Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Mexican Gothic

Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

877 reviews

jovanh's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was exactly what you'd expect from a Gothic horror story:

Moldering Victorian mansion
An aristacratic family with secrets
Gaslighting
Creepy dreams

If you enjoy this genre, as I do, this book will fit the bill. That said, I felt like I knew what was going on pretty early. That could be because I've a bit too much Gothic horror. Or it could be due to the author's repeated description and motifs. Regardless it's was a fun read.

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meesesmooses's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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caseybones's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-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? It's complicated

4.25

Initially reminiscent of The Hound of the Baskervilles and The Haunting of Hill House, before becoming more like something out of Alien crossed with Interview with a Vampire. Things moved slowly for the first half of the book but picked up in the second half, turning into a full sprint by the last couple of chapters. Not my favorite pacing but I couldn’t put the book down once

Francis reacted so strongly to Noemi’s speculation about arsenic leeching out of the walls

and I started to get an idea of what might be going on.

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shellroch285's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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blue_guitar's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

I read this as part of the 2024 r/fantasy Bingo – Author of Color

Given the pedigree this book had, I was really looking forward to reading it. I have to same I'm disappointed with it. I certainly didn't hate it but it was a let down for me overall.

The story follows Noemí Taboada, a young socialite in 1950's Mexico City who is sent to investigate her cousin Catalina after a mysterious letter arrived which seemed full of strange tidings. Noemi then ventures to a rural town and a lonely mansion on a hill where her cousin lives with her husband's old English family.

It's a good set up for a classic gothic horror story. Unfortunately, for about half the book, Neomi (and the plot) just kind of putters along. Long sequences of Neomi wandering around. Noticing the fog, the coldness of the family, the ouroborus symbol (a snake that eats it's tail) this is pointed out many, many times.

It wasn't until about the halfway point that the many divergent elements start to come together and pace pick up but honestly, it was near DNF for me. The picking up part felt like a major ramp up, a zero to one hundred and that didn't feel great. For a gothic horror, I wish more clues were given to what was actually happening before the big reveal.

I also wish there was more of Mexico in the book. Initially it seemed like the themes of colonialism was going to play a bigger role, the family in the book are Social Darwinists, but overall and by the end, it seemed to hardly matter that it was set in Mexico.

Finally, the biggest issue is I think with Noemi herself. She's not the most dynamic or interesting character. She always tells us exactly what she thinks and she never really undergoes any change or growth.

Over all, I think Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a good writer - but this book just didn't hit the mark for me.

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lou_loo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

I had very high hopes for this book and I have to say I'm a bit disappointed.
By no means was it bad, but it wasn't as good as I expected.
I would say my main takeaway was the atmosphere. I'd been told this book had a distinct eery and gothic atmosphere, yet I couldn't find it, it felt like the only atmosphere there was to see was mould and mouldy wallpaper.
The writing style wasn't bad by any means (I had already read Gods of Jade and Shadow by S. Moreno-Garcia, and I loved it), but it didn't feel adequate for the mood she was trying to construct.
The plot and the intrigue were super interesting though, I was trying to understand what was going on and felt compelled to read until the end to find out even with the lack of the atmosphere I was searching for. I also feel like the characters were well-developed at first, but didn't evolve much throughout the book. The situation Noemi was in was getting increasingly worse and worrying, yet she didn't seem much troubled by it.

Even if these elements took me out of the story and the vibes during my read, I have to say that I still enjoyed reading it and I will read more books by Silvia Moreno Garcia. I could recommend this book, but not for someone looking for a gothic and eerie vibe.

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