Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro’s Bochica is a haunting and atmospheric gothic horror novel that blends Colombian folklore, family trauma, and psychological suspense. Set in 1920s Soacha, the story follows Antonia as she returns to her childhood home—now a luxurious hotel—years after a tragic past left her scarred. With eerie nightmares, cryptic journal entries, and a malevolent presence looming over La Casona, the novel masterfully builds tension as Antonia unravels the dark mysteries surrounding her mother’s death.



Flórez-Cerchiaro’s prose is rich and evocative, immersing readers in the ominous beauty of the Salto del Tequendama waterfall and the ghostly corridors of La Casona. The novel explores themes of grief, memory, and generational secrets while incorporating indigenous Muisca mythology, adding depth and authenticity to its supernatural elements

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this fantastic ARC! I loved this atmospheric and haunting debut novel. The cover is stunning, and I feel strongly that fans of Mexican Gothic will devour this. Floréz-Cerchiaro is a writer to watch.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

Wow!! What a great book!! This one was a page turner! Had me hooked from the first page! This was a first for me by this author but will not be my last. I enjoyed the plot, characters and the writing style!!

The type of story you want to read on a cloudy day with a warm drink. It has everything a gothic story should have. A spooky setting. A mystery. An understanding that sexism, ableism, and racism all stem from the same place and one cannot be addressed without the others. Ghost… Definitely want to get a physical copy for my trophy case.

4,5 stars. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC! Down below is my honest review.

[…] “malevolence was a shadow that could fall on anyone.
Real horror lay not just in the actions of one person, but in the pervasive, insidious presence of evil that lurked in every corner of human nature, even masked under a disguise of good intentions”. 

Bochica is the debut novel of Colombian author Carolina Flórez-Cerchiaro. A mystery/horror gothic novel filled with Muiscas indigenous mythology and rituals (Bochica as the light goddess, its counterpart the Svetyba), situated between 1920’s and 1930’s both in Bogotá and Soacha (Colombia), specifically in La Candeleria neighbourhood and El Salto de Tequendama waterfall.
I loved the writing style with its rich descriptions and journal entries, its short chapters and its pace. The characters were very interesting and well developed, I loved specially Nona (the main one), Carmela and Alejandro. The narration had me enthralled since page 1.
Bochica tells the story of how Nona, Carmela and Nona’s parents lived in a mansion outside Bogotá and next to El Salto de Tequendama for ten years, about how her mother worshipped goddess Bochica and Muisca mythology, how Antonia (Nona) suffered vivid nightmares, how the house appeared to be haunted, how Estela (Nona’s mother) mysteriously fall from El Salto and was found dead, how Ricardo (Nona’s father) went crazy because of grieving and tried to burn down the house with Nona and Carmela inside, how they all escaped to Bogotá and how, years later, the mansion was converted into a luxurious hotel. Alejandro is journalist that is investigating the prior events on the same day Nona, Carmela and Ricardo are coming back due to hotel’s inauguration party, he offers Nona his help in order to clarify her suspicious mother’s death. But remember the house was apparently haunted so maybe the hotel is haunted too!
With a bit of romance and an addictive atmosphere, with secondary characters that are not what they seem to be, Bochica was a wonderful read I truly want to recommend to you all!

Bochica had a promising premise being pitched as "The Shining" meets "Mexican Gothic" and it definitely delivered on some levels. The creepy house on native Musica land with an eerie waterfall and the fact that Antonia felt like the house might be talking to her gave The Shining Vibes while the weird happenings and evil lurking's as well as the Colombian setting gave "Mexican Gothic" vibes. I think the pacing was a bit strange for the story. There was a lot of good bones and a lot of promise, a lot of creepy scenes and a lot of mystery and culty happenings but the start of the book felt a bit sluggish while the end felt SO rushed. I really enjoyed Antonia's character as well as Alejandro's and loved when they started working together to unravel the horrific mysteries surrounding the Bochica house. Overall this was a really good read that I wish had been longer because I feel like there could have been so much more in depth for the mysteries surrounding the Musica land and the Bochica house, as well as the cult etc.

The premise of Bochica is really interesting, pitched as Mexican Gothic x The Shining, you are immediately drawn into wanting to know what is happening with this mansion on the mountain next to a waterfall. I think that this story has good bones, but the execution has left the reader wanting. I am aware and would like to note that I read this in English, and the author is Colombian. The issues that I have with the book don't have anything to do with translations, but rather the simplicity of the plot and characters.

