SMG has done it again. She is the master of blending timelines, history, dynamic characters, and horror. I love her writing style. You easily get a taste of the scene and the suspension in each chapter. This was a great take of witches and magic and even Salem. I love that we got diverse characters and that they felt relatable throughout.

Actual Rating - 3.5

Its been a long time since I read a gothic horror, my favorite till date remains Rebecca. The Bewitching is slow paced and tells the story of three women, from three different generations who were bewitched and had to fight against evil forces when their lives were endangered. The book kept me thoroughly engrossed in the stories from three timelines-
Nana Alba in the 1900's struggling against an invisible malignant force that threatens her family, Beatrice Tremblay, in the 1930's, a student in a women's college and a budding horror writer who was left heart-broken when her best friend, Virginia Somerset, went missing under mysterious circumstances. She also wrote a book called "The Vanishing" about this peculiar incident and finally Minerva, in the 1990's, Nana Alba's great-granddaughter who is studying the works of Beatrice in the same college that Beatrice and Virginia attended. When Minerva feels the stifling presence of the evil force that traumatized Ginny more than half a century ago, she knows she must remember Nana Alba's stories about witches, potions and how to outsmart them before they destroy lives.
All the women in this book were strong and powerfully portrayed and the story lingers in your mind long after you finish the book. I'm definitely picking up the author's previous books now.

wow. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has absolutely enchanted me with this book. The Bewitching is the perfect witchy read.
It's spooky, atmospheric, and packed with Mexican folklore, dark academia vibes, and not one but three timelines that all weave together like magic. We've got 1990s New England, 1930s Massachusetts, and early 1900s Mexico, plus queer characters, generational curses, and just the right amount of creeping horror.
the first half is a slow burn, which usually looses me, But
the setup is so intriguing that I didn't mind. Aaand then, the second half hits, and suddenly I was flipping pages at midnight, fully obsessed, needing to know how all these eerie puzzle pieces fit together.
What makes The Bewitching stand out is its fresh take of dark academia with Mexican mythology. a pairing I didn't know I needed but now can't get enough of. And the horror? More unsettling than outright terrifying, think whispers in the attic, shadows that move just wrong, and a sense of dread that lingers like fog.
this is a must read for anyone who loves witchy, dark academia tales with historical depth.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for my honest review

Another beautifully written novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Everyone at this point of time should have had the pleasure of reading one of her titles, they are always so fantastic. This one is no exception. From the concept, to the characters, to the execution. Everything was done so well and I can’t praise it enough.
This story follows three women in different time periods. One in 1908, 1934, and 1998. The events of each intertwine into making a full circle story. As in Moreno-Garcia fashion, there are paranormal auditions in this book, witches to be exact. These witches are not normal witches, these are purely evil and they sort of resemble vampires. I liked how each of the characters had interacted with a witch and what having done so had cause their issues.
I always love the writing of MG, she is such a great story teller. My only gripe I would say is there is a plot point that I normally am disgusted by that was used. It was used to the advantage of one of the characters but I still dislike that trigger warning so much.
If you haven’t read any of SMG’s books you really should. They are really fantastic and this one would be a great start!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia simply does not miss. Every book I read from her is such a fascinating execution of skill and craft and it's SUCH a delight to check out The Bewitching. I loved the way the three stories tied up, I loved the red herrings placed throughout, I loved the characters. I loved so much of this. And especially how it was a slow build of absolute creepy throughout the book which, honestly, made me a bit scared to read it at night. But such a masterful work.

Truly truly fabulous.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for a chance to read and review!

Thanks to @delreybooks & @penguinrandomhouse for the free finished copy of The Bewitching and to @prhaudio for the free ALC. This was a great thriller/horror read!

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches. That was what Nana Alba used to say. . . “

So begins @silviamg.author ‘s newest release, and I think this is her best work since Mexican Gothic.

The narrative follows three generations women: an English grad student in 1998, the private journals of the author she is researching from 1934, and the grad student’s Nana Alba as an adolescent in 1908.

