This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.

Read full return policy

Payment

Secure transaction

Payment

Secure transaction

We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Details

Other sellers on Amazon

New & Used (18) from $20.31 + $3.99 shipping

Follow the author

V Castro

+ Follow

More books from this author

Image Unavailable

Image not available for
Color:

To view this video download Flash Player

The Queen of the Cicadas (Fiction Without Frontiers) Hardcover – June 22, 2021

by V. Castro (Author)

4.0 178 ratings

See all formats and editions

Save 5% at checkout Shop items

{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$22.88","priceAmount":22.88,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"22","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"88","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"hgWTPvCnwGoKCmsp71EOQE2tVfzDnyEvB7lfO4hAnXgD7Gj%2FMl4zoMhp8PVzLZwp2kxvz4I5QWaCDFIezCN8JuVE69b9I6jaaPpEL75Gn5LD2%2FucYCQS01XJ4hrsZJD6I5tTXeRnoHXseMahPax0c2U2VQZEkkK%2BcwP%2FJqTPGNTbBlL9lNCYE73%2FiNQxut21","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

NOMINATED FOR A BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL

2018 - Belinda Alvarez has returned to Texas for the wedding of her best friend Veronica. The farm is the site of the urban legend, La Reina de Las Chicharras - The Queen of The Cicadas.

In 1950s south Texas a farmworker- Milagros from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, is murdered. Her death is ignored by the town, but not the Aztec goddess of death, Mictecacíhuatl. The goddess hears the dying cries of Milagros and creates a plan for both to be physically reborn by feeding on vengeance and worship.

Belinda and the new owner of the farmhouse - Hector, find themselves immersed in the legend and realize it is part of their fate as well.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the new fiction imprint of Flame Tree Publishing. Launched in 2018 the list brings together brilliant new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In the age of phony fiction, V. Castro is the voice of authenticity; una voz que lucha por la igualdad. Dark, atmospheric, sexy, and dangerous, her fiction brings readers her unfiltered Latinx essence and a unique pulpy flavor. Her work matters. Read it." -- Gabino Iglesias, author of Coyote Songs

"In The Queen of the Cicadas, there's a thin, bloody veil between worlds, the past isn't past at all, and you can feel your heart beating in the pages, the words pulsing with life. Touch them if you dare, and don't be surprised if they quiver into flight all around you." -- Stephen Graham Jones, NYT bestselling author of The Only Good Indians

“V. Castro writes like her blood is in the ink. Queen of the Cicadas is the best urban legend story since Candyman, layered and dark and hideously beautiful. It will get way under your skin. If Castro’s not already on your radar, she should be.” -- Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of Ararat and Red Hands

"Writing in breathtaking, atmospheric prose, Castro (Hairspray and Switchblades) merges brutal realism and supernatural terror to create a fierce, memorable tale of Mexican folklore and horror." -- Publishers Weekly Starred Review

"Castro's novel shifts seamlessly from deliciously gory horror narrative to family saga to a tale of righteous vengeance, all while maintaining its unflinching condemnation of colonialism on both sides of the Mexican-American border. A tightly paced story of anti-colonial resistance and shared history that begs to be read in one sitting." -- Kirkus Starred Review

"A riveting #ownvoices novel exploring Mexican folk tales and legends mingled with the history of Texas [...] Castro does not pull any punches. Readers seeking originality and a fresh take on well-worn horror tropes should pick up this novel by a dynamic and innovative voice in horror. -- Booklist Starred Review

"The Queen of the Cicadas is a supremely creepy story that feels like it is creeping into the real world as it is being read." -- A Reviewer Darkly

“Layered and complex, this story takes a creepy urban legend, adds some supernatural horror and a healthy portion of feminist rage and serves it up as a satisfying dish of dark horror and vengeance." -- Reading Odyssey Stephen King and Beyond

“Queen of the Cicadas is an unnerving story that often blends the line between fiction and nonfiction. You get the horror of reality coupled seamlessly with the horror of a campfire tale. You’ll fidget and feel uncomfortable. You’ll hold your breath and feel electricity. V. Castro has a vivid imagination and a wonderful way with words, so you can bet this reader will be paying attention to anything with her name attached." -- Aiden Merchant

"Castro delivers an unflinching, honest, raw, and thought-provoking horror tale that is both serious in its social commentary and fun to read. For fans of gruesome, vengeance-themed horror that is deeply tied to its place and the marginalized identities of its protagonists" -- Becky Spratford, Literary Journal

"Castro’s expert storytelling upends classic horror tropes to make 'The Queen of the Cicadas' an exhilarating and frightening literary ride." -- Los Angeles Review of Books

"A deliciously sinister story" -- Harper's Bazaar

''Mexican-American author Violet Castro delivers a powerhouse horror novel with The Queen of the Cicadas [...]" -- Rue Morgue

