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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Hooooo boy Silvia Moreno-Garcia never disappoints 🖤.
Mexican Gothic is an atmospheric tale about a fiery socialite, Noemi, who receives a letter from her recently married cousin asking for help at her husband’s mountainside manor. Noemi’s journey is fraught with references to colonialism, misogyny, and eugenics, so take care while reading. Noemi is a fantastic main character who is rational, charming, and realistic; she definitely has earned a top spot in my favorite horror fmcs!
Mexican Gothic was a great read! A lot of heavy stuff is covered, but I loved the relationships Noemi has with Francis and Catalina. I think the metaphors and symbolism got a little heavy handed after a bit, but that’s my only complaint.
4.25 ⭐️
Mexican Gothic is an atmospheric tale about a fiery socialite, Noemi, who receives a letter from her recently married cousin asking for help at her husband’s mountainside manor. Noemi’s journey is fraught with references to colonialism, misogyny, and eugenics, so take care while reading. Noemi is a fantastic main character who is rational, charming, and realistic; she definitely has earned a top spot in my favorite horror fmcs!
Mexican Gothic was a great read! A lot of heavy stuff is covered, but I loved the relationships Noemi has with Francis and Catalina. I think the metaphors and symbolism got a little heavy handed after a bit, but that’s my only complaint.
4.25 ⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Colonisation
Moderate: Incest
Minor: Cannibalism
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
No
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I really liked the setting and the main character. The dialogue was a bit rough and I’m not sure if that was a product of the audiobook or the writing. Interesting story and parallels, but also some gruesome descriptive scenes.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm not completely sure how I feel about this book to be honest.
As someone who know very little about Mexican history, a lot of the backstory and little references to past events were very interesting to me and make me want to learn more. Although the book is set in the 1950s, it definitely evokes Victorian (or even earlier) gothic novels with the old English mansion with little technology. It definitely made me feel claustrophobic.
I thought the tension built up very well, with the mystery behind the house and the familyand the mushrooms! . At points I almost felt like I was losing *my* mind!
I like that throughout the story, Noemi becomes less selfish and matures - I found her a bit insufferable in the first chapter I will admit. I also thought the author toed the line of having her be independent and self-reliant but also able to lean on others when she needs to.
Race and eugenics are a recurrent theme throughout the book that I wish had been brought up more than they ultimately were. I may be a bit dense (and white) but I was expecting more of the white characters to be obviously racist (there were racist let's be clear but two of them weren't as much as I would have expected given their upbringings).
I think that Noemi's cousin is an underutilised character despite being the main catalyst for the story. I understand her role and that her and Noemi need to be separated for a good chunk of the plot but I don't think she got satisfying closure when all of the other characters of import do.
There's a recurring motif that I don't think was that well executed, it comes a little late in the story to start and it feels like the book is TELLING me that this is important rather than just letting it come across as important through the events of the story.
I feel like the third act ratcheting everything up made sense but I found the break neck pace to be rather jarring after the wonderfully built up tension of the first two thirds of the book. And I feel like certain reveals would have been better if spread out rather than everything basically getting revealed in just a few chapters at the end.
To conclude, I did enjoy this book but it didn't full come together for me. It has a cohesive whole and there weren't any major lingering questions but I have some small ones that niggle with me a bit.
As someone who know very little about Mexican history, a lot of the backstory and little references to past events were very interesting to me and make me want to learn more. Although the book is set in the 1950s, it definitely evokes Victorian (or even earlier) gothic novels with the old English mansion with little technology. It definitely made me feel claustrophobic.
I thought the tension built up very well, with the mystery behind the house and the family
I like that throughout the story, Noemi becomes less selfish and matures - I found her a bit insufferable in the first chapter I will admit. I also thought the author toed the line of having her be independent and self-reliant but also able to lean on others when she needs to.
Race and eugenics are a recurrent theme throughout the book that I wish had been brought up more than they ultimately were. I may be a bit dense (and white) but I was expecting more of the white characters to be obviously racist (there were racist let's be clear but two of them weren't as much as I would have expected given their upbringings).
I think that Noemi's cousin is an underutilised character despite being the main catalyst for the story. I understand her role and that her and Noemi need to be separated for a good chunk of the plot but I don't think she got satisfying closure when all of the other characters of import do.
There's a recurring motif that I don't think was that well executed, it comes a little late in the story to start and it feels like the book is TELLING me that this is important rather than just letting it come across as important through the events of the story.
I feel like the third act ratcheting everything up made sense but I found the break neck pace to be rather jarring after the wonderfully built up tension of the first two thirds of the book. And I feel like certain reveals would have been better if spread out rather than everything basically getting revealed in just a few chapters at the end.
To conclude, I did enjoy this book but it didn't full come together for me. It has a cohesive whole and there weren't any major lingering questions but I have some small ones that niggle with me a bit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Incest, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail