#la llorona review

[hannahwatcheshorror]

LA LLORONA (2019)

Not to be confused with The Curse of La Llorona which came out the same year, La Llorona or The Weeping Woman is a Guatemalan horror film. This is a very slow paced political drama that also happens to be a horror movie on the side. I usually enjoy foreign films and the eerie feeling they give off but I mostly just found this to be more sad than scary (as the name would imply it isn’t a happy film, but still). 

⭐⭐

Trigger Warning Rape Mention, Children Dying, Guerilla Warfare

A native woman lays out in excruciating detail what the guerillas did to her and her people (to the children and women especially), it was a heartbreaking scene, honestly. It felt very real (because in some places it is real) so it was very sobering. After being found guilty of genocide the grandfather fakes a medical incident but then in the hospital can be seen smoking and getting poured a drink from a flask so clearly it isn’t that serious. You feel no sympathy for his character so you don’t care that he is being haunted or hunted or having all those protesters outside his door.

Nothing creepy starts happening until over 30 minutes in and even then it isn’t haunted behavior. (I guess the weeping at the top of the film was a bit suspicious but it was so quiet I needed to watch the scene again to pick up on it) You basically watch a slow paced political drama for a half hour and then the weird maid comes in and even then she isn’t that weird, just a little spooky. 45 minutes in and the creepiest thing we see is grandpa boner. One hour in and still no big scares, no big villain (other than the grandfather). I am BORED.

This is just a movie about one old man's terrible choices and how they are coming back to bite him in the ass slowly but surely. His wife has a nightmare where she is one of his victims, she just doesn’t know it yet. I feel very little sympathy for his family members except his granddaughter who is clearly innocent in all this, but the maid is protecting her like she couldn’t protect her own children, so I don’t feel like the granddaughter is under any threat.

The wrap up is basically this: asshole grandpa leads his people in Guerilla warfare and genocide and he thinks there will be no consequences. Turns out, the ghost of a woman whose kids he drowned has come back to haunt him and his family but mostly just him. She pranks him a bit before getting his own wife to murder him by letting her see the vision of what he had done to the natives. Very underwhelming, and I was actually anticipating some good creeps but just having a lady with long hair that’s wet standing around isn’t that scary. It was basically a sobering political documentary that I never intended to watch. I suppose with a title like “The Weeping Woman” I should have assumed there would be some sadness but good grief was this a somber ride. Grandpa War-machine deserved death and worse, our movie ends with the ghosts having moved on to the next in the pecking order for their revenge, they won’t be satiated until all the scumbags who murdered their children in cold blood are dead.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things "Deliver Me From Evil" Review

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews! Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are, as well as any theories you might have for Season 5!

Stranger Things Reviews/Theories

Stranger Things The First Shadow

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things “The Game Master” and “Erica’s Quest”

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tales From Hawkins

Stranger Things x Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Crossover

Stranger Things The Voyage

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus

Stranger Things Lucas On The Line

Stranger Things Episode Reviews:

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 1 of 2)

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 2 of 2)

Synopsis: While delivering pizzas on a dark night in Lenora, California, Argyle and Jonathan exchange creepy stories...........

Observations:

I wasn't aware this comic came out last May. If I had known, I would have reviewed it then before I saw The First Shadow. Ah, well. Better late than never!

For a short released on Free Comic Book Day, this was a nice quick read, and a fun story centered on Jonathan and Argyle. It has a similar premise to Halloween Special and Hawkins Horrors in that it focuses on scary urban legends, but the main differences here are 1.) They're told from Argyle's perspective, 2.) There's a strong comedic tone to these stories as opposed to just playing them for straight horror, and 3.) The stories Argyle tells are tied to his Mexican heritage, and ones he likely grew up listening to from his family.

Take his first tale for example: As an 8 year old boy, he attended his cousin's birthday party, and at one point encountered a monster called a Chupacabra:

In Latin American folklore, the Chupacabra is a creature known for sucking the blood out of animals, and having a reptilian, alien-like form (though some people claim it also has some similarities to a kangaroo). Its name means "goat sucker" in Spanish, and it's often considered to be of the same species as vampires.

