Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book. I couldn’t get into the story or writing. The characters fell flat to me, and I just became too bored.

I struggled originally with how to tackle this review as I had to DNF this book. I made it 1/3 of the way (33%) and I just wasn't meshing with the writing style and pacing. I was completely intrigued by the premise and the first couple of chapters were fantastic. I especially liked that we were getting different POVs that show the different generations of women in this familial line, showing the traumas and struggles of each, but I went into this book expecting a horror story and there just wasn't enough meat to keep me hanging on.

I think Castro's writing is beautiful. However, it can be a bit wordy and descriptive at times, which adds a ton of detail to the world and helps build atmosphere, but can also weigh down the story and create disinterest. I am heartbroken about this because I feel like this is the kind of story I would love. A multi-generational story showing the stigmatized struggles and exploitation of women and the curses they carry. Sign me up! But I just couldn't find enough to hang on to to keep me turning pages.

I will say that this is not a review of a completed book. I have many friends that absolutely adored this novel. That's what makes this ever more tragic. I encourage you all to give this book a read. I think, for many of you, you will find something to love here. I recommend for fans of slower, atmospheric horror reads that are about more than just cheap thrills and chills. This book has a story to tell and I know there is a large audience that needs to hear it.

Sometime after the birth of her third child, Alejandra's world comes comes crashing down revealing her unhappiness in a tidal wave of emotions. Her loss of identity as a whole person consumes her ever waking thoughts and now follows into dark dreams of many strange and very sad women who seem to beckon to her yet they're tied to death somehow and this frightens Alejandra yet she feels comforted as well. Alejandra loves her children although she doesn't seem to enjoy motherhood anymore so she just performs her duties like a robot, day after day. Her life as a wife feels so empty, unappreciated while needing help with caring for the children, the meals, the never-ending chores yet still expected to excitedly perform her wifely duties while she only wants to crawl into bed and maybe get a good nights rest without one of the little ones crying out for Mommy once, twice or more waking her to care for their needs while husband and daddy never hears a sound and gets to have uninterrupted sleep each night while the good wife handles anything and everything.

In the darkest corners of the room a creature lurks watching, waiting, listening and salivating over Alejandra's tears and sorrows. Unknown and invisible to her right now is how the creature feeds while it grows stronger to reveal it's insidious nature and monstrous physical appearance to Alejandra and then to her beautiful children because it wants their innocence and purity. It wants to consume their souls while it whispers lies of how peaceful death would be and all her pain would end forever because she is a horrid mother, wife and person. No one would miss her, her family would be better off without her causing them unhappiness.

Well, this sounds like classic, severe depression but in this strange case Alejandra will find out her bloodline had been cursed by a demon which for many centuries that had been taking the form of the legendary ghost of "La Llorona" who (as the story goes) murdered her own children and then took her own life for revenge at the supposed rejection from a man who did not want any children and her spirit. would be doomed to walk the earth for eternity hearing the cries and screams of her children and never being able to reunite with them.

Alejandra desperately needs help before she succumbs to the darkness and misery saturating her life in every way possible. If there is such a demon.haunting Alejandra can anyone help her in time since it is very, very vicious and soul-sucking hungry or is it possible that everything Alejandra now sees and believes are only products of a severe psychotic break that has brought about dangerous and suicidal delusions of a broken mind, heart and spirit. Either way, a psychosis or curse they can equally destroy Alejandra if she doesn't find someone to to help her fight these demons!

Trigger Warnings: Dark Depression, Suicidal Thoughts.



This was a well-written and thought out story of the darkness and danger of severe depression while also turning the depression into a horror story of a Latina woman's bloodline curse. The storyline was intriguing about some of the history Latina women surrounding curses etc. but for me it became too dark and depressing more about a woman's unhappiness with her life and life choices instead of a spooky, scary horror book. Granted there was some creepiness and a creature but it fell flat for me as a truly, frightening horror story. Too many women issues that were so morbid and miserable (imo). I know I may be in the minority but I had to plow through this one. Also, the story really wasn't about "La Llorona" which was a big letdown.

Remember this is just my opinion and most people will probably enjoy this book and probably find it scary. It just seemed this book was a disconnect for me. I do still recommend this story to others so they can form their own opinions!


I want to thank the publisher "Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 3 FRUSTRATING AND DEPRESSING 🌟🌟🌟 STARS!!

5 stars! A beautifully written book that I wish I could read again for the first time. I purchased a personal hardback copy to keep and revisit. Loved the folklore woven throughout. Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an advanced reader copy.

