Reviews tagging 'Murder'

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

577 reviews

zoe_archambault's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.0

all i wanted was something like 'the hauting of the hill house' by sherley jackson but all i got was the author's gross sexual assault fantasy and a half assed mystery thrown in the background. The mystery was at least a decent backdrop that made the (MANY) assaults make sense??? but also stockholm syndrome? or mental fuckery as everything descends into madness but it was honestly done so badly and in such poor taste i hated every second of it

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Murder, Confinement, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Gun violence, Death, Classism, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Incest

Moderate: Cannibalism, Racism, Mass/school shootings, Gore, and Grief

ahmay's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad 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

3.0

Interesting concept, however, the execution was lacking. I get that it’s supposed to be mysterious and weird but a lot of things are just told and not shown or explained—the irony being that I find a lot of details to be over explained.

It’s just the way it is.

Boring. At times, awkward. It feels like the narrator is trying to be deeper than they actually are.

The book is set in the 50s, but the dialogue isn’t very characteristic of this time period, ruining the immersion for me.

Now, I’m a sucker for romance, so Francis and Noemí was mostly the only thing that kept me turning the page.

Also lots of grossness, very much horror ! But as I said, the over-explaining annoys me to no end.

I don’t get how Great Uncle Howard had so much influence on everyone else? I suppose they were deeply infected by the spores and whatnot, but the portrayal of him as a godly figure is lacking. To me, he’s just some creepy old guy. And I get that I’m an “outsider,” so I can’t completely understand. But I’m sure there was a much better way of showing his power and control.

I’m sure I have more to say (and a better way of wording my review) because I cannot shut up for the life of me, but that’s all for now. :)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Murder, and Incest

Moderate: Cannibalism, Xenophobia, and Sexual assault

Minor: Rape, Gun violence, Classism, Child abuse, and Colonisation

elizas's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Highly unusual, and I really liked the way that 1950s Gothic tropes were transferred to Mexico. I felt the first half of the book was very slow, though, and the second half often grim. I would highly recommend checking content warnings if you have any triggers.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Incest, Sexism, Kidnapping, Bullying, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, and Confinement

Minor: Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Abandonment, Colonisation, Confinement, Rape, and Child death

katemarie99's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

4.0

It's giving Saltburn. It's giving Wuthering Heights. It's giving Beloved. It's giving The Yellow Wallpaper. It's giving Get Out. It's giving Alice in Wonderland.

I'm spooked down to my very bones, but this is a good book. Do yourself a favor and check out TWs first, tho.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Misogyny, Sexism, and Death

Moderate: Death of parent, Rape, Incest, Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, Murder, Child death, Colonisation, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Physical abuse, and Pregnancy

ronjaorsomething's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

The book started out rather slow but then it got really intense and unhinged (in a good way) really fast. The author definitely knows how to create tension and shock moments. At first the mc didn't really seem likable but she grows on you and it's really interesting to see how she deals with the situation.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual harassment, and Racism

Moderate: Cannibalism

Minor: Incest and Suicide

bookishchaos's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

5.0

This definitely took a different turn than I was expecting, but I was hooked! Gothic Horror is one of my favorite genres and this did not disappoint. It has a slow start and lots of build-up but that just made the suspense and unsettledness better in my opinion. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Gore, and Body horror

Moderate: Sexual assault

Minor: Incest

cakegeek's review against another edition

dark slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Rape, Incest, Racism, Gaslighting, Suicide, Sexual assault, and Gore

emzinator's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-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? No

4.75

This book has a sleepy lull in the first half - but don't worry, it picks up SO much. I think this book reads almost like a screenplay, and I hope the Hulu limited series gets back on track! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Sexual harassment, Racism, Toxic relationship, and Gore

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Colonisation, Death, Drug use, Incest, Gaslighting, Blood, Confinement, Child death, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Murder

markitherainbowreader's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder and Incest

Moderate: Cannibalism, Child death, and Racism

melanishka's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

4.5

4.5, rounded up 

This was.... not at all what I was expecting. Beautiful writing, absolutely terrifying setting and premise, and progressively spookier with every chapter. I loved the ending leaving a bit of uneasiness with you. I'd love to see this adapted into a film or Netflix series!

(.5 stars removed for the unnecessary baby cannibalism thing?)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Body horror, Miscarriage, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Incest, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Child death, Child abuse, Cannibalism, and Blood