Absolutely gripping, atmospheric, and addictive. While I called the twists from the beginning, the journey to the discoveries made this all worthwhile.

'The Bewitching' is one of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's best works to date. From the first page I was drawn in. The 3 POVs layered well together, each adding an increasing sense of foreboding and general creepiness. I particularly enjoyed Alba's 1900s storyline.

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I'll read anything she writes and likely love it but this was outstanding!

The cover (and the witches!) might give off a 'Wicked' vibe but I'd recommend this more for fans of Nosferatu (2024).

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

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Bewitching is a haunting, atmospheric triumph that blends witchcraft, folklore, and dark academia into a richly layered horror novel spanning nearly a century. Told across three timelines—1908 in rural Mexico, 1934 in Massachusetts, and 1998 at a small college—this story follows three unforgettable women: Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva, each entangled in mystery, grief, and the lingering shadow of malevolent magic. As their timelines converge, the suspense tightens, delivering a chilling and deeply satisfying payoff.

The narrative structure is sharp and seamless, with each perspective offering unique tone and atmosphere while connecting effortlessly. Moreno-Garcia’s writing is vivid and immersive—you can practically feel the cold dread creeping through every scene. Found footage elements (journals, manuscripts, interviews) give the story an eerie realism, while the slow-burn horror keeps you reading late into the night.

More than a tale of witches, this is a story about generational trauma, erased histories, and the dangerous power of buried truths. With themes of queer longing, cultural identity, colonial legacy, and survival, The Bewitching is as emotionally resonant as it is unsettling. This is Silvia Moreno-Garcia at the top of her game—an unforgettable, elegantly crafted gothic horror that lingers long after the final page.

No pun intended but there is just something so magical about Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing. She just has such a unique style and a way of pulling you into her stories. And over the years she has put her own special spin on some of the classics of the genre: vampires, werewolves, and in the case of The Bewitching, witchcraft. And I always love how often she weaves in Mexican folklore into her stories. While the main focus is on Minerva, a graduate student working on her thesis, Silvia weaves a multigenerational tale told over three time period ranging from 1908 to 1934 to 1998. While not in your face horror, there are definitely creepy parts. Engaging, well paced, and with a few twists I wasn’t expecting, The Bewitching reminds me why I’ve become such a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I’d like to thank Random House Publishing Group/Del Rey/Inklore and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of The Bewitching.

https://www.amazon.com/review/RPDIPSTLDFMHD/ref=pe_123899240_1043597390_SRTC0204BT_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

It’s no secret that I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing, especially when it leans toward the supernatural, so The Bewitching was a perfect summer read for me. It’s mysterious and atmospheric with witchcraft and folklore.

We follow three women linked by mysterious disappearances across three different timelines. I’m always a bit wary about switching timelines because I find that often I will be more invested in one character or storyline, but this was not the case here. Each storyline was super intriguing and distinct in tone. I also love how the author creates a sense of time and place. The twist and turns combined with the way the narratives intertwine creates a feeling of dread and anticipation while building exquisite tension. Honestly, I didn’t want to let these characters and world go, and wouldn’t be mad if we got to explore it more in a future novel.

This is the perfect read for those looking for something witchy and atmospheric!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy. This review was written voluntarily.

Silvia Garcia I find to be in her element when she is writing gothic novels. They are atmospheric and rich. I loved Mexican Gothic and this one was just as good. What I really appreciated about this book was how it was told in three timelines.

The three timelines made this book come together. Making the mystery and horror intriguing. The pace sometimes however falters and sometimes a bit slow or stalled out.

I really enjoy this author and I plan to keep reading everything she writes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Thank you PRH Del ray for the review copy!
The Bewitching is a haunting, atmospheric novel that proves Silvia Moreno-Garcia is unmatched when it comes to gothic storytelling. Her ability to make settings feel like living, breathing characters—and to infuse every page with moody, simmering tension—is incredible. The story moves across multiple timelines, which at times feel a bit unwieldy, but the 1920s diary-style entries were absolute standouts for me. I’m not typically drawn to historical fiction, but the way the novel uses the past to explore timeless themes of obsession, secrecy, and connection across generations is powerful. While some supernatural elements occasionally overshadow the deeply human core of the story, the blend of folklore, horror, and mystery creates an unsettling and immersive reading experience. Moreno-Garcia delivers a gothic tale that feels both classic and wholly original—a slow-burn, layered novel perfect for readers who savor atmosphere and tension.

The Bewitching is a compelling novel that beautifully marries horror and fantasy. I absolutely loved the multiple timelines; it added such layers to the overall plot, as well as giving the characters a ton of depth. It also helped keep the pacing fresh, as I found Alba and Virginia's stories to be a tad more intriguing than Minerva's timeline.

I liked that the antagonists were not too tricky for the reader to identify - I think it really added to the suspense of the story, especially in the 1934 and 1998 timelines. Minerva is obviously intelligent, seeming to put the pieces together relatively quickly, yet she was so nonchalant and calm that she had me STRESSED!

