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.

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This was an empowering tory of a woman fighting her inner demons as well as a real demon. The book discusses how intergenerational trauma can affect someone and be conquered.

I really love this book and author and her work is very poignant. I believe there is still some growing to do with her writing, as there were sentences and topics that felt rushed or forced, but all in all, the story and characters are great and I loved reading it.

Alejandra is a wife and mother of three who is suffering from depression and falling further into the all consuming darkness surrounding her. She starts to have visions of a ragged woman in a white dress weeping, and it leaves her with an unsettling feeling of despair. With little support at home and her birth mother now living further away, she begins to see a therapist and explores her family history.

It is then that she discovers the depth of the generational trauma that has affected the women in her family. They too saw the weeping woman known as La Llorona, a Mexican folk demon who was once believed to be a vengeful and murderous mother. Alejandra is struggling against the pull of La Llorona, but she also channels the strength of her ancestors to fight back and attempt to break the curse that has plagued her family for generations.

This was a dark book with a slow burn, and you really need to be in the right headspace to read it. At times I could relate to Alejandra, especially when she was at her breaking point and started losing her sense of self. We’ve all had moments where we fall into a pit of despair and the darkness continues to pull us under, but we need to find a way to utilize the tools we’ve been offered, whether through therapy or wisdom passed down from family and friends, to break free and thrive. I really admire the author for handling topics like depression and suicidal ideation with respect and consideration for the characters and readers. Though the subject matter was a bit grim, I still really enjoyed the story overall and the folklore behind it.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing a copy of this book to review.*