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A review by libbyxreads
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
3.0
If you want to read a modern gothic novel about a haunted mansion in a Mexican countryside, inbred English people, and demonic...mushrooms then be my guest.
The Good
-I’m sure I’m like most people who’ve picked this book up initially due to the stunning book cover. It is definitely an eye catcher
-the creepiness and strangeness of the house at High Place and the Doyle family was well captured. I felt really grossed out by Howard especially. He’s a disgusting and disturbing geriatric demon.
-Surprisingly, I didn’t dislike Noemi. She’s pretty arrogant but I liked that she was someone that wasn’t afraid to demand answers or do what needs to be done to protect her cousin, Catalina.
-While odd and some may say unrealistic, I thought the motivations behind the Doyle’s behaviour and family history was written well but I’m not sure what to think about the whole mushroom thing...
The Not-So-Good
-The pacing was way too slow. I was really bored with the first 2/3 of the book and contemplated many times to DNF it. Honestly, I do not mind slow burns but I just don’t particularly like it when nothing interesting is really going on for more than 100 pages then BOOM! crazy stuff goes down. Yes, there were hints all over that something wasn’t right with the house or the Doyle’s but it still felt repetitive (Noemi walks around the house —> Noemi bickers with one of the Weirdoyles (that’s what I’m calling them) —> Noemi goes to sleep and has strange dreams —> rinse and repeat.
- Since this is set in 1950s Mexico it would’ve been great if that was shown more throughout the book. There isn’t really a lot of detailed descriptions that immerses the reader into seeing that this is the era they’re reading about. If I was told it was set in England or something I wouldn’t think of questioning that. I wish we could’ve seen more of what Mexico in that time would feel like.
-I wish Catalina was more of a fleshed out character. I would’ve enjoyed reading more about her thoughts about being married to a grotesque man like Virgil.
Overall, I give this book a rating of 3 stars. I didn’t love it or completely hate it. There were scenes that disturbed me and kept my interest piqued (because I honestly needed to know what the heck is wrong with that family). And there were other moments that had me bored out of my mind. I must also mention that there are descriptions of sexual assault, infanticide and murder so be careful if you cannot handle such subject matter.
The Good
-I’m sure I’m like most people who’ve picked this book up initially due to the stunning book cover. It is definitely an eye catcher
-the creepiness and strangeness of the house at High Place and the Doyle family was well captured. I felt really grossed out by Howard especially. He’s a disgusting and disturbing geriatric demon.
-Surprisingly, I didn’t dislike Noemi. She’s pretty arrogant but I liked that she was someone that wasn’t afraid to demand answers or do what needs to be done to protect her cousin, Catalina.
-While odd and some may say unrealistic, I thought the motivations behind the Doyle’s behaviour and family history was written well but I’m not sure what to think about the whole mushroom thing...
The Not-So-Good
-The pacing was way too slow. I was really bored with the first 2/3 of the book and contemplated many times to DNF it. Honestly, I do not mind slow burns but I just don’t particularly like it when nothing interesting is really going on for more than 100 pages then BOOM! crazy stuff goes down. Yes, there were hints all over that something wasn’t right with the house or the Doyle’s but it still felt repetitive (Noemi walks around the house —> Noemi bickers with one of the Weirdoyles (that’s what I’m calling them) —> Noemi goes to sleep and has strange dreams —> rinse and repeat.
- Since this is set in 1950s Mexico it would’ve been great if that was shown more throughout the book. There isn’t really a lot of detailed descriptions that immerses the reader into seeing that this is the era they’re reading about. If I was told it was set in England or something I wouldn’t think of questioning that. I wish we could’ve seen more of what Mexico in that time would feel like.
-I wish Catalina was more of a fleshed out character. I would’ve enjoyed reading more about her thoughts about being married to a grotesque man like Virgil.
Overall, I give this book a rating of 3 stars. I didn’t love it or completely hate it. There were scenes that disturbed me and kept my interest piqued (because I honestly needed to know what the heck is wrong with that family). And there were other moments that had me bored out of my mind. I must also mention that there are descriptions of sexual assault, infanticide and murder so be careful if you cannot handle such subject matter.