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zoe_archambault's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Murder, Confinement, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual content, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Death of parent, Toxic relationship, Infertility, Gun violence, Death, Classism, Sexism, Rape, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Blood, and Incest
Moderate: Cannibalism, Racism, Mass/school shootings, Gore, and Grief
amyiris's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Murder, Physical abuse, Vomit, Incest, Racism, Body horror, Sexual harassment, Violence, Gore, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Child death, Mental illness, Colonisation, and Gaslighting
deetabz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Death, Murder, Medical content, Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Vomit
Moderate: Cannibalism, Excrement, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Death of parent, Sexual content, Sexism, Rape, Sexual assault, Kidnapping, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexual harassment, Child death, Incest, Alcohol, and Infidelity
Minor: Miscarriage and Pregnancy
cfoley's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Sexual harassment, Racism, Sexual content, Rape, Sexual assault, and Body horror
angelfireeast24's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Gore, Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical content, Pregnancy, Sexual violence, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Cannibalism, Chronic illness, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Sexism, Classism, Colonisation, Drug use, Grief, Incest, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual assault, Bullying, Child death, Violence, Slavery, and Murder
Moderate: Terminal illness, Abandonment, Pedophilia, Vomit, Alcohol, and Miscarriage
Had me on the edge of my seat. I both wanted to throw the book across the room due to the unsettling nature of the subject matter and read another page to know what will happen.celery's review against another edition
- 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
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
lizdaniii's review against another edition
- 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
Mexican Gothic’s premise is intriguing enough. A beautiful young woman enters a crumbling mansion to check on her cousin at the bequest of her father and discovers a family’s ancient grotesque secret. At times it feels like a classic black and white horror film, but as the story unfolds it leans into gore and gruesomeness of a more modern variety.
To start, this book was not easy to get into. The first five chapters dragged, with a great deal of time spent setting the scene and describing the appearances of characters. Although the plot does eventually pick up, the book continues to remark on what certain characters look like in detail, often repetitively. For example, it seems impossible for the author to write a paragraph involving the men in the story without also mentioning what clothes they are wearing, their hair color, or how attractive they are.
The author’s detailed visual descriptions are thankfully not entirely limited to describing a man’s handsomeness or lack thereof. Certain passages conjure exceedingly grotesque images more than fitting of the horror genre, which although repulsive, do stand out in an otherwise unexceptional novel. One scene describing a diseased man on a bed made me want to gag in disgust, which I suppose could be a strength or deterrent depending on how committed one is to the feeling of immersion.
Unfortunately, a plot is not made off descriptions of bile and boils alone, and Mexican Gothic falls short in one crucial way. The story and characters, although initially promising, ultimately fail to be either engaging or likeable. When faced with the final chapters, I realized how little I cared about even the main characters whose fate I should be thoroughly invested in. Overall, for a story with such dark themes and imagery, there is little below the surface, leaving only distaste without any greater meaning.
Graphic: Sexual harassment and Sexual assault
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Classism, Sexual content, and Incest
a_win_in_clear_rain's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Maybe it’s just that I’m new to this genre and style, but this was amazing to me. The atmosphere was perfectly created, every time I picked up this book I felt like I was in High Place walking through the halls with Noemì.
And even though it was incredibly unnerving I somehow didn’t want to leave…
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, Classism, Death, and Incest
Minor: Vomit, Child death, Rape, Sexual content, Suicide, and Blood
karelovesbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Gaslighting
Minor: Sexual content
wiktoria_bojda's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual content