to uncover, and there was still one plot twist that made me gasp in delight and that I didn’t predict.

The only negative I have is that I wish it came with some kind of a trigger warning (and maybe it will when it’s published) because, not gonna lie, some of the content was genuinely distressing to me. However, I’m not even sure how to word the warning because I wouldn’t have even picked the book up if I knew about this plot beforehand and would have been worse off for it. You decide if a character from the 1900s having a forbidden love affair with their uncle is too much for you. There’s also some quite explicit animal cruelty.

This is my second book written by Moreno-Garcia and I love the sense of atmosphere that they manage to capture. The book was slower paced that I expected, but I enjoyed following the different characters and finding out how the timelines converged. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this book to other readers.

Love Silvia Moreno-Garcia, one of my favourite authors of all time. I also love books about witches so I was well placed to enjoy this book. It did not disappoint. I read an e-ARC of The Bewitching on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.

We follow three women across three different timeframes, learning their connections across the years and the horrors they collectively face. This book explores witchcraft and supernatural powers along with superstitions. We see the similarities regardless of time and geography and also the regional differences. How the perceptions of these powers can be shaped by the place and culture and people. Something I found to be exceptionally well done in this book is how the place informed so much of the stories being told there. The local folklore in Mexico, the legacy of the horror authors in the parts in Massachusetts. It added such depth and the impacts on the characters felt palpable.

We have three women in this book sharing curiosity, inquisitiveness, a sensitivity for the supernatural and an ability to question, to challenge, to see through what’s being presented to them in a way others brush off. Though they exist decades apart, with different backgrounds and in different places, they share qualities that leave them uniquely placed to investigate and stand up to the malicious efforts of others.

I loved the affection shown for earlier horror authors here. With the author paying homage to the influence of these authors whilst showing their impact on the characters themselves.

We have a skilful weaving together of the three narratives, paced well so that all three stories feel of equal importance and cleverly tied together for a satisfying finale.

I will read anything this author writes but I am particularly excited to have a witchy horror novel from her!

This, I would like to see on screen. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favourite horror authors of present day. She’s incredible, and I love how atmospheric and spooky her books tend to be. If anything, I can’t wait to read this again in October, as though I’m reading it for the first time again, discovering the creepiness once again. When you think horror, you think witches, you think curses as old as time, you think settings that could make you jump out of your own skin. This has it all. My favourite aspect of the story was that you follow three different timelines. It was a little different and a little unique, as most horror I have read usually focuses on one timeline, and if we go back in time to a historical tragedy, then two. It was nice to see three timelines at three different points. Our main characters Beatrice, Alba and Minerva are all connected in some form of another and each have their own stories to tell, while their own stories are interwoven with one another, which I found fascinating. I felt like I was exhilarating reading this book. Garcia did a wonderful job and showed her talent through her writing and characters. Perhaps another reason why I believe she’s a master storyteller within the genre. 5 stars!

This was my first Sylvia Moreno Garcia novel and it was a blast to read! Her writing style is very easy to read, with just the right amount of description without being too dense or taking away from the speed of the plot. The beginning of the story is medium-paced but the end is quite fast-paced with a lot happening, making it difficult to put down! There are three timelines that you get to follow, which I always thoroughly enjoy in a story because it adds a layer of mystery as you try to figure out how the stories are connected. You follow the story of Alba in 1908 as her family grieves the loss of her father and tries to overcome mysterious tragedies occurring at their farm. You also follow the story of Alba’s granddaughter, Minerva, in 1998 as she works her way through her thesis as a foreign student at a New England college and stumbles upon the story of the chilling disappearance of Ginny Somerset, the third timeline set in 1934. Each timeline has an antagonist you won’t suspect and a very intriguing sense of folklore/tradition that is passed down through family or village lore. It’s a very unique and engaging story, with an ending that aligns perfectly across each timeline.

I’ve read nearly all her books ever since I picked up Gods of Jade and Shadow. It’s either hit or miss with me when she writes depending on the genre she leans more towards. But when she gets it right, she knocks it out of the park with this book! Gothic horror with a mixture of fantasy and a dash of suspense/thriller - reading 3 different timelines lead to a sense of dread and feeling and heading towards a satisfying reveal.

I love me a story that takes place over multiple generations. In this case, we saw narrators from 1908, 1934, and 1998, all of whom are women dealing with events that seem suspiciously witchy. In 1908, Alba's brother disappears from their home in Mexico, and all of a sudden she's finding dead animals, weird green light, and very unsettling noises. In 1934, Beatrice Tremblay is in university, and her beloved roommate seems to be dealing with odd things happening to her until she suddenly vanishes one night. In 1998, Minerva, Alba's great-granddaughter, is a student at Tremblay's university, writing her master's thesis on Tremblay's novel, which was inspired by the events Tremblay experienced as a student. She also starts to feel like she's being followed, watched, and illuminated by strange green light.

I thought this story was very spooky, and I loved learning about some of the witchcraft traditions in Mexico. I loved having a good chunk of the story happen at a spooky old college in Massachusetts, too! The characters were interesting, and I kept wanting to go back to my Kindle to keep reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my thoughts.

Sylvia Moreno-Garcias books do not disappoint. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

This books weaves magic and witches into what is. Great story with strong characters and a plot that is unique.

Spanning three timelines we see witches, curses and the paranormal in a genre bending novel with intrigue and suspense.

At this point it’s hard for me to write an impartial, book-specific review of any of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books because she’s an auto-read for me. I enjoy all of her stuff and this is no exception. It had the same level of magic that I enjoyed about other favorites of hers. I will continue to be endlessly impressed with her ability to write with such a similar style while creating wholly separate characters and worlds for her stories to exist.

A very well written gothic horror set in three timelines about three different set of women. Minerva, writing her thesis on Beatrice Tremblay’s life ends up discovering more than she signed up for. She manages to overcome her obstacles thanks to her nana Alba’s “stories” which weren’t just random tales but her lived experiences.

All three timelines were a delight to read about, especially Beatrice and Ginny’s story. The book really brought in the horror aspect by setting the eerie atmosphere perfectly. At some point even I feared I was being watched. So safe to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. That being said, I also believe the plot twists were quite predictable and easy to guess what direction the book was going in.

In some parts especially the first half it felt like my flow of reading kept getting interrupted due to the constant change of timeline too soon, since there was a change every next chapter. However this also kept me reading because I constantly wanted to know what happens next.
So all over a really good read with a super satisfying ending where everyone gets what they deserve! SMG has a new fan<33

SMG never misses and this book is no exception! Moreno-Garcia masterfully blends three different timelines of women facing their own struggles into a seamless tale of being hunted and haunted by witches and how terrible they can be. One of my fave books of the year for sure.