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zombiezami's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Vomit, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Minor: Miscarriage, Mass/school shootings, and Death of parent
Eugenics, Saneismredthistle'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
4.5
Overall I very much enjoyed reading this book. This book hits all the right notes for a gothic novel with an eerie house full of secrets, an old money family that isn't quite right, and a bright and go getting outsider willing to do what it takes to save her cousin from a terrible fate.
I thought the atmosphere that was built throughout the novel was beautiful and haunting. It kept me reading and captivated me from start to finish.
I loved Noemí as a main character. She was intelligent, loyal, and brave in the face of true horror and her perspective was delightful and easy to step into.
Some spoilers on my thoughts about the horror elements of this story and what the most horrifying element was for me.
I think for me though the true horror that turned my stomach laced through the entire novel was the power the men held over women. Stripping away the body horror and the magical mushrooms you are left with a reality all too many women know. Men who take what they want and care not for the people they step on and break in the process. The constant threat of sexual violence that Noemí was under the entire time had my stomach turning and me cringing. Not to mention the Doyle women who were all used and abused to the point of their children being eaten and their bodies being used as mulch to create more mushrooms for the men to exploit. This element of the story was, for me, the most horrifying and unsettling.
For me, a major factor whether I like a scary story is in the ending. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending of this book. It left me very satisfied and if you like gothic literature (and make sure to check the content warning since this is a horror) I recommend you give this book a try.
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Confinement, Infertility, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Medical trauma, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
The theme of sexual harassment, sexual assault, and rape runs very heavily through this book and could be upsetting to those with trauma stemming from these topics.carodonahue'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
3.5
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual content, and Death of parent
Minor: Rape, Torture, and Violence
tlrjhnlwsn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Moderate: Chronic illness, Mental illness, and Terminal illness
Minor: Murder
smozie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Death, Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Excrement, Vomit, and Sexual harassment
mireyadiaz's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Death, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Sexism, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Vomit, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual assault, Blood, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, and Cannibalism
avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, Cannibalism, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation
Moderate: Incest, Infertility, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
ska1224'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: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
cottontail's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Atmospheric. This book gives an excellent gothic atmosphere. Enjoyable characters. Not all of the characters are complex, but the experience of peeling back the layers on the characters is really fun. Whimsey. It's hard to describe this without spoilers, but this book employs a lovely balance between grounding in reality and high concept whimsy. These whimsical elements also tie in wonderfully thematically to the plot and themes. Themes. This book's atmosphere isn't just aesthetic but is also entangled with its themes. This book has a lot of interesting themes that will keep you thinking.
What this book isn't:
Mexican. Despite the title, setting, and main character all being Mexican don't expect any Mexican culture. I picked this up after reading a book with Mexican leads and gaining an appreciation for learning about Mexican culture in a fictional setting. But the majority of characters in this book are white and the POC behave exactly like the white characters. The only Mexican culture here is an exploration of colonialism and eugenics from the white male perspective. Also, the main character is very passive. She's set up being headstrong and canny, though her personality is consistent and enjoyable she's a lot more passive than the setup would suggest. This is because unlike most modern novels this book is plot-driven instead of character-driven. Though the characters act according to their personalities and motivations, they don't actively drive the plot but rather unwrap the mystery. This gives the book a slow pace which actually works for the benefit of:
Conclusion:
This isn't my usual book because of its slow pace and plot-driven style. When I first read it I wasn't sure if I'd finish it because I thought it wasn't for me but the mysterious gothic atmosphere had me feeling like there was always something crawling just beneath the surface and I'm glad I kept reading [even if it was just for the dank gothic vibes] because this is now a got to reread for me. The reveals, whimsical twists, and masterfully hidden themes and subtext woven into the atmosphere make this novel even more enjoyable on a reread. Once the secrets were unveiled it only left me more excited to go back and read it all over again. I would highly recommend for someone who likes a good mystery, enjoys a melancholy gothic atmosphere, and loves a bit of whimsey.
Graphic: Body horror and Terminal illness
Moderate: Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Confinement, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Cannibalism, and Suicide attempt
A lot of these tags pertain to either surreal/metaphorical dream sequences or nongraphic scenes. The body horror is described in a lot of detail but is not extremely gruesome. The sexual assaults also are tame in their violence/aggression but are detailed as detail is the nature of the writing style. I could have honestly tagged this with twice as much however so much of the potentially triggering content is so underwhelmingly written I don't believe they would be triggering for many people that even have these as triggers and the book never frames any of these issues in ways harmful to the reader. However, if you are triggered easily maybe avoid this one.eviecook0708's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Terminal illness, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Incest, Racism, Sexual assault, and Cannibalism