A teen girl moves to a small town and discovers a mysterious wishing well possessed by La Cegua, a vengeful female spirit with the face of a horse skull, in Vanessa Montalban’s new YA fantasy standalone.
ISBN
9781638930280
Language
English
Page count
320
Edition
Hardcover
Sale date
February 4, 2025
Dimensions
9 x 6
About the Book
When her stepfather is arrested, aspiring artist Ceci moves back to her mother’s hometown of Santa Aguas, an eccentric small town steeped in the legend of La Cegua, the specter of a wronged witch who appears on lonely roads at night, luring untrustworthy men to their deaths.
Ceci and her mother take up residence in the abandoned manor of the Sevilla family, rumored to have been cursed by La Cegua, where she begins to uncover a past that seems to be connected to her mother. The more she learns of the Sevillas, the more Ceci finds herself forming a strange affinity with the feared Cegua, who she suspects is the one inspiring her paintings of a mysterious door in the forest.
When the very door Ceci has been painting appears in the woods, she decides to venture through it with her new friend, Jamie. Together, they discover a well, guarded by the statue of a veiled woman. A well for granting wishes. The well of La Cegua.
What starts off as harmless fun quickly escalates into something sinister when Ceci realizes that the wishes are putting the people she loves in danger and testing her own penchant for vengeance. After learning others are also searching for the well, Ceci must confront the truth of her mother’s past and prevent La Cegua’s wishes from being used for the wrong reasons. Ceci knows too well how much people will sacrifice for power. Every wish has its price, and La Cegua never forgets the ones who have wronged her.
Reviews
“An immersive, eerie read that examines the historic mistreatment of women and the wounds they often carry.”
“Vanessa Montalban’s voice shines in this wonderfully creepy gothic tale with hints of folklore. Dark secrets, love, and tragedy make this a gripping read. This is my first book by Montalban, but it won’t be my last. She is a powerful Latina writer I want to read more of.”
“This book has EVERYTHING! A main character you relate to and root for, realistic family struggles, small town vibes, a scary as hell supernatural threat, and a boy you’re sure to crush on. A complete and total page-turner! LOVE!”
“These Vengeful Wishes is a perfectly paced, atmospheric horror that’s driven to its darkest depths by characters who are as enigmatic as they are intriguing. Montalban masterfully combines folklore, family drama, and haunted histories with voice and prose that are perfect for horror—and left me dying for more.”
“Eerie, gorgeously written, and with a swoon-worthy romance, These Vengeful Wishes is a must-read that will keep you up at night and obsessed for years to come, just like La Cegua and her wishing well.”
“This twisting story of family secrets and the unexpected price of wishes will pull you into a complex, layered adventure with a dark folktale at its heart. You may escape the clutches of La Cegua when you turn the final page, but you’ll have a harder time forgetting Ceci and this haunting and atmospheric reminder to be careful what you wish for.”
Vanessa Montalban
Miami-born Vanessa Montalban channels her wanderlust for far-off worlds into writing young adult fiction, including A Tall Dark Trouble, winner of the Florida Book Awards in the YA category.
She’s a first-generation college graduate, and is hard at work creating a collection of stories. Her work has appeared in Diabolical Plots and Entropy Magazine, and her newest novel These Vengeful Wishes is coming spring 2025.
