“She had become a medicine for herself, and her story could be the medicine for others.”

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro truly took my breath away with the many ways it honors curanderismo and traditional African and Indigenous spirituality in the Latinx community. The homage and respect paid to the myth of La Llorona was weaved throughout the story beautifully as Alejandra works to break the generational curse she inherited from her foremothers.

Alejandra was a relatable character as a woman overwhelmed in her motherhood role with little to no support raising her children. I grew deeply attached to her character and was invested in her evolution throughout the story.

When Alejandra starts working with her therapist who is also a curandera she feels seen for the first time. She realizes she is not crazy and is validated in her understanding that the spiritual realm and the physical realm often intermix. Melanie agrees to help Alejandra tap into her spiritual power and call on her spirit guides and ancestors for support in breaking the family curse. My favorite part is the end of the story when Melanie reveals herself to be so much more than a therapist for Alejandra.

Thank you to the author and publisher for the e-arc copy. I know this story will stay with me for a long time.

I really loved the premise of this book — a mother stretched beyond her limit, grappling with a dark presence inside her that might be la llorona of legend. There’s a lot of ground that this book tries to cover. The thankless job of mothers who are primary caregivers and the weight of the responsibilities piled on their shoulders, the violent legacy of colonialism, and the cyclical nature of generational trauma. The execution of the story feels a little haphazard; there were many parts that could have been more cohesive. This is a really interesting book that would benefit from some editing.

I REALLY enjoyed this book a lot. From the Mexican culture about Dia de Los Muertos to the intense story line. Trying to figure out what it is exactly that is haunting Alejandra. She's a mother of three and for some reason has always suffered with the ability to just openly and willingly love her children. She felt internally resentful of them and could never understand why. Then she starts to see something, a strange essence that continues to appear in the dark, to Alejandra, and her children.

Throughout this story we get to see as Alejandra finds her courage to truly break a viscous cycle. Something her family believe to be a curse. Following generations of first born woman. I just can't go on enough about this book without giving the whole story away. This was a perfect read for Latin history and I can't wait to have a copy for my shelf. Thank you Netgalley for granting my wish for an early eARC of this great read.

I felt like there was potential with this, but I just couldn’t get into it.
I wish the explanation about how the creature picked up the name “La Llorona” was pushed out earlier rather than later. There was repetitive descriptions that lacked creativity for me. There was characters that I felt like were very unnecessary and could’ve been condensed, and still delivered the same premise.

Story is told in a third person perspective. Alejandra’s chapters always seemed long and drawn out. I did like how it bounced to her ancestors stories, to get background of what was their experience and how they coped with their trauma.

It was unique retelling of La Llorona through generational trauma. It just felt flat for me.

If you plan on reading this, please review trigger warnings.

I have so many mixed feelings about this book. It was written really well, I can say that for sure.

The thing is, it doesn't feel like a horror book to me at all, but more a book about over coming personal trauma. From that perspective it is a really good read. I even learned about a different culture, which I appreciated.

I feel like if there was more rounded out creepiness, it would fit the horror genre better.

I really liked each character and back story, (minus Matthew, fuck that guy). I'm actually really curious about the main characters future now. Maybe that could be a novella.

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

I've been in a bit of a reading slump this month (just busy with work and vacay planning/recovery) but because I read my kindle at the gym- I managed to finish reading this ARC.

This is a modern day telling of La Llorna and I devoured it. I even extended my walking time at one point to read an extra chapter. It goes through a family curse passed on to the women of this family.

I loved the gothic vibes Queen of the Cicadas and was definitely happy with my follow up read of V. Castro's.

Thank you to @netgalley for letting me express my interest in this one and the surprising me with it later.

#thehauntingofalejandra #vcastro #books #bookstagram #horrorreads #lallorona #gothichorror

This was an interesting and unique story that I appreciated very much as I don't know much about Mexican folklore. I really wanted to like it but I struggled. Half the book was spent on the mental state of Alejandra (felt a bit redundant and made me become frustrated with the character - I think the intent is to want to empathize with her) and the second half of the story felt rushed because of this. The dialog was unrealistic to me. I almost wanted it to be mostly just narrative without dialog because I just could not buy into the conversations. Some stories could be taken out as they don't serve any real purpose (e.g. the father). I give this book 2.5 stars and I'm rounding up to 3.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book.

Omg I LOVED this book! The Haunting of Alejandra has a beautifully written narrative. It’s one that will stay with you long after you finished. V. Castro really does an amazing job describing Alejandra and her mental state. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing-Ballentine for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me an ARC copy of this novel!

Let me just say that the cover of the book is stunning. It draws your attention and makes you want to pick up this book.
This book encapsulates and addresses the concept of generational trauma as experienced by women of color. The titular character, Alejandra, is the latest in a long line of women impacted by a curse, namely La Llorona, that ultimately drives them to commit suicide and consumes their children. The novel jumped right into things, and at first I was taken aback, but it truly conveys the frantic and emotional state that Alejandra finds herself in. She's trapped in a life she's not even sure she wanted, all while plagued by this mysterious creature who torments her day and night. The book goes back through Alejandra's bloodline, telling the story of the first woman impacted, all the way down to the "present day." The book had terrifying moments, and times you truly felt for Alejandra and her tittering mental state. You could feel her inner battle of being overwhelmed by being a mother, but loving your kids, but also hating that you are overwhelmed by your kids.

