Oh heck yeah. If she writes it I’m going to read it. And this one was a home run for me. Every book she writes gets better and better somehow.

“The Bewitching” is another masterclass from Silvia Moreno-Garcia! This book was near perfection from beginning to end. Three mysteries, three different women, three different eras all connected by an atavistic darkness. Minerva, whose grandma would tell her about a time when there were witches, is a college student writing her thesis on an obscure horror author whose friend mysteriously vanished in 1934. What she slowly unravels is something darker than she imagined. We get Minerva in 1998, Betty in 1934, and Alba in 1908. And each story and mystery unravels beautifully. Moreno-Garcia is a master at building tension. She understands its slow creep, building and building to the release. She gets your heart racing and has you checking the locks. She also has a way of making characters and scenes come to life without overwriting. So often when others do different time periods and character points of view it can all feel the same but each period is so fully developed and realized you can practically smell the era you’re in. And I love that this is a book that makes witches scary again!! One of my favorite books of 2025!

I’m a huge fan of witchy horror stories, so I went into this one with high expectations. There was a lot I really liked — the multigenerational storyline, the gothic atmosphere, and the beautiful writing style. But I found myself a little let down. The pacing was painfully slow at times and I wasn’t a big fan of how it all wrapped up. I think if the book had been a bit shorter and more dynamic, it would have pulled me in more. As it was, it just didn’t really click for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

As indicated in the book summary, The Bewitching is about three different women, in three separate timelines, as they experience mysterious disappearances and potential witchcraft and supernatural interference. Minerva is a graduate student, at loose ends on her thesis during the summer break at her school in a small town outside of Boston MA, in the late 1990s. Beatrice Tremblay is a young woman, trying to understand where her roommate and best friend Ginny disappeared to after a cold day in December, at the same school Minerva is studying at, in the mid 1930s. Alba is Minerva's great grandmother, living in Mexico after her father's death and her younger brother's abrupt disappearance, trying to piece together who has cursed her family and how to fix it. The events in each timeline echo in each womans life, and Minerva begins to piece together the similarities and begins to understand what supernatural forces may be at play that caused Ginny's disappearance and are now impacting her life at the school as well.
As with other books by Moreno-Garcia, the prose is lovely and easily readable, and each character has their own unique and easily distinguished voice. The development of the supernatural witchcraft at play was well thought out, and although I did find the identification of the person behind the disappearance and witchcraft to be easily identified in both Alba and Beatrice's timelines, I still enjoyed the lead up to the big reveal and how both Minerva and Alba were able to save themselves and their friends and families. Lovers of gothic novels, and Silvia Moreno-Garcia's previous works will likely enjoy this book as well.
Thank you to Random House, Del Ray, and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

Officially tied with Mexican Gothic as my favorite Silvia Moreno Garcia book—shoutout to The Bewitching!

The horror is more cunning and discreet than any of Silvia’s previous horror books, and I really loved that. It was a slow build to the end, and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, a couple scenes had me hollering for characters to RUN. It had both an academic and then a rural setting too, so I totally understand the nerves one can get walking alone at night on campus or even out in a field. Having family in Kansas definitely allowed me to connect to this story more.

The three POVs are masterfully woven into each other. Minerva is the POV that bridges the gap between the other two due to her researching the author of her favorite horror book for her thesis (Beatrice) and then the relationship to her great grandmother (Alma), who loved her and used to talk about the witches of her youth.

Minerva writing her thesis on a lesser known horror author was truly a fascinating plot because I really enjoyed her research scenes, particularly because I majored in English.

Beatrice was actually told through a narrative format because she wrote her experience and theories about her friend’s disappearance before her death, which Minerva finds. It added another interesting layer in between the POVs of the other two characters.

Alma, imo, definitely had the most horrifying POV of the three, and I just wanted to hug her constantly.

In many ways, this book is about protecting/nurturing familial connections and history—like passing down folklore/experiences—as well as keeping an eye on mental health. The isolation, anxiety, and fear become a very real reality for many of the characters. It was interesting to see that the early 1900s wasn’t different from the 1930s or even the 1990s in terms of mental health help from loved ones.

