This is Silvia Moreno-Garcia at her best! I enjoyed all 3 timelines, but Alba was my favorite.

I found myself unable to stop reading until i finished! You could say this book…… *bewitched* me (ba dum hissss)

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I’ve adored Silvia Moreno Garcia’s work for a couple of years now. I first read “Gods of Jade and Shadow” and was immediately entranced by her world building and storytelling. Having read almost all of her works since then, I was ecstatic with the chance to read and review “The Bewitching” given how much I enjoyed the gothic horror “Mexican Gothic” and the magical horror within “Silver Nitrate”. “The Bewitching” weaves together three stories across time, all featuring a strong and intelligent female whose identity in society causes them to be seen as less than those around them. In 1908, Alba is a young woman living on a struggling farm in Mexico after the death of her father; Beatrice Tremblay is a young queer woman in the 1934 recounting the story of her vanished friend Ginny from their small college in Massachusetts; and lastly Minvera, the great-granddaughter of Alba in 1998, attending at the same college Beatrice and Ginny attended as an international student on scholarship. As Minerva researches the life and works
of Beatrice, a horror author with little known about her, and how her work ties in with the witchcraft lore of the Northeastern United States, secrets are revealed within then three timelines as each of the women encounter strange occurrences and experience various levels of loss and witchcraft.

What I admire about this book is actually based on what Moreno Garcia herself spoke about during her book tour stop in Portland, Oregon in July of 2023 for the release of her book “Silver Nitrate”. During her talk, Moreno Garcia spoke about the horror genre as being largely dominated by male authors despite the works of female authors that are just as good, if not
sometimes better, than their famous male counterparts. I love that this theme weaves itself into
Minerva’s story as she tries to research a female horror author that history has mostly forgotten while being met with skepticism by both peers and professors as to if her effort is worth all of the time. As with her other works, Moreno Garcia also invites social critiques of many issues that exist today,
including but not limited to: education/academia, sexism, power structures, poverty, mental health, gender identity and expression, academic freedom, familial responsibility, and bodily autonomy. This book is a beautiful look into power and what those who want it will stoop to in order to gain it, as well as a look at what it means to believe the outcast over the wealthy.

As with all books in the horror genre, you must of course check your trigger warnings: blood, bodily harm, abuse, and consent are the bigger ones in my opinion, with some lower ones for animal cruelty and death. Overall, this is another great work by Moreno Garcia. Each character’s voice and personality is distinct and rich, and the ending of the book falls together seamlessly with each timeline layering into one another to create a vivid story. I also would like to add that I appreciated that Minerva is still her own, strong woman in the end and thriving despite the challenges she faced in her own time and as a descendent of Alba. I cannot wait to have this book in my hands when it comes out in July!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to ARC this novel!


Absolutely thrilling!

The book has all the elements you need for something spooky. The writing was great, the characters were so good, the plot and plot twist was super unexpected but so good! Perfect read for spooky fans who are fascinated by witch stories and curses. It was such an easy and amazing read and the story was so easy to get lost in, I definitely recommend this!

I really wanted to love this story, but I had a hard time stomaching the main character defending HP Lovecraft’s morality. It was a bizarre choice and seemed really unnecessary and insensitive to use character dialogue in this book to try to clear his name in today’s political climate.

“Bell, book and candle, candle, book and bell, Forward and backward, to curse Faustus to hell.” Christopher Marlowe in Dr. Faustus
“Bell, book and candle shall not drive me back, When gold and silver becks me to come on.” William Shakespeare in King John

The phrase “bell, book and candle” became associated with witches because the church believed them to be Devil-worshippers who should be excommunicated, and it’s a phrase, particularly as the title of a book, that you will hear in The Bewitching.

I’d say this story is a slow build but it’s more like three snowballs rolling down a hill, rapidly gaining girth and speed until they slam into a brick wall and explode. That’s because there are three stories going on here: one at the turn of the century, one during the Depression, and the final in 1998. And they all involve witchcraft. But who are the witches and why are they bewitching?

All three main characters are interesting—Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva. And so are the people who swirl around them from Arturo to Ginny to Carolyn. And the time periods are very real. This is an excellent book and why I am a huge fan of Moreno-Garcia.

Did you ever wish that the author of Mexican Gothic would tackle witches, dark academia, and 1990s technology (ah, Discman how I miss you)? Well, it's 2025 and all your dreams are coming true.

Moreno-Garcia braids three timelines into one story about loss, love, and what holds us together at the end of all things. The Bewitching is a slow-burner of a book, Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva guiding readers through the years (1908, 1934, 1998) as they try to grapple with personal losses. Witchcraft and spells involve blood, sacrifice, and tears.

