Reviews with content warning for Suicide attempt - Mexican Gothic

I’m not usually a horror fan but I picked up this book looking to expand more into the genre. It definitely delivered. I enjoyed the main character a lot and thought the pacing was mostly good, only lagging a bit in the middle. The imagery was captivating, effortlessly portraying the setting’s mixture of beauty and death. I didn’t think a book could unsettle me so much, but the descriptions of gore (with Howard) and some of the dreams really got to me. It was maybe a bit too intense for my taste but still very well written and a compelling enough story that I wanted to finish it anyway.

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urs's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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gladiolus17's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-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

4.5

I liked how the MC breaks stereotypes with being both beautiful and smart, and I also liked that she was strong-willed, because that moved the plot.

I enjoyed the integration of mushrooms in the novel, because it made the ghosts plausible, and was also a device that I haven’t seen in gothic novels before.

As well, since this novel was about genetic purity, I appreciated that Noemi’s Spanish helped in saving her. It was her own heritage, “inferior blood,” that could get past the evil in the house.

My only complaint was that the book was a little heavy-handed with the eugenics in beginning. I know that this was an important point to the plot, but I felt that it could’ve been introduced in a more subtle way. When it came up, I felt as if the writing was trying to signal the reader that Howard was the bad guy in an overly-direct way.

As well, maybe I just skipped over this in my audiobook, but I wasn’t sure what the point of Noemi’s wrist-rash was!

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combepherre's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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cottontail's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

What this book is:
Atmospheric. This book gives an excellent gothic atmosphere. Enjoyable characters. Not all of the characters are complex, but the experience of peeling back the layers on the characters is really fun. Whimsey. It's hard to describe this without spoilers, but this book employs a lovely balance between grounding in reality and high concept whimsy. These whimsical elements also tie in wonderfully thematically to the plot and themes. Themes. This book's atmosphere isn't just aesthetic but is also entangled with its themes. This book has a lot of interesting themes that will keep you thinking.

What this book isn't:
Mexican. Despite the title, setting, and main character all being Mexican don't expect any Mexican culture. I picked this up after reading a book with Mexican leads and gaining an appreciation for learning about Mexican culture in a fictional setting. But the majority of characters in this book are white and the POC behave exactly like the white characters. The only Mexican culture here is an exploration of colonialism and eugenics from the white male perspective. Also, the main character is very passive. She's set up being headstrong and canny, though her personality is consistent and enjoyable she's a lot more passive than the setup would suggest. This is because unlike most modern novels this book is plot-driven instead of character-driven. Though the characters act according to their personalities and motivations, they don't actively drive the plot but rather unwrap the mystery. This gives the book a slow pace which actually works for the benefit of:

Conclusion:
This isn't my usual book because of its slow pace and plot-driven style. When I first read it I wasn't sure if I'd finish it because I thought it wasn't for me but the mysterious gothic atmosphere had me feeling like there was always something crawling just beneath the surface and I'm glad I kept reading [even if it was just for the dank gothic vibes] because this is now a got to reread for me. The reveals, whimsical twists, and masterfully hidden themes and subtext woven into the atmosphere make this novel even more enjoyable on a reread. Once the secrets were unveiled it only left me more excited to go back and read it all over again. I would highly recommend for someone who likes a good mystery, enjoys a melancholy gothic atmosphere, and loves a bit of whimsey.

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