My only critiques would be that a lot of the character interactions felt wooden and stiff...maybe rehearsed is the right word. This occurs several times throughout the book. I remember reading an interaction between the main character and her biological father and thinking "real people don't talk to each other like this lol." The main character's husband felt like a stock character pulled straight from a book about privileged annoying husbands.

The second is that I felt a lack of trust from the author for us to understand the allegory or meaning that we were supposed to take from this. We get it, La Llorona is representative of generational trauma experienced by women of color due to the forces of colonization, racism, and the patriarchy. Towards the end of the book, it felt a bit like not just spoon-feeding but having the whole meal shoved down my throat. If the author could relax it all just more, I believe that this has the potential to be a phenomenal novel. The story truly speaks for itself. The premise is interesting and she is able to convey a lot through her writing, it just needs to be fine-tuned a bit.

The Haunting of Alejandra is exactly the type of book I'm loving recently- dark, gothic feeling, and supernatural. The plot of this story was so strong. The characters were interesting as well- my favorite character was Melanie, Alejandra’s therapist. I also love how the author told this story through different generational points of view. It really allowed the readers to understand the generational trauma- which is a large focus of the story.
We follow Alejandra, a wife and a mom to three. She is having a rough time and cant find happiness in her life. On top of that she gets visited by La Llorna. She has to face her generational trauma in order to get rid of La Llorna and find happiness!
While I liked this book, and will think back on it with positive thoughts, the dialogue seemed clunky and unnatural. Specifically, when Alejandra was specking to her kids, the kids dialogue didn’t flow well, but the rest of the writing was great. So for that, I did give this book 3 stars but still would definitely recommend checking this one out when it comes out on April 18th next year!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this Advanced Readers Copy.

"Unconditional love needs space to reside. She barely had enough love for herself."

The Haunting of Alejandra is a true ghost story mixed with Mexican folklore focused largely on La Llorona (with other elements weaved in). At the story's center is Alejandra and many generations of her family (esp. women) who have carried the burden of the curse of la llorona in secret over the years. This was gory and disturbing and at times hard to read but I kept reading because V. Castro tells an important story about generational trauma, and the burdens, sacrifices, and stress of motherhood & other domestic duties that women are forced to carry in silence and in shame. The Haunting of Alejandra also tells about strong women and the power of love, especially the role of self love and the importance of being true to ourselves even when we give so much to others. Dark but beautiful and with many bright spots scattered in between, I was fascinated by this book, even the gritty parts. While horror and gore are outside my preference for any medium, this was haunting & moving. Will stick with me a long time.

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castle is exactly what I mean by using horror as healing, as a way to reach catharsis.

You should be grateful, Alejandra tells herself each day. She has three healthy children. Her husband can provide them with his job. She should be thankful, but why does she feel such despair and have nightmares about La Llorona? When the past bleeds into her daily life, following generations of women cursed by the same demon, it will take a radical moment of agency for Alejandra to save herself and her children.

Outstanding. Chilling, Gruesome. Castro is a prominent veteran of the genre, knowing exactly how to scare her readers with not just monsters but with a frank look at mental health and how people, often Women of Color, deny treating themselves. There were times when I was shouting at Alejandra to take her children and run because La Llorona was only a fraction of the horror she faced. The complete apathy from her husband, her terrible childhood, and the isolation in her life created some of the more visceral moments. The opening scene with Alejandra's nervous breakdown sets the tone for the whole book, showing who she is her circumstancess are—combined with the chapters about her ancestors, all women who have suffered pain and loss, creating a tapestry of intergenerational trauma.

If you are a fan of Zoraida Córdova's The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina but want more visceral horror, then you should read The Haunting of Alejandra.

A copy was provided to me by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Haunting Of Alejandra is a delightfully creepy retelling of the La Llorona legend. Alejandra is a stay at home mother of three small children, who is often left alone by the husband's business trips for weeks at a time. Alejandra starts experiencing some unexplainable events and calls upon the women in her life to help her and her children.
I really enjoyed the author's take on the legend of a "woman in white" haunting. The descriptions of the haunting were creepy, and I loved backstories we get from the other women in Alejandra's ancestry that feed into the current haunting. I love the cover, it is absolutely gorgeous and what originally drew me to the book.
My biggest issue with the book is the writing - it is very stilted and the dialog is hard to get through. Characters will over explain in long, unnatural monologues instead of letting the conversations flow naturally to give the reader the needed information. The husband was written as a stereotypical "bad husband" with no other personality than how awful he is. I think this book would be amazing after another round or two with an editor to polish the more awkward passages.
I did enjoy The Haunting Of Alejandra, and would recommend this book after some final polishing. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Alejandra is a stay at home mother, struggling with feelings of hopelessness and despair when a horrifying figure in white appears to torment her. To free herself, Alejandra will have to face a deep history of generational trauma.
V. Castro has created a fascinating examination of the legacy of family trauma and colonialism. The depiction of Mexican American spirituality adds a unique depth and tone to the story, and the creature haunting Alejandra is absolutely terrifying. Highly recommended reading for any horror fan.

