Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

20 reviews

lady_valhella's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Blood, and Pregnancy

Trigger warnering: The first few paragraphs is of a mom in a shower wishing she was no longer a mom and considering ending her life to escape motherhood. The story eventually changes gears but I think then over all theme of this book is that women historically are forced into motherhood whether we want it or not. And should we decide one child is enough or motherhood is actually not for us after all we can’t simply change our minds and walk away. That when forced into motherhood or choosing motherhood it is never as simple as just being a parent to children but that your identity as a woman is no longer you being a woman who happens to be a mom. This book is a wonderful read and there are some deep dark themes but I think they are important if you can manage past the introduction of when we meet Alejandra.

jsims20_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book had profound moments and was a very emotional read for me. At times it was a little wordy but overall a great story that highlights the complex role of womanhood and motherhood, 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Pregnancy

Moderate: Rape and Gaslighting

archaicrobin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Castro’s writing is very blunt and it’s always hard for me to get into at first which affects my overall enjoyment of her books, but it’s very much a personal taste. If you’re looking for flowery, descriptive prose or a complex horror novel I wouldn’t recommend this one, as it’s very point blank and you have to accept a lot and just move on.

If you can do that though, this novel tells and eerie tale of a woman stuck in her depression hating her life, her children, her husband, and herself, all while being haunted by an entity she assumes is La Llorona. Alejandra at first is insufferable because she is so miserable but once she starts seeing a therapist and valuing herself, she begins to find the power within her self to not only change her life but defeat the curse of La Llorona for good.

While Castro’s writing style isn’t my favorite I always love her strong female characters, her ability to create terrifying imagery, and the strong cultural elements she weaves into her story. If you’re looking for a well crafted supernatural tale about strong women, generational trauma, and identity this one is worth trying!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Gaslighting

zombiezami's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense slow-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

Moderate: Biphobia, Cursing, Genocide, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Racism, Sexual violence, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, Colonisation, and War

Minor: Drug use, Gun violence, and Infertility

missychristo's review against another edition

I really want to know were La Llorona comes into fruition, but the beginning has too many ideations of suicide, and pretty triggering situations of implicit expectations, and emotional abuse was too much

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Gaslighting

gillian_darkholme's review against another edition

dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Grief, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

jessy_caca's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Suicide and Colonisation

Minor: Suicide attempt

shaun_dh's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I found this to be slow and boring. The husband is insufferable. I kept reading for Alejandra’s arc (which I was very happy with) and I was hoping it’d get scarier (which it never really did)

As a mom who battled postpartum rage myself, some parts of this were hard to read. The gorgeous cover hooked me and the writing was beautiful and descriptive, but it just never took off for me

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Miscarriage, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Death of parent

Moderate: Mental illness and Gaslighting

Minor: Self harm, Grief, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

leila_reads_too_much's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Abortion, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault, Dementia, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Colonisation

bitchywitch's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No

3.25

If you want a quick read, I got through this in less than 24 hours. I was curious about the generational trauma and how it would be addressed. Reading Alejandra's ancestors' POVs was probably one of my favorite parts. 

I feel this book was too explicit in its themes. There was no subtlety to it. The therapist she sees is used to explain what we could've inferred was going on. There's not much, if any, character development. 

If you are looking for a quick horror read, this is for you. If you're looking to explore themes of generational trauma, you probably should look elsewhere.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Self harm, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Body shaming and Abandonment

Minor: Dementia and War