Naturally, Argyle freaks out at seeing the creature, and attacks it with a baseball bat (similar to what Steve Harrington did to the Demogorgon in S1)................only for it to be revealed that it was never there to begin with, and that he ended up smashing his cousin's pinata with the bat:

Then we get another story from Argyle about his first crush (Suzie Q) whom he skips class with so they can make out in the janitor's closet........only to conveniently encounter La Llorona:

Just like with the Chupacabra, La Llorona also comes from Latin American folklore, and is a vengeful ghost who drowned her children in a fit of rage after her husband cheated on her, and now haunts watery areas (lakes, rivers, etc), unable to move on to the next life, forever wailing over her dead children. In some versions of the tale, she also goes after those who are unfaithful, still clearly sore over what happened to her.

Funny enough, the first time I ever learned about the legend was from watching the pilot episode of Supernatural:

But just like with Chupacabra, La Llorona was never really there, and instead a teacher named Miss Downers shows up, catching Argyle and Suzie Q ditching class, and punishing Argyle as a result:

The final story occurs around the time Argyle gets hired at Surfer Boy Pizza, where he encounters yet another monster, this time known as the Quetzalcoatl:

Quetzalcoatl (also known as "The Feathered Serpent") is a deity in Aztec culture, whose role varied, from being the God of vegetation and wind, to even being a symbol of death and resurrection, and also contributing to the creation of humanity. Like with most Gods, the mythology surrounding him was constantly evolving, with different stories analyzing his exploits and role in the universe.

It is weird and hilarious that an all-powerful God would randomly show up to scare the daylights out of Argyle after he just finished his job interview.........and you can already put together what actually happened during this scene:

With all 3 of these stories, it's pretty clear the monsters Argyle claims to encounter aren't really there, and are more symbolic of Argyle's feelings in the moment: His disinterest (and possible jealousy) with his cousin's birthday party leads to his "encounter" with the Chubacabra and destroying his cousin's pinata. His romantic interest in Suzie Q and her later "unfaithfulness" after she rats him out to Miss Downers having parallels to La Llorona's legend, and even his new job as a pizza delivery boy reflecting the mythology of Quetzalcoatl who brought maize (corn) to humans. It's ambiguous if Argyle just has an overactive imagination, or if he's tripping balls and hallucinating in these stories, but the main theme seems to be that he's constantly getting into trouble while taking it in stride. It's probably a big factor in why he was so willing to accept Jonathan, Will, and Mike's explanation in S4 about the Upside Down.

Jonathan is with Argyle in his van as he tells these stories, and while he doesn't go into specific details about the horrors he faced in Hawkins, he does allude to them in a somber tone (something Argyle takes note of):

It works as a nice contrast to Argyle's lighthearted tales, and a way of showing that, despite having moved to Lenora, Jonathan is still haunted by the monsters of the Upside Down and the fear that they will return one day (which sadly happens in S4).

It's nice to finally get a comic that focuses on Jonathan and Argyle and the friendship they shared during their time together. Argyle was a standout in both the Lenora storyline (which was one of my least favorite arcs on the show) and S4 as a whole. While he did serve as comic relief, there was a surprising amount of depth and insight to Argyle (such as pinpointing the problems with Jonathan keeping secrets from Nancy, being savvy enough to follow Colonel Sullivan's trail to El, and even providing El with the salt-bath she would use for remote-traveling in order to save Max from Vecna) that made him a lot smarter than he appeared on the surface.

