this was so atmospheric and impossible to put down. silvia moreno-garcia knows how to do historical fiction and i couldn't have been more excited for her to finally set a novel in the 90s! it's eerie, i was invested and a bit unnerving at times (so of course i couldn't put this down!)

I wish I had not started this. I like this author but I dont like horror. It was disturbing to me but it probably would not be a problem for horror readers. I only finished it because I was interested to see who the villain was, which ended up not being a surprise. If you like horror, dont let this review keep you from trying it. And if you dont like horror, don't let this review from trying one of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other books. I received an ARC of this work from Netgalley for my honest review.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a great eerie and witchy fiction that I eagerly had to follow along.

I have enjoyed several novels written by Ms. Moreno-Garcia (especially Mexican Gothic!!!), so I was super excited to read her new novel.

I really enjoyed the three timelines that were woven together to create a story that crossed into several genres…almost an HF feel…with mystery, fantasy, and horror aspects blended throughout.

It was addicting, interesting, intriguing, and kept my interest until the climactic end. I definitely enjoyed.

5/5 stars

Thank you NG and Del Rey for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 7/15/25.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. With its atmospheric academia setting and a story spanning three timelines and POVs, The Bewitching delivers a supernatural tale with ghosts, magic, and witches. Moreno-Garcia explores how the influence of witches spans decades and cultures. I liked how she tied it in with an eerie mystery with the introduction of missing people both past and present and I appreciated the LGBT character representation. While the buildup was slow at times, and some twists felt predictable, the book remains a solid spellbinding story.

I've been a huge fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia for awhile, with Mexican Gothic and Silver Nitrate being some of my favorites. When I saw that her new novel, The Bewitching was about a horror writer, I was instantly captivated. I loved all three timelines, which can be a hard feat! The characters were great and the writing, as always, was on point. This will be another Moreno-Garcia I recommend to all my friends!

It's always frustrating to see the author whose work you really liked to begin with go awry. Yet, it seems like an apt way to describe Moreno=Garcia's trajectory, given her recent track record.
She started off so strong fresh out of the gate and then began to veer into romance and fantasy and all that popular garbage out there.

With this book, it seems that she has tried to go back to something like Mexican Gothic but failed somewhere along the way. Between the writing so flat and twee that it makes me question if her earlier work was actually good or if I was a less demanding reader then, the uneven weaving of three timelines (where it should have likely been two), and the truly cringe romance aspects, including a potent current of incest (sexy uncle), this was a very long 368 pages.

Moreno-Garcia has been plying the same formula steadily for years now - female protagonists and Mexican angle. A rather extreme case of "write what you know" that has worked well, but it makes you question whether the author wants to or even can do anything else? One may also question how much of this recent underwhelming work has been pandering to the market inexplicably and tragically gung-ho for romance and fantasy and the abominable portmanteau of both.
Either way, the result leaves much to be desired. This book is readable. She can do that much well enough by now. I enjoyed how dark her take on witches is and the few nice surprises toward the end, so I'll rate it generously. Tis the season and all. But I am disappointed. Thanks Netgalley.

I've read a few books by Silvia and really enjoyed them. So when I saw an ARC appear on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to read it. This was a really interesting story, themes of witchcraft and interconnected characters overlapping 3 time periods. The story built slowly but the last third was captivating. There was a real sense of place in the book. I especially liked the mixture of characters and how they related to the places they were in. I definitely want to read more books by this author.

SMG is quite the author! I read and fully enjoy every singe new release of hers, and Teh Bewitching is no different. This book eas inspired by the folktale her great-grandmother was telling back in Mexico while growing up. There are three timeliness that eventually intertwine. Each timeline follows a young woman who experiences strange occurences. SMG teaches us what it is to be bewitched and how one can survive this mortal witchcraft. I lived every minute of it! The eeriness, the complexity of the storyline, the realness of such far-fetched stories, the s3nse of dread that one needs to fight a power they don't see and most definitely don't understand was simply fantastic. SMG is a genius!

