I absolutely love this story! The way Silvia weaves the three timelines is perfection. Her stories are always so eloquent and this is no exception.
I loved following each separate timeline. I felt the two past ones and the one in 1998 wove together beautifully to give me a very detailed powerful story.

I went into this book knowing it was horror, multiple timelines, and full of witchy elements- that was it. ((Also, pretty cover distracted me... I'm a sucker for a good cover.)) I'm glad I went into mostly blind because The Bewitching was such a fun storyline to uncover. I usually won't go into witchy books without doing some digging, but this time I was not disappointed.

Without going into spoiler territory, ((You know I would never do that to you.)) let's chat about what worked for me. The three timelines are each compelling in their own right and unique without feeling utterly disconnected. We also get a clear vision of the main characters of each timeline, which isn't always done well with multi-POVs but is excellent in this book. While I did enjoy two of the timelines more than the other, I will say that all weave together nicely and are all important to help bring the story full circle.

While the pacing may not be ideal for everyone, I enjoyed it. If you need everything to charge forward at breakneck speed, sit this one out. Slow burn fans? This is also not for you. The Bewitching is for my "Goldilocks readers"- the ones who want that sweet spot in between.

If you're a fan of witchy lore, occult elements, varied timelines, and supporting women's rights AND wrongs, get this one on your TBR, in your cart, or reserved at your local library/on your favorite app.

((While the viewpoints shared are my own, I want to thank NetGalley, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, & Silvia Moreno-Garcia for this complimentary copy.))

Thank you Del Rey for my gifted copy!

There is nobody quite like Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She creates such a rich atmosphere with her writing. Packed with history and heritage, it’s hard to not feel transported by her words, through time, space and other realms. I think The Bewitching might be my favorite of hers, because it was just incredible.

Another moody 90's novel by the brilliant Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I was excited to see her release a new book, and even more excited when I received the chance to read it ahead of its publication time. This novel is told in 3 different POVs (2 in 3rd person and the 3rd in a limited first person via manuscript). Minerva is working on her thesis -a look into Beatrice (hola tocaya!) Tremblay's written works. However, things are not all they seem as something evil lurks in the corner. One of the points of view is the manuscript of Tremblay herself. The last POV is of Minerva's great grandmother -Alba. All have one thing in common: there's something sinister in their midst and they're unsure of what it is.

Each POV was carefully woven into the next, with the story tying up nicely as a whole in the end (although I would've liked to know more on how things ended with Conrad). This book was paced perfectly in my opinion.

Now look, I'm telling you now that if you don't like taboo topics such as incest, this might not be the one for you. BUT, if you're a fan of suspenseful horror, or a fan of Moreno-Garcia's previous works, then I HIGHLY recommend picking up this bad boy.

Thank you to NetGalley & Del Rey Publishing for allowing me the opportunity of reading this novel before its release.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has been on my TBR for years, so I was absolutely thrilled to get the chance to read this book in advance.

This novel is very atmospheric and I loved the vibes: Gothic, folkloric, and witchy.  The structure worked extremely well for the story Moreno-Garcia was telling, with three different POVs from three different historical timelines. This is slow-burn dark academia horror, with lots of tense little moments and strange events that gradually come together to tell a complete story. It was very cleverly written. I wasn't ever scared, but I did find the atmosphere creepy and well-rendered, and I enjoyed all three timelines.

Ultimately, I'm not sure what to make of this book! I realized pretty early on that I wasn't connecting with the prose. I don't know if that's specific to this book, or if Moreno-Garcia's style just doesn't click for me. It's unusual for me to be put off by objectively good prose, but there was something about it that I was constantly fighting, and as a result I never felt like I could just sink into the story.

The other piece I struggled with was the way the plot unfolded. I found the various reveals extremely obvious, to the point where I kept thinking/hoping there must be more to it. But unfortunately I had everything pegged very early on, which made the second half less interesting to me because it was so predictable. I think this likely wouldn't have been an issue if the prose had hooked me; if the style had worked for me, I think my experience of the whole book would have been quite different.

All of that said, this book has lingered pleasantly in my mind in the week since I finished it, and even though not everything worked for me, I can certainly see how talented Moreno-Garcia is. I'd recommend this to readers who like slow-burn, deeply atmospheric horror novels, as well as to readers who like historical horror and/or dark academia vibes. And I'll definitely be on the lookout for Moreno-Garcia's next novel.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Huge thanks to Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and NetGalley for generously providing an ARC for review!

