Book Review: The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, ‘Chilling’ Horror Saga

This spoiler-free book review of The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia includes all of my takes (hot takes?? Not really?) about this gothic historical fiction and dark academia book. I share my favorite book quotes from The Bewitching, a brief synopsis plus my thoughts on the book, book club discussion questions, similar books, other books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and more!

Content Warnings

Animal brutality and death, body horror, confinement, death, grief, missing person, emotional abuse, incest, family curses, mental illness, misogyny, pedophilia, sexual content, toxic relationship, violence, xenophobia, blood, medical content, stalking, murder, gaslighting, injury, classism

Thank you to Random House for gifting me this complimentary book. My review reflects my honest thoughts.

The Bewitching Book Review / Summary

• National bestseller
• New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic

The Bewitching is a chilling multigenerational horror saga about the history of witches and horror literature. We follow Minerva, a young graduate student in the 90s in Massachusetts whose obsession with horror literature leads her to study the history of Beatrice Tremblay, a little-known horror author with secrets to tell.

Minerva grew up hearing tales of witches in 1900s Mexico from her great-grandmother, Nana Alba, and everything she’s learned has led her to study the history of witchcraft on scholarship at the same university Beatrice Tremblay attended in the 40s.

Readers follow three timelines and POVs: Beatrice’s, Alba’s and Minerva’s, and as their stories play out, they merge in unexpected ways. As Alba and Beatrice encounter witches in the real world, Minerva is beginning to suspect that her own fascination of witchcraft in the academic world doesn’t stop on the page. And now, in her own brush with witches, she’s left to wonder if everything she’s read and learned from her great-gandmother and horror writer influences will ultimately save her—or if she’s too late.

My Thoughts on The Bewitching

This was on my buzzy books for fall 2025 list. It was also my September read for the Mollie Reads Book Club. My verdict: I loved this book. So. Freaking. MUCH. This gothic historical fiction/horror novel had everything you could want:

• Intense dark academia vibes that are absolutely perfect for fall
• SO much satisfying research that draws you in
• Perfectly atmospheric in a creepy but beautiful and abandoned academia setting
• Rich people with secrets and interesting characters with dark sides
• Incredible pacing and tension
• Terrifying descriptions of spiritual beings and witches that will make your skin crawl and your stomach turn

YIKES on the Incest

I will say, I found this book to be somewhat predictable, but that didn’t stop me from loving it and tearing through it. MAJOR content warning though. There’s an incest storyline that is really hard to read and very dark, and because it’s hard to stomach, I won’t be recommending it to extremely sensitive readers.

Honestly, that whole part of the story was the scariest part of the book—forget the predatory paranormal elements! But for the thriller, horror, dark academia lover, I will absolutely be recommending this book, especially as a moody fall book and a cozy winter read.

Does it take the #1 spot in my heart for best gothic horror novel? Not quite. Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s book Mexican Gothic continues to be my favorite. But a very good witchy/dark historical fiction book? Yes, I think so.

Favorite Quotes from The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Time is a treacherous mistress. In our youth it flows slow and deep; the days stretch out endlessly. When we are children, a summer lasts for a century. As we age, the flow of time speeds up. Suddenly, a year vanishes with the snap of one’s fingers. How quickly time eludes us, how easily it tricks us.

—Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Bewitching

Stories have a rhythm to them. A beginning, a middle, an end. Mysteries beg for answers, narratives demand conclusions. Perhaps this is why Ginny made such a powerful impression on me: her story had no proper finale. It was a never ending loop, a perfect circle.

—Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Bewitching

What if witches do exist, Hideo? Have you ever wondered about that? Not like in Bewitched, not the funny witches with pointy hats. Spell casters who follow ancient, well-known patterns. Universal concepts. Physics is universal, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter if you’re in Japan or Mexico or Salem, the apple will fall from the tree. What if it’s like that for magic? You find the constants; you make them work. You alter reality.

—Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Bewitching

Back then, when I was a young woman, there were still witches. That was what Nana Alba used to say when she told Minerva bedtime stories; it was the preamble that led into a realm of shadows and mysteries.

—Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Bewitching

Then she saw it, slipping into the edge of the clearing. It was as if a ripple sliced through the blackness of the night, as if someone had thrown a pebble into the dark and the dark had awoken.

—Silvia moreno garcia, the bewitching

She had a fondness for stray animals and slightly damaged things—the chipped frame of a mirror, the weathered pages of a book that has been kissed by the rain, the sweater that has been nibbled by a troublesome moth – which primed her to look kindly on a man like him. But she ought not to. Strays bit sometimes, and certain old books were suffused with pernicious mold.

—Silvia Moreno-Garcia, The Bewitching

RELATED: Best Thriller Books to Scoop Up in 2025

Book Club Discussion Questions for The Bewitching

• Ice breaker question: What is the first witch story you can remember?
• How did the backdrop of Massachusetts in the 90s affect your reading experience?
• How were Minerva’s and Beatrice’s lives similar and different?
• What did you think of Noah’s character? How did your perspective of him change throughout the book?
• Which timeline/POV held your interest the most? How did the different timelines impact one another, if at all?
• The author plays with these ideas of superstition, belief, and traditions or history rooted in different political landscapes. How did the different characters respond to folklore, the supernatural, and history? How did Minerva blend them in her life and work?
• Minerva explores a great deal in the book about horror writers and their different influences. How did this element of the book impact your reading experience?
• Silvia Moreno-Garcia captures that sense of dread and builds urgency so well throughout the book. What scenes did you find the most terrifying or intense?
• What did you think of the epilogue? Was it satisfying, eerie, or open-ended to you? Did anything surprise you?
• The author blends genres, including dark academia. How did the atmosphere in all three timelines affect your reading experience?

Other Books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

• Mexican Gothic
• Gods of Jade and Shadow
• The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
• Velvet Was the Night
• Silver Nitrate
• The Beautiful Ones
• Certain Dark Things
• The Lover
• The Seventh Veil of Salome
• The Tiger Came to the Mountains
• Untamed Shore
• Signal the Noise
• Prime Meridian
• She Walks in Shadows
• The Return of the Sorceress
• This Strange Way of Dying: Stories of Magic, Desire, and the Fantastic

Similar Books to The Bewitching

These books have similar vibes to The Bewitching in some way, whether that be theme, characters, setting, or genre:

• Weyward by Emilia Hart
• The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
• Babel by R. F. Juang
• Play Nice by Rachel Harrison
• The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas
• The Resistance of Witches by Morgan Ryan

Read the Book

I recommend The Bewitching if you’re already a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia or if you like witchy generational stories that are darker than the norm. If you’re a dark academia lover and you appreciate gothic horror, this book was made for you. It’s definitely one of the best historical fiction books to obsess over in 2025!

You’ll see by the reviews this book is not for everyone, so check out the content warnings before you dive in if you’re a sensitive reader. If it’s not already clear by my book review of The Bewitching, I thought it was the perfect balance of dread, spooky fall vibes, and interesting folklore!