Folklore and witchcraft placed in a dark academia setting across multiple decades of the 1900s? Yes, please! This book was engaging from the first page to the very end. Silvia Moreno-Garcia always does such a wonderful job of weaving stories from different characters, perspectives, and times and this book fits into that same intricate style of storytelling. I definitely connected with some characters more than others and found myself wanting to go back to the 1908 timeline between those chapters, but that might speak more to my love of historical fiction than anything else. The connections between each of the three women and times featured in this story kept me wanting to read well past my bedtime. I found myself thinking about the characters and events of the book between reads, wanting to get back to find out what would happen in the next chapter.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey and NetGalley for an early copy of this book!

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a lush, slow-burn tale that blends historical fiction with supernatural intrigue. Set against the backdrop of colonial Mexico, the novel follows a mysterious woman accused of witchcraft and the ripple effects her presence has on a deeply patriarchal society.

Moreno-Garcia's prose is elegant and immersive, and her talent for weaving folklore with feminist themes shines throughout. While the pacing may feel deliberate at times, it suits the moody, eerie tone of the story. The characters are layered, particularly the women, whose quiet resistance lingers long after the final page.

Though it lacks some of the urgency or thrills of her previous work, The Bewitching is a spellbinding exploration of power, perception, and the cost of defiance. A strong, thoughtful read for fans of historical fantasy with a gothic edge.

When I think of New England witches, I think of cold winters and puritans - and The Bewitching does give us some wintery thrills. But it also includes two sweltering summers, in Massachusetts and in Mexico. Because yes: Silvia Moreno-Garcia gives us a ghost story in three different settings and timelines. I will be honest and say that usually dual timelines just don't do it for me unless Sherry Thomas writes them. However, I may need to add SMG to that list, because her multiple timelines hit just right.

In 1908, Alba is dealing with a spate of frightening occurrences: her brother has disappeared, his horse slaughtered, and village witches keep giving her vague warnings.

In 1998, Alba's great-granddaughter Minerva is living in Massachusetts, researching a little-known horror writer of the 1970s. She's a resident director on the campus of a small school, and everyone is gone for the summer. So why does she keep feeling like she's being watched?

In 1938, Beatrice (the horror writer-to-be) is in love with her roommate, Ginny. But Ginny is engaged to one of the richest boys around - and she's also acting very strange.

I loved the way SMG structured this one! The reader knows that Alba survived and Ginny disappeared, but we have no idea what will happen to Minerva. It's obvious that the three women's stories are interconnected, but not how. And it's not immediately obvious whether or not the hauntings are real. But what's certain is that each woman is affected by what's happening in strikingly similar ways.

This is the perfect ghost story for the summer! If you love to spend the long days reading about creepy nighttime phenomena, you'll want to pick this up for sure.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

The Bewitching follows three generations of women. Alba in 1908, Beatrice and her friend Ginny in 1934, and Alba's great great granddaughter Minerva in 1998. Each character has a distinct voice and the time periods are well drawn out. Without giving too much away, each of these characters is dealing with some kind of evil magic, that at times was spooky to read about. I was eager to find out what was going on, while also not wanting the book to ever end.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a master storyteller - I am always fascinated by her books! Her writing is a blend of gothic horror and folklore that I wouldn't have thought would be so good!!! I have loved every one of her books and The Bewitching is no different. Inspired by a Mexican folktale that the author heard as a child, The Bewitching is the story of a witch that has terrorized women in three different time periods. I loved every page!

Three women in different eras discover the dangers of witches.

I appreciated Minerva’s storyline the most, especially the international graduate student work and study life experience. Overall, the story was interesting, especially the Mexican folklore aspects, but there was one timeline that wasn’t my cup of tea. This is for fans of witches, light horror, and college-set supernatural stories.

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this novel.

Perfect summerween book! I pretty much love every book Silvia writes and this one did not disappoint! If you are a fan of witch stories that also combine folklore and a non glamorization of witches, then this book is for you. I loved that we followed 3 different narrators and timelines and we could see the little hints of how the stories were going to converge over time. It was so fascinating to drop back into different time periods and see how each generation acted. The mystery kept me intrigued and I was itching to see what was going to happen. As always, I love learning more about Mexican culture and folklore and the author does a fantastic job of mixing history with horror. Another slam dunk book!

