Moreno-Garcia slays in this witchy thriller
Minerva is struggling with her thesis. Attending the prestigious Stoneridge College on an academic scholarship, she cannot afford to be mediocre, but even now she is wondering if her thesis topic should change. While others have nudged her to pursue Lovecraft as her thesis topic she opts for the lesser known but still impactful author Beatrice Tremblay. As the author of one of her favorite horror novels, The Vanishing, as well as an alumnus of Stoneridge herself Minerva hopes that walking in the footsteps of her idol will shake something loose and produce the content she needs to make the thesis shine. After a run in with Noah, the grandson of an influential family within the university she makes the acquaintance of Carolyn Wingrave. Through her she learns that Carolyn was friends with Beatrice while she attended and is in possession of memorabilia from that time including Tremblay’s unpublished manuscript. Carolyn invites Minerva to review the documents to aid her thesis studies. Beatrice’s unpublished work is the haunting story of her time at the college chronicling a friend’s descent into madness and her eventual disappearance. With several situations reminiscent of the stories her great grandmother used to tell her, Minerva begins to wonder if there is something more sinister going on at Stoneridge. The more she researches, the more it’s apparent that there are more than students walking the halls of Stoneridge College. Where ghosts of the past still war with the evils of the present, Minerva must pull on all of her knowledge of the occult to avoid becoming the next sacrifice.
Silvia Moreno-Garcia returns with The Bewitching a stunning occult thriller set in three distinct yet intertwined timelines. No stranger to multiple timelines, Moreno-Garcia amps up the odds with a ninety-year gap between the originating and main narratives. While initially seemingly unrelated, to the astute reader the author subtly weaves similarities, hints and clues within all interactions and situations to tell a story of sinister witches, power greedy warlocks and those who are caught in the crossfire of their ambitions. Even though the main timeline is set in 1990s New England, Moreno-Garcia as with all her other titles still focuses heavily on her Mexican heritage and traditions regarding her characters and story settings. For me, this adds additional dimensions to this author’s books that I always look forward to. Each timeline was meticulously fleshed out and executed in a way that brought each era’s locations and characters to life in a way that really assisted with the overall impact of the story. While the narratives were part of an overall storyline, each timeline still read at its own stand-alone installment with its own plot and conclusions.
No matter if you are already a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia or are new to her work, The Bewitching will draw you in and have you glued to the pages as you read. This is not the first book I have read by this author, and it will not be my last. With every new book she releases Silvia Moreno-Garcia continues to excel and raise the bar to set her own new standard. I cannot wait to see what she has planned for her next offering.
Full disclosure: I was provided a Netgalley copy of this title by the author or their authorized agent, however, have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own. The Bewitching is scheduled for a July 15, 2025 release
Jennly Reads 