Naturally, Moreno-Garcia gives readers no ordinary witches in this book; if you like the work of Isabel Canas, you will like what you find here. These witches are more monstrous than we may be used to—might be cousins to vampires, and rightly so. This book has a beautiful dark edge. (There are a lot of Easter eggs in this one if you are a constant reader, professors and locations named for other writers in the field—good fun finding them all.)

My thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

This book follows three storylines and I loved how they were each so different but interconnected through Minerva. I instantly fell for the setting in Minerva’s storyline since she’s a grad student working on her thesis at a New England college—which is mostly empty for the summer and kind of eerie. The voice of each storyline had its own style and they stood out so much from each other and were so well-executed.

Every chapter ending made my stomach drop. I couldn’t look away. Even though I guessed a lot of the reveals because they thematically made sense, I was still on the edge of my seat. I’m still a little queasy about one aspect (see content warning) and not sure how I ultimately feel about it but for now o think it makes sense for the story and it was handled well enough on the end.

I was lucky enough to get to hear Silvia Moreno-Garcia speak at my university a couple months ago and she mentioned the stories her grandma would tell her about witches flying through your window and drinking your blood and that prepped me so well for this book. These kinds of witches aren’t your typical ones. Also—folk magic!!! Also—an asexual side character and an ace-lesbian friendship/alliance!! I wasn’t expecting to see that and I was ecstatic.

I kind of want to write a paper about this book and then it would be book-ception because of Minerva’s research for her thesis paper haha. I love Minerva and her coffee addiction so much.

This book was an unexpected journey for me, as I don’t usually read stories about witches. From the start, it stood out as something unique, weaving together three timelines in a way that felt both ambitious and intriguing. The narrative was rich with details, and while it was challenging to keep up with everything at times, it added to the depth of the story.

What I found most fascinating was how the book pushed me out of my comfort zone. Each timeline brought its own perspective, and the interconnectedness of the plot kept me invested. The writing was immersive, and I couldn’t help but be drawn into a world I wouldn’t normally explore.

If you’re looking for something different—especially if witchcraft isn’t your usual genre—this book is worth picking up. It’s a complex, well-crafted tale that lingers long after you’ve finished reading.

Really solid book. really liked the intertwining storylines and the overall themes of the book. Never really wowed me but it was a solid read.

This book is told from the point of view of three women from three different timelines. Starting with Alba in 1908, Beatrice in 1934 and Minerva in 1998. This is definitely an eerie book, one that you shouldn’t stay up all night reading yet I did exactly that! I couldn’t put it down because it was enchanting and haunting that I had to see how things turned out. I will admit that while I enjoyed the authors writing style and macabre storytelling, I did not approve of the incestuous relationship between a niece and uncle. I was disturbed with their mutual attraction towards each other and feel this could be edited in a different way, such as making them not relatives instead. There were too many specifics regarding their relationship that felt excessive and distasteful. I think if this relationship could be edited more and regarded in a different approach more readers would feel at ease. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review and feedback.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Bewitching is an enthralling and atmospheric tale drenched in folklore and suspense. Set in a mysterious small town plagued by eerie happenings, the story takes a dark turn when a stranger with a shadowy past arrives, upsetting the town’s delicate equilibrium. Secrets long buried begin to surface, tensions rise, and supernatural forces start to creep into the light.

The book focuses on Minerva, a young woman getting her masters at an old mysterious New England college. She is writing her thesis on a horror writer named Betty. Betty had a friend vanish under suspicious circumstances in the 1930s at the same college that Minerva is attending. Minerva’s grandmother, Alba, used to tell Minerva stories of witches from her small town in Mexico and how her there were strange events that happened. The book weaves these three stories together across three timelines. Moreno-Garcia skillfully blurs the line between myth and reality, drawing readers into a gripping narrative of paranoia and obsession.

Reading this book was a thoroughly captivating experience—it was equal parts unsettling, immersive, and deeply thought-provoking. The pacing was flawless, steadily ratcheting up the suspense and intrigue with every chapter. What struck me most was how the author wove folklore into the story, adding depth and timelessness that resonated on a personal level. The rich descriptions and haunting undertones reminded me of the vivid stories from my Latino family—tales steeped in culture, mystery, and the supernatural.

As my introduction to Moreno-Garcia’s work, The Bewitching left a lasting impression. Her talent for creating lifelike characters and crafting a world that feels both familiar and uncanny is remarkable. It’s an ideal read for those who enjoy stories that masterfully balance tension and layered, evocative storytelling. I’m eager to explore more of her novels!

