A fantastic premise, blending South American history and folklore with horror, all upon a framework of generational trauma and emotional abuse, while telling the story of the women in Alejandra's family over hundreds of years. There were definitely attempts made to address womens issues and even how contemporary religion contributes to harmful systems and expectations against women. Unfortunately I wasn't able to really connect with the story. The prose seemed stilted and overly formal, agonizingly repetitive, and often exhausting with all the descriptions of nothing happening. The characters fell flat, which seems like it should be impossible given the absolute flood of information provided, they just lacked depth or life. The Haunting of Alejandra has great bones and could really be an incredibly unsettling story, but I didn't enjoy it as it is.

THE HAUNTING OF ALEJANDRA: A NOVEL
By V. Castro
Published; Del Rey Publishers on 4/18/2023
Page Count: 272


This is my first foray into the world of V. Castro and won’t be my last. Nicely melded are horror and folklore. This will be a wonderful addition to the aficionados of Silvia Moreno-Garcia …to be immersed and devoured. Alejandro is caught up in the struggles of motherhood and depression …. although she loves her two children, she is saddled with an apathetic husband, who always is away on business trips and even when home, seems to only complain and be judgmental and cruel. While trying to deal with her inner anguish and despair, she begins to envision a creature who takes corporeal form to further torture her sanity. Expertly introduced is the folklore , involving La Lloraona, the mother who drowned her children and herself, and now haunts mothers like Alejandra, trying to cope with the pressures of motherhood and life. Alejandra is thankfully aided by therapist, Melanie Ortiz , who has the attributes of a spiritual healer … a curandera.
V Castro masterfully weaves a compelling horror story, drenched in folklore with that of everyday horrors of life. She explores many of life’s tribulations …. postpartum depression mental health, motherhood, patriarchy, self love and worth. A perfect degree of creepiness, adds to the escalating sense of suspense and tension. Nicely juxtaposed are flashbacks from the 17th century to heighten the sense of the visceral horrors that Alejandro is attempting to cope with. The writings of V Castro must be added to the those who enjoy mixing their horror with folklore monsters.
Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Publishers for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review.

This is hands down the best horror novel I've ever read. The themes of generational trauma were so carefully woven into the horror aspects of the novel. This was beautifully therapeutic, particularly for Hispanic women. I saw so much of my family in the pages of this novel.

3.75 stars thanks to Netgalley for granting my wish on this book. Im not gonna lie I was hesitant about requesting this book because Horror is definitely something I don't do, but im so glad I still requested this. As a Latina, Mexican-American who lives close to a border I grew up hearing about the Llorona she came to those children that did not behave. I never knew the story behind the Llorona and after reading this book Ive realized that there are many different versions the only thing that stays the same is that she drowned her children so I will keep behaving lol. But dont be fooled the Story of Alejandra is so much more than the tale of La Llorona it is about breaking generational curses something that is very very real and something that is not talked about especially in different cultures. It also talks about motherhood and how as much as it affects each one different the attacks are all the same we just take them differently. I ended up over my horror hang up and really enjoying this book.

Wow! This book. This was one of my most anticipated reads and it did not disappoint!

The Haunting of Alejandra is about Alejandra who is succumbing to the darkness of her mundane, unappreciated life as a stay at home mother and finds herself face to face with not only her loneliness but a dark force as well. She starts to hear threatening voices and has visions of a creature who she later believes is none other than La Llorona, a Mexican ghost from a folklore whose story has been told for many generations. La Llorona’s hauntings are the result of a generational curse on Alejandra’s bloodline. We get the privilege to read flashbacks about some of her ancestor’s fights and struggles with the Weeping Woman. With the help of her birth mom and a curandera, a spiritual medicine woman, Alejandra won’t give in to the demon without a fight. Has La Llorona finally met her match?

This was a tough read as a fellow stay at home mom who feels like she lost a piece of her self when she became a mother. I can see how easy it is to slip into some of the feelings that Alejandra was having. But also I can relate to the fight of a mother who will do anything to protect her kids. Castro dives into some very dark and heavy topics on motherhood, postpartum depression, femininity, grief, mental health, immigration, patriarchy, revenge, and most importantly self-love and care. I liked Castro’s spin on the legend of La Llorona. I am always intrigued by the different retellings of the legend.

This dark Latinx horror is one you should add to your TBR! While I was never (thankfully)overly scared, it had the right amount of creep factor and gore to keep me anxiously turning the pages!!

V. Castro has been on my TBR for a long time after I kept seeing "Goddess of Filth" all over booktok and bookstagram. I was so happy to get this arc and be able to read it!

I always loved the story of La Llorona and have been captivated by the legend. I automatically knew I needed this read after seeing that. We follow a mother named Alejandra who is suffering of depression and anxiety that cause night terrors of a woman in white. In every dream this woman is calling to her and telling her to hurt her children. These mental health issues cause her to deep dive into family history and learns that all the women of her family going back generations have experienced this same thing. The depression and anxiety and night terrors of this woman have plagued them like a curse.