I feel so lucky to have gotten my hands on this ARC! This is a story of a graduate student working on a thesis regarding some unusual events that occurred throughout the 1900s. The point of view bounces between Minerva, Alba, and Beatrice, and the experiences that tie them together. There are elements of witchcraft and superstition that kept me hooked from beginning to end. This is an ode to women in horror & folklore. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has done it again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for granting my wish to preview The Bewitching, the latest by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I've enjoyed the few books of hers I've read in the past, and this one sounded right up my alley. I will almost always read a female-centered witch fantasy, especially when it incorporates folk magic elements from cultures other than mine.

I immediately loved all the women that narrate this story across the three timelines. The characters were well developed and distinct. My only issue with the book was that the main characters made some decisions that baffled me at points, which is an issue I usually have with Moreno-Garcia's work. And like with Silver Nitrate, I was having too much fun with the story for that to bother me. I loved how the story intertwined Alba's Mexican folk magic with the Salem-style witches in the New England portions of the story.

Once again, Moreno-Garcia didn't disappoint with this one. I'll continue to seek out her writing and recommend her to other horror/thriller/suspense genre fans.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia weaves together three timelines of witchcraft and dark academia, following grad student Minerva as she investigates an obscure horror writer whose famous novel was inspired by her roommate’s mysterious 1930s disappearance. As someone who loves academic mysteries and deep dives into forgotten authors, I was hooked by the premise alone. While the ’90s setting initially charmed me with its familiar touchstones (Minerva’s Discman loaded with The Pixies, The Sneaker Pimps, and about twenty other familiar things, along with references to things like the Molly Tanzer Library and a philosopher named Stephen Graham Jones), the constant cultural name-dropping eventually felt like too much of a good thing. Moreno-Garcia deftly handles the multiple narratives and ties everything together neatly, though seasoned mystery readers might spot the twists coming. As Ruthie Langmore says, “I don’t know shit about fuck,” and even I was able to see who’s who and what’s what and where things were going. Still, this atmospheric tale of dangerous magic and buried secrets kept me engrossed to the last page and was a way better end to the year!

Overall, I loved it—this might even be my favorite book of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's now?—and suspect that fans of Mexican Gothic and/or The Daughter of Doctor Moreau will as well. The vibes were also very reminiscent of Isabel Cañas’ The Hacienda and Vampires of El Norte. Lovers of dark academia and witchcraft will certainly be into this. I loved the triple timeline going on. I enjoy both historical and contemporary settings, so this felt like I got the best of both worlds. I love how versatile SMG’s writing style is—there aren’t that many contemporary authors that I know of who can so effortlessly slip into several time periods at once! Her writing is so atmospheric (I always feel like I’ve visited Mexico after reading one of her books!) and really transports you to each of the different settings. This book kept me gripped the entire time.

I’d forgotten how lush the descriptive language in a Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel is. I may not be able to travel abroad at this moment but her novels will always transport you somewhere. I savoured the ending of this book and as I sit here with a pint, at a tiny regional pub, I’m glad I did. I’m satisfied. It’s a great horror novel.

There are 3 different time periods which all make the other storyline’s richer. I couldn’t devour this in one sitting and read it in bursts. I loved the strong female characters, Mexican witchcraft woven with country lore and superstitions and the dark academia setting.

No doubt this will haunt me like ‘Mexican Gothic’ did. Thank you for the ARC NetGalley and for the reminder that I need to read more by this author.

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and this book was no exception! Witches, supernatural horror, multiple timelines, and the characters were absolutely amazing! This book is atmospheric and phenomenal! I will say that Alba was a fierce FMC, and I could not put this book down. If you like witches, the supernatural, curses, and grudges, this is absolutely the book for you!

Three women in three different times tell a story of witches, witchcraft, and danger.


Minerva is studying in New England. Very different from Mexico. Minerva has always wanted to be a writer and is obsessed with the writing of Beatrice Tremblay, who wrote some very odd stories.