I love the dark academia vibes combined with grad student researching authorship and unsolved mystery at small New England college steeped in witchcraft lore. Sign me up, I have heard what I needed to hear.

This was definitely a slow burn mystery though. It takes some time for the stories to converge while the characters and atmosphere develop. It was well worth the wait! These witches are not the cozy kind, but the truly dangerous variety. Drawing on her Mexican traditions, these witches are more closely aligned with vampire mythology, feasting on human blood for their supernatural power.
This is one you should likely check content warnings for as well.

🎧 Gisela Chipe gives a riveting performance on the audiobook, capturing distinct accents and personalities of the three principal characters perfectly. I was glued to my headphones as the story developed as the twists started twisting and the story reached its climax.

This is one I keep thinking about after the fact, and the more I think the better it gets. I’ve even upped my initial rating as a result.

Overall if you are looking for a good mix of horror and suspense with tons of atmosphere, this book is likely for you.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia once again casts a spell with The Bewitching, blending gothic atmosphere, historical detail, and slow-burning suspense. Set in colonial Mexico, the novel follows a woman accused of witchcraft as societal paranoia, class divides, and personal ambition collide.

Moreno-Garcia’s writing is sharp and immersive, with rich prose that brings the time period to life. The themes of power, gender, and fear are explored through a mysterious lens, and the protagonist’s quiet strength anchors the narrative. While the pacing may feel methodical for some, the tension simmers beautifully until the end.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes books that make you think and scare you to the core.

In her latest work, "The Bewitching," she takes the reader through three generations, all of whom are impacted by witchcraft in differing ways.

From 1908 to 1934 to 1998, we meet and follow different women, all strong in their ways for each time period. She also surrounds them with characters that are supportive and suspicious, and keeps you guessing as you move through these experiences with them.

What I love about Moreno-Garcia's books is the frankness with which she addresses the supernatural and the overlapping real-world issues she uses as a lens to examine elements of society.

I read her books with bated breath-- anxiously awaiting the next reveal.

What I love the most about Silvia Moreno-Garcia is that all of her books are so different.

In 1998 Minerva is studying abroad at Stoneridge College, a small school in Massachusetts. Her thesis is focused on Stoneridge Alum Beatrice Tremblay. The story alternates between Minerva, Beatrice in 1934 and her great grandmother Alba in 1908 rural Mexico.

All three timelines deal with witchcraft, which is depicted as a kind of vampirism, these are not cozy witches.

I found all three timelines very engaging. As always the book is very well researched and the character's and their environment impeccably described. The horror is intense and legitimately scary. Another excellent Silvia Moreno-Garcia book.

Moreno-Garcia hits it out of the park again!

The Bewitching follows three women over three different timelines, who each encounter mysterious disappearances and phenomena in their own respective ways. One of the timelines (1990s New England) follows Minerva, a grad student researching author Beatrice Tremblay’s writings, one of which, The Vanishing, is based on a true story. In another timeline, we see Beatrice’s perspective via her diary on the disappearance of her friend in the 1930s on the same university campus Minerva lives on. We then see a perspective of Minerva’s Nana Alba as a young girl in 1900s Mexico, who has her terrifying encounters with disappearances and the supernatural. All these timelines seamlessly come together to unveil a horrific tale of witchcraft and mortal danger.

This might be my new favorite of Moreno-Garcia’s stories. I really loved Silver Nitrate and I really loved the way these timelines were uniquely interesting but all connected and were weaved together expertly. It added a sense of universal experience to the entire story, despite the fact these women were experiencing different horrors in different ways, not to mention their characters were widely different from one another.

The writing style was really immersive and easy to read, but not simplistic or boring. Different experiences were written super well with a lot of anticipation but not overly dramatic that it became a thriller. This was a really well done horror novel with fantastic writing and descriptors. The pacing was also really consistent and kept you intrigued despite the various timelines.