Incorporating Mexican folklore and the portrayal of not so typical witches was another aspect of this novel that I really enjoyed. Sometimes witchy tales can feel stereotypical or overdone in a way, but Moreno-Garcia definitely steers clear of that with her fresh take.

I mainly listened to the audiobook, and absolutely loved it! A great read that goes by quickly and is extremely captivating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion :)

📖 Book Review The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Gifted via #NetGalley

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches.” That opening line? A spell in itself. 🖤

I rarely reach for horror or gothic fiction, but this one found me at just the right time—and I was completely gripped. Silvia Moreno-Garcia weaves a haunting, atmospheric tale across three timelines, each featuring powerful, unforgettable women.

Minerva, from the late 1990s, stood out with her quiet strength and enigmatic presence. The layers of mystery, magic, and female resilience made this read utterly captivating.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ | 4.5 stars for a story that bewitched me from start to finish.

#TheBewitching #NetGalley #2025readingchallenge #SilviaMorenoGarcia #GothicReads #WitchyVibes #StrongFemaleCharacters #Bookstagram #HorrorWithHeart #QuoteThatHooks #MinervaMagic #DarkFictionLove

I could not get into this book. Unfortunately, it was just not the right story for me to be reading at the time.

This gripping supernatural horror spans three timelines, each centered on a remarkable woman bound by eerie disappearances, buried secrets, and the lingering presence of witches. In 1908, Alba searches for answers after her brother vanishes under strange circumstances. In 1934, Beatrice turns her roommate’s mysterious disappearance into a bestselling horror novel. And in 1998, Minerva’s academic obsession with Beatrice’s lost manuscript awakens something dark and unseen.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia masterfully blends gothic suspense, generational trauma, and creeping dread into a haunting tale that’s impossible to forget. Atmospheric, unsettling, and deeply layered, this is a must-read for fans of intelligent, slow-burn horror that leaves you sleeping with the lights on.

"When I was a girl, there were still witches"

Mexico, 1908: Alba's family is grieving the death of her father. Their farm is struggling despite what Alba's brother Tadeo wants to admit, and when strange things begin to happen, people in the area begin to believe that the family is cursed.

New England, 1934: Everything is going well for Barbara Tremblay. She attends an excellent college, has a great group of friends, and is quickly falling in love with her beautiful roommate, Virginia. But when Virginia starts to see strange figures following her around and disappears, Barbara's world is turned on its head.

New England, 1998: Minerva has done everything she can to gain admittance at her New England college in order to leave her homeland of Mexico and study the life and works of her favorite horror novelist, Barbara Tremblay. Though outwardly, the stories that Tremblay wrote seem very different from the tales Minverva grew up hearing from her great-grandmother, Nana Alba, she discovers that there are more links between these traditions than she ever imagined. When she begins to unravel the story of Virginia's disappearance, strange things begin happening to her, and she finds remembering her great-grandmother's tales may be the only thing that will save her.


—


Over the years, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has developed a skill for writing the uncanny, beginning her stories with ordinary people going about their ordinary lives and finding, piece by piece, that they have wandered into something truly horrifying. The Bewitching is no exception and is her strongest work since 2020's Mexican Gothic. In both books, the uncanny elements creep in, little by little, while the protagonists either don't notice or ignore what's happening around them until the horror is too great to ignore- at which point they must rely upon their wits to survive rather than strength or force. They are beguiling stories with characters the reader can sympathize with and want to see succeed.

Unlike Mexican Gothic, however, The Bewitching has multiple timelines that follow characters in 1908, 1934, and 1998. Oftimes, novels with multiple timelines fail thanks to one or another of those timelines being uninteresting, filled with flat characters, or failing to properly mesh with the other timeline/s in the book. Fortunately, Moren-Garcia knows how to quickly build sympathetic characters and compose tightly written stories, so while the 1908 and 1934 sections don't receive quite as much page-time as the 1998 story, they are compelling and essential. The reader cannot skip one timeline without losing context vital to the overarching story.

The settings, too, are well-considered. At first glance, one might wonder what Mexican folk stories have to do with New England-based horror novels inspired by H.P. Lovecraft, but there comes a point when Moreno-Garcia suggests that there are strange links between these disparate tales. Because they provide a glimpse into humanity's general fears, that there is something consistent to them, regardless of where in the world they come from. Principles of physics are the same no matter where you are; drop a ball in either Tokyo or Buenos Aires, and it will fall to the ground. Human fear is similar: we fear death, and so ghosts and blood-drinking monsters show up everywhere. And so the means to fight them might be the same from one tradition to another, if only we open our ears and hearts to the stories told by the generations before us.

Like Mexican Gothic, The Bewitching has a satisfying conclusion, though that's not to say that evil is defeated forever. In both books, there is a sense that the darkness could continue, could become someone else's problem in the future. But while evil might remain, there are good people everywhere, and if they remember the stories of the past, they, too, have a chance to hold back the darkness.



Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for providing me with an advance copy for review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a very talented author and this had potential...and then I got to the incest part. That's not for me, so I'm setting aside, which is a bummer because it's only in one of the POVs and the others were interesting. DNF at 23%.

4.5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for the eARC!

The Bewitching tells the stories of 3 women throughout the 20th Century and their run-ins with supernatural forces. Minerva, in 1998, is writing her thesis on a local horror author who was also a witness to a woman's disappearance. Said author, Beatrice Tremblay, in 1934, tells the story of her friend who vanished without a trace. Alba, Minerva's grandmother in 1908, starts to realize the terror she's experiencing is coming from a witch.

I really loved how the stories weaved together. Alba and Minerva had the familial connection, Minerva and Beatrice had the author/reader connection, but I couldn't see how Beatrice and Alba were connected, if at all. I would have loved more with Alba's story most of all, but honestly? All three were fascinating and terrifying all at once.

I loved the vibe of this book. There are multiple timelines and it explores the lives of three different women from different generations. Loved the characters of Nana Alba and Minerva. She discovers a book that was inspired by true events and then she begin her investigation about the girl who disappeared under the mysterious circumstances. So, the stories are told in alternating perspectives. This book is perfectly enticing and atmospheric with mysterious disappearances, ghosts, and witchcraft.

In the first timeline, Alba go through the loss of her father and her brother disappears. In the second timeline, Beatrice is a horror writer. She writes a book called Vanishing which is inspired by true events ( missing girl). In the final and third timeline, Minerva gets access to a manuscript named Vanishing. Minerva has grown up listening to Nana Alba’s stories. And as she investigates the case, she finds a deeper connection between the past and unsolved mystery.


Read it if you like
- Multiple Timelines
- Multigenerational stories
- Family Saga
- Witchcraft
- Otherworldly characters
- Mysterious disappearances
- Secrets and lies
- An Unsolved Mystery

Thank you to NetGalley, author Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Random House Publishing Group- Del Rey for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

One of my favorite aspects of Moreno-Garcia's writing is how atmospheric it is, and The Bewitching might be the most entrancing of hers that I've read yet. The three timelines split between Mexico and New England felt so distinct in each story line and perfectly complimented each other. I personally enjoyed the story of Betty and Ginny the most, but I loved how the stories all interconnected. I found the type of witches described fascinating as they were more like vampires overall, and now I want to do more research into different folklore/creatures. I did think the twists were a bit predictable, and the ending felt a bit rushed for me after setting up so much of each of the characters' struggles. It didn't detract from how hooked in I was to find out what was happening though! In a lot of ways, this felt like a read-alike to V.E. Schwab's newest release, Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil, which I loved earlier this summer, and I'm interested to read/hear dialogue surrounding both titles. I look forward to diving into more of Moreno-Garcia's backlog and continuing to check out her newest releases.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for this eARC!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again! Every time I get to read one of her books, it's always such a treat and this was no different. I loved the multi-voice and multi-generational storytelling to bring this book to life. It was such a gripping read from beginning to end. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has a way of crafting and weaving history and fiction together so well. I also enjoyed the bonus and accompanying Spotify playlist! I can't wait for the next book from Silvia Moreno-Garcia!

This is such a moody book that I just devoured. Moreno-Garcia's best since Mexican Gothic. I tour through all three storylines that come together for an epic conclusion. Perfect summer reading.

The Bewitching is a story told in 3 timelines of women who have had encounters with witches. And dude, we are not talking cute, cat familiar, brewing potions witches. These are carnal evil entities and I am here for it!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia spins the most beautiful, terrifying tales. Her prose is always so beautiful and paints such vivid pictures. Another great entry in the SMG universe.

I do feel that this moved a little slowly but I was so steeped in the lore that it was fine. I could see how this could throw people off though, but the pay off is so worth it.

I am bewitched! But not in the way I thought I would be.

The honest truth is I would read everything and anything Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes. Her storytelling is enchanting and immaculate. Some of her books (e.g. Silver Nitrate, The Beautiful Ones, Untamed Shore, Mexican Gothic) moved me beyond words, but others didn't resonate with me (e.g. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, Velvet is the Night, Certain Dark Things). The Bewitching is in the latter category.

I enjoyed the ride nonetheless, especially since I read the e-arc ahead of its release (thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!)
I loved the different timelines and the way the story was told, but something felt off, something was missing. Maybe I didn't feel the author's heart in this piece? Am I pushing it too far with this statement?

And in a strange twist—I even spotted a typo! That’s rare for me, as I usually only find those in my own (already published) books 😅

Overall, The Bewitching was an intriguing and worthwhile experience. Even when a book doesn’t quite land for me, Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s voice always holds my attention. I’m eagerly awaiting whatever she conjures up next.