Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
I really loved the message and feminism in every word. I'm not sure how I felt about the repetition in Feliciana's chapters, but I don't think I liked it. I can see what the author was trying to do- It does feel poetic and purposeful, but it's also frustrating as a reader to read the same things over and over again. I feel like it's supposed to be because Feliciana is old and elderly people tend to ramble and repeat but I feel like the old people I've hung out with don't repeat things in that particular way (repeating sentences right after each other with slight variation in verbiage). It almost came off to me like the author couldn't decide on how to phrase a line so they just kept both versions in there, multiple times. That being said though, there still was some really beautiful lines, especially in the word choice and descriptions. My favorite lines were probably:
-"The same way I couldn't just eat a spoonful of sugar unless it was dissolved in a cup of coffee. Maybe I got that from my dad, the need to dissolve one thing into another." (such a masterful way of characterization!)
-"All women are born with a bit of bruja in them for protection."
On the downside, I wish I felt more connected with these characters. I especially found it hard to care/ be invested in Zoe. I found myself wanting to skim Zoe's chapters to get back to Feliciana. I wish we'd gotten more of Feliciana's early life and childhood. Honestly, I think I'd have preferred a book of only her, or maybe even a POV with Paloma would've been incredibly interesting (although I see why that would plot wise be tricky).
Overall, I'm glad I gave this one a shot. There's a lot to appreciate in this book, and while I didn't absolutely adore it, I think others might.
DNF @ 62%
P.s. I also appreciated the translator's note in the beginning

I enjoyed this book but it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I was more looking for an exploration of defiance of gender norms, revenge by living well, and details of both women's life. It focused more on the life of the journalist, without really going deeply into Paloma's narrative.

Translated from the original language, WITCHES tells the story of Paloma, who was murdered, but before she died, before she was even Paloma, she taught her cousin Feliciana the secrets of the ceremonies known as geladas, and about the Language and the Book that unlock their secrets.

This was a beautiful story, with richly well developed characters, and I enjoyed listening to the as an audiobook to really capture the storytelling.

*many thanks to HighBridge Audio and netgalley for the gifted copy for review

A beautiful tale detailing the lives of different women with "other" abilities.

This book was translated from its original language and because of that, there are such artful and enticing phrases used in the book which engage the reader in the Mexican culture these characters live and celebrate.

This book is a good read for any time of year, but I had it in my September witch-a-thon TBR pile. It stood out from all the others because of the cultural differences and the very real feel to the lives of the characters. It's fiction that you feel like you could see in a documentary or National Geographic special a out outstanding and mysterious peoples.

Its not pointy hat and flying on broom witches, it's more having the sight, village healer and living off the land type of Brujeria.

My favourite quote;

"All women are born with a bit if brujeria in them, for protection."

I can't wait to read other people's thoughts on this unique story.

I would not suggest that a first time reader be introduced to the book in audio format. This suggestion is purely based on the POV changes and formatting used mixed with some uncommon terminology. I feel like I would've had a better understanding and appreciation of the book if I had the physical format. This is nothing against the author or the narrator. I thoroughly believe they did a wonderful job. However, for the first time I have to say I would not recommend the audio of a book.

A beautiful and haunting book. It was an absolute joy to listen to. I look forward to purchasing a physical copy!

I got to halfway through the book and have quit. The narrator has a nice voice, but the book is very rambly and I don't really know what is going on and it hasn't made me care to know. I listen to audio books while I am doing other things, and perhaps this one needs one's full attention in order to get it. Thank you anyway.

I wanted to love this one more than I did. The idea of the story seems fantastice and I love the richness of the characters, setting, and even the writing was done beautifully. However, the story moved very slowly and the plot seemed to slip away from me at times.

This one just wasn’t for me. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish it. The plot seemed to just slip past me and it felt more like a memoir rather than a novel. Maybe I’ll try another work by this author.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. Interesting story and a fast and easy read.

Witches was a pretty interesting story, however I listened to about 45% and still felt it was moving very slowly.

Witches by Brenda Lozano translated from the Spanish by Heather Cleary is a good novel but not a fave. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Kyla Garcia and she did a great job! I think two narrators would have made the audiobook even better since there’s two perspectives in this book. It follows Feliciana and Zoe as they share their life stories. I found this book more of a character study without much plot and these two women’s lives loosely related to each other. It was interesting to read about the healing rituals but there is also a lot of traumatic situations. I did greatly appreciate the translators note at the beginning.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio via NetGalley for my ALC!

A heart wrenching story of one incredibly strong family. You get completely invested in the main character and their interactions with family and the world around them. Written with such incredible detail I was transported immediately.

"What is missing for you, if you have everything? If you have everything today, nothing will be missing tomorrow."

This was a slow but entrusting read and family life across generations and what happens when you're not prepared to take on the responsibilities you're born to.

