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.

The Bewitching follows three female leads across three points in time. The women begin to experience eerie and unexplained circumstances that leave them questioning what is real and what is not.

This one is definitely a slower burn. I found that some info-dumping early on made it difficult for me to become invested in the story initially. However, as the narrative progressed, Moreno-Garcia’s knack for building atmospheric tension and delivering elite gothic imagery won me over. I was thoroughly creeped out (and maybe a little grossed out?) during some of the scenes. Moreno-Garcia is clearly at home with historical fiction and has proved her ability to incorporate elements of horror seamlessly. The sprinkled nuances of culture and experience are always the cherries on top.

Overall, this was a 4/5 reading experience for me. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House, and Del Rey for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

As a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, I was eagerly awaiting an opportunity to try her new one. Billed as a multigenerational horror saga filled with danger and witchcraft, The Bewitching doesn't disappoint. The story takes place in three different timelines: 1900s Mexico, the Great Depression, and 1990s Massachusetts. Each follows a different woman, and the one thing they all have in common is that they're being haunted by something not human. Just don't expect this to be a very fast read. Moreon-Garcia likes to build the mood with intense and lucious depictions of atmosphere. Those who love to be enveloped in the world of their novels will find plenty to enjoy here.

Mine

Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s The Bewitching is a haunting blend of Gothic horror, academic obsession, and folklore.

Set in 1998, the story follows Minerva, a grad student digging into the eerie life of forgotten author Beatrice Tremblay. Her research into Tremblay’s novel The Vanishing opens a door to unsettling echoes from the past—including her own family's cursed history in 1908.

Told through layered timelines and shifting voices, Minerva anchors the novel as it drifts between academic mystery, Gothic horror, and the rich textures of Mexican folklore and New England witchcraft. Moreno-Garcia masterfully weaves everyday life with ghostly fiction, creating a story that’s both imaginative and chilling.

More than a tale of witches, The Bewitching honors the spirit of Shirley Jackson and classic Gothic literature, offering a slow-burning narrative full of dread, discovery, and legacy. Perfect for fans of dark academia and folkloric horror.

Was not as impressed as I wanted to be. The writing is gothic and romantic, but I felt it was boring or sounded like other much better written books. Interesting premise, and it is like Moreno-garcia's other books but was not as creepy or fascinating to me.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ⭐️⭐️⭐️

There was no doubt that this was beautifully written with a lot of emphasis on atmosphere and setting. It was everything you wanted in a gothic novel: fear, supernatural elements, and the past and present mixing alongside settings that invoked dark imagery.

Told in different timelines, I found the thread between them all small, but they still made sense. I would’ve liked them to be more woven. And like normal, I found some timelines more interesting than others. The reveals, when they finally arrived, were not surprising.

One big thing that really pulled me out of this one was the pacing. This was so slow. I remember looking at the percentage at around 25% then again at 42% and thinking when is this going to pick up and get somewhere? Until the last quarter of the book, a lot of repetitiveness and superfluous character work happened. From 75% to the end, it was much quicker, and I enjoyed it so much more.

Fans of gothic horror, academic settings, and books about witches will find much to enjoy in this one.

Thanks to Random House and Del Ray for an eARC of this book.

This was one of my favorite Moreno-Garcias. It reads kind of like a mix between Silver Nitrate and Salome for me. This follows three young women at vastly different time periods: Alba, Minerva, and Betty Tremblay. She builds a great sense of mounting dread as things slowly unravel for each of our heroines and we attempt to find who exactly is haunting each. I found the reveal to ultimately be fairly predictable but this did not detract from my enjoyment of the story. I loved Alba's sections the most.

The best thing about reading this was that it prompted me to finally read Shirley Jackson's Hangsaman, as the Betty storyline was clearly taken from both the contents of that novel as well as a biographical reading of Jackson's writing of it. The 90's storyline was by far the weakest and I found myself skimming it just to get back to the other two women. While Moreno-Garcia seems at her best in historical settings, the simplistic infodumps really took me out of the story. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic but I feel like anyone reading horror in 2025 knows that female horror authors have been sidelined throughout history and don't need to be introduced to who Mary Shelley is. Also, the overly frequent mentions of what music Minerva was listening to felt like Ebony's jarring descriptions of her many outfits in My Immortal.

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got this ebook for review from NetGalley.

