Wow. For starters this book kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed how the author included real cultural beliefs. This retelling of “la Lorena” was really immersive in the writing. This book touches on so much more though, for me it spoke about generational trauma, post partum depression, this book talks about fighting your own demons and learning to take care of yourself even when others are counting on you.

I’d also like to say i hated Matthew the MCs husband. This book gives example to how a lot of women probably feel in their marriage and it’s honestly empowering to see the MC dig herself out of these issues.

I enjoyed this book so much and i thank NetGalley and Del Rey for the opportunity to get an ARC of this book. I cannot wait for a physical copy once its released!

𝘼𝙡𝙚𝙟𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙧𝙖 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛. 𝙃𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙢, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙨𝙣𝙪𝙛𝙛 𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙪𝙩. 𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙞𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧.

Alejandra is the mother of three children, her life feels like it has shrunk, her soul withered. She wants it all to end, and a shadowy form is haunting her, whispering it can help her do just that. Is she on the edge of a breakdown or has something sinister risen from the depths of her bloodline? She scolds herself; it could just be the stress and anxiety of locating to Philadelphia from Texas, this is her husband Mathew’s big chance. The fact is, she feels the pressures that come with moving up in life, all the heavy lifting that will no doubt be her future. Matthew feels she should be thankful for all the things they have, and he certainly doesn’t understand her inner struggles, nor have does he demonstrate compassion. Her mind and body are exhausted, she desperately loves her children, but she is cracking inside and is terrified of the things she is thinking, feeling.

Matthew is wrapped up in his fulfilling career, while she had to give up her job aspirations. She is on her own, with his traveling for work, and there is no one she can call to help her with their children. Her mind is a fog, she feels like she is backed into a corner with no options left to her. She had promised early on that she would be a mother and wife first, and Matthew is holding her to it but what if she cannot measure up? He doesn’t have time for her breakdowns, she spends her time crying in the shower, unseen.

After putting her youngest children Elodia and Will to bed, she gives her daughter Catrina special attention by telling her a bedtime story. Catrina begs for a scary one, so begins the tale of La Llorona, a mythical Mexican ghost/demon who appears as a woman in white, drawn to weeping and tragic events, and hungry for vengeance. Her child knows nothing of her mother’s culture, with Alejandra having been adopted, her parents discouraged her interest in her own heritage. Then she married and had children, and the suppression became more about the distractions of caring for her young family. Strange to relay such a loaded story when she is beginning to question her own mind, hearing and seeing things, ashamed for wanting more when even her little girl wonders if she and her siblings are enough for Alejandra. It’s yet another thing to hate herself for.

Her dreams are dreadful, as if some monster is waiting around the corner, ready to silence her children forever before dragging her into the water. Never would she harm them, she wants nothing more than for her kids to have the opportunities to choose their own path when they grow up. Matthew is the perfect father in that sense, if not the best husband, he is a great provider, he can secure the freedom for their children she never had. Not all her dreams are haunted by evil, there are women in them too, who give her comfort some nights. If she can just learn to control her mind, then the world will not crumble, and she and her children will be safe. But from who or what, is it the phantom she is sensing, or is it darkness within herself?

With a DNA Tree letter in hand, she is excited to share her family history with her eldest, who only wants to please Alejandra so she won’t be so unhappy. The blank spaces on the tree, that is the real mystery. With Will gone everything gets harder, she seeks help by finding a therapist, one that is Mexican American, a spiritual medicine woman. Dr. Ortiz runs her own practice, an advocate for women of color, dealing with generational trauma, mental health and encouraging entrepreneurship. The women in Alejandra’s mind, from her dreams, seem to push her towards this confidant woman, one who she wishes she could be.

Dr. Ortiz could be the guide she needs, to conquer the threatening evil that has hounded the women in her family for generations. It will take working through her personal trauma; from the moment her mother gave her up and the pattern that swims through their line to the dark evil presence that lingers. Mental health issues, how their Mexican American culture influenced the choices before them, hope, love, shame, desire, and terror… any mother that has ever felt like a failure can relate to the pain Alejandra is experiencing. Her female ancestors each have been under the curse of La Llorona, but why? Can it be stopped? Or will Alejandra lose everything.

Publication Date: April 18, 2023

Random House

Ballantine

Creepy and unputdownable. I loved V. Castro's take on La Llorona myth. There were moments that I felt like it lagged and could have been shortened but I still enjoyed it.

