Other titles I’ve reviewed by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Synopsis:
Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in The Bewitching, an eerie multi-generational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.
“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.
In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.
As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.
Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.
My Edition:
ARC provided by Net Galley
My Thoughts:
I love a book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. The Bewitching is no exception. From Alba’s story, all the way to Minerva, and everything in between this tale was beautifully told. With three timelines at play throughout, it would have been pretty easy to feel lost – but Moreno-Garcia is such a talented author that she is able to act as a remarkable guide. I promise that not only will you never feel lost, but that you will have no problem keeping the timelines separate.
“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”
I thought all three interconnected stories were well fleshed out. Alba may be one of my favorite protagonists of late – she’s a perfect balance between tough and vulnerable. And normally I don’t love tales of “bad witches,” but I love that The Bewitching carries a balance between good, bad, and morally grey people involved in the practice of (or at least acts of) witchcraft.
I really don’t want to give too much of the story away, because I definitely think this one deserves to be experienced as fresh as possible, so I’m actually going to stop there. I’m just going to say that this is a truly incredible convergence of Mexican folklore, gothic horror, and Northeastern academia (is that Ivy League? I honestly don’t know – I’m not fancy enough). READ THE BEWITCHING.
Rating:
Look for all the nods to her contemporaries! It’s fun!
The Bewitching
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Expected Publication: July 15, 2025
Del Rey
ISBN: 9780593874325
Hardcover, Papberback, E-book, Audio
368 Pages
