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slane4nik's review against another edition
3.0
A comfy and rather inventive neo-gothic horror, but it took me a while to take to it, and considering the buzz it has generated, I'd expect more.
gracewagers's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
nenation's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
zoecaitart's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
Was really hoping to like this. Found the plot very simple and formulaic and the ending too silly and overly complicated to be at all scary or exciting.
jenpaul13's review against another edition
3.0
An incoherent letter brings an unlikely rescuer to an odd, remote English home in the Mexican countryside to face inconceivable challenges in Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Noemí Taboada is a well-off debutante accustomed to dressing well, flirting with men in her social circle, and determinedly pursuing her own course in life. So when her father receives a letter from Noemí’s recently married cousin Catalina that raises concern about Catalina’s wellbeing, Noemí heads to High Place, the estate of Catalina’s husband’s family to discover what might have prompted the disconcerting letter. The house is strange and it begins to creep into Noemí’s mind in unnerving ways, not to mention that the rules of Doyle family are rather odd -remaining quiet, asking for permission to leave the house – which fundamentally contradict Noemí’s general demeanor. There are secrets within and about High Place that Noemí is determined to find out, plying the youngest member of the Doyle family for information and assistance, but the deeper she digs the greater the violence, and madness, the house reveals and Noemí begins to fear that it may not be possible to leave.
Embracing Gothic tendencies of the genre well, there’s a suitably eerie atmosphere to this story that’s exacerbated by the information being withheld from Noemí, and therefore the reader, to lend an overall air of mystery to the seemingly mundane. Noemí was presented as a strong-willed character and when placed in stark contrast with her more docile cousin, she is fiercely bold and you want her to survive the circumstances she’s up against. With the close character focus of the narrative over events to drive the plot, there’s an odd pacing to the story where it moves rather slowly initially and then suddenly picks up speed to race to its conclusion over the last few pages, quickly brushing over a lot of the weirdness that makes the bland premise more unique and would have been much more interesting to have included throughout in greater detail; there were portions of the story where it felt like you were abruptly in a wildly different story before being dropped back in the confines of the “normal” story, which made the fantastic forays feel disjointed from the majority of the narrative rather than an intrinsic part of it for a cohesive whole.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Noemí Taboada is a well-off debutante accustomed to dressing well, flirting with men in her social circle, and determinedly pursuing her own course in life. So when her father receives a letter from Noemí’s recently married cousin Catalina that raises concern about Catalina’s wellbeing, Noemí heads to High Place, the estate of Catalina’s husband’s family to discover what might have prompted the disconcerting letter. The house is strange and it begins to creep into Noemí’s mind in unnerving ways, not to mention that the rules of Doyle family are rather odd -remaining quiet, asking for permission to leave the house – which fundamentally contradict Noemí’s general demeanor. There are secrets within and about High Place that Noemí is determined to find out, plying the youngest member of the Doyle family for information and assistance, but the deeper she digs the greater the violence, and madness, the house reveals and Noemí begins to fear that it may not be possible to leave.
Embracing Gothic tendencies of the genre well, there’s a suitably eerie atmosphere to this story that’s exacerbated by the information being withheld from Noemí, and therefore the reader, to lend an overall air of mystery to the seemingly mundane. Noemí was presented as a strong-willed character and when placed in stark contrast with her more docile cousin, she is fiercely bold and you want her to survive the circumstances she’s up against. With the close character focus of the narrative over events to drive the plot, there’s an odd pacing to the story where it moves rather slowly initially and then suddenly picks up speed to race to its conclusion over the last few pages, quickly brushing over a lot of the weirdness that makes the bland premise more unique and would have been much more interesting to have included throughout in greater detail; there were portions of the story where it felt like you were abruptly in a wildly different story before being dropped back in the confines of the “normal” story, which made the fantastic forays feel disjointed from the majority of the narrative rather than an intrinsic part of it for a cohesive whole.
nfleow's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
5.0
bexlu77's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
lexereads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Let it burn!! I love a good sentient house. I don’t think I will ever look at a mushroom the same again. Virgil, I didn’t know I could loathe a man sooo much, but it true. She looked into his blue eyes and wondered if one day she would see gold?!! Wow this book was wild
emmarena's review against another edition
4.0
Dark and creepy, especially when you get to the big reveal. This feels like a fuller version of The Yellow Wallpaper, which I always loved. If you enjoyed the Gothic novels you probably had to read for school, this might be for you, too!