Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Meksikos gotika

Read this for book club not knowing what to expect.
There is definitely a great atmosphere to this book. I had dreams specifically about the dread and mystery in this book while reading it. Overall, it's got a decent plot. Is Noemi's cousin insane? Is the house really haunted? Is there more to the story of High Place?
We get all the answers. I personally didn't like the answer to the great mystery but it isn't my book lol. I had two theories as to what it was straight away and one of them was relatively close to the author's chosen path. This is a medium paced book with a SLOW BURN! This book is primarily atmosphere with just a tiny bit of action. The action is ALL at the end. The main character is VERY shallow and not loveable at all but she does want to help her cousin and at least she has a relatable desire to help someone she loves.

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not_another_ana's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark 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? It's complicated

5.0

"The walls speak to me. They tell me secrets. Don't listen to them, press your hands against your ears, Noemí. There are ghosts. They're real. You'll see them eventually."

When young socialite Noemí receives a troubling letter from her newlywed cousin Catalina, she has no choice but to go visit and figure out what seems to be the problem. Everything appears suspicious at the old cumbling estate that belongs to Catalina's new English husband and his family. From the family's insistence on relying only on their own English doctor, to their obsession with eugenics, and general shifty behavior, something is clearly wrong. Whatever secrets they're keeping are affecting Catalina and soon Noemí will have to unravel them to free both cousins from the tangled web they've found themselves in.

Zero notes on this book, it was excellent. The gothic ambiance was masterfully crafted, you could feel the tension from the very first appearance of the house. The beginning was a bit slow but a perfect set up for the events to come. I found the plot to be quite original, but the narration had enough clues that allowed me to put it together in a very satisfying way. Lovely atmosphere and descriptions, I did feel like I was in the story.

Noemí is the perfect heroine. She's educated, she's spunky, she is wordly but still young and willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. Her bond with her cousin Catalina, and the one she builds with Francis, was quite heartwarming. The Doyles were horrendous without coming across as a caricature, sadly those of us from "third world" countries have probably come across people like this in our own land. The juxtaposition of the two, very different, ways of living and beliefs was well executed. And of course, the central mystery of the plot was amazing, well narrated, and handled. I could not put the book down for the last 40% or so.

I will say this: do carefully check the trigger warnings. This book handles a lot of difficult subjects and nobody should put themselves through it if they know they cannot handle it.

Besides horror tropes this book deals with attempted sexual assault, murder, gore, miscarriage, racism, eugenics, suicide, emotional abuse, abuse in every way to be honest, gaslighting, cannibalism, and so much incest, like SO MUCH INCEST.

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lizzieg22's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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dohali's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.5

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chiiibolaa's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense

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

4.0

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lorenag5's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

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

2.0

It’s a page-turner but god the writing is terrible, and so predictable

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aehmyers's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

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

4.5

I loved Noemi. She’s fierce and bright and a force of nature. The author weaves this story well. I hate to say it, but I started to doubt Noemi in the middle. It got me too. The story gets a tad slow right in the middle, but the ending is like rolling down a steep hill. I was right on the edge of my seat. And most importantly, it ends hopeful.

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