Those moments alone allowed me to appreciate him.........which is why I wasn't happy when Eduardo Franco announced back in January that he hadn't gotten a call from the Duffer Brothers for S5, which likely means his character won't be returning:

I am hoping I'm wrong about this, and that they're deliberately misleading fans about Argyle not coming back to prevent spoilers about the last season. I even speculated on the idea that Eduardo has an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement), which is why he might be cagey about production details. There's nothing, for instance, to suggest that the Duffer Brothers couldn't have called him several weeks or months after this interview, and he's simply keeping quiet about that for the sake of the show. There's also the possibility of the Duffer Brothers reading the room over fans reacting to Argyle's absence (which was pretty negative) and making the changes necessary to give him an important role in the story.

It's also possible to argue that since Argyle lives in Lenora and S5 will take place exclusively in Hawkins between 1987 and 1988 (a whole year or two after S4), there isn't any logical way to keep Argyle in the show, and I can understand that perspective to some degree. However, it still doesn't change how it comes off as the Duffer Brothers wasting the potential of yet another character (*cough* Kali/Eight from S2 *cough*), and nuking a friendship between Argyle and Jonathan in the process that fans reacted positively towards and wanted to see more of. Argyle was good for Jonathan in that he allowed Jonathan to be more open and relaxed than he ever was in Hawkins (even while introducing Jonathan to Purple Palm Tree Delight to achieve that), and was genuinely supportive of Jonathan through his issues.

Not many friends would be willing to drive halfway across the United States and put themselves in constant danger the way Argyle did. He was a loyal companion, and he absolutely deserves to be part of the Party, and have a role in taking down Vecna and the Mind Flayer.

As for Jonathan.............I've seen a growing chorus of fans who've complained about his character and story being shoved into the background with each passing season, and I have a hard time refuting that claim. Season 1 was where he arguably has the most relevance to the show, from his motivation to find Will when he disappeared, to his growing feelings for Nancy and how that brought him into conflict with Steve. However, ever since Season 2 when he finally got together with Nancy and helped her get Hawkins Lab shut down, it feels like the writers have lost interest in Jonathan, and either reduced him to a side-character in other people's storylines (i.e. Nancy dealing with sexism in the workplace in S3, or Will dealing with his feelings for Mike in S4) or have given him arcs that come off as inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

I make no secret I wasn't a fan of Jonathan's arc in S4. While he did get a few chuckles from me when he was stoned, I wasn't impressed with other aspects, from him ditching Nancy during Spring Break, to keeping her in the dark about not applying for Emerson College (which was the school they were both supposed to attend). I know fans have analyzed Jonathan's behavior to the moon and back, and I get what the Duffer Brothers were trying to go for with Jonathan's indecisiveness and his fear of creating a relationship with Nancy that would echo the horror show that was Lonnie and Joyce's marriage, but it was still frustrating to sit through, and in comparison to many of the other arcs that season (Vecna, Hopper escaping Russia, Dr. Brenner's return, etc), this felt like small potatoes, and a conflict that could be easily resolved if Jonathan sat down with Nancy and talked it over with her.

I am somewhat curious where they're going with this. Since the last season takes place a year or two after the events of S4, it makes me wonder if Jonathan will have already come clean to Nancy about Emerson by the time S5 starts, or if he'll still be keeping that secret from her. I really hope it's the former because I have zero interest in sitting through multiple episodes where Jonathan continues to lie to Nancy until she eventually finds out about it.

Adding on to this, I'm not thrilled that they brought back the Nancy/Jonathan/Steve love triangle in S4, and that the marketing for S5 is focusing exclusively on that:

In a season where we're likely going to see multiple characters die and have a final gruesome battle between Hawkins and the Upside Down, this comes off as superfluous. The "love triangle" should have been over and done with by S2, and I'm not going to be thrilled if Jonathan and Steve's interactions in Season 5 consist of them duking it out over Nancy. All 3 characters deserve better than that. 😒

I want to be clear that I still like Jonathan as a character, and I'm still rooting for Jancy despite everything. All that I want for Jonathan at this point is to have a decent storyline, and be given more focus in the final season. I remember having similar criticisms of Lucas's role in S3 at the time, and expressing how I wanted Lucas to have an arc of his own for Season 4. The Duffer Brothers must've heard that (or at the very least gotten feedback from fans about it) because Lucas got one in S4 that not only was engaging and helped further his character development, but was also one of the highlights of that season.