The book is told with multiple POVs which I really loved. They go back to many women in her family that have had these experiences. I found that beyond interesting! I loved seeing and hearing what the other woman were experiencing. The book was so atmospheric, interesting, and frightening.

For her latest novel, The Haunting of Alejandra (Penguin Random House), author V. Castro creates a beautiful hybrid of Stephen King’s It and the Disney film Encanto, in that the book features an unknowably old, maybe interstellar creature and it explores multi-generational trauma with a compass pointing toward forgiveness and self-actualization.

I actually DNF'd this book. There were aspects I found very enjoyable but I didn't get much of them. And then I finally I just gave up because it was not holding my interest.

Thank you to Penguin for providing me with and ARC. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall, I felt like this book was okay. There were some points where it felt slow and seemed to drag on. The scary part of this book for me was the depiction of being a mother. I really enjoyed the Mexican Folklore that Castro includes in her books. I grew up listening to my grandma tell me some of these stories. The way Castro weaves folklore in a new and modern way is wonderful. Castro has a talent for getting you to deeply care about her characters.

While I love scary movies, I often struggle with the horror genre of books. It takes genuinely good writing to make a story feel scary. That being said, this book does it. The character development is so wonderfully done that there is a very real understanding of Alejandra’s fear, along with empathy for how much she loves her children and desires an escape from what is bothering her. I really love the narration of how she found her strength by talking to Melody (the therapist) and connecting with her ancestors, alive and dead. I also love how ancestral stories were woven into the narrative.

Overall, a very good read. There were parts that were a bit strange (I won’t get into it because I don’t want to spoil anything), but it definitely kept my interest and I enjoyed it.

The Haunting of Alejandra was such a creepy and atmospheric horror novel that I could not put down. There is a lot going on here and I loved just about every second of it. A mother to three (though you could argue her husband is basically a fourth), Alejandra suffers from dark thoughts. Soon she begins to be haunted by La Llorona, the ghost of a woman who killed her children. As Alejandra struggles to figure out why La Llorona is haunting her, she begins to learn more about her ancestors and the curse that seems to follow their bloodline.

While I never felt truly scared, I was often unsettled by the grotesque imagery. This is the second or third book I've read by V Castro and she does a really great job of making your skin crawl. The descriptions of the creature and the gore she unleashes was pretty disgusting. I loved retellings of Mexican folklore and mythology, so I loved V Castro's take on the legend of La Llorona. She truly made it something original.

One of my favorite things about this novel was the strength that Alejandra finds within herself and the power to take ownership over her own happiness. I was legitimately angry every time Matthew came on the page and that's how you know an author has made you care about her characters. There is a lot of discussion about postpartum depression and the loneliness mothers can feel, something that isn't talked about nearly enough. That was such an important part of this story.

Finally, the cover is beautiful!
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for a review copy.

This was such a gripping read and had me hooked from the beginning. The author did a phenomenal job of setting an eerie atmosphere.

This story follows a mother of three who is struggling with her reason for living, and doesn't get support from her husband.

If you enjoy creepy stories with some folklore, I would definitely check this one out!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this novel.

Alejandra is a mid-30s mother with 3 young children ages 9, 4 and 18 months. She's exhausted. She feels unappreciated. She questions whether her children love her and what she feels towards them. She's also in an unloving marriage.

The beginning portion of this book really left me feeling down. Alejandra seems to be in a downward spiral of depression and possible postpardum that it brought me back 21 years ago after having my twins. There are constant references to her being a bad person and a bad mom. She has never ending self doubt and near constant self condemnation.

We learn that all of her feelings and emotions come from a long line of women in her family that experienced La Llorona. I really loved the dive into the indigenous people that inhabited southern North America (now Mexico) and ugly parts of Colonization by the Spanish conquistadors. The references to the strength of the women and Dia De Los Muertos was wonderful.

I won't go into spoilers but V. Castro eventually brought strength and wellness to the character of Alejandra. She takes action and responsibility for her mental health. It came at the right time because the overall running negativity of self beratement was getting to me.

The only areas of the book that didn't worth for me were continued introductions of previous, female family members in Alejandra's maternal lineage. I finally had to pencil in a family tree to keep the characters straight. One reference to the indigenous family member who started the chain would've been sufficient along with Alejandra's mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. Any additional family members were unnecessary. 3.75 stars rounded up

The Haunting of Alejandra is a chilling and atmospheric novel by V. Castro that explores the Mexican folktale of La Llorona. The story follows Alejandra, a young woman who is haunted by the ghost of a woman who drowned her children. As Alejandra tries to uncover the truth about the ghost, she begins to unravel the dark secrets of her own family.

Castro's writing is vivid and suspenseful, and she does a masterful job of weaving together the past and the present. The Haunting of Alejandra is a haunting and unforgettable novel that will stay with you long after you finish reading it.

Here are some of the things I liked about the book:

The writing is vivid and suspenseful.
Castro does a masterful job of weaving together the past and the present.
The story is haunting and unforgettable.