The Bewitching
3.75 ⭐️

I was really excited to get this latest book after I loved Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This one didn’t quite hit the same, but I’m glad I got a copy on @netgalley!

In three separate timelines, people are being followed and have strange paranormal patterns happening around them. Minerva is at the center of it all, trying to research for her thesis and understand what happened in the past.

While it did all come somewhat together in the end, the ending wasn’t quite as clean as I had hoped and that lowered my rating a bit. I really enjoy Silvia’s writing style though and it reads like beautiful prose, especially in the beginning.

I’ve read other books by Garcia and loved them, I’d hoped to love this one but it just wasn’t for me. Whilst I could see what the writer was trying to do with the mood and atmosphere throughout it just fell quite flat for me. I felt like there was a lot of telling the reader things, rather than trying to immerse us fully in the characters/events so that we could empathise with their feelings. Perhaps it was the multiple timeline factor that caused a disconnect for me as we weren’t able to wholly connect to one MC. The varied plots lines and their unique brands of suspense/mysticism worked, I just didn’t connect as much as I’d have liked.

3.7 Stars
One Liner: Atmospheric, though predictable

1990s
Nana Alba’s stories always talked about the witches. Great-granddaughter Minerva spent her life listening to them. It’s no surprise that Minerva chose to graduate in the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, a horror author not known by many.
When she finds out that the author’s novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story, Minerva is curious. Turns out, Trembley was a student at the same university and became obsessed with her roommate, only to disappear under mysterious circumstances.
Soon, Minerva finds out common elements in Trembley’s life and her Nana Alba’s stories about the 1900s in Mexico. Looks like the same situation is repeating with her. Can Minerva figure out the next step?
The story comes in three timelines (1998-Minerva, 1908-Alba, and 1934-Beatrice). Minerva and Alba’s POVs are in the third person, and Beatrice’s is in the first person.

My Thoughts:
I read only Gods of Jade and Shadow by the author and enjoyed the atmospheric settings in it. This book promises something good, and it does to a good extent. Don’t expect it to be a mystery or a thriller despite the vibes. It is slow-burn atmospheric horror (of sorts).
The book is divided into three timelines with three women narrators. Two of them are proper historical, while Minerva’s track is in 1998. Still, the setting gives a nice ‘oldish’ vibe. I like that Minerva and Alba’s tracks have 13 chapters each, and Beatrice’s (Betty) has 7. This evens out the story and sorts it into neat sections.
The timelines are in alternate chapters with clear headings and numbers. Very easy for readers to follow each track without confusion.
The pacing is quite slow in the first half. It takes a lot of time to establish the setting and the characters. Of course, right away, we know how things are likely to go. I didn’t feel any attempt to hide it or mislead the readers, so I’m guessing it was a deliberate move.
The mention of the actual witches (type of witches, to be specific) comes rather late. Until then, it’s all hints and vibes. Even afterward, there isn’t much info about them. I could have done with a creepy story or two, like the couple of ones we get in the earliest timeline.
The main characters are well-defined and are what they seem. There’s no unwanted romance in Minerva’s timeline, which I appreciate. It doesn’t suit her character arc. Though I’m not sure what to think of the Conrad guy.
The book is informative too, in the sense that I learned a bit about Mexican beliefs as well as life on the university campus as a student-cum-employee.
The ending is just right, filling the gaps as required and retaining the sense of fear and caution. That said, I would have enjoyed this much more if the dangerous elements/ scenes were a bit more. The horror quotient could have been upped by a level or two.

To summarize, The Bewitching is an atmospheric slow burn that can give you chills. While some elements could have been better, the narration flows well and can keep you interested from start to finish.
Thank you, NetGalley and Del Rey(Inklore), for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft, and their stories ultimately tie together.

Minerva, a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature, is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an author of gruesome tales.

While working diligently to complete her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story. Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Beatrice attended the same university where Minerva is now. While studying, she became obsessed with the mysterious disappearance of her otherworldly roommate.

As Minerva dives deep into Beatrice’s manuscript, she begins to get a sense that not everything is as it seems, and the malign force that stalked Beatrice and the missing girl might still be walking the halls of the campus.

Minerva suspects that the same sinister shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her.

Let’s be honest, my opinion may be a bit biased when it comes to The Bewitching, why? Because I love anything to do with witches. I knew immediately that I would enjoy this story, and I did. One of the biggest reasons I love a good witch story is that they typically follow two to three different timelines, and I enjoy the drastic difference between one timeline set in the 1920s and another in the 1950s, and then a more recent timeline. I find it adds more, and I’m that much more interested in the story. Especially, since I find that these types of books have a slower pace, having different timelines holds my attention. Additionally, there’s a significant difference in society, and the challenges faced by everyone. I love it, and that’s precisely what you can expect from The Bewitching.

