Minerva’s Nana used to always tell her stories full of shadows and mysteries. Each time, they would begin, “Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches.”

The Bewitching is a suspenseful tale of three women at three different time periods, each relying on portents, power and perhaps witchcraft in the face of evil. The novel combines elements of historical fiction, mystery and horror and takes the reader from a small town in Mexico to a university campus in New England. In each timeline, there are mysterious and suspicious disappearances. I enjoyed trying to figure out what happened to these people and how they might be connected.

I was engaged with The Bewitching from the start and enjoyed the three different perspectives equally. The pages turn quickly as things escalate. It is wonderfully creepy and atmospheric. Silvia Garcia-Moreno’s writing is top notch, as always. The Bewitching will undoubtedly be a stellar addition to your fall TBRs, but it is out TODAY! And I have to admit, I enjoyed diving into this eerie story in the middle of my summer reads.

A heartfelt tale of women through generations, witches, what it means to be and find family and all that implies. This is a stunning story of friendship, women, love, acceptance, and finding oneself on place. Once again Garcia's magic shines through. A lovely story, a new favorite.

Review posted to StoryGraph, Goodreads, and Amazon on 7/15/25.

A story following three women’s encounters with the supernatural across multiple decades. Each finds themselves facing the question can bewitching be a real thing.

This might be my favorite Silvia Moreno-Garcia book and I do not say that lightly. Steeped in academia, folklore, and mystery this book kept me on my toes wondering what truth would be revealed next. I loved the way we were given three narrators across different decades. As their stories each progressed our understanding as a reader increased and left me personally feel uneasy. It is not surprising that Moreno-Garcia managed to achieve the perfect balance of tension and terror. I look forward to reading this again closer to Halloween.

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and I am so grateful to the publisher for giving me early access via NetGalley!
This book was one of her best so far in my opinion. It was mysterious and atmospheric. I loved the three timelines and how they connected with one another. I don’t know how to describe the author’s novels sometimes because they are all so different and yet I think the passion for horror (both film and literature) and Mexican history (of all sorts) really stands out in all of her books.
I highly recommend this if you’re looking for a witchy horror read.

Today Silvia Moreno-Garcia releases her eleventh novel, The Bewitching. By now I’ve read nearly everything she’s released, and I know that, no matter the genre or setting, I’ll be in for a mesmerizing tale.

Here readers get three timelines: On a rural farm in Mexico in 1908, Alba faces a series of losses and increasing horrors, from the death of her father and disappearance of her brother to a certainty that her family has been cursed. At a Massachusetts college in 1934, Betty Tremblay recounts how her roommate, Ginny, went missing after proclaiming herself to be the victim of some sort of haunting. Betty’s account comes in the form of an unpublished manuscript, which Minerva reads in 1998 while a student at the same campus. Minerva is fascinated by the author Beatrice Tremblay, especially as concerns that 1934 disappearance. Somehow, all three stories are connected by folkloric magic and witches.

What I Liked:
- Triple timeline of closely connected bewitchments. Betty’s parts, set in 1934, come in the form of an unpublished manuscript that Minerva reads; it’s like a book within a book. Alba and Minerva’s parts are both a bit longer, and all three form parallel (but unique) tales of young women facing the horrors of a bewitchment. Does anyone believe them? How can they protect themselves from an unseen evil?
- Tradition of folklore, legends, and how stories are passed down. This is the beating heart of The Bewitching. In 1908, Alba believes in the traditions passed down for generations. She practices minor folk magic and believes in witches, as most in the area do, even if her own family dismisses it all as nonsense. Alba’s great-granddaughter Minerva has heard these stories her whole life and is drawn to the long history of witchcraft and horror present across New England. She’s also struck by the nearly forgotten mystery behind Ginny, only put to paper by Betty decades later. These two sides of witch legend blend into one in Minerva’s timeline. Portents, apotropaic markings, and talismans further color this tale of witches.
- Class and family. In all three timelines, discussions of finances, social class, and how a family is perceived come into play. Money and greed are huge drivers in why some characters act as they do. Alba, though the daughter of a farmer, is seen as too good for a handyman like Valentín. Then there’s Minerva, a scholarship student who must balance her thesis with work, and the stark contrast with someone like Noah, a trust fund guy who’s dragging his feet through college.
- A new look at witches. Here, the witches are somewhat like vampires, with their love of drinking blood. Maybe they’re a bit like werewolves, too, with their strange animalistic qualities. Of all the books I’ve read about witches, this is the first time I’ve seen them portrayed quite this way. It’s a refreshing take, though one that’s clearly rooted in centuries of tradition.