This book combines a horrible curse, realistic issues with motherhood, marriage and identity, folktales and more to created the story of Alejandra. For so many women, the feelings Alejandra has about her identity, and the depression she faces will be extremely relatable. Her wonderful therapist helps her discover more information about the women in her family, and they uncover a curse that has plagued many generations.

I enjoyed this story, and I liked learning more about La Llorona. And isn't the cover beautiful?

I loved the way this book started off; it immediately felt creepy and maintained that the entire way though. This was a fun read that kept me on the edge of my seat for the majority of the story. This would be a nice read for spooky season!

This book is a marvel of horror, folklore, feminist sentiment, verisimilitude and cultural critique. Castro walks a fine line between the past and the present; reality and perception; race and culture. It is a terrible ode to motherhood and cautionary tale of ignoring mental health. It is a perfect book to teach or read it slowly enough to digest the full breadth of its beauty.

It is also painfully tragic, and possibly triggering. As a mother who once had to deal with postpartum anxiety, the story is more catharsis than trigger for me, but it also cuts deeply. You may even be haunted by these women’s fear. It’s one most mothers share. You may even sympathize with the monster. I went through many emotions. I expect you will, too.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray, Random House for gifting me an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

First, my review is my own opinion and does not reflect on the story. As readers we all have different opinions so just because this story did not work for me does not mean it won’t work for you. I strongly encourage you to pick it up and try it for yourself.

Unfortunately, I was not engaged with this story. I believe it starts off strong, we meet Alejandra and she’s in the shower and she is obviously struggling with her mental health. She hears a soft voice telling her to end it. The reader knows that this is supposed to be La LLorona but also Alejandra’s inner voice.
The reader is then introduced to Alejandra’s husband who is such a lazy piece of garbage. He says all the wrong things and literally doesn’t attempt to support his wife but instead tell her she should be grateful for all the things she has making Alejandra spiral more into her depression.
The story has dual plot lines switching from the past to the present where we learn why Alejandra is plagued by the demonic voice.

I read to about the 20% mark and then just sat the story down. I was just not invested in the characters story. The writing although beautiful was a little much for me. I was over hearing about the characters menstrual cycle over and over and then to start to hear about the other female characters cycles that were on the verge of starting just became too much for me. I didn’t really want to hear anymore about blood dripping down legs etc. I may try this story again in the future but as of right now this just was not something I wanted to invest my time into further.

I found this book to be very pretty spooky yet enjoyable.

I found myself highlighting frequently on my kindle because I could relate so much to Alejandra and it took me flashbacks of how it was for me when I first became a mom. The struggles of juggling motherhood, marriage, and life. It was all too reminiscent as well as the vivid dreams that I had. I also loved hearing about La Llorna folklore even though it will haunt me in my sleep now lol.

I look forward to reading more from V. Castro!

3⭐️

<b>I watched my husband achieve his dreams while I sat at home wanting to die, forgetting any dreams of my own.</b>

Alejandra is a mother of three and wife to Michael, and she’s struggling with losing herself to those titles. Alejandra herself was adopted by a Christian family who tried to erase Alejandra’s heritage, and she tracked down her biological mother to learn more about her family and ultimately herself. In her depressive episodes, Alejandra begins seeing a woman in white who she believes to be La Llorna and eventually goes to see a therapist to help her, but soon she realizes that she may not be imagining the strange things she’s been seeing.

I enjoyed this book. It was different than anything I’ve read before, and reminds me a lot of the song “labour” by Paris Paloma. I really loved the idea of a generational curse plaguing the women in Alejandra’s family and I liked the lore that is woven into the story. The ending was also satisfying, and overall it was a good book! I like it more because of it’s uniqueness, but it didn’t give me the scare/creep factor that I crave from horror books.

<b>She allowed herself to cry one last time over the sink, a tribute to La Llorona, one of the many misunderstood women roaming the earth stuck between worlds, passing on curses they may or may not understand.</b>

I found this book to be very entertaining and I enjoyed the characters and plot. The story drew me in from the start and I am looking forward to reading more from this Author.

A creepy, fun book that riffs well on the familiar La Llarona folklore. Ultimately the time jumps left me feeling a bit disjointed from the characters, but as a whole I enjoyed my read and will definitely be picking up more Castro in the future.

Alejandra is a mother of three who is losing her grip on the world around her as she feels overwhelmed, unappreciated, and alone. Tell me there is a mother on this Earth who hasn't felt this and you KNOW you'd be lying. For Alejandra, these feelings were too much and as her world began to spiral, the generational curse that has followed the women in her family came at her in the worst way possible: Manifesting itself as a demon.

