Thank you to my tour group for this book in exchange for my honest review!

4.5 rating

This cover is one of my favorites. It’s beautiful and really captured the themes of the book. There was a lot of great mystery/suspense and I really liked the themes of family and forgiveness.


Ceci has always been at arms length with others because of her distrust in her mother. Knowing that she’s going to move away soon, she puts up shields in hope that doesn’t get too attached. Her mom has had a list of failed marriages and can never seem to settle and leaves her daughter behind. All Ceci has wants is a family.

Jamie is a super sweet character and I really liked seeing him break down Ceci’s shields. Her friends were super cute too. They all just embraced her right away. The horror wasn’t super strong here but I did appreciate the creepy elements sprinkled throughout. This was a really interesting and fun story and I’ll have to go back and read this author’s debut!

A great YA horror-fantasy with lots of creativity. I’ve been on a lucky streak lately with great character development and Montalban added another to the streak. I really liked Ceci and Jamie - they were great characters with lots of vulnerability and strength. Ceci’s mom, despite being kind of awful, was also a well executed character.

After life as she knows it goes up in flames, Ceci and her mom arrive in a small town and an abandoned manor once owned by the prominent Sevilla family. As Ceci settles in, she starts hearing whispers of the curse of La Cegua - but then she realizes, it may not be whispers about the curse, but from La Cegua herself.


Friendship, romance, secrets, hauntings - this novel has it going on. Looking forward to bringing this into my library and selling some of my kiddos on it!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a digital ARC of this title!

4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

Ceci, my love. I wanted to be BFFs even when you were angry at everyone and everything.

Ceci and her mother are running away from her mother's most recent ex-husband who swindled them out of their entire life savings. They find refuge in the hometown her mother escaped from almost two decades ago, in the decrepit manor house of what used to be the richest family in town. Weird things start to happen almost immediately revolving around the local legend of La Cegua.

I haven't read a lot of YA lately, but These Vengeful Wishes was a terrifying and mysterious ride right from the jump. I was hooked almost immediately. Some of the story was a little predictable, but all in all, it didn't detract from the entertainment.

Can't wait for more from this author!

I had such a good time reading this and I basically flew through the book. The story was very well written and at the right pace too. I loved the mystery, the lore and the horror elements and I think wanting to solve the mystery myself made me read faster.

Ceci is also a bit of a complicated character and I loved that she had her flaws and wasn't too perfect. It made her feel more real. Her relationship between her and her mom was interesting as well. It was complicated at times, but they still had a lot of love for each other even though they both didn't show it. It all became more clear towards the end.

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

4.25 This is a book that grabs us because of two big plots hand in hand: a teenager whose relationship with her mom isn't the best and she doesn't know her father. She's forced to move with her mom to a small town and embrace an art college rejection that helps her understand who her true friends are. In the beginning, we also don't like the characters much because both mom and teen need to complete a journey to become better people leading to a better end.

The second plot is a curse filled with Nicaraguan lore and legends. The scenes related to this are always dark and macabre but beautiful. The author balances both plotlines but focuses more on the teen issues in the middle, but I am glad the third part of the book towards the end is more about the curse, uncovering the past, explaining the loopholes making these plot twists (that may or not satisfy you it's more of a personal taste) a page-turning read. My personal taste: I felt that the author, sometimes trying to be clear and in control of the characters, ends up overexplaining. Although it confuses a bit it doesn't damage the understanding of the story, it just makes it feel very full.
I loved Jamie and his binder.

A good YA horror family returning to a small town and dealing with a curse, there are elements and events that the author knows the reader wants, and the author doesn't disappoint.

Vanessa's books are incredibly crafted, from idea to execution, and I need more people to read them so we can talk about them!!

Ceci and her mother move a small town filled with secrets, ghost stories and curses. Loosely based on Nicaraguan folklore of La Cegua -a vengeful female spirit with the face of a horse skull, the story unfolds with Ceci exploring woods behind her house and the stories (or curses!) that tie the house she is living in with the myth. As she investigates the woods, a missing boy from two decades ago and a eerie connection with her mother, Ceci comes to sympathize with the spirit and her own sadness during the process.

Quite an engaging read, almost predictable how it would end but the process was enjoyable nonetheless.