Final Thoughts
The Bewitching takes some time before its teeth sink in (pun intended!), but once they do, it’s a gripping and subtly horrifying story across three timelines. The dread and fear grow bit by bit, and by the end, it’s a thrilling read that will have you flying through the pages. Of the ten full novels I’ve read from Siliva Moreno-Garcia so far, this is certainly among my favorites.

Thanks to NetGalley, the Publisher and Author for an eARC of this title in exchange for my review.

I absolutely love everything from Silvia Moreno-Garcia and was excited for this book. The Bewitching is a dark atmospheric witchy vampy gothic horror ghost story with three timelines that catch you breathless and pull you under. The balance and writing has the perfect vibe and tension, making it unputdownable and creeptastic at the same time.

Some highlights for me include multi-generational POVs, themes of power, privilege, family, friendship, greed, envy, jealousy, loneliness, isolation and revenge. The story is so much more than witchcraft/forces of evil, but also about how power corrupts and classism, prejudice, sexism, and status quo play a role in shaping society, no matter how it is achieved.

I really enjoy how Silvia Moreno-Garcia is truly masterful at weaving together disparate pieces into a griping and memorable tale.

This is truly a bewitching tale! In three different timelines, brave young women each encounter frightening evil spirits.

In 1998, Minerva, a young woman from Mexico City, is a graduate student at Stoneridge College in Massachusetts, not far from Salem. This summer she's working on her thesis about a little known novelist named Beatrice Tremblay who also attended Stoneridge and later wrote horror novels. Her most famous novel was titled The Vanishing which is about the unsolved disappearance of her roommate Virginia in December, 1934.

And then there's the story of Minerva's great-grandmother, Nana Alba, set in 1908. Nana always told Minerva that '...when I was a young woman, there were still witches.' Her chapters tell the story of her personal encounters with evil.

Although the story gets off to a slow start while the author lays out the bones of these three storylines, hang in there because the dread soon begins to build. What a deliciously creepy tale.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this new novel via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

I'm always interested for what Silvia Moreno-Garcia is doing next - she's hit so many different genres and really knocks all of them out of the park.

This neatly braids together 3 different timelines with one story, and while some of the beats of the plot feel easy to pick up on and predict, it's still a fantastic ride. As a New Englander, the 1998 section nails the vibe of small-town college campuses in the area.

The Bewitching is one of my most anticipated gothic horror novels of the year, and it does NOT disappoint! This new release is masterfully crafted weaving together three timelines:
1908, Mexico; young Alba faces an evil curse on her rural farm and confronts terrifying witchcraft.
1934, Massachusetts; the personal journal of a lesser known horror writer, Beatrice Tremblay, traces the months leading to the tragic disappearance of her roommate, Virginia, and her erratic behavior that eventually inspires her novel, The Vanishing.
1998, Massachusetts; Graduate student, Minerva Contreras, is researching Tremblay for her thesis, when she begins to sense familiar dark/sinister forces she recognizes from her great-grandmother’s (Alba) tales and within Tremblay’s journals.

Fantastic writing, and heaps of perfectly executed atmospheric dread had my heart pumping and nerves rattles. Alba, Virginia, and Minerva all experience the creeping sensation of being watched, stalked, hearing strange noises, and cannot escape the paranoia of their bewitchments.

For horror readers who prefer more visceral gore, they might be somewhat disappointed, but for readers like me, it was a perfect amount. I also love academic settings/obsessions and books that explore women’s voices and accounts of horror in the face of patriarchal skepticism and gaslighting. There is a great emphasis on Latinx folklore, and I loved how the three storylines both mirrored and informed the others with increasingly intensity until their culmination.

I did a tandem read with the audiobook narrated by Gisela Chipe, and she brilliantly executed the three storylines, differentiating between the three main POVs as well as a plethora of secondary characters. So many varying accents, as well as unique character traits were richly featured by their performance. They also nailed the evocative and unsettling atmosphere of the novel.

Minerva is a graduate student that is studying the writings of Beatrice Tremblay. When she learns of a manuscript that disappeared she begins a search that leads her to Carolyn, a former friend of Beatrice. Minerva soon learns that Beatrice's book called the Vanishing was written based on the disappearance of a friend named Virginia. Separated by decades all of the women attended the same school and Minerva begins to believe the dark forces that came after Virginia may still be present at the school. She also recognizes this as being part of the stories that she was told by her great-grandmother Nana Alba. In order to survive Minerva must put together the stories and what she has learned.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has done it again! She continues to prove why she is one of my all-time favorite authors. I need to do a reread but this may be my favorite book she has written. This is a beautiful multigenerational story. I loved how the story developed and then came together in all three timelines. All three women were fascinating to follow. I was drawn into the story immediately. I could not put this book down! It is eerie and immersive. I have already pre-ordered the audiobook and can't wait to do a reread.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Del Rey via NetGalley for providing me with this ARC!