By the same token, I hope Jonathan gets that treatment, with an arc where he's at the front and center that helps further his character development. One thing that gives me hope that they might do this is a behind-the-scenes Tweet from S5's production, revealing that there will be a flashback episode in "Sorcerer" (Episode 4 of Season 5) focusing on Jonathan when he was 13, as well as Will and Mike when they were 8 years old:

My hope is that the flashback gives more insight into Jonathan's past and mindset. I'm sure there will be a focus on Mike and Will and their relationship, but I would like to see more revealed about Jonathan as well. I hope that he become more open and trusting with people (aside from his immediate family, Argyle, and Nancy) and eventually realizes he doesn't have to worry about turning into Lonnie or continuing to act as a co-parent to Will, and can start living his own life without feeling like he has to limit himself.

On top of that, I also want Jonathan to have some kind of confrontation with Vecna where he dishes out some much-needed payback after the hell Vecna has put Will and his family through.

Overall, this was a delightful short comic that I wish had been longer. It's currently free on Kindle if you wish to check it out! :)

[thewarmestplacetohide]

Dread by the Decade: La Llorona

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★★★½

Plot: A man fears his family is cursed by the vengeful ghosts of wronged women.

Review: Though the story needed more time to breathe, it's a visually beautiful endeavor with strong performances.

English Title: The Crying Woman Year: 1933 Genre: Ghosts, Psychological Horror Country: Mexico Language: Spanish Runtime: 1 hour 13 minutes

Director: Ramón Peón Writers: Carlos Noriega Hope, Fernando de Fuentes Cinematographer: Guillermo Baqueriza Editor: Guillermo Baqueriza Cast: Ramón Pereda, Virginia Zurí, Carlos Orellana, Adriana Lamar, Alberto Martí

-----

Story: 3/5 - While compelling, it sometimes feels overstuffed, jumping between different periods without giving each enough time. The ending also feels too quickly resolved.

Performances: 4.5/5 - Great. Pereda plays dual roles well.

Cinematography: 4/5 - Consistently interesting framing and lighting.

Editing: 3.5/5 - Creative transitions, but a bit muddled at the end.

Music: 2.5/5 - Doesn't always fit what's on screen.

Effects: 3.5/5 - The quality of the ghost effect varies a bit.

Sets: 4/5 - The church set is particularly gorgeous.

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 4.5/5 - Fantastic, detailed costumes from different periods in Mexican history.

Trigger Warnings:

Mild violence

Child murder

Suicide

Colonialism

[omnivorouscinephilia]

La Llorona: A Unique and Timely Guatemalan Ghost Story

This review was originally published on HorrOrigins.com on 8/21/2020 It might be an insulting understatement to say that 2020 has been a particularly tumultuous year, especially in political terms. As a reaction to the general creep of far-right politics, tensions mounting due to a pandemic, and continued deaths of marginalized folks via unlawful force by the police, we have seen perhaps the…

[oracleofmadness]

A haunting story featuring the legend of La Llorona. This is a spirit that haunts women who are sad and suffering. Particularly those with children. La Llorona appears dripping wet and decayed to try and devour Alejandra and her emotions.

This was really good. I loved the characters. I think I liked the depictions of La Llorona the best, though. The real fear in this story were the inner demons of the main character, Alejandra, and how that attracted this spirit who wanted to take all the pain away.... however, in a very bad way.

Out April 18, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!!

Content Warnings for body horror, suicidal ideation, depression, sexual assault....

And, the husband in this book is a really crappy dude.

