Scan barcode
stark1974's review against another edition
4.0
Wow!! What an awesome tale. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is now an author on my list of “must read everything she has ever written.” Noemi was a terrific protagonist. I didn’t want to put the book down once I started reading it so that I could just keep finding out what happened to her next. A must read for fans of creepy, smart writing.
xkrow's review against another edition
2.5
Probably a case of "me problems" stacking up, but I did not enjoy this horror/gothic adventure into the Mexican countryside. Some light spoilers follow.
The plot of this book is simple. Some may call it charming, I do not. I don't even think it was a case of expecting something different because I went into it with zero expectations other than a hopefully compelling mystery. And there are hints of that. Why is Catalina behaving how she is? What is the connection to the mines? Why are these people so estranged from the town? All fine questions to be set-up. But then we get into the "family past" and it becomes a whole lot of family drama that occurred some decades ago and it all goes downhill. Not because this is a bad way to unravel the story. Indeed, mystery stories need these sorts of clues for the character to gather and decipher. But the conclusion we get from it is so utterly unsatisfying, jarring, and plain expected that it throws all the "build-up" in the trash. What it then becomes is a run-and-gun climax where everything is resolved via force rather than brains.
On the character front, Noemi does not have a very flattering first-impression, but she is sort of fine for the rest of the book. There are still some problems I have with her treatment of Francis corresponding with how "attractive" she grows to find him, but I might just be reading too much into it. It is the other characters that I have a problem with - none of them feel like real believable people, only caricatures made to fit a mold. Maybe that fits the themes, but does not overcome the lack of interest they inspired in my throughout the read. The words that come out of their mouths are inconsistent and jumbled, twisting from one set of emotion to the next. I get that it is meant to inspire a sort of confusing mood, but this is the case in the first few chapters as well.
Yes, there are conversations about 19th century anthropological theories and racist caricatures, but those were not interesting enough to carry the page space they seemed to occupy.
Though, as you may notice in the star rating, my feelings on this book were not wholly negative. It is a perfectly finely crafted book that hits its marks when it should. The prose itself is good, picking up good things to describe in the surroundings and within the character. I will also praise the moments the book decided to really lean into the creepy and weird side. But all of this is counterbalanced against a whole lot of "meh" that it is unfortunately not able to overcome.
The plot of this book is simple. Some may call it charming, I do not. I don't even think it was a case of expecting something different because I went into it with zero expectations other than a hopefully compelling mystery. And there are hints of that. Why is Catalina behaving how she is? What is the connection to the mines? Why are these people so estranged from the town? All fine questions to be set-up. But then we get into the "family past" and it becomes a whole lot of family drama that occurred some decades ago and it all goes downhill. Not because this is a bad way to unravel the story. Indeed, mystery stories need these sorts of clues for the character to gather and decipher. But the conclusion we get from it is so utterly unsatisfying, jarring, and plain expected that it throws all the "build-up" in the trash. What it then becomes is a run-and-gun climax where everything is resolved via force rather than brains.
On the character front, Noemi does not have a very flattering first-impression, but she is sort of fine for the rest of the book. There are still some problems I have with her treatment of Francis corresponding with how "attractive" she grows to find him, but I might just be reading too much into it. It is the other characters that I have a problem with - none of them feel like real believable people, only caricatures made to fit a mold. Maybe that fits the themes, but does not overcome the lack of interest they inspired in my throughout the read. The words that come out of their mouths are inconsistent and jumbled, twisting from one set of emotion to the next. I get that it is meant to inspire a sort of confusing mood, but this is the case in the first few chapters as well.
Yes, there are conversations about 19th century anthropological theories and racist caricatures, but those were not interesting enough to carry the page space they seemed to occupy.
Though, as you may notice in the star rating, my feelings on this book were not wholly negative. It is a perfectly finely crafted book that hits its marks when it should. The prose itself is good, picking up good things to describe in the surroundings and within the character. I will also praise the moments the book decided to really lean into the creepy and weird side. But all of this is counterbalanced against a whole lot of "meh" that it is unfortunately not able to overcome.
babybuzzcut's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
danydany28's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
rose_ndrd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
courtneypearson_'s review against another edition
4.0
I am a huge chicken when it comes to horror/thrillers. And I’ve got to say, the reviews I read for this made it seem a lot scarier then it ended up being. Don’t get me wrong, this book is twisted. It is a great book to instantly feel immersed in! Such a page turner! I highly recommend. The only thing I would warn about is there are quite a few scenarios that might be triggering for some people. There are plenty of reviews out here that talk about all of those triggers in some detail! Otherwise great read!