The fact that this was Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s new novel is what initially pulled me in, but the second I read the synopsis, I knew I NEEDED to read it: “Minerva has become a graduate student focused on the history of horror literature and is researching the life of Beatrice Tremblay, an obscure author of macabre tales.”

Mullti-generational POVs, can be hit or miss for me, as I can sometimes get over-invested in one POV over the others, but I really enjoyed reading all three POVs.

This book tackles so many themes: power, privilege, family, friendship, and the horror of humanity. There were points where I wanted longer tension, or others where there were subplots I wasn’t very invested in, but overall, I really enjoyed this read and can’t wait to add it to my Silvia Moreno-Garcia collection!

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Release Date: July 15th, 2025

If Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes it, I’ll read it, and The Bewitching is my new favorite novel by her. This is THE witchy, historical book of 2025.

Told in three different timelines, The Bewitching follows the lives of Alba, Betty, and Minerva and how their lives are changed when an evil entity invades their lives. In 1998 New England, Minerva is a college student researching the works of Betty Tremblay, a female horror author who studied at very university she’s now enrolled at. New England is known for Lovecraft and Minerva is hoping to highlight a female horror author instead. Betty’s most famous work is inspired by the disappearance of her friend in the 1930s. As Minerva’s research draws her deeper into the past, she remembers the words of her Nana Alba. “Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches.”

I love SMG’s writing style and the way she tells a story. It doesn’t take long for this book to get creepy, and there were times when I felt very unsettled. This is not a whimsical, fun story of witchcraft. To be bewitched is to be unmade, and this story takes some dark turns. It’s hard for me to say which storyline I liked the most. Betty and Minerva’s timelines are both set on a university campus and I loved the added layer of academia. Alba’s timeline may be closer to Betty’s, but it feels a world away in rural Mexico. I love the way SMG used these two settings, both of which tie directly to SMG’s own life, as she mentions in the author’s note. No matter whose POV you are reading you feel like you’re there.

I’ll be rereading this come fall and I already can’t wait to revisit these characters. Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for a review copy.

SMG is an auto-buy author who has yet to disappoint. This is for fans of dark academia, historical/gothic horror, SGJ’s Buffalo Hunter Hunter, multiple timelines, multigenerational POV, cultural folklore, and “good for her” tropes!

No one seems to believe in those ancient tales spoken with trembling lips.

Maybe they should......

Silvia Moreno-Garcia needs no introduction to those of us who savor a good horror story now and then. Moreno-Garcia possesses a brilliant mind and writing skills to match. She creates a panoramic view into those dark crevices of the mind where creepy things scurry in the night.

This time Moreno-Garcia takes us into a three-pronged approach within the years of 1908, 1934, and 1998. The Bewitching seeps into those particular years in order for the reader to get a bird's eye view of the unexplainable. This is clasped in the hands of witches with folk magic, floating green spheres, and spells that cause the innocents to carry a talisman and to leave witch marks on their windowsills and doorways.

Minerva is a resident director for Stoneridge College in Massachusetts. She's working on her thesis while checking on the buildings during the Summer when students will eventually return in the Fall. One student in particular, Thomas Murphy, seems to have vanished. He left his boxes and belongings in his dorm room. No one has spoken with him since.

It's at this time that Minerva thinks fondly of her great-grandmother, Nana Alba, outside of Mexico City where Minerva was born. Nana Alba knew well of witches and the tales surrounding them heard continuously on the family farm. We will travel there in 1908 to experience some uncanny goings-on that have no earthly explanation. Alba's story is my favorite of these three tales. Moreno-Garcia paints these scenes with a wickedly jagged brush.

Minerva's thesis in 1998 will open the door to our third setting. This takes place on the campus of Stoneridge in 1934. Minerva is researching into the life of Beatrice Tremblay who attended college there and later wrote The Vanishing based on a true story. It involves Beatrice's close friend, Virginia "Ginny" Somerset, who disappeared from the campus that year without a trace. Minerva is determined to find out what happened to Ginny. Minerva is experiencing some weirdly wonky experiences herself. She is beyond fearful.

