Alejandra is a married woman with three small children who is struggling to find fulfillment in her life. She is becoming engulfed in her own particular gloom and misery. However, one evening when she is at her lowest, she witnesses a horrifying woman in a white gown weeping, telling her to accept her emotions. She begins to consult a therapist and investigate her family history, discovering that her misery and tragedy may be tied to something far worse than she had previously suspected.

This was a fantastic book idea, tracking multigenerational tragedy and difficulties through the lens of La Llorona lore. The author incorporated numerous fascinating cultural details as well as Alejandra's personal past and some Mexican folklore/history. This was the book's strongest point.

Unfortunately, I had difficulty engaging with this piece. The author's writing style was bland - he used repetitious sentence structure, which became a major issue due to the vast portions of exposition in this book.

We were given a lot of information about Alejandra and why she was feeling the way she was, but she never felt alive. There was no emotional connection or anything that made her feel like she was more than just some pages in a book, which was disappointing. The other characters were similar in that, although having chapters from their point of view, they all felt lifeless and disconnected.

In this story we follow Alejandra who has lost herself in marriage and motherhood. I enjoyed the horror premise of this story while incorporating mental health/self care and generational traumas.

I loved learning about the past women in Alejandra’s past. The last woman’s story was a surprise that I didn’t expect but I’m glad we got.

I’m looking forward to reading more of V. Castro’s work as I really enjoyed this story.

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis:
"Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her.
Nor can they see what Alejandra sees. In times of despair, a ghostly vision appears to her, the apparition of a crying woman in a ragged white gown.
When Alejandra visits a therapist, she begins exploring her family’s history, starting with the biological mother she never knew. As she goes deeper into the lives of the women in her family, she learns that heartbreak and tragedy are not the only things she has in common with her ancestors."

My Thoughts:
This is a medium paced book about a generational curse of the women in Alejandra's family. It also focuses heavily on the mental health struggles and resilience of a woman who feels like she has lost herself in marriage and motherhood. Alejandra grabbles with understanding if the images she is seeing is a complete mental break or something much worse.
While Alejandra is our main narrator, we also flash back to the women in her family that have had similar experiences. What I found frustrating in this book is that the curse is never spoken about through the generations, leaving each woman to try to figure out what is happening and to fend for themselves. As a result there is a lot of tragedy in Alejandra's family. However, this is also what kept me reading to find out what actually was happening. Please don't go into this book expecting much horror and twists, this is story of family curses and tragedies passed down through generations until someone finally takes a stand.

Thank you to @netgalley and @randomhouse for the gifted copy of this book.

I really enjoyed this creepy tale of a Mexican American woman haunted by a demon. I loved the generational trauma aspect. I think it’s a fascinating topic and this was a really unique and interesting way to explore it in a way. The writing was good and the pacing of the story kept my attention the entire time. I will say that some of it felt like it was tied up a little too neatly to be believable, but that didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the story. I’ll definitely check out more from this author in the future.

Alejandra is being haunted by La Llorona due to a multi generation curse that was placed on the women in her family centuries ago. She will do anything to banish the demon once and for all!

I liked this La Llorona retelling/spin-off but found some of the storylines were more interesting than others. I wouldn’t say this was a literary masterpiece but I enjoyed the folklore and atmospheric writing. It was definitely creepy but felt repetitive. I liked how each chapter focused on different characters, especially when they skipped around in time/generation. The caveat with that is the characters were a bit one dimensional for the most part. I thought this was a unique story and many people might really enjoy this!

This book started off so strong for me, I identified quite a bit with Alejandra who was well articulated within her inner dialogue. I loved the concept of generational curses and family. However, the blocks of emotionless dialogue between characters made me put the book down more times than I could count. It started to feel like a New Age workshop since the deep significance of the cultural rituals was combined with lifeless monologue that read like an instructional manual which just leeched all beauty from the scenes. I wanted more depth since the concepts and culture surrounding the lore is so good. It scratched the surface unfortunately.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC.

This book is the tale of two halves. The first half of this book really dives into conversations surrounding postpartum depression. I think the author does a good job of putting you into the perspective of the title character as she deals with this seemingly impossible feeling of guilt and shame. The second half of this book puts the plot into action and the pacing picks up.

I really enjoyed the quieter moments of the book where we delved into Alejandra's struggles and the women of her past. I think the way the author approached the subject with the "demon" representing her feelings and the feelings of past generations.