[inabooknook]

The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

The premise of this book was so interesting. Alejandra, the main character is stuck with a generational curse, the curse of La Llorona who has followed her since the birth of her daughter. The story was so well done, and very informative and interesting. I learned a lot of things about curanderas, La Llorona herself, and Mexican-American culture that I would not have known about before. The story follows Alejandra as she starts experiencing more and more serious run ins with the curse, and goes about trying to handle the situation without causing worse things to occur. As I said, the story was nothing like anything I have read before, which honestly was a breath of fresh air since I was able to find out about things outside my usual realm of understanding. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes supernatural things, but also enjoys mysteries.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[james-stark-the-writer]

yeah, no, it was not very good. i wasn't wrong about it being shit the first time i saw it.

My ★½ review of The Curse of La Llorona on Letterboxd

[amadmadmadworld]

31 Days of Horror

Day 11: La Llorona (1960)

If you have a drop of Latin blood in you, or grew up in a Latin area, you are very likely to have heard of La Llorona (the Weeping Woman). From Spain to Islas Malvinas, she is as iconic as Frankenstein and Dracula. Though, even they might be scared of her. Unfortunately, for such a legendary figure known across the globe, she hasn't had many films (including one part of The Conjuring series), few of which properly do her justice. One of those could be this one Mexican film from 1960 starring María Elena Marqués as the titular icon.

La Llorona is the spirit of a Hispanic woman roaming the night, normally by bodies of water like rivers or lakes, and, true to her name, she is always crying, mourning for her children. It is said that she preys on children and wayward men and is overall an omen of doom, like a banshee. When you hear her backstory, her reputation and behavior makes perfect sense. You see, she wasn't always this miserable wraith: once upon a time, during the time of conquistadors in Mexico, she was once a normal young local woman (general consensus is that her name was Maria). She was mestiza, half-indigenous half-Spanish, and she came from a poor family; but what she lacked in status, she made up for with her beauty. So when a dashing conquistador came to her village, she caught his eye and a whirlwind romance began. It wasn't long before the couple produced two children. However, it all came crashing down when she found out the man she loved was leaving her to marry a pure-blooded Spanish lady and was going to take the children. In a fit of rage and heartache, she drowned the children. When she realized what she had done, she was wracked with guilt and drowned herself as well.

The movie follows this story fairly well, only instead of drowning she kills her children by stabbing them with a dagger. My favorite part is the duality of La Llorona. Yes, she's a terrifying specter, but she's also fascinating and quite understandable, if not sympathetic. The story of La Llorona is a story many women and indigenous folk have personally experienced throughout history. Like La Malinche, a woman who is cited as an inspiration for La Llorona's story. She was a Nahua native infamous for her role as translator for Hernan Cortes, the man behind the Spanish conquest over the Aztec empire. She was also said to have bore his children.

I like this movie, as well as the 1933 version which mentions Malinche (though, it's definitely not historically accurate).

[screendimdotcom]

The Curse of La Llorona

Strap yourselves in as I dive into The Curse of La Llorona, so you don’t have to (unless you feel like you deserve it), a movie that audaciously attempted to breathe life into the chilling Mexican folklore of La Llorona, but instead produced a yawn-inducing tale that even the weeping woman herself would shed tears of disappointment over.

First and foremost, we must address the rather tragic metamorphosis of Raymond Cruz from a hardened, street-savvy drug dealer in "Breaking Bad" to a bewildering portrayal of a priest turned shaman in this horrid cinematic faux pas. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Cruz delivers his lines with the grace of a crowbar trying to conduct a symphony, causing many a viewer to stifle giggles during moments that were meant to petrify. Picture this: the once menacing Tuco Salamanca, now sprinkling seeds and mumbling incantations as though he were hastily thrown into a low-budget backyard play with the neighborhood kids. The transition is as graceful as a giraffe on roller skates, leaving audiences both amused and slightly dismayed at this odd career trajectory.

As for the storyline, it could be argued that it was constructed by throwing darts at a board filled with overused horror tropes. Oh, look! We hit the "mysterious puddles leading to a ghastly figure" square, followed closely by the "child being dragged into darkness by unseen forces" cliché! One might be tempted to start a betting pool on which overused horror trope will make its appearance next. Spoiler alert: It's all of them. The original folklore brims with terrifying potential, yet "The Curse of La Llorona" seems to have opted for a Frankenstein's monster approach, stitching bits and pieces of every conceivable horror movie cliché into a lumbering beast of cringeworthy moments and lost potential.

