Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Meksikos gotika by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

64 reviews

mari1532's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I have had the copy of this book for way longer than I care to admit and the fact that I did not read this book sooner frankly makes me want to ask my past self what I was even thinking for not reading this book immediately. Although I have this book on my Kindle I decided to check the audiobook out of my local library and did not want to stop listening. 

Marino-Garcia paints a vivid and dark world full of intrigue. Noemí leaves her life of studying anthropology by day and attending high society parties by night when a strange letter from her cousin arrives. Having recently married an Englishman, Catalina now lives in an isolated mansion and appears very ill when Noemí arrives. However, as Noemí attempts to figure out what exactly may be the cause of her always-healthy cousin's illness, Noemí begins to experience strange things in the house. Little does she know it is only a matter of time before she will have the answers she's looking for, but they might lead to even bigger problems. 

This book will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end. Marino-Garcia's writing was fantastic! Not only is her writing beautiful it is vivid and you almost feel as if you are watching a movie rather than reading/hearing words from the page. There were so many instances throughout the book when I felt exactly as Noemí must have at that moment. 

Highly recommend this book! It's one of my new favourite books. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Murder, Racial slurs, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Colonisation, Rape, Sexual violence, and Body horror

Moderate: Alcohol

The patriarch of Catalina's new family is a eugenicist.

discarded_dust_jacket's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

I put off reading this despite everyone raving about it because I’m stubborn and now I’m ANGRY WITH MYSELF, because there’s a reason this book is so popular!

I have nothing bad to say about it. This was a decadent sort of unsettling that had me guessing right up to the very end. I had such a blast reading it.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Murder, Death, Blood, Body horror, Sexual assault, Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Racism, Colonisation, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, Death of parent, Vomit, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, Cannibalism, and Child death

aparker89's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Domestic abuse, Chronic illness, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Bullying, Sexism, and Incest

Moderate: Child death, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, Kidnapping, Alcohol, Ableism, Incest, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Cannibalism, Death, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

lilybear3's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes

4.5

I had a great time with this book.  It was a slow burn learning the secrets of the house and inhabitants with Noemi.   The characters were interesting and creepy.  The environment fit the gothic genre.  I could see some of the inspirations from

The Yellow Wall Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman.  I read that earlier this year so it was cool to see those similarities

(i have this in a spoiler in case you've read this work).  I also thought it was a good feminist horror.  Everything about it was great! 

FUNGUS AMONGUS! Honestly, I'll never get tired of fungus

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Death, Cursing, Classism, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Sexism

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Violence, Cannibalism, Medical content, and Racism

Minor: Alcohol, Forced institutionalization, and Sexual assault

cadybooks's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-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

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Murder, Misogyny, Drug abuse, Trafficking, Torture, Sexual assault, Racism, Rape, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Sexual content, Medical content, Terminal illness, Suicide, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Physical abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Miscarriage, Medical trauma, Incest, Infertility, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Cursing, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Death, Child death, Child abuse, Cannibalism, Body horror, Blood, and Animal death

lorenag5's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Sexual violence, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Alcohol, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Violence, Cannibalism, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Medical content, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Physical abuse, Self harm, Torture, Addiction, Blood, Child death, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, and Murder

roaze's review against another edition

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Incest, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Blood, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Violence, and Racism

Moderate: Alcohol, Gun violence, Rape, Cannibalism, Child abuse, Cursing, Medical content, and Miscarriage

brookiebridge's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

This was an intense, fascinating book with incredibly vivid and beautiful description and imagery. The author did an amazing job fleshing out the characters, and I absolutely adore Naomi, the main character and I was rooting for her the whole time. Themes of the impact of abuse and colonialism are woven throughout this tense story. I couldn’t put the book down and was listening to it at all opportunities. It’s wonderful and creepy from the beginning to the end. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Colonisation, Sexual harassment, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual violence, Cannibalism, Classism, Death, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Gun violence, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

Although there is no explicit rape in the book, there is a consistent fear and threat of rape, and a nightmares in which the main character is raped by being unnaturally coerced into wanting to have sex. Some characters have an unnatural ability to make others feel uncontrollable lust for them, which they use to threaten or attempt rape. There is also a forced kiss, and people viewing the main character naked against her will, and appearing to her naked against her will.

micaelamariem's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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

5.0

 

After saying for months I was going to read it, I finally read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia, published by Del Ray books. This was a book of the month choice for me last year–so long ago I couldn’t even tell you which month! But I finally read it and I’m mad at myself for putting it off for so long!

Mexican Gothic is a gothic horror set in 1950 Mexico, where Noemi recieves a frantic letter from her cousin who believes her new husband’s family is trying to poison her. Noemi goes to the house to figure out what’s going on, only to find there are more secrets than she initially realized and there’s something odd about the house.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was loosely reminiscent of gothic stories like The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins and Gilman and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The writing style was descriptive and truly set me in the place, that creepy, creaky, moldy house. I liked how the horror slowly built in tension until the climax, using disgruntled relatives, nightmares, and family secrets to aid in its mood. The motifs were clever–mushrooms, the ouroboros, and the use of dreams all playing a role.

There wasn’t much I didn’t like. While much of the characters are meant to be unlikable, I still felt a strong resonance with the protagonist (and a strong distrust of all other characters, which I think built the story). I suppose there were scenes I think didn’t matter as much and could have been cut out–the beginning, for example, might have been cut shorter, though it did help me as a reader get to know the main character’s personality a bit more. I also really could have done without as many scenes that hinted or nearly led to sexual assault (trigger warning for the book! that and some body horror, which I don’t mind as much!). I think things can be horrifying without having to add SA scenes and there can still be a theme of feminism versus sexism without those scenes, too.

But speaking of which, there were some powerful themes in the book! There were themes of female empowerment, shown in the main character’s sassiness, fighting the expectation of submissiveness. Plus, her cousin may have been a damsel in distress, but towards the end had found her own empowerment. Another theme was about eugenics with the Darwinian ideal, which was the whole idea behind the horrors of the novel (and the basis for the other horrors found throughout the book, and seen in minor ways like racist comments or colonialism from the family).

I’m afraid if I type more, I’ll reveal some spoilers. So I’ll leave with this: I loved this book! I’ve been debating between four and five stars, but I think it’s a five star read in the end! Highly recommend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Death of parent, Gun violence, Body horror, Colonisation, Confinement, Death, Gaslighting, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Murder

Moderate: Cannibalism, Child death, Classism, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Vomit

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Infidelity, and Rape

corabookworm's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

Very scary, amazing writing, really well-planned mystery. :]

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Sexual assault, Sexism, Misogyny, Confinement, Violence, and Murder

Minor: Death, Alcohol, Suicide, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Rape, Cursing, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Death of parent, Drug use, and Incest