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. This was atmospheric, with beautiful prose and a fantastic sense of suspense throughout. It dug in and took me longer to finish simply because I wanted to stay in the world of witches, magic, and folklore. All three timelines were interesting and had me invested.

Feisty women, witchy occult, disturbing creatures,
1998: Minerva is a graduate student at Stoneridge College focused on the history of horror literature, researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of writing witch tales.

1908: Tells the story of Minerva’s Nana Alba, an eldest daughter living on a farm desperately trying to keep afloat as soemthing starts haunting her family.

1934: Betty reveals her own student days at the college Minerva attends, telling the mystery disappearance of her friend which inspired one of her stories.

Moreno-Garcia excels at interweaving generation stories that connect in eerie ways, delivering a satisfying finale that normally carries a gut-punching message.

<b>“Maybe they felt they had to tell them. That it would be dangerous if they were forgotten,” she said.
</b>
Admittedly, I saw the twist for every single one of the timelines which took away some of the momentum.

Moreno-Garcia keeps the pace tense, the occult haunting, and the idea of telling stories at the forefront.

Arc gifted by Del Rey.

Another one I didn't finish, which surprised me because I genuinely like the author. This one just moved so slowly for me. It's atmospheric and wispy and I think maybe I was just in the wrong mood. I may try it again the future.

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC for this book. I absolutely adored the book. The way that it was written between three different perspectives really elevated the creeping feeling from the horror, and overall the witchy vibe was fun.

Personally, I kept thinking about how to rate this. But this is the thing, that I’ve kept thinking about this book, its characters, and the way it made me feel. At first (and still) I did wish I had checked certain trigger warnings beforehand. I still decided to give it 4.5 or 5 stars because, as I said, I kept thinking about it. The complex and loveable, and even the exasperating or not-so-loveable main or secondary characters are some of the things that make this book memorable. I found myself thinking about it randomly.

That said, the writing is also good, and the plot is really catchy. The mysterious tone and gothic vibes are perfect. The changing of perspectives of three characters from different generations really adds to the mystery of the story perfectly (my favourite to read was Alba’s, each chapter had me looking forward to hers, and it had a nostalgic tone to it, - though all three are good). The setting descriptions keep you immersed. The metaphors are simple and beautifully written. The story seems well documented, a bewitching harmony of fiction and folklore, you can tell the author is truly a storyteller.

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore; for the opportunity to read this.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s *The Bewitching* is a haunting, multigenerational tale that intertwines witchcraft and dark forces across three distinct time periods. The narrative follows Minerva, a graduate student researching Beatrice Tremblay, a forgotten author known for her macabre novel, *The Vanishing*. As Minerva delves into Beatrice's eerie experiences alongside those of her great-grandmother, Nana Alba, she finds disturbing connections that blur the lines between past and present.

The book’s structure spans the 1900s in Mexico, the 1930s in the U.S., and the 1990s in Massachusetts, capturing the eerie atmosphere of each era. The story melds historical fiction with supernatural horror, grounding the uncanny within real-world anxieties, particularly through the lens of witchcraft as shared by Nana Alba.

Moreno-Garcia excels in creating complex characters. Minerva, relatable in her struggles with academic demands, gradually realizes her connection to the dark forces she seeks to understand. *The Bewitching* is a mesmerizing blend of supernatural dread and rich history, posing profound questions about the cost of knowledge and the shadows of the past.

This book was amazing. Moreno-Garcia always does a stellar job of moving classic horror tropes to Central America, but here the tale also incorporates classic New England hauntings. Referencing many genre classics, including authors, myths and fiction classics, this is the height of gothic horror full of Easter Eggs for fans of the genre. The prose is immersive and really hones in on that sense of general unease/foreboding required for a good spooky tale. The stories of three generations weave together leaving just enough clues to solve the "case," but not without a few twists here and there. This will make a perfect read for spooky season or for those of us who do witchy vibes year round.

This superb novel is about three different women in different timelines that encounter witches . These witches are dark and dangerous. Full of folklore and suspense you won't be able to put this down . Gothic supernatural horror at it's best . This writer never disappoints

Story told by 3 women, in three time periods, Nana Alba in Mexico in the early 1900s, one in Massachusetts in 1934 and in Minerva, Nana Alba's great granddaughter in 1998. As Minerva works on her thesis, about a writer who attended the same college in 1934, she uncovers the story of a missing student. Strange things begin to happen to Minerva as she is pulled into a nightmarish world of witchcraft, recalling the stories of witches told by her Nana Alba.
This is a spooky story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I love witchy stories and this one has some great folklore from Mexico. The only thing I did not like is the incestuous relationship, which was pretty ick.