This was a great story; it was haunting, darker than I expected it to be. It was chilling during some of the past timelines. I couldn’t get some of the imagery out of my head; it was a bit disturbing, which I love. The characters were great. I had more of a connection with the past timeline characters than I did with Minerva’s timeline, but I still enjoyed that timeline, as well. I was just more interested in the past timelines. I was pleased with the ending. The author did a wonderful job of tying the timelines all together. There was some excitement, as well as some shocking moments that I didn’t predict at all, and it was a quick read through at the end; I couldn’t put it down. I do recommend this story. It does have a bit of a slower pace, but if you love witches, different timelines, and a mystery, this is an excellent book for you.

**My thanks to Random House – Del Rey for providing me with an advanced review copy via NetGalley**

5 stars

Instantly absorbing, <i> The Bewitching </i> by Silvia Moreno Garcia is easily one of the best books to come out this year. A syncretic novel of evil living among us and the valiant women who rescue themselves and their families from its clutches, this book made witches into terrible and fascinating villains.

The novel is written in three timelines: that of Minerva, a literature graduate student at an East Coast college in the ‘90s; her great-grandmother Alba, a farmer’s daughter in 1910s Mexico whose brother goes suddenly missing; and a narrative by Beatrice Tremblay, the horror writer Minerva studies, reflecting on the disappearance of her college roommate in the 1930s. All three women start to notice strange signs around them, and take an interest in a disappearance no one else seems to find concerning; luckily for Minerva, she is guided by the stories of the women who came before her, and has a chance of confronting whatever evil haunts her steps.

The writing quality is superb, and hooked me instantly. Each narrative feels so personal to the woman it follows, and I found myself heavily invested in all three of them, never preferring one over another. The cross-cultural connection of Mexican and New England witches was beautifully portrayed as both eerie and natural, and the literary and cultural history of those witches clearly well researched.

The novel is decidedly gothic in tone. While it’ll probably be shelved as a horror novel, it isn’t scary at all, moreso it’s eerie, atmospheric, a little claustrophobic but with a sense of wonder at the fantastic possibilities the narrative opens up.

CW: blood drinking, animal death, incest

I have been so curious about this book! I think I’m one of the only people who *hasnt* read Mexican gothic but regardless the cover for this one pulled me in, plus the description..a multi generational tale of witches with horror components?! Yes please….

For the most part I enjoyed this book.. my favourite aspects was the three timelines connecting the three women (somebody mention witches?) together by an invisible thread. I also liked the horror aspects (obviously) and the creepy undertone to certain events, there was some fantastical and almost sci fi elements dotted throughout which gave the book an extra dimensional layer.

What didn’t work for me was the slow burn build up. When it comes to slow burns i only enjoy it in two settings, 1. In audiobook version at 2x speed so it feels less *slow moving* or 2. A slow burn romance, and this was not either of those for me.

I feel like we could have trimmed a few bits out or thrown in something more dramatic to keep the pacing and forward momentum moving along.

That being said I appreciate the authors attention to detail and giving us an in-depth insight into each of the women’s lives.

Overall this would be a 3⭐️ for me!

Thank you to Random House Publishing group for the gifted copy

Publishes: July 15th

I’ve read many of the author’s books and have always appreciated how many of her books are quite different and unexpected. While I liked aspects of this book, it wasn’t my favorite. I understand why the story focused on three separate timelines and their connection, but I almost wish that there had only been two. I think Minerva didn’t feel as strong as the other protagonists so I was often ready to spend less time with her.

I certainly enjoyed the book, but overall found it long and not as engaging as some of Ms. Moreno-Garcia’s other novels.

This is a thoroughly engaging slow burn about witches and the darkness that surrounds us. The author weaves in POVs from 3 different time periods to create a chilling read.