"The Haunting of Alejandra" by V. Castro is a must-read for both horror readers and those interested in Mexican folklore and culture. Unhappy in her marriage, Alejandra is haunted by La Llorona, who, according to legend, drowned herself and her children in a river. In an effort to prevent the growing darkness from destroying both herself and her children, Alejandra enlists the help of a therapist who encourages her to delve into her family's past in order to discover the origins of the generational curse that afflicts her..

This book is full of interesting cultural references and strong women characters. While I didn't find it to be particularly scary, I was thoroughly engrossed in Alejandra's story. Much more than a horror novel, this book explores the depression, dependence, lack of fulfillment, and isolation stay-at-home moms may feel. My heart really went out to Alejandra, and I genuinely cared about her wellbeing.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Del Rey Publishing, and V. Castro for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Since becoming a wife and a mother Alejandra feels like she is losing pieces of herself. In the depths of her depression she starts to hear voices and see things that aren't there. As these voices and visions become more violent she starts to question if they are in fact real and a much darker piece of her history.

Ughhhh this one could be so good. Iloved the story line - it is dark and ominous and I was sucked right in. The sense of dread is real with this one. BUT after the first 25% I felt like was being told things instead of being shown things. Im hopeful that the final version is a bit more finished than the ARC because this one has so much potential.

4.5*

“Everyone deserves to write their own story.”

Alejandra is a 30-something, stay at home mom with three children. Her life seems normal, except for the bloodied creature wearing flesh and fish skin for a dress that watches her children sleep.

I love books about trauma. I love books about mental health. I love *raw* and honest books about mental health. V. Castro is already one of my favorite authors, and The Haunting of Alejandra is no exception. I flew through this book quickly, devouring it in about two nights.

This was a hard book. I don’t have children myself, and don’t want them, but it shook something in me that made me take a look at my past and my trauma and how the people around me treated me over it. Women (and other marginalized communities) are meant to take so much trauma without creating a fuss. They are meant to give up everything to cater to others. And this is the norm, not an extreme. This book forces you to look at the uglier side of womanhood and motherhood. Reading this on the heels of The Lies We Weave by Grace R. Reynolds definitely added a bit of emotion to the story.

Tread with caution, and treat yourself kindly while reading this book. I loved Alejandra, and I hope you do too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the chance to read this advanced review copy.

CW for death, murder, body horror, suicide, suicidal thoughts/ideation, blood, gore, toxic relationship, sexism, abandonment, sexual assault, emotional abuse, child abuse, rape, mental illness/depression, infidelity, miscarriage, colonization, and racism

Wow! I did not know what I was getting into with this one. I went in blind and I definitely don’t suggest doing that if you’re a parent. That being said, this one was quite creepy and a really interesting psychological slow burn.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review,

First of all I was so happy seeing the folktale of La Llorona in a book because it’s a story I grew up with. I loved the story of Alejandra healing herself by confronting her trauma as well as the trauma of her female ancestors. I also loved reading about each ancestors story and how all of those events led Alejandra to where she is in the present.

I will say that I thought the story would be more on the paranormal side of horror but it is more psychological with lots of disturbing body imagery. I also struggled reading through this book because of the writing style. The exposition became very lengthy at times. Overall, it was a good story. I would recommend to anyone that likes psychological/body horror.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this Arc in exchange for my honest review.

Slow burn and very creepy novel. This book really is quite unsettling in it's writing and the way the story forms. I recommend if you like gothic novels or slow burn reads.

I got an ARC of this book.

At first, I loved how stylized the writing was. There was a distinct voice and it was great. But the longer I read the more the voice started to grate on me. The dialogue was so stilted and weird. There were no distinction between character voices and the narration. It was all the same. It got old pretty fast.

The horror never really started. I thought at first, it would be like the indigenous horror books I like, where the horror builds slowly. The horror relying on intent and stories. In the end I stopped reading, because even the stories were not enough. La Llorona is a favorite of mine, but even then this didn't live up to the idea. There was nothing here for me.

The MC is 100% believable. I met someone who is this character and we were close for so long. But this sort of person is also incredibly draining and not fun to read about. So really was not for me.

After unwrapping family history, Alejandra may be haunted by a Mexican demon, La Llorona.