Now, onto the leading lady, Linda Cardellini, who tries valiantly to carry this film like a marathon runner trying to complete a race with a sprained ankle. Her portrayal of a concerned mother is as convincing as a cardboard cutout with a speaker playing canned expressions of worry and fear. It is not so much Cardellini's fault, as the script gives her little to work with, forcing her to navigate through scenes with the grace of a sailboat in a hurricane.

Oh, but we mustn't overlook the children, who seem to have attended the "horror movie children school of ill-advised decisions." Never before have audiences witnessed such a glorious celebration of every bad decision a child could possibly make when confronted with supernatural forces. From investigating strange noises alone to seemingly forgetting the concept of running away from danger, these children manage to evoke both frustration and incredulity in the most stoic of viewers.

Furthermore, the film's attempt at creating a haunting atmosphere is about as effective as trying to light a bonfire with a wet matchstick. Each scare is telegraphed from a mile away, with the ominous music swelling as though warning viewers to brace themselves for the impending "shock." Sadly, the shock wears thin, as the weeping woman's appearances become as predictable as the sunrise.

"The Curse of La Llorona" serves as a stern warning to filmmakers about the perils of squandering rich folklore in favor of cheap thrills and clichéd plot devices. As viewers, we are left to mourn what could have been a riveting horror tale but instead were served a plate of regurgitated ideas garnished with a side of hammy performances. One can only hope that La Llorona herself, upon witnessing this abomination, would have mercy on us and wash this film away into the annals of forgotten cinema, where it rightly belongs.

If you seek a thrill that combines the excitement of a lukewarm cup of tea with the depth of a puddle, then by all means, dive headfirst into "The Curse of La Llorona." It's sure to evoke a cascade of stifled giggles and face-palms, making it a potential frontrunner for any "worst movie night" candidate.

[wolfythoughts]

Book Review: The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

Alejandra, deep in the throes of postpartum depression, starts to see the specter of the Mexican folk demon La Llorona. Summary:Alejandra no longer knows who she is. To her husband, she is a wife, and to her children, a mother. To her own adoptive mother, she is a daughter. But they cannot see who Alejandra has become: a woman struggling with a darkness that threatens to consume her. Nor can…

[literarysiren]

V. Castro!!!!! Queer latin horror maestro after my own heart!!!!!!!! I got to read this book exactly when I needed it, and it is a dark, beautiful, haunting little thing about not letting go of yourself even when you do sometimes need to let go of some pieces.

[thewarmestplacetohide]

Freaky Facts: La llorona (1933)

(My Review) (My Screenshots)

[triviareads]

ARC Review of Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez

Summary:

Gillian Armstead-Bancroft returns to her hometown Freedom, Kansas divorced with two small children, jobless, and feeling like her bruja powers no longer work. She runs into Nicky Mendoza, her childhood friend and former lover. Their renewed friendship may be tenuous, but they have to work together if they want to contribute to the ongoing renewal of the bar Gillian owns with her sisters, as well as Milagro Street as a whole.

My review:

Gillian and Nicky have history— they were friends on and off between elementary school and college. She asked him to divest her of her virginity after her freshman year of college. I got the sense he was her, to use historical romance terminology, "bit o' rough". On his end, he definitely saw her as some unattainable princess. It's revealed later that he was really cut up about her leaving, so based on this, I expected a little more of a Persuasion vibe where he's resentful towards her when she returns, but Angelina subverted those expectations straight away in the first couple chapters when they meet again. Really, the only thing keeping them apart for most of the book is their intention to leave Freedom at the end of the summer. Oh, and also, there's Gillian's shitty ex-husband :/

Listen, Nicky is a smooth operator. Always was, based on the flashbacks, and always will be. So he and Gillian, who is a little uptight and a perfectionist, work really well together even after picking up where they left off 13 years ago. It's one of those cases where the only things holding them back are themselves (their respective ambitions and realistically, GIllian has two children to think about as well). Like, I never had a doubt that had it not been for timing, they would have been together a lot sooner.