As per usual, SMG has written a book that just works for me. When I initially read the synopsis and saw it was following three different women in three different time periods, I won’t lie, my guard was up. I’ve been burned by lit fic books in the past that use this narrative technique. Of course, my girl didn’t let me down. Each person we followed had their own intriguing story that connected in ways they couldn’t have known. I loved that two of our POV characters were great-grandmother and great- granddaughter and how their stories began to parallel each other. Sprinkle in the strange tale from the favorite author of one of the POVs and we are set to explore a tale of witchcraft. I ended up liking all of our POVs: Alba in 1908, Betty in 1934, and Minerva in 1998. This is witchcraft and witches in a way we don’t often see in media: cutthroat, grotesque. I really loved this tale and would love to see an adaptation sometime. I think it would be really cool to see.
4.5 stars :)

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's The Bewitching tells a story that moves across time and place between three women: Alba in early 1900s rural Mexico, Beatrice Tremblay in 1930s New England, and Minerva in 1990s Massachusetts, sharing experiences with witchcraft and the supernatural. Gothic horror elements are used in the novel while steering clear of pure literary sensibility. It uses atmospheric style and unique characters to discuss fear, identity, and legacy themes. With its structure taking turns, it accommodates gradation relative to the portrayal of generational trauma and the past's unending hold on reality.

The three heroines are individualized, leaving behind episodes that have common battles and links to witchcraft. Minerva, a graduate student writing her thesis on the horror writings of Beatrice Tremblay, is presented very realistically. Her journey of academia and personal identity is cast under pressures such as cultural displacement and an undeniable sense of danger. Her story details an experience as a woman of color in a predominantly white academic environment, which heightens the urgency with which her inquiries take on meaning. Alba's narrative reveals the traditional limitations imposed in rural areas of Mexico, as it mirrors a woman's yearning for something beyond the boundaries defined by her community. Beatrice, meanwhile, is a pioneer writer affected internally by loss but unable to express her hidden desires. Each viewpoint is handled with care and enough space for their individuality to show through while preserving the emotional thread that ties them together.

It deals with issues that remain relevant: the survival of trauma, ambivalence between cultural identity and power, and often forgotten struggles by women that have been passed down over generations. The entry of Mexican folklore into the picture, showing witches as dangerous and predatory, projects a newer angle that counters more familiar images of witchcraft. This cultural specificity adds to the depth of the narrative for different lenses through which familiar supernatural phenomena are accessed. The academic setting, especially in the timeline of Minerva, highlights the peculiar isolation and hurdles that the few outcasts experience in the institution. Such experiences are depicted, emphasizing the continuous effects that follow both personally and collectively.

Moreno-Garcia's clear, measured writing style maintains a steady tension not by jarring shocks but by a constant sense of something being quite intrinsically unsettling throughout. Each evocation, a rural Mexico, a college campus in the 1930s, and present-day New England, is vividly, consistently unsettling. The temporal switches move smoothly, keeping the momentum going in the tale. While at times one might find the academic research subplot stretched a little, in general the intrigue does not cave under the weight because the fate of women becomes entwined with the fates connected with supernatural forces. The slow revelation of how these women connect to the eerie figure who pursues them gives this tale its emotional stakes.

The Bewitching strikes at the heart, haunting after it is read as it mixes fear and sorrow. It is clear that one thinks of how haunting and anxiety-producing memories and traumas inherited in silence actually cross generations. Well rooted in Mexican folklore, the novel's presentation of witches is unlike the rest of supernatural horrors. That puts the suspense, slow build-up of menace within an atmosphere, within the pale of gothic fiction aggravated at dark academia. Some interconnections between timelines could feel less than resolved to some readers, but that underlines the unease and adds thematic complexity to the overall.

Overall, The Bewitching has an innovative narrative, yet its scheme of characters is nuanced and vividly apt to create atmospheric backgrounds. The strong cultural detail incorporated by Moreno-Garcia, as well as the very thoughtful characters she develops of women's struggles across ages, gives the novel its unique resonance. Despite some board fragmentation into plots, its strength lies in atmosphere.

Undeniably, this novel is a fitting selection for atmospheric fiction, rich in culture and emotional weight.

Definitely did not read this one at night after the first third of the book (but I'm a chicken).. Fans of The September House, Ninth House, Mexican Gothic....this one is for you! Somewhat slow start, but Moreno-Garcia does a great job crossing generations to bring you a creepy tale and great characters.

Thank you to NetGalley and DelRey for my arc in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

After many a Silvia Moreno-Garcia book that has ended in me DNF'ing, I finally found the one that made me go "I GET IT."

"The Bewitching" is a story told through three perspectives, all involving disappearances and magic.

I was so surprised at how much I enjoyed this. As I said, I've mostly DNF'd all of the Moreno-Garcia books I've tried (other than her short "The Lover"), but this one really took me by surprise. I liked the academic angle of a graduate student of literature (like me!) struggling with writing her thesis and being able to connect what she's researching to her past and present lives. At times, I found Minerva (our grad student) kind of irritating. I felt some sympathy for her, especially her social anxiety and being a student of color. Overall, as a character, I found Minerva to be realistic for being a lower-income international graduate student. While I wanted more of Nana Alba and Beatrice's stories, I think what we got was just so interesting and creepy.