I was extremely excited to be granted access to an ARC of this book. It is the story of Alejandra; a woman who is unfulfilled in her marriage, dissatisfied with the path her life has taken, and having thoughts of harming herself and her children. Did I mention she was also battling the multi generational curse of a demon type creature posing as La Llorona? Oh, I had high, high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I did feel it fell short of my expectations

Let's start with what I liked. The idea for the novel is gripping. I love the thought behind the synopsis. I'm all for spooky, boogeyman type folklore. The added lines of her ancestry and the different histories were a point of interest for me. I enjoyed reading the stories of the women who formed her past. I also felt the author was able to give us some truly horrifying imagery at times. It was definitely more graphic than I was anticipating, and I did cringe a time or two.

What kept me from loving this book was the feel of disconnected storytelling. It was almost as if I was reading different books just randomly thrown together. Is it a story of multi generational trauma? Is it a horror novel about the haunting of a woman? Yes, it could be both, but for some reason, I felt there was an error in execution and it just didn't meld well. They came across as two very separate themes that were disjointed in coming together. I also found the dialogue was off. Unnatural. I didn't buy it. I would have to lump the streams of inner dialogue in with that as well. That at times, was actual work to get through. In all honesty? Painful. Alejandra was not a likeable character for me, and try as I might, I just couldn't invest in her.

Final thoughts? This book has so much potential; however, I would be hesitant to recommend. Not exactly my cup of tea but a little revision could go a long way. Read at your own risk.

V Castro is an auto-buy author for me ever since I read Goddess of Filth. Her blend of feminism, Mexican lore, and horror combine together to make a truly magical read. This novel takes on a generational curse that has been passed on through a family’s bloodline since the days when the Conquistadors invaded Mexico. This book shows us different women from a modern woman’s ancestry who have all had to deal with this curse in their own way. Will Alejandra be able to break this curse or will she inevitably pass it down to her daughters?
This is another powerful work from V Castro. She is a true goddess of horror and I highly recommend this book (as well as her others) to anyone who loves strong female characters and horror legends. Another 5 star read!

Alejandra's adoptive family and upbringing was a bit cringeworthy in how it was presented, and Alejandra's clearcut rejection of her family didn't seem to fit.
I was moved, I was creeped out, I was scared for Alejandra and her children in some parts but of course it's a thriller soooo lol.
This is definitely a book one has to go prepared in before reading. Heavy of mental health thoughts of harm etc.
There were so many emotions that I felt while reading this that I don’t even know what to say… There were so many things that I connected with that made reading this book that much better for me…


I would say to be mindful of the trigger warnings that the author mentioned before reading this book

Nonetheless it was an enjoyable read

Rating 3.5

Thank you netgalley for the ARC

The Haunting of Alejandra is a beautifully messy tale of feminist horror. Generational trauma, misogyny, and the tribulations of motherhood coalesce with a vengeful Mexican folk demon, La llorona, to spin a chilling tale of women haunted over centuries by a familial curse. As much a critique of what it has meant to be a woman, and one of Mexican ancestry living the changing world over time, The Haunting of Alejandra evokes some pretty heavy visceral reactions. How is a mother's love formed? What if a mother does not love her children? How can one love another if one does not love oneself? What are the horrors that live within ourselves?

There were some aspects of the story that didn't work as well. Alejandra's adoptive family and upbringing was a bit cringeworthy in how it was presented, and Alejandra's clearcut rejection of her family didn't seem to fit. I would have appreciated more of a focus on a woman who had grown up in an ethnically different family seeking to connect with her ethnic heritage rather than criticism of her family just for being who they were... or at least more detail about why she seemed to hate and reject her family specifically.

3.5 stars for the reading experience but rounded up to 4 stars due to the unique incorporation of folklore and feminist discourse.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

Thanks to Random House and Netgalley for a free copy of The Haunting of Alejandra.

This book is heavily focused on generational trauma, depression, anxiety, and the hardships of being a wife and mother. I believe, therefore, that women who are also wives and mothers will be the ones to get the most out of this reading experience. I felt that this book was very relatable and I loved that generations of women banded together in solidarity in order to defeat the demon. Although I do wish the evil entity in this book had fought back a little harder and wasn't so easily defeated. All in all, a great read. I love the folk lore of La Llorona.

"Women with nothing to lose are dangerous" - this line summed up for me how I felt about this book!

The Haunting of Alejandra is a story of generations of a women who are hurt, lost and damaged. Alejandra deals with the frustration of being stuck in a loveless marriage with children that she doesn't know how to love because she's never been loved properly... now Alejandra is being haunted by La Llorona. Come to find out, this is a curse leading back through generations of the women in Alejandra's family. She has to do the work to help herself and break this curse once and for all.

I would love to see a movie adaptation of this because this story gave me all of the spooky, scary vibes. The descriptions of the creature and even the peek into its thoughts upped the fear factor. I was rooting for Alejandra and loved that the mom and other ancestors were included to give more backstory. Great plot, build-up and the ending didn't feel rushed.

Highly recommend -> 4.5 stars!