I liked this one because not only was it a horror and spooky, it also told a cultural tale with mental health aspects to it. It is the story of Alejandra and the trauma and history that is passed down generationally. It is also about post partum and how raising children, especially with little help, is not always happiness and fun. The creepiness factor in this one slowly builds and I love the cultural history to it.

“Whatever is happening to me feels beyond what I can see or touch. I’m in a place where I have one foot on the ledge of a cliff and the other dangling in the air.”

The Haunting of Alejandra comes out 4/18.

TW: suicidal ideation, suicide, mental illness, generational trauma, postpartum depression/anxiety, body horror, violence

I started off really enjoying this and then about halfway through felt like it was falling flat. The story was repetitive, had a lot of what the characters were thinking but lacked action, and I felt like it was choppy. I also feel like the end fight between Alejandra and La Llorona happened quickly, wasn’t very clear in what occurred/how La Llorona was defeated (though this could just be because I was trying to push through to the end to get it finished), and sort of anticlimactic. The dialogue between characters felt so forced and unrealistic - take, for example, the conversation between Alejandra and her father at their first meeting:

She too felt this undeniable familiarity as they matched each other’s gaze. “Are you Rogelio?”
He nodded. “You my daughter with Cathy?”

In this scene, I just feel like it would be so unrealistic for him to immediately recognize her when he’s never met her and she’s coming into his shop for the first time. Why would he automatically assume she was his daughter?

I felt like the alternate timelines was cool and helped develop the generational trauma point that the author was trying to make but I would have liked more character development for Alejandra as as soon as the book starts she’s already seeing La Llorona and deep in suicidal thoughts. I also think the author did well in explaining what postpartum anxiety and depression can look like/how it can develop, though Alejandra’s was because of La Llorona.

I enjoyed the tie-in of Mexican folk-lore, which is the initial reason I picked up this book. I think I would have liked more information on how the entity became La Llorona/how it came to Earth (I know it was briefly touched upon).

Overall, I enjoyed the book but found that it took too long to get to the finish line - which is saying a lot for such a short book. I found the final showdown to be short and still don’t really know how La Llorona was defeated. The author did well with descriptions of La Llorona and other aspects of the story, but the body horror & violence could be construed as graphic so be aware of that!

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

The haunting of Alejandra is an ambitious and intriguing novel. The story follows Alejandra, a Mexican-American mother and wife who is haunted by nightmares and visions of la Lorna-a ghost in mexican folklore who murdered her children centuries ago. In seeking help from a healer/therapist, Alejandra realizes that the ghost has haunted the women in her family for generations and tries to figure out how to save her daughter and to break free from the families curse! Through the story of La Lorna, the novel explores deeper themes of multigenerational trauma, motherhood, mental health, and family/marriage. The pacing is perfect and the character development will keep the pages turning. A well-written novel and one that will be very deserving of the praise it will get this spring!

Arc provided by the publisher by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded to 5

In the Haunting of Alejandra, V. Castro reimagines the folktale of La Llorona through the lense of generational trauma. I grew up hearing stories about La Llorona and how she drowned her children before taking her own life. I have to admit I never gave much thought on where this story originated until now.

V. Castro drew me in with Alejandra's story and the stories of her ancestors. Although the main narrative revolves around Alejandra, a mother of three, Castro inserts chapters of the women who came before her, painting an illustrious history of a curse befallen on women who dared to find a path away from traditional norms.

Alejandra is a Mexican-American woman born and raised in Texas. Her mother abandoned her when she was younger and she was taken in by a religious family. Alejandra married who she thought was the man of her dreams and three kids later she realizes she hasn't lived for herself. She is struggling with being a good mother, a good wife and a good caretaker. For once she wants to be good for herself and not for everyone else. As she continues to experience more violent thoughts she seeks out help from a part curandera/part therapist who urges her to dig deeper into her family's history. Alejandra soon learns that she is the target of a strong generational curse that has followed the women in her family and in order to save her daughter she needs to put a stop to it.

I very much enjoyed reading about all of the women. They each had their own passions and fervent desires. I also loved the emphasis on self-acceptance , healing and boundaries. Castro shines a light on the endless and often thankless work that mothers do day in and day out. Her characters strive for more than what society expects of them. It was refreshing to see Castro give a voice to such a prominent folktale. Her utilization of La Llorona did not feel like a gimmick or caricature. The myth started with a woman and ultimately liked the possibility Castro led us to.

