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 about Stoneridge and the unrequited love she carried for Virginia 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 ... The scares are well conceived but often underplayed and given short shrift at the end of chapters ... 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, and ultimately 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.