"A truly original and surprising work of fiction [...] plot descriptions don't do this debut novel justice as Castro weaves several familiar tropes from the slasher and ghost story sub-genres into a blood-drenched (literally) story of both personal and cultural reclamation." -- Toronto Star

"A keenly written work of suspense that also reflects upon humanity's capacity for good and evil, The Queen of the Cicadas is a compelling page-turner for connoisseurs of the genre. Highly recommended." -- Midwest Book Review

"V Castro builds her own heritage into the mirror mythos, creating a raging revenge novel seeping with vengeance. It's a story of rebirth from the seeds of hate, and how despite that there is still the potential for hope. Oh and it's obviously a horror novel so it's brutal and bloody and buzzing.” -- Only The Dark Reads

About the Author

Violet Castro was born in San Antonio, Texas to Mexican American parents. Since Violet was a child, she wrote short horror stories and was always fascinated with dark fiction beginning with Mexican folklore and the urban legends of Texas. At eighteen Violet left Texas for Philadelphia to attend Drexel University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Political Science and History.

Violet now lives with her family in the U.K. writing and travelling with her children. She tries to return to the US twice a year to see her parents, three sisters and extended family.

For More information about her books and other publications, please visit www.vvcastro.com. You can also follow her on Twitter and Instagram @vlatinalondon.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flame Tree Press (June 22, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1787586030
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1787586031
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 1 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,416,913 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #3,091 in Hispanic American Literature & Fiction
- #12,892 in Occult Fiction

Customer Reviews:
4.0 178 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

V Castro

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

V.Castro is a two time Bram Stoker Award nominated author of Aliens: Vasquez, The Haunting of Alejandra, The Queen of The Cicadas, Goddess of Filth, Hairspray and Switchblades and Out of Atzlan.

She is a Mexican American ex-pat living in the UK for the past 16 years. As a full-time mother, she dedicates her time to her family and writing. She also has site full of Latinx and merch based on her books - www.lamuertemarket.com

www.vcastrostories.com

Instagram and Twitter - @vlatinalondon

TikTok - vcastrobooks

Customer reviews

4 out of 5

178 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all photos

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Kindle Customer

5 stars

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2023

Verified Purchase

The ending broke me. Our queen is so raw and powerful. Castro’s writing is just…. epic. Definitely one of my favorite authors now. This story shows the faith, revenge, justice and a bit of sexy time.

Helpful

Mark Wallace

Great to read a fun book of horror set in this context

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

This book covered a big social context over a number of generations, a big picture approach that I liked a lot. The transitions between sections were a little sloppy and awkward, and the writing was only okay. The horror descriptions were worth it and had a moderately good disgust factor without ever being particularly scary. The morality of the tale was pretty cut-and-dried; it’s clear who’s good and who’s evil and in what degree. There were a few nice surprises, and the narrative always moved at a good pace and there were no parts that I just wanted to skip.

Mostly I’d call this a three-star book except the specific historical and cultural context gives it something new and inventive for horror, which counts for a lot with me. My guess though is that other books exploring this context for horror will likely be more fascinating and complex and better written. Still, the book a very enjoyable read if you want some good gross-outs in a significant sociopolitical context.

Helpful

Phil Dowell

Atmospheric, Haunting, & Important!

Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2021

Verified Purchase

4.5 Stars (Rounded)

V. Castro's "The Queen of the Cicadas" is a gorgeously written, atmospheric tale that seamlessly blends horror & fantasy elements together with searing social justice commentary.

This was such a fresh & unique take on the classic urban legend trope - I loved how Castro weaved Aztec mythology all throughout the book, it was fascinating learning about Mictecacíhuatl & seeing how she'd play into the overall story. I'd consider this to be a slower burn, but Castro really draws you in with her beautiful prose, both haunting & lyrical. I truly had no idea where this was going to go, at all, & really enjoyed how the story kept peeling back layers to reveal deeper meanings behind everyone's role in Mictecacíhuatl's plan. & Castro wasn't afraid to go all out with the creep factor, either - there's a ton of great body horror here. I've said it before & will say it again, I love when horror is multifaceted & brings forth real world issues. This touches upon colonialism, conditions & treatment of migrant workers, femininity & sexuality (loved the queer rep here!), racism, religion - all issues still very prevalent throughout our world today.

I'd highly encourage everyone to give this a read, Castro is such a talented storyteller & I'm really looking forward to reading more of her work!

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Thalia Ramirez

I really wanted to like this book

Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2023

It might just be the writing style for me. Overall great story telling, I love the concept and all the inclusion! Something was just not sitting right with me as a Chicanx was some of the Spanish phrasings and culture descriptions. But I would still suggest giving it a read!

Helpful

Sally Feliz

Great Mexican Folk Horror!

