I love anything V. Castro writes. In QUEEN OF THE CICADAS, you get more of everything V. Castro does exceedingly well--dual narratives, modern urban legends, powerful Latina women in shitty situations, psychological turmoil, and the quest for love, opportunities, and triumph. The infusion of Aztec goddesses with modern-day heroines is something I always look forward to reading in any of Castro's work, and the way the author balances the horrific with the sexual and beautiful and melancholy is a true gift. Highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to review QUEEN OF THE CICADAS.

My first read of anything by V Castro and hopefully not my last. Queen of the Cicadas was one of those most unique reads in that it presents a wholly original take on the Bloody Mary myth or is it a myth?!? The author makes you believe going backwards and forwards in time. Highly recommended read.

Honestly I thought this book was... pretty bad!

The only thing I will say for it is that it goes down like a bag of jellybeans. The flavor isn't great and they're not that fun to eat, but you can keep eating fistfuls of them almost without noticing. Consequently I read this book in a day and a half.

The story of Milagros was genuinely haunting, and the imagery around Mictecacíhuatl was visceral (ha ha) and creepy as hell. So that was good. But I found the prose so clunky as to be almost unreadable, the pacing super choppy, and the overall reading experience kind of confusing and dull. Characters are alternately named or not named, so you don't really know who they are and have to figure it out in a way that feels unintentional. Sometimes characters are introduced or named for literally no reason, or they'll be named in a way that implies you should know who they are when they haven't been mentioned before. And then there's like a whole quarter of the book at the end after it seems like the book should be over. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Quite possibly my favorite V. Castro book so far - gorgeous storytelling and filled with characters who jump off the page. Definitely had a visceral reaction reading this book, kind of like trying to watch a horror movie with your eyes closed, but unable to stop yourself from peaking. Highly recommend!

An interesting take, mixing folklore and horror, and weaving in the lives of two characters. Castro seems to do this often, weaving in a perspective of one character with another, mirroring one another's lives.

Very creative and innovative story. It was interesting material to learn some history while being entertained, as well. Would have loved to see this go a bit deeper, but that is no takeaway from what was presented as a rich tale of vengeance.

In The Queen of the Cicadas, you can feel the oppressive heat of South Texas; you can hear the thrumming of insects; you can smell the dirt in the fields. Told in 2 time periods, this story follows a woman’s tragic death and a god’s rise to power. V. Castro has an innovative fresh voice and should be read.

I enjoyed parts of this, the folklore the mythology and I really enjoyed the grotesque moments, I thought they were written superbly. Unfortunately, the story itself became quite forgettable and even a few weeks after reading it I'm struggling to really remember what happened. I will definitely read more from this author, there is a talent there for sure.

There are elements of this novel that I enjoyed. The scenes depicting Milagros’s life in Texas and her tragic demise are the most successful parts of the narrative. The depictions of Mictecacihuatl and her realm are interesting. There are certain themes about the importance of spirituality in providing purpose to life that were surprising.

Unfortunately, this novel didn’t work for me at all. Belinda is the first person point of view character, yet the narrative frequently changes to other people and places and describes things that neither Belinda nor the characters who are supposed to be telling her these stories could possibly know. What’s more, there are a lot of info dumps, especially in regard to Belinda, which read like notes that the author wrote to herself and then forgot to return to and expand upon.

At it’s heart this is a revenge horror, both immediately for the murdered Milagros, and in a broader sense for the Aztecs. These are always a hard sell for me, and I struggle to understand why the violence of the vengeance seekers is applauded while the initial violence is abhorred. While readers might enjoy the vicarious thrill of reading about horrific pain inflicted upon those who have wronged the protagonists, the logical consequence of revenge is a cycle of victim and violence that only ends with total annihilation by the most powerful aggressor. These are not stories that I find interesting or satisfying.

Indeed, in this particular case Mictecacihuatl loves death, blood sacrifice, and sex, so I don’t know why she wasn’t pleased with the acts of the Texans and Spanish.

There were also sexual, occult, and religious elements that I found offensive.

Read 06/21/2022 Nice little urban legend centered around a Mexican goddess and a hate crime. I enjoyed it but it made me think too much of Bloody Mary. Sometimes the sexual scenes were very awkward and made me cringe. Worth a read but not something I would say everyone needs to read.

Wow, wow, wow! This is my second full book by V. Castro, and I just can't get over how powerful her stories are. This was told in a longer format than the previous book I read, but both reads honestly flew by for me. Powerful women characters are always focal points in the author's books, and I absolutely LOVE that - I went into this with high expectations!

TQOTC is split into two timelines and told from two main perspectives - the present day with Belinda, and the past (50s era) setting with Milagros. I loved both of these sides and didn't feel that either one outweighed the other in terms of holding my interest; the voices from each character were completely distinct and each action and situation propelled the story forward, no matter which timeline it was coming from. The blend of both perspectives was done seamlessly & very well executed.

I think if I *had* to compare this to some other horror-y classics, Candyman and the Bloody Mary legend would be top contenders - but honestly, TQOTC is something wholly its own. There's a lot of painful, difficult stuff to read here -- racism and oppression are always tough topics to cover, but it's definitely worth the discomfort in the end. You can tell that Castro cares a lot about what she's writing & these stories are ones that we don't see told very often - the Mexican influences are felt with nearly every word and page, and I love how authentically her writing shines and stands out among so many other people writing horror today.

Highly recommend this and will definitely be looking for more in the future!

I loved the storytelling and imagination of the author, but found the prose full of summary. I got used the writing style by the end, so perhaps that's my own issue. Otherwise 5 stars for the inspired surprises.

Belinda Alvarez, an out-of-work attorney, returns to Texas to attend the wedding of one of her best friends. Belinda is not a happy woman. Divorced and estranged from her only child, she searches for meaning in a bottle and by jumping into bed with anyone who will have her. The wedding is held in a restored Victorian farmhouse and as the guests converse it is revealed that the property was once the site of the brutal torture and murder of a migrant woman who now is believed to haunt the property in the guise of La Reina de Las Chicharras. Legend has it that if one looks into a mirror and says “La Reina de las Chicharras” over and over again, the avenging spirit of the young woman will appear.

The story moves from present time to the past as the tale of the young murdered woman, Milagros, is told. Milagros’ story is extremely compelling and was, to this reader, the best part of the book. But when we returned to the present, the author lost me. The events that occur that shape Belinda’s character, I found to be convoluted and difficult to follow. As I read, I longed for the author to return to Milagros and the story of her life. I found the character of Belinda irritating and was unable to identify with her or care about her journey. Hector, one of the prominent subordinate characters, also didn’t move me. He seemed wooden and one dimensional.

I was looking forward to this read because I had heard good things about it. Unfortunately, I found I couldn’t get into it. I did read it to the end, but was quite glad when it was over. Again, the story of Milagros was beautifully written and I wish the author had stayed in that vein and not given in to the bloody horror of the Aztec Queen of the Dead.

I want to thank the publisher, Flame Tree Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC of this novel.

3.5 rounded to 4. The best part of this book is when Castro weaves in historical happenings and folklore. I’ve read other works of hers I love more and this one is good too. I think I would’ve loved it if it was a bit shorter and more focused and I absolutely see why others love it.

The Queen of the Cicadas by V. Castro was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. What to say about this book...I really tried to like it but I just could not. I am not sure if it was the writing style, the jumping back and forth between timelines or just the "non horror" parts of the subject matter. I will give this author another read when the opportunity arises though.

3 Stars

I must admit that I don't read a huge number of novels in the horror genre but I was attracted to The Queen Of Cicadas due to it references to Mexican culture and mystique. It did come across as quite an original idea and while it did rotate between different timelines and points of view, I do feel it formed quite a cohesive storyline and actually overall it did examine contemporary issues of racism and rivarly which sadly still prevail to this day. If you enjoy a touch of social realism with a large degree of supernatural in a different location, then I would certainly recommend this.

A sharply told horror story that asks who the real monsters are, with a dual-timeline and a god come to help those who call out to her.

This is equal parts a bleak story of a woman who is killed in a hate crime, awakening the goddess of death of long slumber, and a new kind of urban legend of a God that calls out to those who ask.

The way Castro combines folklore and myth works so well in this story. I loved book so much! If you’re a horror fan definitely pick this one up.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the eGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Queen of the Cicadas is a very powerful book. It focuses on immigrants and explores the early 1950s when many of them had to work for their freedom after getting to America. There is an absolutely awful thing that happens to a lady who had immigrated from Mexico. Her anger is so big that it fuels her for another 70 years in the afterlife.

I loved how this book talked about how horrific white farmers could be. It was especially noteworthy how none of the police from the '50s seemed to care about getting justice for a non-white woman. Sadly, the world hasn't changed much, which is one of the points that this book makes.

As a note, there's some pretty graphic sex in this novel. It went further than I would have liked (not a prude, I just don't like reading graphic descriptions of straight sex), but it was also used to illustrate that women are every bit as sexual as men.

The book also explores religion and exposes that there isn't one God. This is a fact that brings much of the USA together, although it does cause a few nuts to protest. Although I don't believe in any gods in the real world, if one made itself known, I'd definitely have to change my opinion.

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">