Through therapy with a professional who also happens to practice curanderismo, Alejandra attempts to navigate her emotions and gain the confidence needed to literally face her demon and become the mother she wants to be, as well as the one her children need and deserve.
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Castro interspersed Mexican lore based on La Llorona in a relatable manner throughout her writing and it made for an interesting & nostalgic read. While this novel is classified as horror, I feel like the demonic hauntings, while intense, were few and far between. However, the story transcended time with flashbacks of Alejandra's maternal ancestors and the horrific circumstances that led them to face their own demons of motherhood, and THIS made me appreciate the novel even more.

This is easily my favorite book of 2023. It was spooky and heartbreaking and powerful and so many other words that I can't even think of. I loved getting to travel back in time with Alejandra's ancestors and see the things they went through and also seeing the evolution of the entity that haunts her family. The writing was incredible and had me absolutely hooked in no time at all. This was my first book by V. Castro but it certainly won't be my last!

I really enjoyed this take on La Llorona.

While this is horror (most definitely), it also brings you to the root of the grief and sorry behind the legends. I enjoyed reading about our women and their struggle to protect their daughters.

There are multiple timelines as we meet various generations of women in one family. While I'll be honest - I'm definitely more of a one timeline kind of reader - it was fascinating to read their stories.

I did find the overwhelming feeling of the book was one of sorrow and grief and I think that I was maybe looking for more chills. But I did enjoy it and can't wait to read the author's next offering.

This book was so much darker than I thought it would be!!! I got the chills many many many times LOL

If you're interested in the tale of La Llorona, or if you want to learn about it, you're going to love this. It's also a very empowering story!

I really liked it :)

Thank you to Random House - Ballantine for the opportunity to read and review this book! Alejandra is a Mexican-American mother of three who's struggling with depression, suicidal thoughts, and an emotionally abusive husband. She doesn't see a way out of her struggles. Then, she begins to see a shadowy figure dressed in white, first in the steam of her shower, then in the backyard of her house. The thing is following her, threatening her, and terrifying her. It then starts to reveal itself to her children. Terrified, Alejandra seeks the help of a psychiatrist and curandera, who tells her this creature sounds like it might be La Llorona, the mythical Mexican legend of the woman who drowned her children. Alejandra must confront La Llorona to save herself and her family.

I really liked the undertones of Mexican folklore in this story and I felt as though I was learning while I was reading, which I always enjoy. Alejandra's character was incredibly raw and emotional - she's the depiction of a reality that far too many women and mothers face. The creature was terrifying in its own way, knowing exactly how to pick apart each of its victims psychologically and emotionally. I felt as though the creature was a symbol of the inner demons that Alejandra - and really, all of us in one way or another - must face. This novel explored the horrors of what it's like to almost lose to those demons, and the power that lies in faith, friends, family, and in asking for and accepting help. Some of the dialogue and character interactions fell a little flat for me, but again, I loved the mental health storyline, the folklore, and the symbolism in this novel. It was definitely unlike anything I'd ever read before.

This is not a ghost story but a haunting of a different demon kind. if you believe such things then this should be a most intriguing read, and yet I struggled a little with the way the story was shared more than the story itself. There were aspects of Alejandra's life that I could reach out and touch, that keyed me directly into her struggle to be herself and understand who that was, she battled with depression, falling out of love with her husband, confined in a relationship she did not feel valued, mothering children who seemed to be burdens and not joys in her life, seeking recognition for who she was on the inside - but who was she?
As an adoptee who only recently met her birth mother Alejandra was not familiar with her ancestors - still her ancestors never gave up on her. The many interludes into the women of past generations and their struggles with "a woman's place" gave a sense of never-ending grief, a cycle that could only be broken once they realized the demon maybe wasn't all-powerful, maybe therapy is worth it, all metaphorical possibilities applied here. The focus on mother/daughter relationships and the generational trauma were critical to deeper understanding.
What drew me away from the story were the overly long explanations, the ancestral vignettes (too many), meeting the birth father (was that really necessary?), the character interaction and dialogue was lacking something tangible, why couldn't her husband be haunted instead (for real?). Thumbs up for the engaging cultural exploration and folklore aspects though, love that.
Thanks NetGalley for the e-copy and allowing me to share my thoughts.

What a nice find. This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention.

What is a spooky supernatural story turned out to be incredibly heartbreaking and hopeful by the end. The Haunting of Alejandra really highlights the ripple effects older generational trauma can have on future generations but finding and facing those traumas and taking the initiative to say enough is enough is something this book perfectly describes. Plus the trauma coming in the form as something as terrifying as La Llorna really resonated with me (as a Mexican American) this book was pure perfection and I highly recommend everyone read it.