The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Del Rey (July 2025)
Reviewed by Chandra Claypool
“Three women across different eras grapple with danger and witchcraft.”
That single line above was all I needed. SOLD!
I am kicking myself for waiting so long to read The Bewitching. Sometimes gothic, folk horror, and dark academia can be a bit too slow for me, and I tend to pass over them more often than I should. And while The Bewitching did start on the slow side for me, I had to keep reading.
Gisela Chipe as the audiobook narrator for The Bewitching is absolutely iconic. Her performance truly made the experience that much better. I listened every chance I got: commuting, cleaning, standing in line. You name it, I was listening.
Our main protagonist, Minerva, is such an interesting character, and I enjoyed following her as she researches her thesis focusing on Horror Literature and the life of Beatrice Tremblay, a horror author from the 1930s. Beatrice is not as well-known as other horror authors, but she went to the same school as Minerva, which piques her interest, as does the fact that Tremblay’s most well-known novel, The Vanishing, was based on her own life experiences.
We have three distinct timelines in this novel, which made me curious about how they would come together. But they do so seamlessly, blending into an understandable and beautiful tale. I do tend to enjoy mixed media in a novel, so that portion of the read was excellent and came across surprisingly well in an audiobook. The atmosphere, the dread, the intrigue of it all! Take this one in slowly because Moreno-Garcia, as usual, puts her spell on you, and you won’t be able to look away.
There’s so much more I could say about this story, but I will just say this: READ IT. Especially if you love historical, witchy horror that sometimes goes THERE. Moreno-Garcia is an exceptional writer, and I need to read more of her work.
Quite frankly, so do you.