Listening to the audio, it was difficult to differentiate the POV and repetition is a frequent device -- to the point I thought my audio was skipping and repeating!

One of my favorite parts was the translation note at the beginning, explaining how key terms from Spabish were translated with explanations of the uses in Mexican culture.

Thanks to #NetGalley for the advance read!

#audiobook #BookReview #read #reading #books #bookstagram #reader #ReadersOfInstagram #Witches #BrendaLozano #PubDay

[Slide 1: white text on a yellow background with the cover of Witches. Texts reads "Pub Day: Family, feminism, & mental health but make it mystical. Multiple POV"

[Slide 2: screenshot from Storygraph app. Text includes moods with top three being emotional, reflective, and sad.]

[Slide 3: screenshot from Storygraph app. Text includes CW for graphic: sexual assault, moderate: transphobia, rape, deadnaming, homophobia, sexism, violence, xenophobia, abortion, death of a parent, and murder.]

I feel conflicted about this book because I love a lot of the content and the story itself, but it was difficult to get into via audiobook. Maybe it was more clearly identified via text, but it was hard to tell when the POV shifted, and it took me a while to even tell that there were two different narrators at times because they weren't clearly noted. The writing was repetitive at times, with the same phrases being given for the same person over and over, and it took away from how beautiful the writing was otherwise. (Spoiler) I also felt uncomfortable with how the trans character is killed, because I don't think the author is trans and it doesn't feel right to profit off of a story that isn't your own to tell, especially when trans women are widely known to have the highest murder rate and experience violence at such a high level. There's a time and a place to tell those stories, and it feels somewhat exploitative if it isn't your own story.

Witches provides us two POVs of women who's lives intersect at the investigation of a murder. Paloma was a healer who didn't quite live up to the expectations of their father, born a boy but living as a woman, there is much turmoil in Paloma's life. Their sister Feliciana is telling us what it is to be a curandera (healer), a woman and a proud Oaxacan within her family and community. She imparts the challenges of language and identity that she and Paloma face. Zoe's story wasn't as strong for me, but she similarly tells of societal expectations thrust upon her as a woman and a journalist.

I'm not sure what I just read. It was beautiful and dripping with indigenous Mexican culture and pride but I'm not sure the story really went anywhere compelling enough for me. We get a lot of detail on what it is like to not want to immerse in the colonizer's culture, to embrace one's own language and tradition. I liked the passages on the traditional healing and the metaphors of the treatment ingredients for people and their lives. But I'm not sure I followed the throughline of the plot as clearly as I would have wanted to. I'm not sure if this was the translation, the narrating or the writing itself. I still think it was an intoxicatingly immersive read that kept me entertained and engaged questioning my own assumptions about culture and gender.
I think if you like character driven stories, you will find this one really powerful. If you're like me and prefer a more plot driven story, the audiobook was a great way to experience the story and keep it moving in sections where you might put down the physical book while reading for lack of action.

Thanks to HighBridge Audio via Netgalley for access to this audiobook. All opinions above are my own.

Zoe and Feliciana have seen the ugly side of what it means to grow up as a woman. While they are from different places with vastly different histories, their lives seem to reflect off each other in turns along the way. Family allegiances, love and heartbreak, and learning life lessons along the way help each of them turn into the women they are today.

The voices of each character are strong and it is fascinating to learn about their separate lives. When they come together, however, is when the real magic happens. They learn how similar they actually are and the parallel paths they've been unknowingly traveling.

I enjoyed the rich storytelling and alternate narrator format of the book. The parts I struggled with were some redundancy during Feliciana's story (although I understand this was meant to mirror her way of speaking) and for the audiobook some indication of who was speaking at the beginning of each chapter or having different narrators would be helpful in distinguishing the two voices of Feliciana and Zoe.

Witches by Brenda Lozano

Narrated by Kyla Garcia
Listening Time: 6 Hours, 52 Minutes

Publisher: HIghBridge Audio
Release Date: August 16, 2022

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Mystery, Thriller, Murder, Transgendered

Feliciana is a healer in the small mountain village of San Felipe. Her cousin and teacher Paloma was murdered. Paloma was transgendered and formally known as Gaspar. She taught Feliciana about healing with mushrooms using the Language and the Book. Previously, this knowledge was only known and passed down through men. Zoe was sent to report about Paloma’s murder and interviews Feliciana. Each share information into their own lives.

The story is written as an interview in the first-person point of view with the two different perspectives. It is translated from the original language so there are some unfamiliar words but not difficult to understand. It is a very moving story and I actually listened to it twice.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

This was a pleasant read focusing on the life of Feliciana as a healer and a writer Zoe. I honestly was a bit confused with the narrator because I often was confused about which character was which. I think if you are using this audiobook you will want to have the book on hand while listening. I wished they have two narrators for this book.