Thoughts: This was engaging and I enjoyed seeing the viewpoints of women from three different historical times. I did find that the story was predictable, and it took some time to really pull me in and intrigue me. Prior to reading this I had read Moreno-Garcia's following books: "Mexican Gothic" (liked it), "Gods of Jade and Shadow" (wasn't a fan), "Velvet Was the Night" (wasn't a fan), "Certain Dark Things" (was okay), "The Lover" (liked it), and "The Tiger Came to the Mountain" (like it). So, as an author, Moreno-Garcia has been a mixed bag for me...I always think the premise of her stories sound intriguing, so I keep picking up books by her with mixed results.

This book follows women in three time periods. Minerva is in 1998 and spending the summer working on her thesis about an obscure horror author. Alba is from 1908 and is living through strange events on her farm that result in her brother's death and many other loses. Beatrice is in 1934 and is attending the school that Minerva now attends in 1998, she is the horror author who Minerva is studying. All three of these woman's lives come together in a story of macabre multi-generational paranormal horror.

This is definitely a slow-burn type of horror novel and has more mystery elements than horror elements. Minerva spends vast portions of her time researching Beatrice's history while more and more odd/creepy things start happening to her. Minerva's story is nicely woven together with the stories of Beatrice (Betty) and Alba. Things don't really start to pick up pace and get more intriguing until well into the second half of the book.

All three women are excellent characters and give interesting looks into the past. I was a bit disappointed by how predictable the direction the story took was. However, this was well written and the story flowed well. I found myself wanting to pick this up to read it and didn't struggle to stay interested. I wasn't sure what I really expected from this but it is a bit of an odd story that is mystery heavy about witches, ghosts, and paranormal evil through the generations.

My Summary (4/5): Overall I enjoyed this. I liked how the stories of three women spanning the generations were woven together to tell a creepy story of evil and magic. This is a very slow burn so things really didn't pick up pace until the second half of the book. However, I found myself wanting to pick this up and read it because the mystery was intriguing and the women were interesting. I was slightly disappointed in how predictable the outcome was, but it was still a fun and creepy journey to get there. Given my mixed history with Moreno-Garcia, and how prolific she is as a writer, I will continue to keep an eye out for her future books and pick them up as they intrigue me.

The Bewitching is a tale of witchcraft and magic set over three different time periods. Through the stories of three resilient women looking for answers about disappearances, we discover a tale as deep as time.
Dark academia and folk horror laced with the supernatural, the vibes of this book are gothic with a pulsating undercurrent of spookiness.
I absolutely loved the setting of New England and a college town. Once I got used to the three timelines the story pulled me in straight away.
A sense of dread fills you in as you delve deeper into the story, the horror is almost subtle and not in your face but it is very very effective. As always Silvia's writing is exquisite and the descriptions and characterisation of Alba and Minerva are vivid and memorable.
I enjoyed the contrast in the setting and both settings were atmospheric and immersive - a rural Mexican village in 1908 and a New England coastal town in 1998.
I loved how meta Minerva's narrative became. Whilst it's not hard to guess the villains in the story, it's more about the how of things than the who in this book.
I highly recommend this book to those who enjoyed The Familiar by Leigh Bardugo or those who enjoy atmospheric tales of the supernatural.

Thank you to @arcadiabooks @delreyuk for my eARC on @netgalley. I know this is a book I want to keep the physical copy of in my collection.

Wow, another amazing book from Silvia Moreno-Garcia! The Bewitching weaves three timelines and two seemingly unconnected stories of witches and hauntings into a masterful story that you can’t put down!

The Bewitching follows Minerva, a graduate student in Boston from Mexico, as she unravels a mystery that occurred sixty years before while working on her thesis. It also tells the story of Minerva’s great-grandmother and her encounters with witches in Mexico in 1908, as well as the disappearance of a student in 1934. Each part of the book fits together and leaves you guessing.

I loved the characters, the magic, and blood-soaked version of witches. This book was creepy and unsettling while also being a rich historical dive. I would highly recommend to all readers!

Though the triple storyline caused the narrative to drag at times, Silvia Moreno Garcia has an uncanny knack of breathing life into her characters to a point that you feel compelled to know what happens to them. I very much enjoyed the juxtaposition of settings paired with the parallels in the stories.

There were a few things that absolutely gave me the ick and if you are sensitive to the following triggers, either steer clear or go in with the understanding that it’s gonna be a tough read: animal death, incest, rape, gaslighting, gore.

If it’s at all telling, animal death is usually a full stop trigger for me but Garcia has proven herself and earned my trust as an author.