Bruja's Nest

“Bruja’s Nest is a potent and startling literary incantation that invokes the most powerfully complex elements of magic, motherhood, and unflinchingly grotesque body horror. This is an uncompromising and deeply affecting work exquisitely scrawled in blood, fury, and pain.” —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke

“Bruja’s Nest is 100% twisty fun! It’s Succession with gristle, the [chicken] heart of darkness, and Shirley Jackson if only she could have watched telenovelas. There’s bizarro bravado on every page. ¡Felicidades, Brenda LaTorre! Sequel!” —Nancy Holder, NYT bestselling author and HWA Lifetime Achievement Award Winner

“Tense, boldly written, and fiercely addictive, Brenda LaTorre’s debut novel Bruja’s Nest is part class war telenovela, part shocking body horror, and every bit as wicked and biting as its conniving and irrepressible heroine. I am a major fan.” —Robert Levy, author of The Glittering World and No One Dies from Love

“Bruja’s Nest spins the gripping twisted tale of Yolanda, who is banished to servitude in a remote Mexican town, but forges her own rogue route to independence. At first hoping to marry money like her telenovela heroine, the fiercely determined Yolanda navigates a wealthy family of backbiting vipers, then stumbles into the notorious ‘nest’ of the local bruja. ‘Life won’t hand you power just like that,’ Yolanda comes to realize, ‘you have to snatch it from destiny’s hands. Especially if you’re a woman.’ Entertaining and enlightening, this novel re-imagines mythic ideals of motherhood, marriage, money and magic. Brenda LaTorre is a bold new voice in horror fiction and Bruja’s Nest marks her mesmerizing debut.” —Elizabeth Searle, author of The Drama Room and Girl Held in Home: Novel

“Bruja’s Nest is more than a horror tale. It’s a chilling statement about the human condition. Here, we have a woman who trades her soul for the life she craves. And Santa Muerte responds as only she can—with gifts soaked in blood and consequence. Bruja’s Nest is an intoxicating tale that feeds off the darkest human emotions: lust, envy, and greed. Proceed at your own risk!“—John Florio, author of Sugar Pop Moon and Blind Moon Alley

Brenda LaTorre is a Mexico City native and holds an MFA from the University of Southern Maine and a Creative Writing Certificate from UCSD. Her stories have been published by Pyre Magazine, BDA Publishing, Collective Visions, and more. She was Editor of Popular Fiction for the Stonecoast Review and is currently a writing mentor in the WriteHive Mentorship Program. Bruja’s Nest is her first novel.