As always, this is a perfect gothic story done by Moreno-Garcia. Her knack of add of weaving historical fiction and paranormal really shine. I did find the pacing in this one slow and I liked one of the story lines better than others.

Thank you @netgalley for my advance copy.

4.5⭐ rounded up. Thank you NetGalley & Del Rey for the ARC.

This is my first novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and now I want to pick up every other horror book in her bibliography. The way she does suspense and tension is so gripping that I was kept on the edge of my seat the entire time. The mystery of unexplained disappearances that remain unresolved for decades invokes a certain kind of terror in a me, given how both real and supernatural it feels.

Part of my enjoyment comes from doing up a mental list of suspects behind the mysterious disappearances in each POV. And while the Evil Mastermind did end up among that list, I don't chalk it up to boring predictability. Rather, SMG seamlessly weaves in all the red flags for us to pick up on—particularly ones that are meant to be Well-Meaning. It's fun when you're able to solve the mystery on your own even before the reveal.

I enjoyed each POV; my favorite being Minerva which is great because she ties the other two POVs which are flashbacks of her great-grandmother Alba and her favorite author Beatrice Tremblay, whose life she is researching. Speaking of the latter, I am 100% here for a lesbian gothic horror writer who mourns for her vanished roommate that she never got over. I didn't expect sapphic yearning in here so this was a pleasant surprise.

Also extra kudos for SMG sprinkling in the real-life horrors of predatory grooming and a Rich White Woman. Horror has always been a genre used for social commentary & critique, and The Bewitching continues this tradition by including the issues of classism, xenophobia and the silencing of women.

The multigenerational storytelling was gripping from the beginning! The intertwining of folklore and horror works very well in this novel.

I enjoyed the writing style and there wasn’t a point where i felt like i was forcing myself to finish the book. I did think the resolution happened a bit quickly for all of the build up.

I’d recommend this for anyone who is familiar with this authors work, fans of light horror and the occult.

The prolific and genre fluid Silvia Moreno-Garcia returns with the horror mystery The Bewitching. Three women in three different eras encounter dangers and witchcraft. Moreno-Garcia deftly paces the three separate stories especially as they reach their decisive points.

1908, 1934 and 1998. These are the years each of our narrators inhabit. The oldest, 1908, is the experience of Alba a young woman coming of age in Mexico whose family has fallen upon hard times with the death of her father. The middle story, 1934 is told through Beatrice Tremblay, a little known horror author, who published only one novel. Her focus is on the sudden and never solved disappearance of her college roommate, Virginia Somerset. 1998 is centered on Minerva Contreras, great granddaughter of Alba and current student of the college Tremblay's attended. Minerva is researching her thesis, about Tremblay when she learns that wealthy and strong college supporter Carolyn Yates owns Tremblay's personal papers.

While that looks and reads as a lot, it never feels that way. The stories are all linked by blood or location and the growing suspense as we learn more about the past. Effort has been made to reflect the time periods each character inhabits with the limits of social mores or technology potential barriers for each narrator.

Recommended to readers of academic mysteries, the weak barriers between worlds or tales of witches and the supernatural.

👍 This was the perfect summerween book. It follows three FMC POV and their connection to a dangerous entity. I am a sucker for anything with a gothic atmosphere and this did not disappoint. I liked that the witches of this story were malicious and actually scary in their power. This book has become one of my favorites by this author! I really appreciated the afterword and how the author drew I pirating for this work.

👎Nana Alba’s POV needed a CW, like for real.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

This will probably be my favorite witchcraft story this year. I love the way Silvia incorporates her Mexican heritage in to her stories, giving the reader a whole new perspective on witches that isn't European. Moreno's witches are like vampires who use folk magic, making them infinitely creepier and more insidious. The story-telling is richly layered and the way she weaves together 3 separate story-lines is masterful. If you enjoyed Moreno's other offerings, especially Mexican Gothic, you will love her newest tale.

The Betwitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a chilling blend of horror and historical fiction that weaves together three distinct timelines (1998 and 1934 Massachusetts, and early 1900s Mexico ) into a haunting multigenerational saga where danger and bewitching magic intertwine.

