Reviews

The Houseguest: And Other Stories by Amparo Dávila

ssibold's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.5

cyrenasea's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.25

headinthebooks's review

3.0

Some was scary.. some was boring af, so normal

broccoligoddess's review

3.0

I was looking forward to reading this collection of stories for a while, but was disappointed when I finally picked up the book. It was a struggle to get through it. I’m all for ambiguity in horror but each story was too vague for me to feel… anything - anything other than mildly annoyed and bored. There are bits and pieces I liked of the writing but was overall left feeling unsatisfied.

sofiroa_'s review

dark funny reflective fast-paced

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

3.0

a few gret stories, but the other are just impossible to remember 

tdem122's review against another edition

3.0

[1st read from 27/5/2023 to 28/5/2023] — 3⭐️

— there’s genuinely nothing i hate more than having to give mid ratings to mexican lit but it is what it is. also, i think i have to finally accept that i’m not a short story type of person no matter how much i try

n1y4d's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

wasabiapple's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.25

maddy_brown99's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.25

I wish this had unnerved me as much as I wanted it to! There were some interesting atmospheric things, but nothing really got to me. 

tildahlia's review

3.0

A very short collection to whip through. I found it a bit patchy and ultimately there was a sameness that took away some of the individual power of the stories. I also feel like the groundwork hadn't been laid enough for some of the dramatic story endings, but I did enjoy the dark themes and the unsettling feelings that they conjured up.