The witch descriptions and culture of this book were SO detailed. You can tell Silvia really dug into her own childhood stories told to her as well as research. I don’t know that many modern stories showing the terrifying power of witches (which this one only does because the witch is greedy/ evil but other witches like in Alma’s POV are shown not like that). It was a refreshing take on them and was could turn someone to the dark side—aka greed.

Overall, The Bewitching is a PERFECT fall read. I’m a lil’ sad I read it in April because it would’ve hit even better during October. It’s a love letter to New England as well as multigenerational/multicultural saga. I will say trigger warnings are a must because inc3st, murder, gun violence, etc. take place.

Thank you Del Rey for the review copy!

I’ve read six novels written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and have enjoyed them all. They are all well written with vibrant imagery and characters, and no two books are the same. She weaves within her plots social, historical, and psychological issues that our heroines find themselves embroiled with. A common theme is the Jungian concept of the collective unconscious (which lends itself well to horror plots). That is why I jumped on the chance to read her latest, The Bewitching, where three women from three different time periods experience the effects (dangerous and sexy) of a witch’s special attention. Sounds like a very exciting Gothic plot. However, I was disappointed; let down by florid prose, drawn out story lines, and no sense of dread; there was nothing to intrigue me.

Alma (1908), Ginny (1934), and Minerva (1998)--are the prototypical Gothic, female protagonist: a victim and a heroine; entrapped and isolated (as a domestic, being a female, societal expectations, men); and different (studious, ambitious, susceptible to the paranormal). Unknown to them--and for various, nefarious reasons--they have been bewitched by someone close to them. Someone who wants their beauty, their being, their blood.

This book is okay, but not up to my expectations. It is still enjoyable and worth checking out of the library.

I would like to thank Del Rey Publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

I always think I am going to like her books more than I actually do. She is a great writer, I just think this is not my genre.

Thank you very much to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for providing me with an e-arc of this book.

Actual rating : 4,2

The Bewitching follows three interconnected timelines where our main characters are thrust into a world of dark magic. I especially enjoyed the eerie atmosphere and Moreno-Garcias’s sharp prose. The horror academia aspect was so well woven into the story and added a quiet hunger for discovery.

Full of unexpected plot twists, a haunting, utterly immersive book I highly recommend you read!

I will definitely be picking up more of their books.

This is one of Moreno-García's works that most read like a movie or miniseries to me, and I duuuug it. It once again feels really lived in settings-wise (and the author's acknowledgments flick at how much, given her own college history, so similar to character Minerva, and that of her greatgrandmother in Hidalgo).
I've actually read through "The Bewitching" thrice, because it feels so rich in subtext through the shared timelines in the vein of Moreno-García's works, with undertones about treatment of immigrants, scholarship students or who is considered by some to be "disposable".

I loved that the timelines are introduced sort of in phases, in a way that sets the stage for the disappearances in each time period to really be felt, and not just get the ball rolling. I also found it smart how all the clues are sprinkled in about who is trying to bewitch the others so that the mood, tension and the somberness isn't so much about who's responsible but about how it hits the people in 1908, in 1934, in 1998 and far beyond.

The specificity that Moreno García imbues into this novel —like is her wont— is as usual fantastic, with which bands the characters listen to on CD or with mentioning real Mexican publishers.
Also in the sense of the names that pop up: historical ones worthy of adding to the TBR (like Amparo Dávila), and with certain characters in-world to honor her fellow real life writers like Paul Tremblay and Stephen Graham Jones.
A highly recommended read! 4.25/5

The Bewitching is a dark, multi-generational tale weaving witchcraft, family secrets, and eerie academia. Spanning from 1908 Mexico to 1998 Massachusetts, it follows three women bound by a mysterious force. Atmospheric and chilling, Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers another haunting story about the power of the past.

