Book Review: Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo

 

From the publisher:

A lawyer and her elderly great-aunt use their supernatural gifts to find a lost child in this “wild, wondrous novel about the magic that is singing all around us” (Julia Phillips, author of Disappearing Earth)—in the vein of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and La Hacienda.

If you call to the witches, they will come.

1943, El Paso, Texas: teenager Nena spends her days caring for the small children of her older sisters and longing for a life of adventure. The premonitions and fainting spells she has endured since childhood are getting worse, and Nena worries she’ll end up like the scary old curandera down the street. Nena prays for help, and when the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives late one night, Nena follows her across the borders of space and time. In colonial Mexico, Nena grows into her power, finding love and learning that magic always comes with a price.

In the present day, Nena’s grandniece, Marta, balances a struggling legal aid practice with motherhood and the care of the now ninety-three-year-old Nena. When Marta agrees to help search for a daughter Nena left in the past, the two forge a fierce connection. Marta’s own supernatural powers emerge, awakening her to new possibilities that threaten the life she has constructed.

Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo was published October 8, 2024 by Atria/Primero Sueno Press.

My Thoughts: I gave this book 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars. It's a good story with multiple time lines that is both a strength and a weakness at times. If the chapters had had headers with the year, it would have been a little easier to follow. But, this was not necessary to enjoy the book.

There are 3 eras that are visited in this book. I made the mistake of reading this on two devices. With the change in timelines, it felt a little confusing and like I was reading two different books. I think the multiple timelines was necessary for the story and in general worked well otherwise.

The way the magic system worked was intriguing. The importance of song to the magic was interesting. Some members of the coven were stronger in magic than the others. The nuns seemed to need Nena because of this. Later on, Nena needs Marta in the same way. They both find that magic has a price and it is not always what you expect to pay.

If you've read The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina and enjoyed it, that is a good indicator that you will also enjoy this book. Also, if you like historical fiction and magical realism you will most likely enjoy this book. It's definitely worth a read.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my review and opinions.

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #535: How to Slay on Holiday by Sarah Bonner

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

The BRAND NEW deliciously dark thriller from Sarah Bonner, author of How to Slay at Work

You’d kill for a holiday like this one…

Chloe has spent months planning the murder of her husband, Scott. Everything is ready, but first she must create the perfect alibi to avoid any suggestion of her involvement in his death. And what better way to avoid suspicion than playing the loved-up wife on an extravagant holiday with their extended families?

A luxury villa on the Greek island of Mykonos should provide the ultimate setting for her week of make-believe married bliss. But as the sun sets on their first evening in paradise, the cracks in Chloe’s plan begin to show. Family rivalries bubble to the surface. Scott’s sister, Tori, begins to ask awkward questions, suggesting she might know more about Chloe’s plans than she should. Then there’s the villa concierge, Grace, who is watching her guests’ every moves.

As tensions rise, can Chloe manage to keep her murderous intentions hidden? And can she stop herself from adding a few more people to the body count along the way?

Fans of Katy Brent, Bella Mackie and Julie Mae Cohen won't be able to resist this twisty, darkly funny crime thriller.

How to Slay on Holiday by Sarah Bonner is expected out February 27th, 2025 from Boldwood Books.

Why am I waiting on this book? It sounds like a good mystery. I love that the setting is Greece. And I like the idea that it is darkly humorous. I love humor of any sort in a mystery.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #534: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher: Three women in three different eras encounter danger and witchcraft in this eerie multigenerational horror saga from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.

“Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches”: That was how Nana Alba always began the stories she told her great-granddaughter Minerva—stories that have stayed with Minerva all her life. Perhaps that’s why 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.

In the course of assembling her thesis, Minerva uncovers information that reveals that Tremblay’s most famous novel, The Vanishing, was inspired by a true story: Decades earlier, during the Great Depression, Tremblay attended the same university where Minerva is now studying and became obsessed with her beautiful and otherworldly roommate, who then disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

As Minerva descends ever deeper into Tremblay’s manuscript, she begins to sense that the malign force that stalked Tremblay and the missing girl might still walk the halls of the campus. These disturbing events also echo the stories Nana Alba told about her girlhood in 1900s Mexico, where she had a terrifying encounter with a witch.

Minerva suspects that the same shadow that darkened the lives of her great-grandmother and Beatrice Tremblay is now threatening her own in 1990s Massachusetts. An academic career can be a punishing pursuit, but it might turn outright deadly when witchcraft is involved.

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is expected out July 15th, 2025 from Inklore.

Why am I waiting on this book? So far, I've loved everything that I've read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. And this story promises witches. I really enjoy stories about witches. I also like the idea of the story being about more than one generation.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #533: Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher: What would you do if you thought your coworker was getting away with murder—literally?

Dolores dela Cruz has been dying to spot one in the wild, and he fits the mold perfectly: strangler gloves, calculated charm, dashing good looks that give a leg up in any field . . . including fields of unmarked graves.

The new office temp is definitely a serial killer.

Jake Ripper finds a welcome distraction in his combative and enigmatic new coworker. He hasn’t come across anyone as interesting as Dolores in a long time. But when mere curiosity evolves into a darkly romantic flirtation, Jake can’t help but wonder if, finally, he’s found someone who really sees him, skeletons in the closet and all.

Until Dolores asks Jake’s help to dispose of a body . . .

A morbidly funny and emotionally resonant novel about the ways life—and love—can sneak up on us (no matter how much pepper spray we carry).

Serial Killer Games by Kate Posey is expected out April 29th, 2025 from Berkley.

Why am I waiting on this book? It sounds like an interesting story. And it looks like it will have some humor to it, even if it is a little on the dark side. I like my books to have humor whenever possible.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #532: Anima Rising by Christopher Moore

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

From New York Times bestselling author Christopher Moore comes a hilariously deranged tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter, and an undead woman’s electrifying journey of self-discovery.

Vienna, 1911. Gustav Klimt, the most famous painter in the Austrian Empire, the darling of Viennese society, spots a woman’s nude body in the Danube canal. He knows he should summon a policeman, but he can’t resist stopping to make a sketch first. And as he draws, the woman coughs. She’s alive!

Back at his studio, Klimt and his model-turned-muse Wally tend to the formerly-drowned girl. She’s nearly feral and doesn’t remember who she is, or how she came to be floating in the canal. Klimt names her Judith, after one of his most famous paintings, and resolves to help her find her memory.

With a little help from Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, Judith recalls being stranded in the arctic one hundred years ago, locked in a crate by a man named Victor Frankenstein, and visiting the Underworld.

So how did she get here? And why are so many people chasing her, including Geoff, the giant croissant-eating devil dog of the North?

Poor Things meets Bride of Frankenstein in Anima Rising, Christopher Moore’s most ingenious (and probably most hilarious) novel yet.

Anima Rising  by Christopher Moore is expected out May 13th 2025 from William Morrow.

Why am I waiting on this book? Christopher Moore is an automatic buy for me. I enjoy his sense of humor and creativity. The particular blend of elements of the plot of this book is something different. Can't say I've read anything quite like it before. And, I really like the cover.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #531: Eat, Slay, Love by Julie Mae Cohen

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher:

International bestselling author Julie Mae Cohen returns with a delicious new novel about three very different women and what unites them: the man they’re holding hostage

A friend will help you move on. A best friend will help you move his body.

Marina gave up her career as a chef to raise her children, but her divorce has left her harried, lonely, and the black sheep of her family. It’s also left her in dire financial straits. Opal is a post-menopausal fitness guru who spends her days chasing likes and followers in an industry that worships youth. Even her glossy online persona can’t mask her checkered past. Lilah is a shy and optimistic librarian who spends her days tending to the stacks, until she wins an unbelievable sum in the lottery. With a growing bank account and a dashing fiancé, life seems too good to be true—and it just might be.

These three women have nothing in common except for one thing: the man who’s been lying to them all . . . and who they are now holding hostage in Marina’s basement. As this shared secret brings them closer together, other, deadlier problems come crashing into their lives. Can they put their differences aside to save themselves—and each other?

Eat, Slay, Love is a raucous novel about friendship, finding joy, and becoming your best self, even if that sometimes involves kidnap and murder.

Eat, Slay, Love by Julie Mae Cohen is expected out April 8th, 2025 from The Overlook Press.

Why am I waiting on this book? It sounds like it will be a good thriller/mystery with humor to it. The humor might be a little dark, but it adds interest to the story. I haven't read anything yet by this author. I'm looking forward to checking this one out. 

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Book Review: Candle and Crow by Kevin Hearne

 

From the publisher:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Iron Druid Chronicles comes the final book in the “action-packed, enchantingly fun” (Booklist) Ink & Sigil series, as an ink-slinging wizard pursues the answer to a very personal mystery: Who cast a pair of curses on his head?

Al MacBharrais has a most unusual job: He’s a practitioner of ink-and-sigil magic, tasked with keeping order among the gods and monsters that dwell hidden in the human world. But there’s one supernatural mystery he’s never been able to solve: Years ago, someone cast twin curses on him that killed off his apprentices and drove away loved ones who heard him speak, leaving him bereft and isolated. 

But he’s not quite alone: As Al works to solve this mystery, his friends draw him into their own eccentric dramas. Buck Foi the hobgoblin has been pondering his own legacy—and has a plan for a daring shenanigan that will make him the most celebrated hobgoblin of all. Nadia, goth queen and battle seer, is creating her own cult around a god who loves whisky and cheese. 

And the Morrigan, a former Irish death goddess, has decided she wants not only to live as an ordinary woman but also to face the most perilous challenge of the mortal world: online dating. 

Meanwhile, Al crosses paths with old friends and new—including some beloved Druids and their very good dogs—in his globe-trotting quest to solve the mystery of his curses. But he’s pulled in so many different directions by his colleagues, a suspicious detective, and the whims of destructive gods that Al begins to wonder: Will he ever find time to write his own happy ending?

My thoughts: This was a good wrap up for the trilogy. Story threads for Al, Buck Foi, Nadia, the Morrigan, and Gladys-who-has-seen-some-shite are drawn to conclusions. I felt that the endings were open-ended enough that if the author decides to revisit any of the characters, say for a short story, he will have plenty to write about.

I gave this book 5 stars. It's well-written. It's a good conclusion for the trilogy. Things happen at a good pace. My only note is that I felt there wasn't enough foreshadowing about who is responsible for the curses on Al. If you enjoyed the first two books in this trilogy, this is a must read. If you enjoyed the Iron Druid books, you will most likely enjoy this trilogy as well. And the trilogy would make a good Christmas present for your fan of urban fantasy.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. This did not affect my review.