There were amazing themes that fed into the horror element surrounding urban elitism, gender roles, race, and queerness that I really loved from the story. I always love a novel with thematic depth and this really accomplished that for me.

All in all, a five star read for me!

Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey Books for an e-ARC in exchange for this review.

Another unique and captivating gem from Silvia Moreno Garcia.

This is a lovely Gothic slow burn novel, delightful to the senses and paced perfectly for the content. I’m sure there will be complaints that this is “slow,” but the story demands it be such, and I think the slow, menacing, creeping pace was exactly right.

It’s a bit of a stretch to call this Dark Academia, though it does use elements of the subgenre, particularly in the 1990s timeline. I tend to dislike the modern portion of multi-timeline books, but here I thought it was actually the best of the lot, and the campus atmosphere and focus on the academic study of Horror novels was the best part of the book.

There isn’t really a big reveal in terms of the mystery here, as you’ll see it coming a mile away if you’re paying attention. That said, I don’t particularly think that there needed to be, and found myself wishing only that the oldest of the three timelines linked up better with the other two.

Not my favorite from the author, but that’s just calling the book good not great, or maybe in Moreno Garcia’s case, great not superior. Signal to Noise and Certain Dark Things are still my favorites, but this is an excellent story and well worth a read.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia delivers supernatural horror in three tales of mysterious disappearances connected by a grad student named Minerva. Her great-grandmother, Nana Alba, told Minerva many stories of witchcraft in Mexico which inspired her to study the history of horror literature in the hub of New England. Minerva expected to do research on her thesis topic, Beatrice Tremblay's real-life inspiration for her book The Vanishing, but she didn't expect to find eerie similarities between Tremblay's account and Nana Alba's story, let alone experience a shadowy presence herself.

I’m very impressed by the way that Silvia Moreno-Garcia flits between the pov of three different characters in three timelines, settings, and cultures! Each narrator felt authentic which, I imagine, was a hard thing to accomplish. Like her name implies, Minerva is wise and artistic, but she recognizes that she inherited some of her proclivities from Nana Alba. This means that I didn’t have to yell at her (in my head) to stop running towards danger like I usually do (out loud) with most horror flicks.

This novel has good pacing and the story kept me hooked, which is why it didn’t take long to finish reading. I think it was especially effective because I don’t know a whole lot about the horror genre in literature or Mexican folklore. When I don’t know much about a topic covered in media, I get excited to look it up and learn more! Another aspect that kept me reading was Moreno-Garcia’s accuracy in depicting Boston. I went to school in the city and would have cringed if the scenery and public transit weren’t depicted accurately.

I found The Bewitching captivating and perfectly creepy, despite the fact that I predicted a few aspects of the mysteries within it. The only thing that I wasn't a fan of was the incest, but I guess that's part of what built the unsettling atmosphere.

If you enjoyed Mexican Gothic or books by Isabel Cañas, I think you should pick this book up, too!

Content Warnings: incest, animal death, blood, body horror, violence, gaslighting, toxic relationship, classism, xenophobia (minor), and death.

This was a solid 3.5 stars for me. I thoroughly enjoyed the multiple POVs and the way Moreno sprinkled in Mexican folklore. She seamlessly woven it into the narrative. Personally, it gave the story a richness that made the supernatural elements feel intimate and deeply rooted.

The pacing was a bit slow for my taste at first. By the end, however, I understood why it was written that way. The slow build paid off. The last few chapters flew by, and even though some twists were a little predictable, I still ate up the last few chapters.

Out of all Silva Moreno-Garcia's books, this is in the top five for me. It was an atmospheric, eerie read with plenty to sink your teeth into, especially if you love folklore, layered characters, and slow-burn tension.

The Bewitching presents three distinct timelines, each with its own unique atmosphere and potential. While the individual stories are intriguing, they often feel disconnected; more like standalone novellas than threads of a cohesive narrative.

