Book Review: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 I received a review copy from the publisher. This does not affect the contents of my review and all opinions are my own.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars

Genre: Horror, Historical Fiction

Series: Stand Alone

Publisher: Del Rey (July 15, 2025)

Length: 368 pages

Author Information: Website

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a truly versatile author. No matter the subject she’s tackling, every time I pick up one of her books, she’s always absolutely killing it with her knack of making everything feel interesting and immersive. Now she’s right back at it with The Bewitching, a supernatural horror weaving together three different timelines into a witchy multigenerational tale.

First, in 1908 Mexico, a young woman named Alba is reeling from the sudden death of her father and the unexplained disappearance of her brother. But while whispers in her village dismiss her suspicions as nothing more than foolish superstition, Alba is certain there’s more to what happened. Determined to uncover the truth with the help of her friend Valentin, what they find sets them onto a path of old folk magic and dark secrets.

Next, in 1934 Massachusetts, brilliant and ambitious Beatrice Tremblay is destined to become a pioneering horror writer, but for now, she is merely a college student. However, her most famous novel, The Vanishing, will be inspired by a very real tragedy: the disappearance of her roommate, Virginia. Rumored to possess a psychic link to the dead, Virginia vanishes under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind only questions and rumors.

Finally, in 1988, we meet Minerva, a graduate student at the very same college Beatrice once attended. In fact, Minerva is researching Beatrice for her thesis on the author’s overlooked contributions to horror literature. Yet, as she digs deeper, she comes across way more than she bargained for, including personal journals and other fragments from the 1930s that hint at something sinister. At the same time, Minerva finds herself haunted by the memories and stories passed down from her great-grandmother Alba—the same Alba who once grappled with loss and witchcraft in early 1900s Mexico.

As the novel progresses, the three women’s stories begin converging to form the big picture, with each character’s voice filling in their part of the puzzle. Indeed, one of the most impressive aspects of The Bewitching is how it balances all its moving parts while giving Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva their own distinct voices. Alba’s story, for example, is steeped in the atmosphere of rural Mexico, while Beatrice’s portion, told through journal entries and letters, has that wistful epistolary quality. And while both their POVs walk perfectly in step with the gothic tradition, Minerva’s timeline brings a bit of modernity and emphasizes her academic obsession.

That said, this isn’t a book that rushes to grab your attention, demanding some patience as the plot builds slowly, adding tension through revealing more of the backstory and the uncanny parallels between the three timelines. At times, I did find the pacing and timing of the reveals uneven, particularly in the early stages. For instance, Minerva and Alba’s chapters took longer to engage me, but I definitely had a soft spot for Beatrice’s story, which felt the most infused with mystery and presence. Fortunately though, once all the gears started turning together and the book hit its stride, I was hooked. And even if I did ultimately predict the ending to both Alba’s and Minerva’s sections, the former’s tale proved the most effective in delivering the chills, and the latter’s conclusion gave the book its fantastic ending.

Furthermore, The Bewitching draws on the ideas of superstition, folklore, and sinister history to power its eerie atmosphere and haunting premise, so if this is the type of horror you enjoy, it is certainly worth a look. One of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s most layered and intricately structured novels to date, this is a must read for her fans and highly recommended for readers of creepy, witchy fiction.