Minerva, the central character from 1998, is researching a horror writer alumnus for her thesis when she finds herself quickly entangled in, and disoriented by, dangers both past and present. As she dives deeper into a haunting mystery, she reflects on her own Nana Alba’s stories of witches and witchcraft. Minerva becomes the thread that binds the three timelines, as history echoes and bleeds into itself.

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches.”

Filled with supernatural folklore, witches, and warlocks, this novel is mysterious, dark, emotional, and tense. Of course, in typical Moreno-Garcia fashion, it also pushed boundaries and delivered gasp-worthy moments.

The story begins with a slow, atmospheric burn — rich in mood and detail. It then morphs into a riveting, edge-of-your-seat experience.

The Bewitching was, quite simply, unputdownable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

The Bewitching is another phenomenal novel from Silvia Moreno-Garcia that looks at witchcraft in early 20th century Mexico and late 20th century Bew England. The timelines and cultures come together seamlessly, and this novel was as beautiful as it was suspenseful, and before the reader is even aware, the dread builds to a fever pitch.

Horror is better with Moreno-Garcia. If she writes it, I want to read it, and so far, I always recommend her work. I continue to be enchanted (and disturbed) by her writing.

Please don't save this for spooky season- read it as soon as you can get your hands on it.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of the most interesting and consistently interesting authors in modern fantasy and horror. She is constantly reinventing and putting her own spin on classic fantasy and horror tropes and concepts, usually including a Mexican twist on the subject matter. Moreno-Garcia came to readers’ notice with Mexican Gothic, which played on classic British gothic tropes, but also also dipped into vampires (Certain Dark Things), classic science fiction (The Daughter of Doctor Moreau) and B-Grade horror and haunted films (Silver Nitrate). In her latest book The Bewitching, Moreno-Garcia takes on the subject of witches, drawing a line between Mexican mythology and the long history of witchcraft in the American New England area.
The Bewitching is told over three time frames. The connective tissue is the story of Minerva, set in 1998. Minerva has come from Mexico to do a post-graduate degree at Stoneridge College in New England. Her area of study is an underappreciated female horror author Beatrice Tremblay, famous for a single book called The Vanishing. That book was based on the disappearance of Beatrice’s roommate Virginia’s from the same College back in 1934 and Minerva, keen to explore that time is give access to Tremblay’s notebooks by a rich benefactor. These notebooks and observations, the story of the lead up to Virginia’s disappearance, form the second strand of the novel. The third narrative strand is set in Mexico in 1908 and is the story of Minerva’s great-grandmother Alba, whose family farm starts to come under what seems to be supernatural pressure after the disappearance of her brother. Alba begins to believe that her family and the farm are being targeted by a witch.
It is Minerva who brings the two earlier time frames together and recognises the echoes of these stories.And at the same time, Minerva finds that perhaps she is in the middle of one of those stories herself. Only slowly realising that an odd disappearance, eerie noises in the woods and dead animals may be signs that there is a witch in her life also.
Moreno-Garcia has shown time and again her ability to build dread and suspense. She layers on small, discomforting details and slightly off characters to keep the reader unbalanced. Each of the three tales is complete in and of itself, and delivers a unique central characters and milieu. But they also build on each other, giving partial clues to form a complete understanding as they each build separately to their climax. To the point where the stories, told separately start to merge in the final few chapters.
In The Bewitching, Moreno-Garcia also manages to seamlessly bring together two different traditions – Mexican stories of witchcraft and the long association of the New England area with witches. In doing so she finds the universal in these stories (pausing at one point to compare them to tales of witchcraft in other cultures). Through her New England setting she also pays homage to some of the horror greats who also set their tales in new England – authors like Lovecraft and Stephen King – but also name checks many of the women who wrote in this genre.
With The Bewitching Moreno-Garcia once again deconstructs and reinterprets a tale of supernatural horror in a way that is compelling and illuminating but also in some respects universal. She delivers three intertwined stories of young women who are battling to believe, understand and push against supernatural forces arrayed against them. In doing so, not only does Moreno-Garcia pay homage to the writers who have come before her but once again demonstrates her claim to be considered one of the best and most interesting present day writers of the supernatural.

