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vanesszab's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
applemagnet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
dana_yamaguchi's review against another edition
2.0
"The world might indeed be a cursed circle;
the snake swallowed its tail and there could be no end,
only an eternal ruination and endless devouring."
-Noemí Taboada, from Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
dannber87'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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
amywoo's review against another edition
5.0
Great atmospheric gothic literature. Similar Poe retelling as 'What moves the dead' and somehow even better
siiidd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
ajwhite116's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
georgie_27's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
scooby-doo meets killer mushrooms. amazing ending.
manderzreadz's review against another edition
4.0
Woah. Though it was a slow start, this book blew my mind. I normally read psychological thrillers, but this book had me up at night until I finished it. Such a great book to read during spooky season!
sklus's review against another edition
5.0
I think this is going to be my favorite book of the year. Because it's a horror thriller, I think it's most impactful the less you know about it, so I'm going to describe the plot as little as possible. But I do want to give a sexual assault trigger warning. Also, characters in the book discuss eugenics and racism frequently, which may be triggering. I won't be discussing it in my review, but it's something to keep in mind if you're interested in reading the book!
Because I'm not going to give a summary, I think my strongest endorsement of the book would just be talking about media it reminds me of. Of course, the book is its own beautiful thing, but it gave me Crimson Peak (2015) vibes. The old creepy house and weird family is just *chef's kisses* for me. This link is a little more tentative, but the oldest Doyle reminded me of the Duke from "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. Which I highly recommend giving a read, because despite being written by a man in the 1800s, it just understands the male gaze and men's treatment of women like objects. Lastly, the book heavily references "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman AKA the first feminist text I ever had to analyze in school. Again, if you haven't already read it, I highly recommend giving the short story a read. It's very much a second wave feminism (white, middle-class women's concerns) exploration of women's mental health and treatment. So if you enjoy any of these three things, I think you'll like this book.
Setting aside all the media it referenced and reminded me of, I think this book is just a good horror/thriller/historical thriller. Everything that happened in the book made sense; there wasn't a twist ending that popped out of nowhere or a weird romance with the big bad, which are two of my biggest pet peeves with thrillers. Throughout the book, there were little references to what was really happening that made the ending make sense, despite being a twist, which is my bread and butter as a reader. But what made it a 5-star for me was all the ways it comments on colonialism, racism, colorism, and sexism. From my white lady perspective it was done really well. The author herself is Mexican, which gives more credit to the book being a good portrayal of all the terrible thing white people have done in Mexico than my endorsement. Mexican Gothic was a good story and it said some good things. And I like that.
Because I'm not going to give a summary, I think my strongest endorsement of the book would just be talking about media it reminds me of. Of course, the book is its own beautiful thing, but it gave me Crimson Peak (2015) vibes. The old creepy house and weird family is just *chef's kisses* for me. This link is a little more tentative, but the oldest Doyle reminded me of the Duke from "My Last Duchess" by Robert Browning. Which I highly recommend giving a read, because despite being written by a man in the 1800s, it just understands the male gaze and men's treatment of women like objects. Lastly, the book heavily references "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman AKA the first feminist text I ever had to analyze in school. Again, if you haven't already read it, I highly recommend giving the short story a read. It's very much a second wave feminism (white, middle-class women's concerns) exploration of women's mental health and treatment. So if you enjoy any of these three things, I think you'll like this book.
Setting aside all the media it referenced and reminded me of, I think this book is just a good horror/thriller/historical thriller. Everything that happened in the book made sense; there wasn't a twist ending that popped out of nowhere or a weird romance with the big bad, which are two of my biggest pet peeves with thrillers. Throughout the book, there were little references to what was really happening that made the ending make sense, despite being a twist, which is my bread and butter as a reader. But what made it a 5-star for me was all the ways it comments on colonialism, racism, colorism, and sexism. From my white lady perspective it was done really well. The author herself is Mexican, which gives more credit to the book being a good portrayal of all the terrible thing white people have done in Mexico than my endorsement. Mexican Gothic was a good story and it said some good things. And I like that.