What worked for me:
I liked the discussions surrounding the Muisca people, and how Spanish colonization impacted them. Learning about the different figures in the religion of the Muisca was interesting also. Based on my simple searches, it seems that historically Bochica is a man, but for this story was depicted as a goddess and I think that is cool. The cover is also really beautiful.

What didn’t work for me:
As it stands, the book reads as very formulaic because a lot of descriptions and details have not been included. There is no chemistry between Antonia and Alejandro, I’m not really sure if a book of this length needs a romantic element. . Antonia is a strong-willed character but that is all that we really know about her. Her resolve and motivations flip on a switch with nothing necessarily provoking them to change. There is a lot of telling vs showing in this book. The villain’s plan is never fully explained, like what was the ritual going to do?? You are told that the son is complicit also but we don’t really know what he did. There are a lot of plot holes, and there is also never really a true climactic point in the story between the protagonist and antagonist. I think this story has potential, but in my opinion it would benefit from a few more edits and to really develop these characters and plot.

Thank you to netgalley and Atria / Primero Sueno Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

So. My largest tiff with this book is that is genuinely needs another round of editing. The language is so poor that it’s hard to focus on the story and keep track of what’s going on, and no amount of decent storytelling can make up for how inadequately this was written. I came into this with very high hopes and I was disappointed by the amount of grammatical errors present within 240 pages. This could be good, but the lack of editing makes it less than impressive. Readers should not have to fight to understand what it being conveyed in the story, and this felt like a fight.

This is a fantastic gothic horror book set in Colombia. It's creepy, dark, and the setting of this huge house near a waterfall is eerie and lush and gorgeous. I loved the incorporation of themes of colonialism and indigenous religion, it is just a fantastic contribution to the gothic canon!!

the question at end of chapter technique was less than perfect and the mystery was a lot more obvious than I would have hoped, but the atmosphere is good and the characters are cool. 4 stars. tysm for ht earc.

This book left me wanting more (in a good way). The story fulfills what it sets out to do - we have Antonia going trough a personal journey as she seeks to unravel the mysteries surrounding her mother's death, her childhood home and the scars it left in her, as well as the murder that sets the plot into motion. With a dash of romance to make things even more interesting. It is a well-rounded book with a captivating story and good prose, I finished the book in two days (it normally takes me longer to finish horror books).
That being said, I see a lot of potential to expand the stories set in this world - Antonia's mother's youth, Alejandro's past and his potential romance with Antonia, even the school where the main character worked at beginning of the story.
Personally, I was afraid the book would go down the "place haunted by evil indigenous spirits" path since it deals with indigenous practices and, unfortunately, it is kind of a cliché, but the author deals with the topic wonderfully and I was very happy with the outcome.

This book is dark and creepy in the best way. It was a book that I couldn't put down and I can't wait for more from this author.

An ultra-faced paced, gripping mystery!

I was immediately hooked by the pitch - MEXICAN GOTHIC meets THE SHINING. And BOCHICA lived up to it! The comps were spot-on - the atmosphere was dark, gothic, and unsettling, and we get the sense that we really can't quite trust what's going on in Antonia's mind. Not because she's an unreliable narrator; no, her reality distorts as part of what happens at BOCHICA.

The svetybas were also a fascinating piece of folklore to learn about; they ratcheted up the tension, which interwove with the overarching mystery of what happened to Antonia's mother. I love stories that are about protecting the land and nature, so the underlying themes of the book also were in line with what I was hoping to read.

The romantic subplot, for me, did develop a bit quickly; I would have loved to see their relationship deepen a bit more. However, I thought that the characters had great chemistry from the first time they met.

BOCHICA is perfect for a quick and engrossing read, a dynamite addition to any gothic horror reading list.

I LOVED this gothic mystery, the atmosphere was so well done, I could smell the stench coming from the falls from my living room in Canada! Lol
The visuals were very rich as were the emotional aspect of Antonia’s doubts. By the way, I loved Antonia. I really appreciate when the characters are not passive and Antonia is far from it. Very determined to find out what happened to her mom. The mystery kept me intrigued until the end! All the stars! Can’t wait to read more from the author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for a free ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love stories with gothic themes! The crumbling mansion, the mysterious death of Antonia’s mother, the atmosphere of death surrounding the land, and the evil svetybas that haunts Antonia’s dreams. The Colombian lore added to the mystery of the story.

