A review by racheldelaney
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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

4.75

I'm so glad that this was recommended to me instead of looking at the GR rating because...what are y'all talking about.

I haven't read a good gothic horror in AGES, and I'm thrilled that this managed to be bone-chilling without being cliche. I know I said this about Gods of Jade and Shadow but now I'm really just positive that Moreno-Garcia's hallmark is giving her MC's such a strong narrative voice, I never feel out of the loop. Both Cassiopea and Noemí are so compelling (for different reasons obviously).

Now to the fun bits- this was so spectacularly creepy! I much enjoy this kind of slow-creep thriller, where you know definitively that something just isn't right and can't wait to put together the pieces while simultaneously dreading the knowledge. I'm not even going to tag this as spoilers because there was no way on earth I could've guessed the twists and where the plot ended up. I spent most of the last hundred or so pages just muttering "what the hell what the hell" to myself under my breath like a chant because honestly? What the hell.

Great, complex, and hideous characters abound? Nice. Making a Victorian gothic aesthetic work in a rural Mexican setting? Double nice. Batshit horror elements that made me gasp out loud? Jackpot.

I'm normally loathe to say this kind of thing, but immediately upon finishing this my first thought was: "so when is this getting a script treatment??"
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