All that being said, I struggled getting through this book. Despite the interesting exploration of the theme, I think the plot got tedious and I didn't necessarily get the horror feels I was looking for.

I liked sections of this and loved the opening, but the further in I read, the more I found myself unable to lose myself in the story. The dialogue was heavy handed and awkward in so many sections that it was hard to not see it as such.

This novel has important things to say, but I fear they are lost in clunky storytelling.

Thanks to the publisher and author for the advance copy in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you, Random House Publishing, V. Castro, & Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the most beautiful and creepy book I have ever read. This will be a must read I pass down to my daughters and future granddaughters.

This was definitely a scary and creepy La Llorna retelling, but it was so much more than that. Sprinkled with historical fiction about the inquisition and struggles of women before we were considered human. It touched on toxic societal standards set for women, spiritual beliefs, Hispanic cultural beliefs, Hispanic folklore, generational trauma and curses, and struggles women have faced throughout history!

10/10 every woman should read this!

3.5
I was so excited to see a La Llorona horror story, I grew up hearing the story all the time, so I had high expectations.
I wish I had ended up liking it more.
The idea is interesting, but I found the only parts keeping me engaged were the present chapters from Alejandra’s perspective.
The past chapters didn’t hold my attention, which is unfortunate since the plot heavily relies on the past.
This isn’t really what I was hoping for from a story about La Llorona.

Alejandra is mother to three exhausting kids and wife to an epic jackass. She is seriously depressed and unsatisfied with her life. When she is crying in the shower while her kids bang on the door, she sees a ghostly image of a sobbing woman in white in the bathroom. It is La Llorona, the vengeful mother of famous Mexican legend. When she begins seeing a therapist, she starts looking into the history of the women in her family and discovers that her family has a connection to La Llorona and a creature that wants to pull Alejandra down into the darkness with her ancestors. Alejandra will need to summon all the strength she has to banish La Llorona for good.

What I didn’t like: I DNF’d this at about 50%. The sentence structure was super repetitive and sorta cheesy at times. And despite there being so much focus on Alejandra’s emotional and life issues, I just couldn’t connect with her as a character (or anyone else for that matter).

What I did like: Good “grass is always greener” reminder. Alejandra has three kids that love her, money, a huge house, and she doesn’t need to work. But she is miserable AF. Granted, she was being haunted by La Llorona. 🤷‍♀️

I’ve seen a lot of good reviews for this one, so give it a shot if the story sounds good to you. Just not for me. 2023 is my year of DNF’ing without guilt if a book is not for me! Thank you to netgalley and del ray for the advanced review copy in exchange for a review.

This book is a love letter to every woman who has ever felt overwhelmed, under appreciated, disrespected, depressed, alone…the list goes on.
I felt for this woman with every new challenge she had to face and, while I have never had children or felt the post-partum stress and anxiety she was going through, I can relate to her internal frustration.
The side plot of a generational curse was interesting and ramped up the horror aspect but, really, it almost felt like filler compared to the angst-driven story of a woman who desperately wanted out of the life that she living/surviving(?).
It was a little metaphysical in places, but an overall enjoyable read.
I’ll be searching more from V Castro in the days to come.

3.5⭐️

This was my first V. Castro book and am looking forward to reading more from her. The Haunting of Alejandra tackles issues of generational trauma and mental health through horror. I did enjoy the story but found it dragging at times. This could just be that this isn’t the typical horror I’m used to reading nevertheless I’d still recommend reading this if slow burn mental health horror is something you’re interested in. It’s definitely probably more of a specific audience and that’s alright it just wasn’t for me.

Generational trauma, rediscovering a lost culture, La Llorona, and a personal fear of drowning in a unwanted marriage. This story was tailored made for me, the good and the bad.

Beautifully written with really emotional themes from Alejandra. Also the tie in of her being adopted and so having lost touch with her heritage. I would recommend to anyone who likes the unsettling and foreboding atmosphere.

I don't know if this wasn't that great or if I just didn't give it the time it deserved. It was an interesting concept, but the book did not hold my interest.

The premise of this story is what initially caught my attention. The Mexican folklore and feeling like I was going to finally read something that really sat with me and related to me. That being said: what a heavy read!! Immediately throws you into the themes of depression and suicide and pretty much how the main character feels like her life ... sucks. I guess I just felt surprised because I went into it expecting it to be more of a mystery/thriller type story vs self discovery. Overall, I think I would've enjoyed it more if I had been able to connect to the main character.

