Goddess of Filth

By: V. Castro

Narrated by: Stacy Gonzalez

Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

One hot summer night, best friends Lourdes, Fernanda, Ana, Perla, and Pauline hold a séance. It's all fun and games at first, but their tipsy laughter turns to terror when the flames burn straight through their prayer candles and Fernanda starts crawling toward her friends and chanting in Nahuatl, the language of their Aztec ancestors.

Over the next few weeks, shy, modest Fernanda starts acting strangely—smearing herself in black makeup, shredding her hands on rose thorns, sucking sin out of the mouths of the guilty. The local priest is convinced it's a demon, but Lourdes begins to suspect it's something else—something far more ancient and powerful.

As Father Moreno's obsession with Fernanda grows, Lourdes enlists the help of her "bruja Craft crew" and a professor, Dr. Camacho, to understand what is happening to her friend in this unholy tale of possession-gone-right.

Contains mature themes.

©2021 Violet Castro (P)2022 Tantor

Haunting

A beautiful and absolutely haunting possession that will stay with you long after "the end".

Oooh I loved this story!

What a well written & empowering story! I purchased this book as a blind buy… and I am glad I did! I will buy her next book!

great short story

this was a great short story, but could have easily been made into a long novel. it would be cool to see this turned into a series.

Great

This was a great and interesting story. the narrator did a fantastic job. I would definitely read other books by this author.

Good

This is very short. A good read however I felt like the person doing do the audio sounded a little bit…. Annoying when doing the Spanish speaking girls. Kinds of like a caricature of a Latina. I would have preferred to have read it myself but still not bad regular narration was great. Still worth it

Over enunciation out the wazoo

Ferrrrgrrrnannnda and Lourrrgdes and Ahhhnya and Mrs. Garrrgrrthcia would have been a lot more interesting if the narrator didn't feel the need to roll every r twice like a middle school student.

Story was okay, but again, felt like witnessing a middle school student learning about masturbation and sex. Didn't think this was intended as YA.

When the story finally gets around to the actual story, we are only told that stories have been told. Lourdes (I'm sorry - Lourrrrrgdes) is going to translate these incredibly fascinating stories when she goes to college.

Read if you're afraid to masturbate and need detailed instructions. Skip otherwise.

I'm giving this a much higher star rating than it deserves, because I am hopeful that the author can do better.

Worth $5

This books is at once poorly written and well written, poorly performed and well performed, interesting and stupid. It’s like the first draft of a really good, really interesting possession story. Overall, I did enjoy it and I think it’s worth $5 or so if you’re looking for a possession story based on Mexican/Central American folklore. I would not spend a credit on it, though. Extra points for some really good, very welcome POC representation.

Quick folk horror

This story is short and gets to the action quickly. As someone who grew up in San Antonio in a latin family - I loved the references to location and culture. There are some Spanish words used throughout the book that could be difficult to decipher if you don’t already know them (ex: chanclas (flip flops) or chichis (breast)), but they are well used. The relationships between the characters are well crafted and believable. I recommend this book if you want a quick Mexican-American folk horror story with capable young women (they just finished high school).

UMMM THIS WAS AMAZING!

Right out the gate an amazing ride! I loved this story full of desire, feminine sisterhood, strength and so happy to “read” a story with vibrant representation.

Love the cultural mysticism

Found this title after reading Queen of the Cicadas. While I enjoyed both stories immensely, I’m wondering if all Castro’s works will include the same tropes. Still, I’ll listen. Love getting retribution for ancestral trauma!!!