Lately she just hasn’t got the oomph to do any writing at all.


As she digs more into the author’s time at the same school Minerva is now at,she find disturbing evidence of an obsession with one girl. A girl who went missing. The things that she is saying match everything her grandmother has told her of the shadow thing that affected her life.


And now, something is at Minerva. Is it a witch? It sure feels real!


I love this author’s Mexican Gothic. What a story!




NetGalley/ RHPG Del Rey July 15, 2025

I'm a huge fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Mexican Gothic has always been my favourite of her books. So, I was thrilled to dive into another historical horror/suspense novel from her—and The Bewitching did not disappoint! I loved how she deftly wove together the three timelines (1900, 1934, and 1990) and found the folklore of Mexican witches absolutely fascinating—so different from how we think of witches today. The Bewitching doesn't come out until July 15, 2025 but it was one of my favourite books of 2024.

Minerva is an international student, researching obscure horror novelist Beatrice Tremblay–or trying to. Most of the author’s papers are held not by a university but by private parties who won’t give her the time of day. At least, not until a chance encounter with the heir of one of those parties gives her the in she’s been looking for. But as Minerva’s research unfolds it reveals startling parallels between the stories her great-grandmother told her when she was growing up. And, perhaps more troublingly, the odd happenings she’s experiencing now.

The Bewitching reminded me a little bit of A.S. Byatt’s possession if it had been populated by witches and the supernatural. Juxtaposing the oral tradition with the archival record and intertwining them with lived, in-the-moment experience was such a smart and compelling choice on the author’s part. The novel’s layered, interwoven stories are anchored in a stunningly rendered 1990’s New England college setting that creates a gorgeously gothic horror story with a compelling and poignant intergenerational plot.

This did feel like three short stories attempting to be woven into a connected narrative, in the sense that another draft was needed. The 1990s timeline winds up feeling more like a retread of the 1900s and 1930s timeline than adding anything to the narrative.

Prepare to be utterly spellbound by Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Bewitching, a hauntingly atmospheric tale that masterfully intertwines three timelines to tell the stories of three women whose lives are connected across generations and continents.

In 1998, Minerva Contreras is a Mexican graduate student studying at a small college in New England. Her thesis is at a standstill as she is set on researching a relatively unknown writer named Beatrice Tremblay. Tremblay was a horror writer from the 1930s. and her most popular work was inspired by a real-life disappearance. But as Minerva digs deeper into Beatrice’s past, she begins to feel a sinister presence watching her. Minerva is haunted not only by her research but also by the stories her great-grandmother Alba used to tell her.

Flashing back to 1908, we meet Minerva's Great Grandmother Alba as a teenager in rural Mexico. When her brother Tadeo mysteriously vanishes, rumors of witchcraft are murmured through her village. Alba seeks out the help of the locals involved in the secret craft and chooses the wrong people for help.

Finally, in 1934, the writer Beatrice Trembley, is still just a college student who begins to document her feelings for her roommate Virginia. When Virginia disappears, Beatrice's work gains cult-like status, but the truth behind the disappearance remains a mystery—until Minerva begins piecing together what really happened.

Moreno-Garcia’s narrative seamlessly shifts between these timelines, drawing readers into an intricate web of secrets and horrors. As Minerva uncovers connections between Alba’s family, Beatrice’s work, and the eerie goings-on at her college, the tension mounts. The three women’s stories converge in a climax.

What sets The Bewitching apart is the depth and nuance Moreno-Garcia brings to her characters. The author’s signature blend of gothic suspense, Mexican folklore, and elegant prose shines through, making this her most captivating novel since Mexican Gothic.
Prepare for a dark, immersive journey into the supernatural, where every revelation deepens the mystery and every shadow holds a story.
5 stars! A mesmerizing and chilling read that lingers long after the final page.

#SilviaMorenoGarcia #TheBewitching #RandomHouse #DelRay

This isn't my normal kind of read but I liked it. This was something I couldn't put down. Wow. Thank you so much Netgalley., This book will go on my shelf.