Big thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of the prolific Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s new book The Bewitching, a slow-burn gothic-styled folk horror mystery that tracks three interrelated stories across different time periods and cultures. This is the third book I’ve read from Moreno-Garcia, and I have a few on my to-be-read list. I loved Silver Nitrate, and also found Mexican Gothic to be a compelling story that challenged assumptions about race, class, and history. The Bewitching combines both elements of these great novels, but I found it to be slower moving than the propulsive Silver Nitrate. However, Moreno-Garcia’s The Bewitching, which takes place in 1930s and 1990s New England and 1908 Mexico, shares similarities with other New England writers like Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, and even H.P. Lovecraft, who features in the book. In fact, some parts of the book, where Minerva Contreras, a graduate student working on her dissertation, reminded me of “The Dunwich Horror”, but updated Lovecraft’s story to be more accessible and engaging. This part of the book reminded me of how Moreno-Garcia took the cursed film urban legend in Silver Nitrate and updated it for a new context, recasting the idea. Moreno-Contreras mentions the idea of syncretic beliefs in the book’s afterword, and The Bewitching is a book that combines elements of the New England witch stories with those of Mexican culture, which, as Moreno-Garcia notes, are a combination of both European and pre-Columbian Mexican cultures. I loved this aspect of the book, and how Moreno-Garcia not only references and draws parallels between the beliefs and cultures of these two different groups, but also how the book references horror writers from both the past and the present. Minerva is researching a writer who corresponded with Lovecraft, but never really received the same kind of attention, and through Minerva’s research, we learn about Beatrice “Betty” Tremblay and her forgotten masterpiece The Vanishing. This 1998 storyline that follows Minerva’s research that uncovers the backstory to Tremblay’s The Vanishing was my favorite of the 3 narratives that converge around Minerva’s discoveries. First, Minerva has excellent taste in music, and her song choices throughout this part of the book reflect some of the best of the alternative music scene of the 90s. It was also interesting to recall a time when email was a relatively new form of communication on campus, so this part of the book took me back a bit. However, as I mentioned previously, Minerva’s story is also somewhat similar to Lovecraft’s “The Dunwich Horror”, and it reminded me of the film adaptation even more so. Through her research, Minerva learns that Trembley’s novel based on the disappearance of one of Betty’s classmates, Ginny Somerset, an affluent student who fell in love with a local boy who worked in the college town’s factories. Lovecraft’s features a quest to find a book in a northeastern university (Miskatonic U, located in Arkham), but the film follows a female grad college student whose professor asks her to return the Necronomicon to the library. Moreno-Garcia’s story and the Lovecraft stories both feature a book and a mysterious, shady family that may have ulterior motives in exploiting the female co-ed population of the local university. I loved these allusions to Lovecraft and other horror writers—notably Trembley’s name is a reference to Paul Tremblay, and Minerva notices a plaque in her school that recognized a department head named Stephen Graham Jones. It was cool to see these kinds of horror references, but I also appreciated how Moreno-Garcia uses Trembley’s history to note often women horror writers are often overlooked for their contributions. Despite the challenges of researching her topic, Minerva continues to uncover Beatrice Trembley’s story and writings since other male horror writers have been overly covered, and because it seems like Trembley has contributed to Lovecraft’s stories as well as furthering the field of horror literature. It’s an important reminder of how often women are overlooked in this genre.
Minerva’s narrative initially alternates with the story of her Great Grandmother Nana Alba, and Alba’s story of trying to keep her family’s farm, Piedras Quebradas, together after the loss of her father. Alba’s story takes place in 1908 in Mexico after the death of Alba’s father, as her Uncle Arturo arrives to help with managing the farm even though he is more of a scholar and literary enthusiast who went to study at the university, plays piano, and speaks French. These alternating narratives were a little disorienting for me at first—there are many characters to become acquainted with, and there are these alternating stories that take place in two different time periods, with only Minerva’s and Alba’s family connection to join them. However, as both stories progress, the connections between the two stories become more apparent, especially as we learn more about mysterious disappearances on Stoneridge’s campus and around Piedras Quebradas. I don’t want to say more since there are some great twists and surprises towards the middle and end of the novel. This is also one of the strengths of this novel, yet I didn’t feel like the pace was as propulsive as Silver Nitrate. Rather, this was more like Mexican Gothic, where the action was a little slower, but the mysterious disappearances and strange characters as well as other strange events leave readers wondering about whether Minerva is losing her mind, facing incredible stress with her thesis, or if she’s possibly been bewitched by someone at Stoneridge.
