Reviews tagging 'Mass/school shootings'

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

13 reviews

angelfireeast24's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? Yes

5.0


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jjamieww's review against another edition

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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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betwixtbooks's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? It's complicated

5.0

What a fantastic book.  I was hooked from page one.  I loved the flavour of this story and the mystery.

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rhiannon814r's review against another edition

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adventurous dark 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


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kaymay29's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book starts a little slow but once you get into the mystery/plot it becomes a page turner. Also the main character is great. She is funny, relatable, and resilient.

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lorriss's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0


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binches's review against another edition

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challenging dark tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

rating: good ⭐⭐⭐
personal enjoyment rating: very good ⭐⭐⭐⭐

loved the buildup from uncomfortable vibes over scary nightmares to an absolutely terrifying conclusion

the dialogue felt very artificial at times and the pacing was a bit too slow and dry at times (though the overall slow pacing was perfect), otherwise, it was amazing and weaves together real horrors of the past and present with an allegorical paranormal element to create a horrifying and unsettling story 

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applesaucecreachur's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This book. This author. Rad does not even come close. The melding of colonialism with body horror with unsettling naturism with sexual violence with classic gothic themes and tropes... I was speechless. There were moments where the prose was so visceral that I physically recoiled.  Other passages took my breath away, often for more than one reason. The plot was smartly woven with secrets and hints, but historical traumas stitched the story together, increasing the reach of its creeping tendrils.
And the protagonist, Noemi Tabada. I'm not sure of her birthday, but this brown, defiant, funny, high-maintenance heroine is giving me major libra vibes and I adore her for it. 
Moreno-Garcia is beyond competent, her understandings of both proper and history combine to create a masterpiece. I hope to reread Mexican Gothic. Maybe I’ll do so during history’s next atom bomb moment.

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samthescorpio's review against another edition

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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? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A Terrifying Metaphor for Colonization 

I find it interesting that so many of the reviews for this book focused on the whimsical ambience. Yes, it is a gothic story in a gothic setting. But more importantly, this is a book that takes an ugly, unflinching look at colonization. I highly recommend reviewing the trigger warnings before diving in if you're impacted by those sorts of themes. I love a good creepy moment, but given the themes, I found this book to beyond creepy, I found it truly disturbing. If you're just looking for wistful gothic moments, pick up something else. 

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

I will definitely pick up other works by this author. She is clearly talented, and I love the way she wrote the main protagonist in this book. Although I personally found this book too disturbing to be enjoyable, I would definitely explore her other works, which I have heard span numerous different genres. 

Read at Your Own Risk 

There is no doubt that this book is brilliant and is worth reading. I personally read as a form of escapism, and as a way to deal with my anxiety, and this book put me in a really dark headspace. It makes sense, given the themes she's tackling, but had I known more about the book, I wouldn't have chose to read it at this particular moment in my life.

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offbrandclubsoda's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

4.25


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