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A review by scripturient
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- 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
Oof, that was a weird read.
The first 150 pages or so the book read mostly like a classic Gothic novel - very slow pace, eerie setting, weird stuff but nothing outright scary, think Castle of Otranto - and then it just went batshit crazy.
In the end I did like it although it was too heavy on the sexual violence for me, especially since it did nothing for the plot other than paint certain characters as evil, which, duh, but that's a personal preference, I guess.
It was an interesting twist on Gothic tales but the first half was too slow to pick up with way too many repetitions and unnecessary details and in comparison, the ending then felt a bit rushed. I liked the writing style, though, and the story definitely kept me hooked for the most part.
The first 150 pages or so the book read mostly like a classic Gothic novel - very slow pace, eerie setting, weird stuff but nothing outright scary, think Castle of Otranto - and then it just went batshit crazy.
In the end I did like it although it was too heavy on the sexual violence for me, especially since it did nothing for the plot other than paint certain characters as evil, which, duh, but that's a personal preference, I guess.
It was an interesting twist on Gothic tales but the first half was too slow to pick up with way too many repetitions and unnecessary details and in comparison, the ending then felt a bit rushed. I liked the writing style, though, and the story definitely kept me hooked for the most part.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, and Medical trauma
Minor: Rape and Cannibalism