Reviews tagging 'Body horror'

Mexican Gothic - Mexikói rémtörténet by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

852 reviews

ahmay's review against another edition

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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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katemarie99's review against another edition

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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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clairebartholomew549's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • 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

3.0

I do not know how to feel about this book lmao. Moreno-Garcia does a good job of creating this sort of creeping sense of horror and realizations, and Noémi is a compelling character with a ton of backbone. But somehow, despite this book not being very long, it feels like it really dragged on: there are a ton of reveals around 2/3 of the way through the book, and I felt like the next 100 pages both moved very slowly, and went a million different places that made no sense. I appreciated the author's critique of colonialism and cultural sexism, but this one just didn't work for me.

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bookishchaos's review against another edition

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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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emzinator's review against another edition

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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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asims723's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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? Yes

4.75


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melanishka's review against another edition

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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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livelylizzzzz's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

* A creepy and poetically dark mystery *

Mexican Gothic had me hooked from the beginning not only because of the mysterious premise but also the style of writing. The style of writing reminded me a little of something from Mary Shelley. (Although it's been a while since I've read Frankenstein.) The style of writing is very poetic and dark with a nice hint of embedded narrative. This was my first ever Audiobook so I really enjoyed the narration by Frankie Corzo as well, her voice was very soothing and went well with the tone of the book.

Noemi Taboada receives a letter from her cousin Catalina that insists that her newly wed husband is trying to kill her. This immediately gives a sense of urgency and intrigue as Noemi travels outside of her home to help her cousin. Upon arrival she finds her cousin is sick and with her sanity in question. Not only does Noemi seek to help her cousin but also questions just who are the Doyle's, the family in which Catalina has married into so suddenly.

I automatically connected with the protagonist Noemi and found her to be very likeable and sassy. I knew instantly that going through the journey of this mystery, with this character, was going to be entertaining and refreshing. The setting is in 1950s Mexico, the way of life was far different then now, so the topics of racism and sexism held importance within the story. Just these topics alone sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions, with me having to remind myself that back then woman were viewed differently and acted differently as well. This was my first gothic novel in years, so I definitely had to adjust. Not only did those types of topics emerge but also some with much more disturbing natures, such as body horror, gore, incest and assault. So this is a warning to those that might be a little more sensitive to those types of topics and themes.

After adjusting to the raw, yet poetic, nature of the story, I found myself invested deeply into solving the mystery that is the Doyle Family. The novel is extremely character driven which is fascinating yet can drag on at times. This book is definitely a slow burn read, but has a thrilling and exciting, well worth it, ending. If I could change anything I'd like to see more of the facts and folklore of the story that was a bit rushed towards the end, to be fleshed out more in the middle of the story. I feel this would add more to the mystery of the Doyle family and the dark atmosphere the story held.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading my first Gothic and era driven novel in years. I would definitely recommend this story to others and I am looking forward to seeing it's Netflix adaptation.

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raybudbury's review against another edition

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dark 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? Yes

3.0

I feel like horror is one of the hardest genres to write because I feel like an ending has to land for it to be amazing. 

I liked a lot of the setting, atmosphere, main character, etc. But the ending fell off for me. 

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amyiris's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.75


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