Minerva’s chance encounter with a drunken frat-type guy outside of a party leads her to an encounter with Carolyn Yates, an elderly matron and board member of Stoneridge, who was also classmates with both Betty and Ginny, two individuals who Minerva is researching for her thesis. This encounter enables Minerva to access Betty’s private papers, which Carolyn has held onto for some time. While reading Betty’s journal and unpublished manuscript, readers are exposed to a third narrative, detailing Betty’s perspective and the complications that have arisen between Ginny, Carolyn, and two other men in their lives. We also witness Ginny’s gradual mental deterioration, and how reading this also affects Minerva, who begins to wonder whether she is experiencing similar strange events that plagued Ginny before her disappearance. Although introducing this third narrative brings in additional characters, I felt more aware of them since Minerva and Carolyn previously discussed them and provided some background; furthermore, this narrative furthers the overall narrative and allows us to question some of these mysterious disappearances on campus, especially one student who Minerva monitored as an RA. Moreno-Garcia’s strengths with weaving these various narrative strands into an intriguing and compelling tapestry is what makes this book a fun and exciting read. Although the story may seem a little slow at first, the second half of the book for both Minerva and Alba pick up and become both exciting and strange, in an interesting way, as they both encounter different forms of witchcraft, with Alba doing battle a teyolloquani, which I had to look up, and is a witch that sucks blood (from Nahuatl). There are some really amazing descriptions of this witch’s power, as it slowly makes its way closer and closer to Alba, eventually contacting her during sleep in a creepy and disturbing instance that reminded me of an extreme attack of night paralysis. Minerva also encounters forms of witchery, but her experience has more to do with apotrpaic marks (another word I had to look up), which she encountered in Betty’s papers. These two different, yet related, experiences with witches brings in the syncretic ideas that Moreno-Garcia talks about in the afterword, and shows more similarities than differences across cultures. As someone who is interested in culture and folklore, this was another great quality of the book that I enjoyed learning more about and discovering these similarities.
Overall this was a great book. I was slightly concerned with the pacing at the beginning of the book and the 3 dueling narratives, but Moreno-Garcia deftly weaves these strands together to make a meaningful and entertaining creation. Like Montserrat in Silver Nitrate, Minerva (also a telling name) is a strong, Latina character who brings her culture and experience as she navigates a new world of academia in New England, one that often neglects and overlooks female voices. However, Minerva seeks to make these contributions known, but also manages to recognize and acknowledge her Nana Alba’s folk knowledge and experiences as she learns more and more about how witchcraft affects the Stoneridge campus and community. This is a fun and exciting book, and one that I think could make a great limited series. Highly recommended, and I’m looking forward to catching up on some of Moreno-Garcia’s other books.

What a fascinating book! The timelines were a welcomed addition and kept things interesting. Reading about witches and history are two of my favourite types of reads so this was right up my street. Very happy to have read this and will be recommending to all. Thank you so much to Random House Publishing Group for the arc of this beautiful book by the amazing Silvia Moreno-Garcia.

I was gifted an ARC of this book by Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, and NetGalley. This review is my own. I read both Mexican Gothic and Velvet was the Night and loved both. This novel blew them out of the water! This was a truly amazing gothic horror novel. The story is told through the words and timelines of Alba (early 1900s Mexico), Betty (1930s New England), and Minerva (late 1990s New England) as each of them encounters witches and dark magic. The interwoven stories are gripping and compelling, and this cements Sylvia Moreno-Garcia as a must read author for me. Excellent read!!!

Another ever read from Moreno-Garcia! I loved the three POVs and how the stories intertwined but were all so equally separate. Perfect for anyone who wants a spooky read and definitely should be in people’s TBR for Halloweentime!