What’s more surprising about The Bewitching—delightfully so—is that the book ultimately demands no real personal growth of its main protagonist ... It’s frankly a relief to encounter a novel that so fully honors the aliveness of the past, and the right of lone wolves to stay lonely.
The third timeline...is where the novel shines brightest. Beatrice’s reminiscences...are lyrical and melancholy, and her voice blooms with elegance and Gothic flair ... Moreno-Garcia has a deep knowledge of, and affinity for, the history of horror and the Gothic, and she seems most comfortable working in that mode ... She’s also a very visual writer, with a talent for developing atmosphere and a sharp eye for sensory detail ... Unfortunately, the novel too often errs on the side of heavy-handedness and over-explanation. The author doesn’t seem to trust readers to retain plot details from chapter to chapter, often hammering the same bits of foreshadowing multiple times ... Pacing is a problem throughout ... The connection between the witches of Massachusetts and those of Mexico is never satisfactorily explained or explored ... As for Minerva herself, I reached the end of the novel without a clear sense of who she is or what motivates her ... At its best, The Bewitching is a lush Gothic tale of women and witches, of dark magic and death. But the story is hamstrung by its execution ... I was left more bewildered than bewitched.
Brilliant, sinister, and captivating ... The tale effortlessly merges witch folklore across time, giving readers a chilling horror novel, a multi-generational saga, a satisfying mystery, and a reminder of the interconnectedness of humanity, all in one bewitching package ... Moreno-Garcia’s latest is a triumph.
With three timelines to juggle, Moreno-Garcia is careful with plotting—maybe too much so—leaving The Bewitching feeling oddly slight and slack. The pace is slow until the end when the parallel stories begin to illuminate aspects of each other, but by then it’s almost too late ... What does happen...isn’t anything you wouldn’t expect or figure out, and despite the gory bits, The Bewitching isn’t scary. Add it all up and you have a serviceable enough story that doesn’t bear up under the weight of its structure. In other words, this tale of witches isn’t that—dare I say it? Oh, yes!—bewitching.
As decadent as it is terrifying, filled with delightful turns of phrase and archival tidbits ... Moreno-Garcia’s lovely prose, and the concurrent mysteries of Virginia’s disappearance and how Nana Alba survived a bewitching, infuse this beginning sequence with momentum. When witchcraft fully enters the narrative...the novel gains speed, feeding on a delicious sense of paranoia and the classic whodunit guesswork ... Moreno-Garcia maintains suspense with spectacular deftness ... Well-researched and beautifully written, The Bewitching will satisfy fans looking for a darkly atmospheric read.
The point of view shifts among Minerva, Alba, and Beatrice in their various time periods, a technique which Moreno-Garcia uses effectively; it’s impressive how she keeps the narrative tension running parallel in each one. The writing is beautiful...and in Minerva, she has created a deeply original character, steely but yearning. This is yet another triumph from one of North America’s most exciting authors ... Suspenseful and terrifying; Moreno-Garcia hits it out of the park yet again.
With this equally spooky and sophisticated horror novel, Moreno-Garcia proves she’s as adept playing in the tropes of dark academia as any of the other subgenres she’s tried on ... A searing finale. It’s as unsettling as it is unputdownable.