The Bewitching is a highly creative approach into witchery from times past that flows into the present. Settle in with this one and you'll begin to visualize the knotted threads that seem to find their way into the fabric of the present. Hats off to Silvia Moreno-Garcia......of course, the pointed kind.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Del Ray Publishers and to the talented Silvia Moreno-Garcia for the opportunity.

Thank you Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group/Del Rey for the chance of reading this book - this is my honest opinion.

I came for the gothic ambience, and I was delivered so much more than that.

Minerva, a grad student studying horror literature, stumbles upon the unsettling past of Beatrice Tremblay - a forgotten author whose eerie novel The Vanishing may have been based on real events. As Minerva digs deeper, she uncovers a haunting story of obsession, witchcraft, and a mysterious disappearance from the 1930s that mirrors tales told by her own great-grandmother in 1900s Mexico. Now, in 1990s Massachusetts, Minerva begins to fear that the same dark force may be stalking her too.

The Bewitching is one of those books that pulls you in slowly, but it definitely casts a spell on you (ha, see what I did there?). I did struggle a bit with the pacing at the beginning, but as the story progressed, I became more and more drawn in.

This book is so much more than simple witchcraft - it's about how power corrupts, and how your social class plays a role in shaping your fate.

There are three different timelines, all interwoven, though not quite as tightly as I was expecting or would have liked. Still, it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the story. Our three female main characters had so much depth. I enjoyed reading all the timelines, but Betty’s POV was the most intriguing for me. It was the only one written in first person, so it felt almost like reading a very detailed diary.

The plot twists were a little predictable, but they all made perfect sense. The way everything unfolded had me gripping my chair.

If you love gothic fiction with a sprinkle of historical drama, definitely give this book a chance!

Read this if: you liked The Hacienda or Mexican Gothic

Skip this if: you don’t like multiple storylines and/or you prefer a fast-moving plot.

Alba is a teenager living in Mexico in 1908. Minerva, Alba’s granddaughter, is a college student in New England in 1998. Minerva is writing a thesis on Beatrice Tremblay, who attended the same college back in 1934. All three women are connected by their dealings with the supernatural, as they each in turn suspect that they (or someone close to them) are being bewitched. Those around them are skeptical, so each woman must figure out how to deal with the evil forces on their own.

Before I get into my opinions, I’d like to give the caveat that these should be taken with a grain of salt. Not only do I not love horror/fantasy but I also did not love Mexican Gothic. So while this book was not for me, it still could definitely be one that you enjoy.

As is often the case with multiple timelines, I liked some more than others. I was quite interested in Minerva’s storyline, somewhat interested in Beatrice’s and less interested in Alba’s. The three main characters were all so similar that it was hard to keep track of which section I was reading, and while that may have been intentional it made it a little difficult to read. There was also an uncomfortable incest plot which felt a little odd and unnecessary (if you’ve read this I’d love to hear your thoughts on this part!). On a positive note, the descriptive writing was beautiful and it made the action easy to imagine (which is not always the case with fantasy).

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Re for access to this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Publisher: Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga.


1908-Alba in Mexico witnesses grievous losses and encounters a terrifying witch.

1934- Virginia, a schoolmate of author Beatrice Tremblay, goes missing. Did she run away with a lover from the other side of the tracks, or did something more sinister happen?

1998- Alba's great-granddaughter, Minerva, is a liberal arts student researching more about Beatrice Tremblay, and she becomes fascinated with Virginia's disappearance. But will the darkness that both Alba and Virginia described find her too?

A bit of a slow-burning gothic/horror novel. But trust me, it does get good. Silvia Moreno-Garcia leads us on a long and very creatively written narrative that balances folklore across three timelines.



Expected Publication Date 15/07/25
Goodreads Review Date 14/07/25
#TheBewitching #NetGalley.

Overall a smart, unsettling, and strangely intimate read as Moreno-Garcia blends horror with history, threading witchcraft and obsession across generations.

This novel is a slow starter but it quickly becomes so creepy. I loved the shifting time periods and the sense of something looming, with the tension slowly ratcheting up. My only criticism is that I find her writing very 'tell not show', with characters explaining their feelings and situations, and I found it hard to really dive into anyone's minds. That said, I think this is my favourite book of hers yet. Thank you for the review copy.

This story was exciting, heartbreaking, and full of twists. I loved how past and present were woven together. Moreno-Garcia is very adept at creating an eerie atmosphere which gradually builds throughout the book. This read will grab you and won't let go until you've turned the final page.