Reviewed in the United States on November 22, 2022

Verified Purchase

3.5 rounded up. This one was totally fun, extremely weird and creepy, kinda sexy and haunting. So much happened that sometimes I feel like I wasn't reading deep enough. Like my enjoyment of the story was just skimming the surface of everything that was going on. I loved the Mexican folklore and historical quality to the parts from the past. And every character was rich and developed. I definitely recommend this, especially to readers who dig folk horror. I think I will do a re-read on this one someday and try to delve a little deeper into the layers.

Helpful

The Girl Who Reads Too Much

Scary, Sexy, Magic!

Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

I love horror most when there's an aspect of social justice involved, and Castro brings it! The agricultural systems of the United States would collapse without undocumented farm workers. It's just a simple, sad, fact. And yet these people live at the lowest tiers of our society, without power or voice...until La Reina! So pull up a chair, crack this book, and watch some racists get their just deserts in this tale about an Aztec Goddess and a woman's revenge. It's a wild ride!

This book is scary, creepy, wonderful, sexy, full of history and magic! I've loved all of Castro's books, but she truly outdid herself with this masterpiece!

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Started off great

Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

*spoilers*
I really wanted to like this book, but I just can’t.

The beginning started off clunky and rushed. The main character, Belinda, had some personal issues and I waited for them to be explained, it never happened. Why did she have a rocky relationship with her son? Why was she so depressed and ready to die? What happened with her last job? Who knows. Belinda never felt fully fleshed out.

Then came the chapters about Milagros and they were FABULOUS! I felt emotions, I learned things (had never heard of the Bracero Program before), and I was plumb mesmerized by her story.

Then the story got weird and went all over the place. Revenge, ghost hunters, a threesome with a skinless demon queen, graphic murders, a same sex couple’s fertility struggles and IVF journey, etc etc. All the different story lines popped up so quickly that it was hard to keep up. And, hard to continue on. I plugged away because I hate putting down books, but I felt confused and let down after I finished.

Five stars strictly for the 1950s Milagros story line. It was beautiful and painful. Docking two stars due to the not fully formed main character and the off the rails last few chapters.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jalissa Salazar

phenomenal

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2022

Verified Purchase

Wow this was just phenomenal! Castros Spanglish was used so perfectly it really made it feel so authentic. Such a haunting tale was told and yet it was written so beautifully. So grateful I found this

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Joleen Niehörster

Best book ever

Reviewed in Germany on December 7, 2023

Verified Purchase

Read this! It’s amazing

K. Harrison

An atmospheric, filmic horror which would make an incredible movie

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 14, 2023

Verified Purchase

The Queen of the Cicadas is hands down one of the most filmic horror books I've ever read. Everything felt so visual, it played out like a movie inside my head.
The twin timelines worked perfectly, teasing out elements of the story until its eventual conclusion.
The protagonist and characters in general felt grounded, flawed and reflective, and the way the folklore-new and old-was woven into the story was masterful.
I'd had this one on my Kindle for a while and I'm so glad I finally got to it. Highly recommended.

Kindle Customer

Brilliant

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2023

Verified Purchase

Read in only a few hours was so brilliant, scary but with a message, time to stop with the nastiness…thumbs up

Deanna

a stunning exploration of female sexuality and Mexican culture

Reviewed in Australia on April 2, 2022

Verified Purchase

She’s done it again! I read Goddess of Filth last year and LOVED it – adored the exploration of sexuality, friendship, femininity and the peek into Mexican culture and storytelling.

This book is much of the same. It’s heartbreaking and graphic and very confronting – told in two timelines – the first following Bianca, who is attending a wedding at the place where a woman was lynched in the 1950s; the second timelines follows the woman who died, Milgaros, a farm worker from Mexico. We also get to see the consequences for the women who murdered her. It was an upsetting read.

Similar to Goddess of Filth, a goddess comes through to help Milgaros (I believe it’s the goddess of Death?) get her revenge as La Reina de Las Chicharras. As gory and awful as the revenge was – I loved it. It was deserved for sure.

There’s a lot of the story that follows La Reina de Las Chicharras becoming a goddess of sorts in her own right, and Bianca and her friend Hector exploring what happened to Milgaros, as well as an exploration of their own beliefs, their families, and their culture. The ending was again, very upsetting, but I feel like on reflection I understand why it happened.

I’ve already bough V. Castro’s short story collection to read next as I know that this is an author I will keep coming back to no matter what.

Amazon Customer

A powerful and unexpected read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

Through Queen of the Cicadas, V Castro does a great job of bringing to life the Latina experience of today, as well that of decades ago. I really felt for her characters and what they went through, despite not being of that background myself. I was particularly impressed by her diverse and skillful use of metaphors to make her characters "pop" off the page. Also, while I could foresee where she was going in the early part of the book, the second half took me by surprise, which was a treat!

One person found this helpful

See more reviews

Follow the author

The Queen of the Cicadas (Fiction Without Frontiers) Hardcover – June 22, 2021

Purchase options and add-ons

Similar items that may deliver to you quickly

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Product details

Videos

About the author

V Castro

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries