House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama
Berkley (August 12, 2025)
Reviewed by Haley Newlin
Every culture has a boogeyman, a shapeless entity that eats children, such as El Cuco in Spain, Portugal, and Latin America, or a shadowy, witch-like figure that eats and imprisons children, like Baba Yaga in Russia, Iraq, and Syria. In Daphne Fama’s Filipino Folk and Gothic Horror novel, House of Monstrous Women, it’s the aswang. Some declare the aswang monsters; others say they were people cursed “with a vicious hunger” and “who spent their lives like wolves cloaked in the fleece of lamb.”
After her parents are killed along her father’s political campaign trail, Josephine is left to tend to the family home alone. At the same time, her brother runs off to Manila and toward the impending revolution. Then, both siblings receive an invitation from a childhood friend, Hiraya Ranoco.
Why don’t you come visit, and we can play games like we used to?
Whispers of the Ranoco family’s dark powers and strange ways escalated in their youth, and what remained of Hiraya’s family retreated to an isolated home in the forest. Josephine and her brother haven’t seen Hiraya or her odd sister, Sidapa, since.
Upon arrival, Josephine feels a menacing presence in the Ranoco house. It’s uninviting, with rosaries hanging from the chandelier and a creepy, deathly silent and veiled staff. There’s a peculiar smell, too —a sickening scent of burnt flesh and ash that permeates every room. Josephine can taste it on her tongue.
Yet each guest remains to play a game that promises to change the winner’s destiny, grant their deepest desires, and show them how to avoid the fate they’re most frightened of.
But in this house, victory is earned with blood.
And there are eyes everywhere. Dark magic at work. An encroaching curse.
In a stunning blend of gothic and historical horror, Fama’s House of Monstrous Women is a Filipino folklore-infused fever dream. It’s set against the upheaval of 1986 Philippines and the People Power Revolution. Dictator Ferdinand Marcos (served from 1965-1986) is depicted throughout the novel via appointed corrupt leaders and violence against political opponents — including Josephine and her brother’s parents — and peaceful protestors. Not only does House of Monstrous Women feel incredibly timely, but it also speaks to the importance of historical fiction. This book takes place in 1986; at times, it’s hard to believe, as dictatorship to this degree felt like a thing of the past until recently.
In the Ranoco house, where there is no electricity, primitive rituals of sacrifice are performed. The political and physical oppressions trap readers in an unflinching and inescapable sense of dread. And the monsters in the office, under the bed, and beside you at the dinner table are not always as they seem. Sometimes they have more teeth. More blood on their hands than you ever could have imagined.
However, there’s an element of hope amid the bloodshed and injustices in House of Monstrous Women, one that speaks to the power of the people, female friendship, feminine rage, and self-preservation.
Paced like a classic gothic novel, House of Monstrous Women is a slow burn until the halfway mark. The first chunk of the book is still unputdownable, and readers will collect clues like they’re in a twisted, haunting treasure hunt. Then, the book explodes into a revelation of burning secrets, more than one eye-gouging, a treacherous cliffside that has claimed several lives, and a heart-pounding fight for survival.
This ending is satisfying, and when you think you know everything, things get freaky. I’m talking insects, insects, insects! Ick!
Josephine was complex, believable, and someone readers will root for. Her loneliness and grief are especially fitting for a modern Gothic tale, driving Josephine through a powerful character arc, reminiscent of another recent and favorite historical horror read, Island Witch by Amanda Jayatissa. The feminine rage in both is fierce and emotionally moving. Both titles also share dark fantasy elements, such as witches and curses, that serve the female rage trope well.
Fama’s prose is lyrical and lush, yet another fitting attribute of a gothic horror novel, and flows with haunting imagery that’s pure nightmare fuel. I’ll never forget the aswang beneath Josephine’s bed or the scratch marks on the floor. The creature who speaks Josephine’s mother’s name.
House of Monstrous has plenty of terrifying moments, and I highly recommend reading it in dimly lit conditions. Candlelight and a reading lamp are even better. Trust me, Fama will chill your bones and hold you hostage in her house of horror.
House of Monstrous Women was an easy five-star read for me. If you like horror books such as Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, Amanda Jayatissa’s Island Witch, and Isabel Canas’s The Hacienda, House of Monstrous Women is a must-read. It’s gothic and historical fiction at its finest, with a thought-provoking narrative that lingers long after turning the final page.