Following three women in different time periods, this atmospheric and dark horror read is filled with witchcraft and dread. Minerva grew-up in Mexico influenced by her grandma’s story of witches in her village. She moves to New England to attend college, researching a little-known author named Beatrice Tremblay whose horror writing and journal entries about a close college friend who went missing captivate Minerva. Soon she is drawn too close to the disappearance, and begins to be haunted herself. A fantastic book for fans of the genre.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is such an amazing writer. This story will join her other popular books. This book was filled with witches, magic, and curses. She did a really good job of writing this story so that it's told across three timeliness by different women in different eras. It was such a unique way of telling the story and I found myself engrossed in each person's experiences.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

the most perfect, gothic, paranormal book to EVER. no one’s doing it quite like silvia and i will eat up every single book she ever chooses to release. 10/10, no notes

I have been a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia ever since two of her novels, Gods of Jade and Shadow and Mexican Gothic were an absolute hit for me. I’m incredibly thankful to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read The Bewitching in advance in exchange for an honest review.

One of the aspects I appreciated most of the novel was how Moreno-Garcia was able to intricately weave together the stories of three women across different time periods. From a structural and cultural perspective, it reminded me very much of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez, another incredible multigenerational saga. Her writing is, as always, elegant and evocative. Even though the plot moved slowly at times, her prose made the reading experience quite enjoyable.

That being said, I do have two main criticisms. First, the pacing could have been tighter. The story is extremely detail-oriented, following the lives of the protagonists with great precision and depth. Normally, I’m not drawn to this kind of narrative, but Moreno-Garcia’s style made it worth it. Second, I didn’t find the novel particularly scary. Despite its gothic and supernatural elements, it wasn’t a horror novel by any means, and I’m someone who frightens easily! I wish there had been a more bewitching, haunting atmosphere.

Still, The Bewitching is a beautifully written novel, and a solid read for me.

Having enjoyed Mexican Gothic, I jumped at a chance to read and review The Bewitching. Moreno-Garcia has a knack for creating strange stories with solid atmosphere. This was no exception.

The story, really three interwoven stories, follows three women in three different time periods as they explore horror literature in the 1990s, farm life in the early 1900s, and college life in the 1930s. Each woman faces something haunting and mysterious.

The pace is brisk and it drags you along for an intense occult-flavored ride. Another solid book from Moreno-Garcia.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did.

The story follows three women, three different timelines. All bound by a dark force and haunting presence.

I am all for different POVs and timelines, but the constant switching between povs left me with much to be desired and made it hard for me to connect and stay engaged with any one story. This story had such a slow build-up and while I appreciate an author who can create tensions by slowly weaving their story, this story moved at a glacial pace. The constant addition of side characters and side plots made the story harder to follow and lacked momentum.

(I will avoid giving spoilers but I was very disappointed with how Alba’s story was handled and what she had to do in her ending)

I am a fan of several of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s novels and was really looking forward to this one. I am disappointed I was not a fan. I loved the premise and the concept of three different women being tied together by tales of witches (i also absolutely loooved the mentions of mexican folklore and believes weaved in). I just wish the story was a bit more connected and the story had more momentum and drive.

3.2 stars.

Thank you to the publisher for the advanced reader copy through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this book. Flipping back and forth through time was a really cool way to tell a story. I found myself both mad and excited when the timeline shifted. I wanted the whole story all at once!

This was one of her best but I felt like there were few loose ends. I know Silvia Moreno-Garcia has not done a sequel to one of her books before but I feel that the loose ends could be resolved in a second book.

Solid 4 stars.

'The Bewitching' is my favourite Moreno-Garcia so far ! The atmosphere is perfect to read on a rainy, October night, a few days before Halloween. I really enjoyed the academic setting and the interconnected stories of our three protagonists.
You can feel the author's passion and knowledge of gothic literature and Mexican folklore !
All the horror references were a delight to catch as well!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC !

The Bewitching is about three women, bound by dark forces that span decades. This multigenerational story is a blend of horror, historical fiction with a gothic flair. Silvia paints a picture of terror that is heart-pounding, creepy and captivating. Minerva, one of our POVs, studies witch folklore and I really love that this was an added touch, as the book is based on this lore. The choice for Minerva's character to be an academic was an aspect I enjoyed. Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC. Definitely give this a read when it publishes July 15, 2025!

Nobody does Gothic like Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Beautiful and haunting, this epic horror stretches across three generations of women. Read the blurb and know that it is about so much more!