<i>Thank you to Netgalley and Zando Young Readers for providing me with a free copy of this e-book in exchange for an honest review.</i>

I love the spiritual and folklore elements of this story. However, around three quarters of the way into the story, I started to lose interest in the plot. Nothing against the book, but it wasn’t fully for me.

💥💥 Book Review 💥💥

These Vengeful Wishes
By Vanessa Montalban
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars

This is the second book I have gotten to read by Vanessa. I got to read, A Tall Dark Trouble, which is good read as well. So when I saw that she wrote a horror book. I was like, let’s go! 👻
These Vengeful Wishes is so much fun. It is brimming with dark atmospheric, mystery/apprehension, found family, elements of horror, a vindictive apparition, and a dash of romance. I love the characters because they are really relatable. This is young adult horror at its best. I absolutely LOVED this book! This book enter-twins folklore with life that leads for a horrific fast paced novel.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

Wow. I saw the book and felt I will like it not knowing anything about it. I love when I'm right, but I admit the plot was unexpected.

This vengeance triggered drama/mystery/magic realism/the hauting of Sevilla men story is beautifully written. I enjoyed every aspect: the curse, the scary moments, human emotions and not always smart decisions people make, realistic characters, characters development, the need to find a place to call home, and the moral of the story. There is a fairy tale quality to it and I want my kids to read it when they are a bit older. I also wish I had this book as a teen. I would've loved it even more than I do now.

Cecilia and Marina kind of remind me of Ginny and Georgia. I was so ready to slap some sense into Ginny, and Cecilia also made some really dumb decisions, but this was worse because my nickname is Cecilia! 😁😁 Now really, I actually loved how much she grew until the very end and how realistic the character felt at all times. What I think I loved the most is that although we know that men can be horrible (so horrible that they doom everyone with their behaviour) and there are constant reminders of it, there are good men as well.

And of course, anyone can find their poison while drinking from the wishing well. So be careful what you wish for.

I find every twist well done and I don't know what else to say to convince everyone to read this. I thought this will make me angry and vengeful which is how I usually feel when I read about revenge. But it is not like that at all. "These Vengeful Wishes" is a relaxing modern fairy tale that will purify your heart and calm your soul. ❤️

"Her head lifts in my direction. I watch slowly as she lifts her mantilla and shows me her true face . And in it, I see horror, I see beauty, but most of all, I see truth."



☠️ La Cegua is an old Nicaraguan folktale about a beautiful woman who lures men into the woods. She petrified them by showing her true face - which some claim is a horse skeleton. A vengeful spirit in the woods. La Cegua is a creature born of tragedy and abuse, fueled by revenge.

Some weird town superstition? myth? Rumours?

We follow MC Cici who describes herself as an out-of-town weirdo who moved to a haunted mansion in the middle of the forest. She finds herself having vivid dreams or nightmares about La Cegua and ultimately discovers the painful truth about her family.
Despite it not being scary at all imo, it is still well-written and doesn't read like typical YA. It is more of a cosy mystery/suspense/thriller for me with just a few horror elements sprinkled and with gothic atmosphere. The characters especially the MC is so relatable. Ma pa Sana all Ka na Lang dayon na tani may Ara kaman Jamie irl.
Generational curses and ghosts, vengeful spirit, magical realism, complex mother-daughter relationship and more. 🖤✨


Big thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. 🖤

I really wanted to like this! But in the end, it just bored me. It wasn't atmospheric or even eerie, as promised.

Update: 2-4 TikTok release-day post

Creeping dread, secrets and lies, conflicting desires, complex relationships, and moral struggles--These Vengeful Wishes is scary, fun, and deep.
The beginning of the book caught me off guard. I wasn't expecting Miami, and the mom character was off-putting. Once the strained mother-daughter duo arrives at the neglected, isolated Gothic mansion in a small town, I became more engaged.

The images, rumors, and lore pertaining to La Cegua ratchet up the creepy vibes. The main character possesses insight and maturity, and I could relate to her situation that caused her to keep up her guard. I don't seek out books with young protagonists, yet this one joins a group of exceptional new books with appealing teen characters. I could relate to Ceci’s strengths, challenges, and flaws.

I loved the La Cegua story-within-a-story. The depth and emotion in it felt real and satisfying.

