Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

Meksikos gotika by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

377 reviews

luna_lovelace's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? No

5.0

Mexican Gothic is such an incredible thriller book that had me on the edge of my seat! 

The way Noemi's character was written was simply amazing. She had a sassy attitude and wasn't afraid to speak her mind, which made her stand out from other characters in the book. Noemi's personality was the key to solving the mystery and I loved how the author portrayed her. 

Francis, on the other hand, was timid at first, but his character development was admirable. He grew stronger as the story progressed, and I was pleasantly surprised by his actions towards the end. The author did a fantastic job of making his character come to life. 

It took a little while for the story to truly turn into a horror story, but I was alarmed from the start by Howard's character.

His twisted personality gave me the chills and it didn't help that he was racist. I was more disturbed by the scene where he's on his deathbed, made me gag.

The ending was unexpected,

but it was a happy ending for Noemi, so you won't hear any complaining from me. Although the ending was left open to interpretation by the reader on what happens next, I think it was the perfect way to end the book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Racial slurs, Terminal illness, Violence, Death, Gaslighting, and Gore

Minor: Gun violence

celery's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Physical abuse, Forced institutionalization, Cannibalism, Colonisation, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Miscarriage, Child death, Confinement, Drug abuse, Racism, Rape, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Infertility, Sexism, Suicide attempt, Violence, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Incest, Pregnancy, Gun violence, Medical trauma, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Mental illness, Murder, Sexual content, Vomit, Terminal illness, Infidelity, Medical content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

jjamieww's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

5.0

Honestly this was hard to review. It’s a well written book that evokes a lot of emotions. 

It had such gross imagery at times I would say “ew” instinctively. It was also very disturbing, and the amount of content warning I tagged is a little ridiculous. 

But it was a book that had me curious what was actually going on. It kept escalating as it slowly unraveled. I don’t normally read horror books but this book was such a scary concept combining so many different ways to freak you out. 

Genuinely terrifying 🍄🍄

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, Classism, Death of parent, Confinement, Body horror, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Gun violence, Gaslighting, and Death

Moderate: Blood, Sexism, Incest, Mass/school shootings, and Medical trauma

Minor: Suicide

perifairy's review against another edition

dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Colonisation, Racism, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Body horror, and Gore

Minor: Incest

mamaofperfectpayton's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, Incest, and Sexism

violentte's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

"Mexican Gothic" presents a compelling narrative reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" (although I have not seen many make this connection) albeit set in Mexico and intertwined with underlying race issues. Throughout the story, the gripping plot held my attention, although it received a rating of 4 stars due to certain areas that left me wishing for further exploration.

Firstly, I longed for more depth into the character of Catalina, the cousin at the center of the tale. While glimpses of her backstory and personality were provided through flashbacks and Noemí's commentary, they proved insufficient. Strengthening the narrative could have been achieved through dual perspectives, offering insights from both Catalina and Noemí or by dedicating several chapters—perhaps 5 to 10— to Catalina's experiences post-marriage, leading up to her pivotal letter to Noemí.

Additionally, greater insight into Francis would have enhanced comprehension surrounding his motivations, particularly concerning his

betrayal of his mother

. While Noemí's burgeoning feelings for him were evident, his own sentiments remained unclear. Did he reciprocate her affection, or was there another driving force behind his actions?

Overall, "Mexican Gothic" delivers a captivating narrative with echoes of classic literature, but the potential for deeper character exploration leaves room for improvement. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual harassment, Violence, Sexism, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Stalking, Racism, Death, Suicide, Sexual assault, Murder, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Physical abuse, Incest, Gore, Gaslighting, Confinement, Emotional abuse, and Body horror

slavic_bookworm's review against another edition

challenging 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? It's complicated

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Violence, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Gun violence, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Sexism, Mental illness, Gore, Torture, Sexual harassment, Physical abuse, Stalking, Death, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Suicide attempt, Incest, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Cannibalism and Rape

katieandkiri's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

I FLEW through this book in about a day and I honestly still can’t believe that. The people next in line for this Livby hold will probably appreciate that. Clearly I couldn’t put this down. Now I’m going to go and probably have nightmares but it was worth it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Gore, Excrement, Incest, Adult/minor relationship, Torture, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Child death, Murder, and Sexual violence

Moderate: Violence, Gore, Suicide, Medical trauma, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury

lhorhaleisure's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Sexual assault, Racism, and Body horror

Moderate: Gun violence, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicide, and Incest

whats_the_porpoise's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.0

A majority of the story is spent detailing and building characters as well as the environment. It takes more than half the book for anything crazy to happen.
A great mystery, I found myself continue to read-- not necessarily for the story, but I needed to know how it ends. 
The ending is satisfying, all your questions get answered. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Rape, Death of parent, Blood, Gun violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child abuse, Murder, Incest, Child death, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism