Book Review: The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

 

From the publisher:

Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her.
 
Nor can they see what Alejandra sees. In times of despair, a ghostly vision appears to her, the apparition of a crying woman in a ragged white gown.
 
When Alejandra visits a therapist, she begins exploring her family’s history, starting with the biological mother she never knew. As she goes deeper into the lives of the women in her family, she learns that heartbreak and tragedy are not the only things she has in common with her ancestors.
 
Because the crying woman was with them, too. She is La Llorona, the vengeful and murderous mother of Mexican legend. And she will not leave until Alejandra follows her mother, her grandmother, and all the women who came before her into the darkness.
 
But Alejandra has inherited more than just pain. She has inherited the strength and the courage of her foremothers—and she will have to summon everything they have given her to banish La Llorona forever.

My Thoughts:

This was a tough read at the beginning just from Alejandra's state of mind. She loves her kids and husband, but things are tough on her. She's crying in the shower. It's like she has some form of post partum psychosis. Her state of mind is part of what draws La Llorona. 

Thankfully, Alejandra seeks professional help. I couldn't have continued to read the despair and depression she was feeling. In the process of therapy, she discovers that not only has she inherited La Llorona, but the strength of her ancestors. And she needs it all.

Alejandra is the most fleshed out character in the book, which makes sense. Her counselor, her biological mother, and some of her ancestors also have enough page time to give them depth. This is a women's tale.

While it is slow in places, overall, the book moves at a decent pace appropriate to the story.  The horror is done well. Creepy in places and it's downright terrifying in others. It had me worried for the characters, especially Alejandra and her children.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It's a good horror story - terrifying in parts, creepy in others. And the feeling of horror lasts on beyond the last page. The pacing is slow in parts, but overall it's appropriate. I would recommend this book to people who enjoyed other books like Mexican Gothic. 

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