The female characters, though central, are frustrating in their passivity and disillusionment, making it difficult to emotionally invest in their journeys. The novel is rich in concept but ultimately lacks the emotional depth and resonance needed to leave a lasting impression. A memorable premise, but the execution didn't quite cast the spell I was hoping for.

Phenomenal read. It’s just my second book by this author only because I spook easily and I’m here to say the creepy factor is sky high in this book. The story is told via three timelines. In 1908, on a Mexican farm, Alba Quiroga is a young woman caught between old rural superstitions and the modern thinking of a new century. But when gruesome things begin to happen then she has to seek out the old ways of witchcraft. The second timeline focuses on Alba’s great-granddaughter, Minerva Quiroga, who is doing her graduate studies at a toney school in New England in 1998. Minerva’s passions are the horror stories of the fictional writer Beatrice Tremblay who also attended Stoneridge College which is the third timeline. In 1934, Beatrice and her friends, mostly privileged daughters and sons of wealthy parents, navigate their classes along with the cutthroat world of upper class social standing.

I was amazed at how quickly I was drawn into the labyrinth of the storylines. Everything is clearly told and the timing of reveals overlap perfectly so gradually the full picture emerges in steady, fright filled steps. I warned myself to be ready but I was sucked down into the characters’ dark paths. You tell yourself, don’t go outside alone with just a flashlight but a really good author, like Silvia Moreno-Garcia, will pull you along anyway. I liked the historical aspects, the folklore, and the psychological play. Smart writing that is always a joy to read. I want to mention that Beatrice is a Queer woman but this book is not any kind of romance. Instead, the story is a well written, suspenseful, claustrophobic, bloody tale where the women characters accept that only they can save themselves.

I think I have found my new favorite Silvia Moreno-Garcia book! If you've known me for awhile, you know that Mexican Gothic is one of my favorite books ever. Of course, I still love Mexican Gothic but The Bewitching was everything I wanted and more.

Moreno-Garcia weaved together three stories spanning a century, all connected, so seamlessly. All three of the timelines following women who are facing strange occurrences surrounding witchcraft.

This author knows how to blend the eerie and the magical in a way that you feel like you are in the story experiencing the events alongside the characters. And the folklore and history that she weaves into each story is just perfection.

Read this book. Read Mexican Gothic. Just read Silvia Moreno-Garcia's whole backlist. They are so good.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Absolutely perfect. I didn’t think anything could top Mexican Gothic, but The Bewitching is her best work yet.

**Thank you NetGalley (Kay Popple) and Penguin Random House/Del Rey for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
Posted to: NetGalley and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 23 July 2025

4.1 (rounded down to 4) out of 5 stars.
(Okay I know I’m late posting this, I’m so sorry! Reading slumps are real and travel plans interrupted my normal schedule. Anyways, here is my belated review!)


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

Another Silvia Moreno-Garcia banger!!!! I feel so biased saying that because it’s very clear that she is an auto-buy author of mine. The title is not without its own faults, however. I still find that I really enjoyed Silver Nitrate and Velvet Was the Night a taaaad more than The Bewitching. Regardless, it’s still an exceptional read to have gotten to during Summerween and I’m beyond glad to have been invited to check it out!

To start with, it’s a bit of a slow build up in the beginning for each of the three intertwined stories. This isn’t a bad thing, I’d say, but I also know that the slower pace is not everybody’s thing. At the same time, however, I feel like the pacing is a little weird towards the end in that it feels a bit more rushed? Or it almost skips around some (more-so in Alba’s case but also some in Minerva’s storyline). It wasn’t bad, but noticeable enough especially during some more major scenes happening. The lead up to what’s going to happen feels almost stronger than the actual Big Events- yet everything still ends satisfyingly enough to bleed over those hiccups (I would say, anyways).
What I really love about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing, though, is her characters. I love how human they feel. I think that Minerva was a little reminiscent to Monserrat from Silver Nitrate, so her character did feel more familiar but to me it helped to fuel that interest that led into me wanting to binge more and more chapters.

