The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

July 26, 2025

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Minerva is a graduate student at a New England university, dependent on scholarships and on-campus jobs to afford staying there. She is originally from Mexico, and there is a history of witchcraft passing down through her family from her great-grandmother Alba. Minerva loves horror fiction and become fascinated by an obscure horror writer who attended the same university. While researching the writer's life and work, Minerva becomes aware of strange forces haunting the campus and the town.

Not your typical story of witches and warlocks. Three main characters: Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva, each with her own timeline, which can be a little confusing. Overall creepy, dark, and atmospheric. I am not a huge horror fan (although I read more horror than I think I do), but I really enjoy Moreno-Garcia's modern gothic fiction. I could not put this one down. Will appeal to readers who enjoy horror mixed with folklore and multigenerational stories. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

June 26, 2024

The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

A mid-level  movie studio decides to make a film called The Seventh Veil of Salome. Every actress and starlet in Hollywood auditions for the role of Salome, but everyone is surprised when the director selects an unknown Mexican actress for the part. A struggling actress believes the part was stolen from her and is convinced that if she can get rid of the other actress, she will be able to step into the part.

This is a different direction for Moreno-Garcia, purely historical fiction with nothing mythical or supernatural. Three women, all struggling to find their identities and be heard in a male-dominated world: Salome, daughter of Herodias, niece of Herod Antipas, Princess of Idumea; Vera, a Mexican actress and newcomer to Hollywood; and Nancy, a struggling extra who has been trying to get her big break in Hollywood for ten years, convinced that she could be a major star. Two parallel storylines, one the life of Salome, the other the movie being made about her. Although there are multiple POV and narrators, I did not find it at all confusing. We are supposed to hate Nancy, the villain of the piece, but really she is her own worst enemy, sabotaging herself at every turn, so it's hard not to feel sorry for her for her dumb choices. Highly recommended for readers of historical fiction, especially about the golden age of Hollywood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Traditional depiction of Salome

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

July 13, 2023

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Monserrat and Tristan work in the Mexican film industry: Monserrat is a struggling sound editor in a male-dominated field, while Tristan, a former soap opera star until his career was cut short by a car accident, takes whatever work he can get, mostly doing voice-overs. When Tristan moves to a new apartment, he makes the acquaintance of legendary horror movie director Abel Urueta. Urueta convinces them to dub in the voices on an old piece of black and white film, and their luck appears to change for the better. But then bad things start to happen, and they realize that they may have unleashed evil powers that they can't control.

Contemporary horror fiction with lots of history about the Mexican film industry. Silver nitrate was used for black and white film production in the golden age of cinema, and while it produced beautiful images, it is highly flammable. Silver was also used in occult rituals. Recommended for readers of horror fiction or anyone interested in the film industry.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Still from a low-budget Mexican horror film

Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

September 21, 2021

Velvet was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Maite is a secretary bored with her job. She is addicted to romance comics and largely ignores the political climate outside her window. When her glamorous neighbor Leonora disappears, Maite searches for her and finds herself being drawn into Leonora's world of student protests and dissidents. At the same time, a mob enforcer named Elvis is also looking for Leonora, but for different reasons.

As much as I like the author's two previous novels, this one was disappointing. It was very slow moving and the characters were uninteresting. It did have a great cover - very noir-ish.

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

April 27, 2020

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

After receiving a frantic letter from her recently married cousin Catalina, Noemi Taboada is sent by her family to visit Catalina and scope out the situation.  Traveling to a remote mountainous region of Mexico, Noemi arrives at High Place, the family home of the English Doyle family.  The house is isolated and neglected with a group of secretive and silent residents who follow a set of strict house rules.

The local doctor informs Noemi that Catalina has a mild case of tuberculosis and requires rest and good food to recover.  The family quickly squashes Noemi's efforts to bring in a psychologist to examine Catalina, and it becomes clear that Noemi is an unwelcome, meddlesome guest.  Soon after arriving at the house, Noemi begins to experience a series of disturbing dreams or hallucinations.  At the same time, she continues to push for more information about her cousin's condition and unexpectedly uncovers horrific secrets about the Doyle family that could threaten her very life.

There are strong gothic overtones similar to Wuthering Heights or Rebecca:  creepy setting, perpetual fog or mist, run-down old house, controlling patriarch, rigid housekeeper, imprisoned wife.  There is a little bit of everything here:  gothic, mystery, horror, historical fiction, folklore.  

I didn't like this one as well as Moreno-Garcia's first book Gods of Jade and Shadows.  But if you like your fiction with a dose of weird, this could be for you.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

July 5, 2019

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Casiopea Tun and her mother live with her horrible maternal grandfather and his family, treated as servants even though Casiopea’s mother was once her father’s favorite daughter.  Casiopea longs for a different life, away from her awful relatives, but when she opens a locked chest and lets out what was inside, she gets more than she bargained for.  She embarks on a quest across Mexico with the Lord of Death as he seeks revenge on his fellow supernaturals, while Casiopea strives to figure out her heart's desire.

Really good!  This is a quest story that blends mythology, folklore, and a splash of Cinderella, set during the Jazz Age in Mexico.  Anyone who enjoyed Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik should enjoy this novel.