The many flashes of fresh, muscular language delighted me. Vanessa Montalban is a strong storyteller and a talented writer. She reveals painful issues without sentimentality or excessive heaviness. A wonderful sense of adventure carries through, even in the midst of intensifying suspense.

The historical elements and connections with Nicaragua feel intrinsic and powerful. The honoring of the land, people, and traditions, and especially of women's history and the work from their hands, created a moving tapestry. The imagery will stay with me.

The main character’s art matters in the novel, and art in many forms weaves through the book in meaningful ways.

For me, there were a couple of minor plot issues and the antagonists felt flat.

Overall, it's a compelling novel with intrigue, wounds, healing, and a lot of heart. It’s a surprising book, and the ending lands beautifully.

I recommend These Vengeful Wishes to adult and YA readers who enjoy Gothic Horror or Dark Fantasy. The horror is fairly mild, so it’s a good choice for readers new to the genre. This novel is also a great pick for anyone interested in folklore or wanting to diversify their bookshelves.

Thank you, Zando Young Readers, for the E-ARC via NetGalley for consideration. These opinions are solely my own.

This book started off kinda slow for me but I really enjoyed it! I loved finding the "truths" come out slowly but surely.
This story follows a mother and daughter. A mother with a lot of secrets and a bad choice in men. When her latest relationship falls apart she is forced to go back to her hometown and face her secrets. While she tries to keep them hidden something calls to Cece. Will Cece uncover her mother's past before her mother has the chance to stop her? Will they both finally be free??
Highly recommend picking up this book and giving it a read!

Fantastic book. Well written. Great characters and storyline. I haven’t read much YA horror. Usually one or the other. But this was a great introduction to this genre. Very impressed .

THIS BOOK IS ABSOLUTE MAGIC.

Immediately, I felt connected to Ceci and her journey toward being a more trusting person who allows herself to love and be loved. The way she evolves as she makes friends, finds a place that feels like home, and has the chance to delve into her history is just mesmerizing. Once the story really got going, I could not put it down.

When Ceci moves back to Santa Aguas, where her mom grew up, she gets to make real friends for the first time. She meets Jamie, a boy who might be so good and so genuine that he's worth having feelings for, and she gets to explore the local legend of La Cegua, who steals or punishes drunken men. Ceci feels drawn to the imagery of the bride with a horse's head, and the magic that surrounds her. It's so much darker and more personal than she can imagine.

The magic, the ties to the past, the swampy gothic, it's just gorgeous. I wanted to live in the Sevilla mansion and get my feet dirty in its gardens.

If you love YA, gothic fantasy, and Latine-inspired folktales, this one is for you!

Cecilia is used to her life being uprooted as each of her mother’s marriages end. However she wasn’t prepared to return to the town where her mother grew up to a mansion that’s the talk of the town due to a family curse and La Cegua. As she starts to get familiar to her new environment it quickly becomes clear that something isn’t right.

I loved the characters and relationships! The added elements of an ancient curse and a superstitious small town made this book so hard to put down! I devoured it.

A beautiful meditation on otherness and belonging, wed to truly effective supernatural/folklore horror. Appropriately accessible for YA audiences, haunting at any age. Just gorgeous.

This one is outside of the genres I typically read but I was drawn in by the unique story. The setting was artfully described so that the reader can picture the world around the characters. I also enjoyed the cultural aspect and Nicaraguan legend that was highlighted.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hear Our Voices tours for the gifted ARC

"They think the dark can hide their wickedness. But I see into their rotten hearts"

This was my very first dip into YA horror, and I couldn't be happier that this was the book to kick that off.

We meet Ceci, a young girl forced to be uprooted after her step-father is arrested. After her meal ticket is sent to jail, her self-absorbed mother is then made to journey back to her hometown with Ceci. Problem is, they're moving into the cursed Sevilla manor. The superstition surrounding the Sevilla family, is well known-and as Ceci and Marina begin to settle in, she has one rule for Ceci...don't go into the woods.

Vanessa did an amazing job delving into the folklore of La Cegua, a beautifully haunting spirit that is out for one thing, vengeance. The Sevilla men must pay. Melding a YA horror novel with beautiful character arcs and emotional scenarios. All Ceci wanted was to fit in somewhere. The side characters, who become main characters in my heart, were beautifully written. Vanessa Montalban has become an auto-buy author for me, and I would most definitely recommend this book!