I'd say setting is a huge part of what made this book stand out. It's a small-town setting but in the best way, particularly because Angelina M. Lopez continues with the same theme from After Hours on Milagro Street, which is just how interwoven Mexican-American culture is in Freedom, Kansas, and how much the Mexican-American community contributed to the town. it's unlikely, as many characters in the books point out, because when you think of small town America, you think of, well, white people. But pocket communities like this exist all over the country, and it was established really well here, complete with an intricate fictional history. Revitalizing the town, specifically Milagro Street is a large part of the overarching plot, and both Nicky and Gillian are involved in different ways: Nicky with his mural in the historic train station, and Gillian with her financial planning skills that would directly benefit Loretta's and other minority-owned businesses in the area.

There is also a magical and supernatural element to this story, one deeply ingrained in the culture. The community at large simply accepts this idea that ghosts and La Llorona exists, that some people can be haunted, and some people are brujas (witches) who can use their powers and milagros for the betterment of individuals or even a building or community. At first I was surprised by this casual acceptance in the modern era, but then I realized there are cultural equivalents of this all over the world. I mean, I come from a culture where astrologers are regularly consulted, horoscopes still matter, and folk rituals like bhoota kola are performed. It's just a part of the culture (dating back to a pre-Christian America), and I loved how Angelina incorporated it into the story. Specifically, Gillian is a bruja (she learnt the art from her mom) but she's "lost" her magic and is now convinced she is a curse of sorts. Nicky is haunted by a cadejo, a spirit that appears as a black dog.

The sex:

It felt like there were less overall sex scenes compared to After Hours on Milagro Street, and I would say the tension between Gillian and Nicky is more of a simmering variety compared to Alex and Jeremiah in the first book. The sexual dynamic between them was a little teacher/student, a little "I'm the eldest daughter who feels responsible for everything and would like to be taken care of during sex", with interesting sides of a mild exhibitionist kink and "hot mom".

Here's what I appreciated most, sex-wise:

a) Listen if there's one thing Angelina loves to write it's an immediate sexual scene, let it be the heroine pretty much mounting the hero in the first 3 chapters (see: Lush Money and After Hours on Milagro Street), or in this case, immediately propositioning him upon meeting him again after 13 years. And it's great. It's like instant gratification for me 😂

b) I personally loved the tidbits she gave us of Nicky/Gillian's initial sexual relationships 13 years ago (similar to how Angelina did it in Hate Crush). It's an awesome way to get insight into their characters and the hints you get are pretty damn sexy.

c) Even the slightly out-there stuff during her sex scenes like some of the dirty talk (see: any use of the word "mommy") works because it feels real. Angelina writes the weird quirks of sex really well which actually makes the scenes hotter.

Overall:

Small-town romances can sometimes get trite real fast, but this book is definitely not one of them. It has the romance, a complex family dynamic, a mystery based on town history, along with supernatural elements. The love and care in the way Angelina described Mexican-American culture really comes across. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone in need of a good contemporary romance that's sexy and emotional in equal measure.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.