I love the idea of this book. The synopsis is what drew me in, along with the beautiful cover. I was expecting it to be more spooky for it to be in a horror category. I did enjoy the information about La Llorona told in the book so as the reader, we can understand where the story comes from.

I wish the information about the birthmark and the curse were explained better. I didn't care to find out at the end of the book who was directly affected by the curse and what the creature was after. I also wished I saw more interaction with the creature from the previous generations and knowledge about the curse from the family affected by it. For example, it would make more sense if the grandmother was aware of the curse THEN tell Alejandra about it once they reconnect so they can find a way to stop it. It just felt off that nobody knew what was going on and kept that information to themselves until it was too late. It made the ending feel rushed.

It was also random how she finally speaks to a family member near the end and then she leaves and that's it. That character would be something to dig deeper into.

Matthew really wasn't needed in the story if he was going to be gone majority of the time. He did not interact much with the main characters unless he was being inconsiderate to Alejandra's feelings or speaking to the children which he rarely did. I wish he was more present since he was a big part of why Alejandra was depressed.

I didn't care for the generations to be out of order explaining how to curse affected the past family members. The author should have switched the timelines and have them go from oldest to most recent.

There was a lot of repetitive descriptions. An example would be the description of the creature. It's explained every time it appears. I think the word 'cenote' appeared too many times for my liking but I might just be picky. The book could be condensed a little as well. A lot of long descriptions during a scene that need to be omitted.

There wasn't enough dialogue in the story. When the dialogue was taking place, it had a lot of extra feeling that isn't needed. This is hard to describe because it appears in different instances.

This book has a lot of potential. It made me feel for Alejandra because post partum is very real especially when you don't have a lot of support from your partner or family members. The book touched on racism in america against brown people. I am still looking forward to the finished edit because I have so much hope for the story. Just needs a few tweaks. I am posting a condensed review on my social media to not give too much away about the details of the book. Thank you so much for this opportunity.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the free copy to review!

While I enjoyed this book immensely, I do want to start out with a big Content Warning about suicide and suicide ideation. After all, the legend that this book is built around deals with this topic and it is a large theme throughout this book.

The myths and legends of Central and South America have always fascinated me, and the story of La Llorona is such a fertile storytelling ground that I’m surprised more authors haven’t used it as inspiration. But I’m glad that V did. This book explores not only legends and curses, but generational trauma as well (which I guess could be another CW/TW). Women, in particular and those from minorities, are so often the carriers of this trauma. This book shows the destruction of that as well as the ways in which it can be overcome — by using traditional means. I enjoyed the plot line of Melanie, the therapist/curandera. I’d love to see a spin-off with Melanie as a main character.

If you are in a good headspace and are interested in Mesoamerican legends, I cannot recommend this book bigly enough.

Additional CW/TW: miscarriage, death, emotionally abusive marriage relationship.

Thank you to Del Rey for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I doubt I've ever seen a more painfully realistic portrayal of generational trauma than I have in The Haunting of Alejandra. From the beginning, I was enthralled by Alejandra's story, and by the stories of all of the women who came before her. The book is not only about Alejandra, but about her predecessors and how they have shaped her. Alejandra's pain is raw and real, and her situation is one that many other marginalized people find themselves in.

I loved Alejandra and character arc throughout the book, and seeing her trace her roots. I also enjoyed the way in which Mexican folklore, specifically the legend of La Llorona, was used as a central focus for the book--it lent that much more depth and significance to it. The development of this book was suspenseful and ultimately satisfying, and even stepping away for a few minutes made me impatient to return to it. When I finally reached the last page, I felt a little empty--but in a good way.

Yes, this has book has elements of horror and painful personal trauma, but I see it as a story of hope and healing--of how we mend the wounds left from our past and find the strength to move forward toward the future. I would recommend this book to anyone.

I really enjoyed the folklore and exploration of the past, but the writing was a bit heavy-handed and there was far too much telling, not showing. While Alejandra herself was relatable, a lot of the side characters (especially Matthew) fell quite flat for me.

I really did enjoy this book. I got through it pretty quick it's not a favorite it's not what I was thinking the book was going to be about. I thought it would of been more haunting and more spooky but overall I enjoyed it and the cover of the book is beautiful as well

I had high hopes for this book walking into it and thankfully it did not disappoint! I found myself immediately invested and that remained the case for the rest of the book. I loved Alejandra and the journey she went on throughout this book. I also loved that we got the chance to meet some of her ancestors and learn a little bit about their lives. I will definitely be recommending this book to my friends!

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me access to this book!