My only other qualm about this is the ending. Mild spoilers here for this paragraph (or beneath the spoiler tag for those finding my review on Storygraph!) so please skip to the next if you’d rather avoid spoiler chat! Okay good? Alright-so the ending, to me, was also reminiscent of Silver Nitrate some. I can’t pinpoint how exactly without saying too much, but I feel like you’ll know it if you read it? I guess I wouldn’t say that’s a ‘qualm’ exactly though, but it did kind of kill a little of the suspense only because I kept thinking “huh, this is very familiar to Silver Nitrate/to something that would happen there too.”

There’s some folklore built into this book. There’s some witchcraft, some occult, some academia, and some horror. It’s a nice blend of everything that set the scene of spooky and tense, and I all but devoured it. Despite my few little issues to pick about it, The Bewitching is deliciously dark. Amassing all my thoughts together, it’s safe to say that in the end, I enjoyed this a lot! It’s definitely one of those books I’d love to re-read if only to find any foreshadowing bits seeing as Silvia Moreno-Garcia seems to sprinkle those into her novels all the time (whether purposefully or accidentally is mystery to me, but I’ll eat it up every time!)

CONTENT WARNING(S):
Blood, drinking of blood, violence, mentions of murder, self-harm, suicidal ideation, ritualistic killings (in mention, no details), animal death, incest, sexual content (on page with mild descriptions), passing mentions of car accident and death from car accident, death of parent (in passing), stalking/thoughts of being stalked, brief alcohol use/inebriation (at a party/during a party but nothing else comes from it), vomit (no details, in quick mention and only brought up a few times after also in non-detailed use)

The latest novel by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a dark, atmospheric horror/mystery, consisting of three clearly defined storylines. Minerva, a young Mexican woman, is a student at a New England college, writing her thesis. It's 1998, and strange things happen. She often feels a sense of foreboding, as if she has been watched. At one point, she is almost crushed to death by a sliding bookshelf at the library. Regardless, Minerva is determined to conduct thorough research for her thesis about a forgotten writer, Beatrice Tremblay. She is delighted to find a connection: Beatrice Tremblay attended the same college, and her friend at the time was Carolyn Yates, a wealthy woman who now lives in a nearby mansion and owns the entire collection of Beatrice Tremblay's letters and notes.

In the second storyline, we follow Beatrice Tremblay, whose first-person narrative describes the terrifying experience of having her close friend Ginny disappear. The third storyline takes place in 1908, in rural Hidalgo, where Alba lives on a farm, dreaming of a better life, as represented by her handsome and charismatic uncle, Arturo. However, unexplained accidents occur after Arturo's arrival, and Alba is afraid that she has been bewitched or is about to be charmed by a powerful creature.

I enjoyed reading "The Bewitching" very much. Each of the three women, Minerva, Beatrice, and Alba, is skillfully described, and we can relate to them very well. There is a feeling of something lurking in the dark, and that hidden creature is not someone whom our protagonists may easily overcome with suddenly discovered powers of their own. Witches and warlocks are out there looking for blood.

Minerva's great-grandmother, Alba, says," Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches." Minerva concludes that these words are still relevant, and the witches are not extinct. She will have to gather the same courage as Alba did to fight for her life.

The first half was a slow burn, but I appreciated how the story unfolded gradually across the different timelines. It built tension and gave me time to settle into each narrative. However, while the pacing worked well throughout most of the book, the ending felt rushed. I was left with a few unanswered questions, and certain threads didn’t fully come together for me.

I especially enjoyed Alba’s timeline, but I struggled to see how it fully connected with the other two. Aside from her familial link to Minerva, her storyline felt a bit disconnected. I kept waiting for that “aha” moment when everything would click, but it never quite happened.

Overall, The Bewitching is a strange, dark, and original read. It’s mysterious and beautifully written, with a compelling atmosphere and strong themes but it leaves just enough loose ends to feel slightly incomplete.