This is my first book my V. Castro and she did not disappoint.

There were some parts where the writing felt a bit clunky specially around the dialogue between characters. I do wish the book would've been a bit more scary. Although I did feel the tension build it didn't quite feel like a horror book.


Thank you to netgalley for an advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Alejandra's live is a mess- she's miserable and despairing- when her therapist Melanie rescues her by recognizing and ultimately exorcising the demon which has plagued her family for centuries. It moves back and forth in time to tell the story of how La Llorona, a vengeful spirit has haunted her foremothers. Castro incorporates Mexican folklore, magical realism, and horror to create a tale that will both engage and at times infuriate the reader. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. An intriguing and ambitious novel,.

✨ Review ✨ The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

cw: suicide and suicidal ideation x a lot; deep trauma and sadness around motherhood; mentally abusive, cheating, and otherwise bad male partners

woah, this book.

Based on the tales of La Llorona, "The Weeping Woman," a mother phantom from Mexican folklore known for drowning her children before herself, this book delves deep into motherhood, trauma, suicide, and generational trauma. The book centers the story of Alejandra, a mother of 3 with a crappy husband, who's grappling with her desire to live around the traumas of marriage and motherhood. On top of this all, she keeps seeing a mysterious white-clothed woman in the shadows.

The book jumps back through stories of Alejandra and her ancestors as she tries to come to terms with the generational trauma that plagues her and the origin story of this horror she's facing. I must reiterate that this is a dark book filled with trauma and sadness, but that ultimately we find moments of light and relief from that misery.

I thought this was a fascinating spin on understanding La Llarona and the book brought us to many times and places (including to a Flora, a soldadera fighting alongside Zapata in the Mexican Revolution, and one of my favorite characters). I highlighted scores of quotes as this book reflected on the relationship between mothers and daughters, the impact of colonialism/patriarchy/power over women, and the other traumas so many women face.

The horror components are gross in places, but the true demons of this book are the dark feelings and horrors its characters face.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5)
Genre: horror, historical fiction
Setting: Texas, somewhere nondescript on the East Coast, Mexico from the 1600s to the 2000s.
Reminds me of: The Many Daughters of Afong Moy in how it weaves in multiple voices across a bloodline to think through generational trauma
Pub Date: April 18, 2023

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy of this book!

In V. Castro’s latest novel, Alejandra battles an inner darkness that her family cannot comprehend. When she explores her family’s history, she discovers a link to Mexican legend, La Llorona, whose demonic ghostly figure begins to haunt her. With the strength of her ancestors, Alejandra must confront the apparition and defeat it. V. Castro's narrative style is riveting and has vivid descriptions of supernatural horror that are both well-crafted and gruesome.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this one. There are some spoilers in this review so please be warned.

Castro is an amazing writer, taking folklore and twisting it into modern life is what she does best!

Alejandra is a mother that is depressed, neglected, but unbelievably loving to her children.

The Hauntings’s story takes us throughout Alejandra’s past and through her family’s long history. It really digs into the family trauma and hurt and adding in an evil entity.

The visuals of “La Llorona” are absolutely terrify and amazing! Showing the origin of the myth and how it was manipulated was a great touch.

The way there’s an almost ‘80s horror movie twist in the end is wonderfully twisted in the best way!

I was really excited about this book, but unfortunately, I found it more frustrating than enjoyable. The storyline was great, but everything was explained to an excessive degree. The dialogue between characters was also far too formal, with over-explained situations which made conversations feel forced. I am a bit bummed to rate this as a 3-star. Thank you, NetGalley for the eARC.

DNF around 30%.

While the synopsis for this book was very promising, I just don't think the execution worked for me. I did not find myself very engaged with the author's writing. There were long periods of introspection mixed with large segments of character's monologuing. I thought things were over-explained at times with lots of repetition used as well. Because of this, I didn't find the horror elements to be horrifying, and certainly not scary. The dialogue was unnatural, the characters were not speaking the way actual people speak.

I understand the project of this book, and I think at times some of the issues I mentioned above were intentional on the author's part. However, that didn't make this one any more enjoyable to read. I think this author's ideas and message were great, I just think the execution could have been better and more polished.

In the end I chose to DNF, which I rarely do, because I was just too bored. I hope this reaches its audience, though, because I'm sure there is a large number of people out there who will read and relate to this story.

- Meghan