I enjoyed this so much and really loved the autumnal and dark academia vibes it gave. The writing itself was fantastic too. I will definitely be giving Moreno-Garcia's books another try.

Another gripping, supernatural historical fiction from Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

Moreno-Garcia has always had this uncanny ability to craft otherworldly stories that grab you by the shirt collar and refuse to let go until the very end. Her writing is haunting and yet endlessly fascinating, and leaves you captivated long after the last page has been turned.

In The Bewitching, we traverse three timelines that are all stalked and plagued by witchcraft, crossing generations. Each timeline was well executed, and they harmonized so well, it made the reading experience all the more suspenseful. There were a few times where I had to pause my reading at night, for fear I'd heard something in the dark.

While I wouldn't classify this as a horror - a haunted historical fiction, more like - Moreno-Garcia continues to be genre-defying in her work, and her stories never fail to leave me looking behind my shoulder.

4.5 rounded up. This book was as expertly written as each of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's previous works, and the interweaving of three different bewitchings was a masterpiece to behold. A slow build on the suspense and horror, I loved the generational tie between Alba and Minerva, and the tie between Minerva's experience at her university and what she uncovers in her thesis research that happened decades earlier. All three stories are interconnected and gripping, and I found them easy enough to follow. A huge thank you to the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for my thoughts and also Colleen for buddy reading this with me :)

I would have rounded up on this book, instead of down, if not for the incest. Yes, the incest. I don't consider that a "spoiler," because to me, that's a legitimate and unquestionable trigger warning. So there you go. More on that later.

This was a difficult book to review (until the end). The author did a great job of creating a very otherworldly and creepy atmosphere of "wrongness" in each storyline/POV, which was a pretty good feat, considering each POV had a slightly different quality of eldritch tension. While reading each timeline, I sensed the very heavy oppressive feeling of impending doom, definitely bordering on horror, and it was well done. But that was really the only good aspect of these 3 different storylines in the book.

Because each POV was so different, in the end when everything was supposed to come together, nothing really "fit" for me. The almost folkloric quality of Alba's story, the gothic horror of Beatrice's story, and the occult eeriness of Minerva's story were just too different in the end to create a cohesive narrative. It felt disjointed to me. There was not a satisfying through line from Alba to Beatrice to Minerva. It did not feel organic at all. It felt forced. Plus with so much going on, the characters suffered. There was a lack of character development in each timeline. Alba's was so almost fairy-tale-like that she felt like just a character in said fairytale. Beatrice's storyline really amped up a weird feeling of almost cosmic horror, but everyone in that timeline was very flat, which was very disappointing, because it was honestly when all the action central to the whole book took place. Ginny deserved better! And I just couldn't connect with Minerva. I tried. And I could tell the author was trying (very hard!). But--and this is true of all 3 POVs--there was too much telling and not showing. The reader was told how each MC was feeling, but the reader did not feel it themselves.

And not much really happened in any of the storylines. There were mentions of witches, the occult, and unexplained things happening. There were rituals, people, animals, and things disappearing. There were mysterious occurrences, bloody body horror, and otherworldly glowing orbs. But in three the action was repetitive and a bit boring. (I also found the constant 90s musical references jarring and totally unnecessary. And I was a college student at the very same time, listening to the exact same music! The continuous mentions of putting Sneaker Pimps or Veruca Salt in her disc man did not help draw me into the action or immerse me in Minerva's psyche. They just took me out of the action and make me think, "Wow. What an extremely unwarranted and precise detail." It was much too heavy-handed, deliberate, and clunky.)

I still probably would have rated this higher, though, if it wasn't for the incest. Yes, the incest. The glossed over (maybe glamorized?) incest. I guess one could say it was consensual, or whatever (?), but I was revolted. And maybe that was the author's intention? But the same sense of revulsion could have been created without making the characters blood-relations. With some good creative writing, the author could have made them close family friends, or something like that, which would have still made their actions "wrong," so to speak. It almost felt like a "cheap" or "easy" way to convey to the reader Alba's conflicted feelings about it despite her belief that what she was doing was wrong. But sorry--incest is not something I want to read about. Ever. Especially in stomach-turning detail.

So that was pretty much it for me. Would not recommend it, and I may skip this author in the future.