[gremreviews]

Movie Reviews

Death Saved My Life (3.8/5)

Unbreakable (4/5)

Zombies ('18) (2/5)

The Boarding School Murders (3/5)

Noelle (3.8/5)

A Christmas Switch (3/5)

Turkey Hallow (3/5)

Santas Little Helper (1.3/5)

Deadpool and Wolverine (3.5/5)

The Good Half (3.4/5)

Just Getting Started (2.1/5)

Men in Black: International (4/5)

10 Cloverfield Lane (3.8/5)

2:22 (3.8/5)

A Babysitters Guide to Monster Hunting (3.3/5)

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Case 39 (3.3/5)

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Texas Chainsaw Massacre (3.2/5)

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The Ghost and the Darkness (2.2/5)

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The Good Witch's Destiny (4/5)

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The Painter (3.8/5)

The Ring (2.4/5)

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The Strangers Chapter One (3.8/5)

The Strays (3/5)

The Talented Mr. Ripley (4.1/5)

The Untouchables (2.9/5)

The Way Way Back (3.5/5)

The Weather Man (2.2/5)

The Wrath of Becky (4.3/5)

Thieves (4.2/5)

This Is Where I Leave You (2.7/5)

Three Months (3.2/5)

Thunder Force (2/5)

Tommy Boy (3.2/5)

Tone-Deaf (4/5)

Tramps (2.4/5)

Triple 9 (2.4/5)

Tucker and Dale Vs Evil (3.3/5)

Underwater (2.9/5)

The Uninvited (2.7/5)

Urban Cowboy (1.7/5)

Us (4/5)

Vacancy (3.4/5)

Vanilla Sky (4/5)

Venom (4.1/5)

V/H/S (3.5/5)

Vindicta (3.9/5)

Waiting (3.8/5)

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War of the Worlds (2005)(4/5)

Watcher (3/5)

White Guys Cant Jump (4/5)

Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey (4.3/5)

Wonderful Time of Year (2.8/5)

World War Z (3.7/5)

X ('22) (1.2/5)

You Are Not My Mother (3.1/5)

Young Adult (3.5/5)

Zodiac (3.8/5)

Zoolander (3.8/5)

Zoolander 2 (2.9/5)

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book review || The Haunting of Alejandra by V. Castro

video review || ARC Reading Vlog — The Haunting of Alejandra and Yours Truly

~Thanks to Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Haunting of Alejandra in exchange for an honest review. ~

Oh, wow, this doesn’t shy away from the heaviness this book is going to be covering as we open our meeting with Alejandra and see how much she’s struggling with everyday tasks. Her depression has become so debilitating that she has a hard time taking care of her children and her shitty husband who guilt trips her for struggling. She’s come to resent her relationship with him and is now beginning to have visions of a woman in white. I deeply want to give this woman a hug and encourage her to get help— which thank god, she does. The therapist she finds is also Mexican American and they connect over the stories of La Llorona and La Catrina, which gave some depth to both pieces of folklore I wasn’t aware of.

Prior to moving for her husband’s job, she’d been trying to reconnect with her birth mother and her culture that she wasn’t able to experience while growing up in the foster care system. I really love that she’s also trying to share the things she’s learned with her oldest daughter, Catrina, and am hopeful to see more of their relationship as Alejandra heals. The showcasing of generational trauma was exquisite. Each of the women in this family line’s perspectives felt similar and yet different enough to keep them distinct. We start with the first woman in the family line to interact with the demon. Her voice is just as somber and bitter but still stands apart from Alejandra’s. In all perspectives, though, La Llorona’s visits are so eerie and unsettling.

The plot itself is character focused as we watch Alejandra’s journey to learn more about her family line, and the troubles that have followed them, and work to heal from her own struggles so that she can save her children from suffering similar fates. I really adored the discussions around motherhood and identity in this story, the way these women took hold of their fates and made what they wanted up them. I felt just as empowered by their stories as Alejandra. The horror we see is in the visceral and gory descriptions of our character’s experiences and are amped up most when we see La Llorona, but I wanted more. There were a few moments that had me making disgusted faces, but nothing particularly memorable about the horror. I did, however, really like the final perspective and how it twisted the usual tale of La Llorona, showcasing her in a more sympathetic light.

My biggest complaint throughout this was the dialogue didn’t really seem authentic or flow naturally. Conversations feel long-winded or just unusual to how someone would speak. I also would have liked a bit more explanation of the demon in the end, it felt unresolved in the end and like a cop-out wrap-up.

4 / 5 stars