Perhaps due to the short length of the novel, I found that the romance happened a bit quickly, so it was hard to connect to the main character’s love interest and I found myself distrusting of the relationship. None of the characters were well fleshed out or had any depth, so I didn’t connect to them, either. The reveals were a bit predictable and seemed too simple of an explanation.

Overall, this was not the best fit for me. I liked some elements of the story and disliked others. It wasn’t particularly memorable to me.

Read this if you like short, quick mystery novels with a romance, and some gothic elements.

Bochica is a gothic tale set in 1920s Colombia, weaving a spellbinding story of family secrets, eerie mansions, and a young woman grappling with the shadows of her past. This stunning debut transports readers to the hauntingly beautiful and lush La Casona - a mansion stationed above the infamous Salto del Tequendama waterfall, where the line between the living and the dead blurs.

Antonia, the novel’s protagonist, returns to her childhood home three years after a tragic fire and her mother’s mysterious death. Once a family mansion, La Casona has been converted into a luxurious hotel, but its haunted corridors still hold the echoes of a dark legacy. Through Antonia’s journey, readers are immersed in the rich cultural and historical backdrop of 1923 Colombia.

Flórez-Cerchiaro has the ability to craft a world that feels simultaneously inviting and menacing. The descriptions of La Casona and its surroundings are gothic yet breathtaking. The intertwining of Latin American folklore and gothic tropes are unusual and this book stands out in the modern gothic landscape.

That said, this is undeniably a gothic novel at heart. Its themes of grief, legacy, and the search for truth align with the traditional hallmarks of the genre. Antonia’s unraveling of her mother’s cryptic journal entries and fragmented memories creates a slow-burning tension that builds to conclusion.

For fans of Mexican Gothic and atmospheric historical fiction, Bochica offers a mesmerizing journey through family trauma and the power of confronting the past. It’s not just a story of hauntings but of resilience, courage, and the complexities of what it means to inherit a legacy you never asked for. #flórezcerchiaro
#bochica #AtriaBooks

Bochica is a gothic debut set in Columbia, following a young woman’s struggle to unearth the secrets of her past by returning to the haunted hotel where her family faced tragedy years before. There was a lot I enjoyed about this book, and some elements that didn’t work as well for me; but Bochica is a well-done debut that will appeal to many readers, and should be on every gothic fiction lover’s radar.

I loved the Latin American historical setting; it’s wonderful to me how so many diverse authors have taken the gothic genre and made it their own over the last few years with characters and settings from so many cultures. I felt that Bochica did this well, immersing the reader into the culture and time period. I also loved how atmospheric this book was; half of the gothic genre is atmosphere, and it delivered on the spooky, haunting vibes.

I did feel that Antonia’s character could have been fleshed out a little more, and I would have liked to see more time spent on building her relationship with Alejandro. I also went into this book expecting it to be quite a bit scarier due to the comparison to The Shining in the book summary; I was expecting more of a horror novel. I would say this book is not horror, and completely gothic; the haunting is more atmospheric than terrifying and the book follows more traditional gothic plot-lines. This was not a problem for me as I love gothic novels, but if you are a fan of more horror-focused books, just be aware that this is a gothic and falls into the lighter end of the horror spectrum.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I’m excited for it to find its readers when it publishes in a few months! I would recommend Bochica to readers who love gothic novels, historical fiction representing Latin America, and atmospheric stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the arc! All thoughts and opinions in the review are my own.

This book is a very special, very scary, heartbreaking and beautiful story and experience.

I was craving heavy desriptions, some gothic elements, and a vibe similar to that of “Mexican Gothic” and this book delivered. I went into this book as “blindly” as I could, as I try to do that with new authors and this was an amazing story. It is sad and scary and made me feel very complex emotions. I loved this one.

I could not put this one down and I finished it in two sittings with sweaty palms and a racing heart. I am excited to buy this book once it is released and cherish it on my bookshelf forever.

I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to read this in advance! This is my honest opinion I am leaving. I received a free ebook through Net Galley.

On paper, this was everything I wanted. As a lover of Latin American literature and gothic literature, I was really excited for this. It ultimately didn’t work for me. I found it both entirely too simple plot and character wise, and then way to too confusing it how it was written. I’m unsure if this was a translation issue. There needed to be more character development overall as well. And the horror needed to be cranked up. I don’t think I would classify this as a horror to be honest. A lot of potential but has some issues with execution.