It might be beach reads season, but that doesn’t mean you can’t dive into some Halloween-level nightmares courtesy of the literary world’s latest horror offerings. Case in point: The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro, which has an excellent (and terrifying) concept that had me blanching in fear more than once on my well-lit, crowded subway commute.

The novel combines traditional Mexican folktales with contemporary horror, specifically revolving around modern-day motherhood, to nightmarish effect, as a woman grapples with a familial curse threatening to destroy everything she holds dear.

The story really excels during scenes of horror, where the vengeful La Llorona stalks its victims through history. From a candlelit bedroom belonging to a despicable Spanish colonizer, to a steam-filled bathroom in Philadelphia, these interludes are incredibly spooky and graphically rendered. I wasn’t necessarily expecting the level of gore that goes down in scenes (sparingly, but it’s there), which hammers home just how perilous — and grotesque — Alejandra’s situation is.

I’d had a bit of knowledge about the background of this particular demon thanks to watching The Curse of La Llorona back in 2019 (a truly abysmal movie undeserving of Linda Cardellini), but V. Castro gives a far more authentic (and disturbing) portrait of how the spirit came to be. She ties its origins in seamlessly with ill-fated stories of the female ancestors in Alejandra’s family. It took some getting used to, but I ended up really enjoying that storytelling device.

Where things fell apart for me, unfortunately, was the dialogue. I wasn’t a big fan of how the book handles themes involving the painful realities of motherhood, either, which I think also comes down to how characters express themselves throughout. Pretty much anytime a character opened their mouths, it felt off, to be honest.

Conversations between characters are rough and choppy, and hardly feel like genuine interactions real people would have, supernatural content or no. This is particularly glaring where the character of Alejandra's husband is concerned — he comes across as a cardboard stand-in for the Bad and Neglectful Husband trope, rather than a fully fleshed-out character. His presence is so shallow, in fact, that it makes an important decision towards the end of the novel far less impactful. At that point I could hardly bring myself to care.

All in all, as a horror fanatic I loved the freaky idea behind the book, but the execution ultimately fell short.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I’ll read just about anything with “haunting” in the title, and the mention of a Mexican folk demon immediately intrigued me.

Alejandra is struggling, and despite being surrounded by a husband and three children, she feels alone and depressed. Her husband doesn’t understand why she’s unhappy , but he doesn’t make an effort to understand or really listen to her. Alejandra also misses her birth mother who she’d just started to build a relationship with before having to relocate for her husband’s job. Then she begins to see ghostly visions of a woman in a white gown. Even as Alejandra seeks help from a therapist and explores her family history, the apparition goes after her children.

I had my ups and downs with this one. I enjoyed the inclusion of the Mexican folk demon La Llorona and chapters from Alejandra’s ancestors explaining the curse on her family. It’s certainly a dark origin story. There are chilling moments that may send tingles up your spine, but some of the imagery is particularly gruesome, which I didn’t mind, but as a warning it may be disturbing for some readers. While I admired Alejandra for her determination to learn more about her family history, free herself from the demon, and protect her children, I didn’t like her very much and found it difficult to connect with her. Although it’s a short novel at less than three hundred pages, it moved at a slow pace, and my attention drifted in some parts of the novel.

The story has a fascinating premise and while part of the ending is horrific, it’s also satisfying, empowering, and hopeful.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This story was a great piece of Latin folklore and while I enjoyed it, I have mixed feelings about the book. On the one hand, I appreciated the author's effort to weave together the themes of generational trauma, colonization, systemic oppression, and motherhood into a horror story centered around the Mexican folk demon, La Llorona. The book had a powerful message about the impact of historical trauma and how it can manifest in individuals and families for generations.

However, I found the execution of the story to be somewhat lacking. The pacing of the plot was slow, and the horror elements felt repetitive at times. Additionally, while I appreciated the author's attempt to address complex social issues, I felt that some of the themes were not fully developed, and some of the characters felt underdeveloped as well.

That being said, the book did have its moments of terror, and I thought the exploration of Alejandra's family history was an interesting way to approach the story. Overall, I think The Haunting of Alejandra is a decent read for fans of horror who are looking for a story that blends supernatural horror with social commentary, but it may not be the best fit for those looking for a fast-paced, action-packed horror novel.