Reviews tagging 'Sexual violence'

Мексиканская готика by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

387 reviews

chocolatewings's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

If these creepy ass men don't get tf away, I swear.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Cannibalism, Death, and Incest

Moderate: Blood, Sexual assault, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Body horror, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Cursing, Classism, and Colonisation

kateinsurreallife's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

0.5

If you’re coming to the reviews like I did to see if you’re alone… you’re not! This book was such a disappointment from the way people have talked about it. If you’re in the middle of reading this thinking the third act is going to save it, it doesn’t. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Incest, Sexual assault, Misogyny, and Colonisation

ebp's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Rape, Misogyny, Child death, Racism, Classism, Violence, Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Sexism, Colonisation, Confinement, Xenophobia, Sexual assault, and Body horror

Moderate: Terminal illness, Gun violence, Drug use, Blood, Suicide, Incest, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Cannibalism, Bullying, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Miscarriage

sonaea's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

I really can't rate this book. One could argue for every single possible rating.

I really liked the first half (4+ stars) though there are a lot of problematic things in there (esp. in the later half) that aren't handled very well/believably (~2 stars).

At the start there's not a lot of plot but rather a lot of just the vibes of dark, creepy houses, though the plot picks up at about the middle. I was surprised by the solution to the puzzle as I did not expect

it to be some kind of supernatural thing going on, I actually thought the plants in the greenhouse were poisonous and the family poisoned the cousins

. What it turned out to be was a bit irritating at first but once I got over that, the rest of the read was quite enjoyable.
I really liked that Noemí is headstrong, intelligent and doesn't let people run her over. That made an interesting protagonist and the setting was quite nice too as I haven't read many books set in historic Mexico (though that wasn't really in the focus of the story).

I also liked how she slowly gets to know Francis and I think their relationship to each other is really interesting.

Also, I feared they wouldn't burn the house down but then they did so I'm glad, that was absolutely called for.

What could have used a bit more work is the pacing (at the first half of the book next to nothing happens, it's just all vibes and setting and only the slightest hints, while in the second half it's reveal after reveal). I would have liked that to be more stretched out in the book.
Also the action scenes at the end were not written like action scenes but rather just the same as the scenes about the setting (short descriptions, all the sentences about the same length, no focus on anything. There was next to no suspense in the writing. The only bit of suspense came from the plot though that wasn't a lot because

the way the book was set up, the way that books work, it was kind of obvious they'd make it out of it alive

). So that could have made the book a lot better.

!!! Also there are a LOT of pretty heavy topics in this book, some CNs would have been appreciated!!!

CN r*pe:

Also there are a few scenes where Virgil (nearly) rapes Noemí and that seems to have next to no emotional impact on Noemí?! At first I get it because she thought it was just a dream but then she figured out it wasn't and Virgil continues his doings?! So how the hell can she just act as if all that didn't happen?
That's a part where I think some character work would have been necessary. Her reacting shocked and then continuing as if normal really doesn't fit the situation.

CN c*n*balism:

also wth why is this mentioned in a side sentence and then just totally ignored? How does that not have any effect on the protagonist's psyche? I get that the psyche wasn't the center of the book (though why? Isn't Neomí actually really interested in that?) But the characters learn about that and it has literally NO IMPACT on any of their actions!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gaslighting, Gore, Misogyny, Incest, Sexual assault, Murder, Classism, and Racism

Moderate: Terminal illness, Suicide, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Rape, Sexual violence, Stalking, Gore, Gun violence, Medical content, Kidnapping, and Violence

Minor: Vomit and Miscarriage

There are A LOT of problematic things happening. Most are mentioned, the description style of the book isn't one that goes into detail much. I tried to find most things that should have a CN, but I certainly didn't get every single one. So do be careful when reading this book! (Also I added 'toxic relationship' by which 'toxic family-relationship' is meant)

angelfireeast24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Child death, Violence, Slavery, and Murder

Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Vomit, Alcohol, and Miscarriage

Had me on the edge of my seat. I both wanted to throw the book across the room due to the unsettling nature of the subject matter and read another page to know what will happen.

I like that in the end, there was no one person being the grand hero. Everyone had their moment. All I'm thinking at the end of the story is they better not have kids together. Cause I know that it will come again down the bloodline. Also, all three of their bodies better be burnt when they die

dirt_enthusiast's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

1.0

Considering the hype around this book I was excited to read it and it fell so flat for me, and actually I walked away hating it. The writing felt redundant and uninteresting until it became gruesome, gory, and disgusting. The characters bored me, besides it being set in Mexico with one Mexican main character, it was almost entirely devoid of any other Mexican cultural aspects, which was disappointing and focused instead around a creepy English family in Mexico. All around extremely disappointing writing, characters, and what could’ve been an interesting plot felt slow and stunted by a half baked romance that really took away from the book.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Body horror, Incest, Violence, Sexual violence, Gore, Rape, and Sexual assault

What was most disappointing was the romance that the author tried to slip in that was not only out of place but also

a ‘men can do horrible things and still get the girl because he’s quirky and pathetic’

type story. This was not a story that needed half baked romance and it really brought it down to a 1/5 starts for me

celery's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Infertility, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Vomit, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

shay_books's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

This book fucked me up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gore, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Incest

perifairy's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Body horror, and Gore

Minor: Incest

moonlightjuju's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

"Mexican Gothic" presents a compelling narrative reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" (although I have not seen many make this connection) albeit set in Mexico and intertwined with underlying race issues. Throughout the story, the gripping plot held my attention, although it received a rating of 4 stars due to certain areas that left me wishing for further exploration.

Firstly, I longed for more depth into the character of Catalina, the cousin at the center of the tale. While glimpses of her backstory and personality were provided through flashbacks and Noemí's commentary, they proved insufficient. Strengthening the narrative could have been achieved through dual perspectives, offering insights from both Catalina and Noemí or by dedicating several chapters—perhaps 5 to 10— to Catalina's experiences post-marriage, leading up to her pivotal letter to Noemí.

Additionally, greater insight into Francis would have enhanced comprehension surrounding his motivations, particularly concerning his

betrayal of his mother

. While Noemí's burgeoning feelings for him were evident, his own sentiments remained unclear. Did he reciprocate her affection, or was there another driving force behind his actions?

Overall, "Mexican Gothic" delivers a captivating narrative with echoes of classic literature, but the potential for deeper character exploration leaves room for improvement. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexism, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Racism, Death, Suicide, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Incest, Gore, Gaslighting, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Body horror