I enjoyed the first 2/3 of the book, which is almost surprising given that I don't generally like horror. I didn't have an issue with jumping between the present day and 1950s timelines, but the last third felt tacked on and just not integrated with the rest of the story. Unless, I'm missing something in the mythology that made the latter chapters make more sense in light of the earlier ones. I would definitely read another book by this author. ( )

LOVED this! Really unique and unhinged in the best way. Immediately adding more of Castro's work to my tbr.

Mexican folklore as a ghost story gave this book a great fresh horror feel with a foundation of history and myth. Found families and vengeance, injustice and a yearning to make things right. Looking forward to more by V. Castro! ( )

First, let me get the bad out of the way. This book really needed a forceful editor. It is a mess, lacking a really cohesive organization that would best serve its rather noble purpose of telling the tale of wrongs avenged. Second, V Castro does not write well. The graphic horror passages are quite effective, but most everything else is pretty awkward. Often a bad word choice calls so much attention to itself that it interrupts the narrative. There are passages here that couldn't earn a passing grade in a high school English class. And the sex scenes are just awful (worse than John D. MacDonald, which is really saying something.) Finally, and this isn't the author's fault, the audiobook is subpar. Given the presence of good folks, evil folks, and avenging Mexican gods, the book requires a narrator who can bring these diverse characters to life--but here they all sound the same.

On the good side, the book's monumental conception is certainly a significant work of imagination as it moves from its gruesome tale of the mistreatment and murder of a Mexican migrant worker to world-changing events. But this grand conception is severely hampered by too many coincidences that the reader can see coming from a mile away (such as certain characters becoming lovers.) As I said, the horror scenes are quite good, however, but it really isn't such a horror novel at all when you consider that the people having horrible things done to them pretty much deserve it. I really wish La Reina de las Chicharras (Chicharras, Chicharras, Chicharras) existed. I'd like to see her pay a visit to a certain Governor of Florida, who she must certainly be displeased with.

It's a shame thinking about what a really talented author could have done with this material. This is definitely a case where a movie version might be an improvement. ( )

This book was really out there. I have the strange sensation of not really knowing what I was reading but still somehow enjoying it. ( )