Delightfully creepy, this book kept me guessing for a long time! I really enjoyed the protagonist and the complex world the author built.

It's no secret that I love Gothic novels (romance and horror) and so of course I really ended up enjoying this book as well. 

This follows our main character Noemi. Her cousin was recently married and her family gets an odd letter from her in the mail. Due to what she found in the letter, she goes to visit her at the mysterious High Place in order to see what's going on and things go from there. 

First, the writing. The writing is really well done. It was well paced, engaging, definitely didn't drag and very descriptive. The atmosphere of the book was captured really well too. 

The setting. This takes place in 1950s Mexico, but that's definitely not the focus of it. The main setting is at High Place and smatterings of the town nearby. The historical aspects relating to the current time period were there, but it was really subtle. The setting of the house, High Place was really captured well - it was eerie, creepy, weird and at times horrifying (in several ways). I primarily read this at night because I wanted that extra eerie factor and I'm so glad I did that as it definitely added to my reading experience. 

The plot. The plot is pretty much what I mentioned above, but it had a lot of really interesting themes and twists as well. As I mentioned, this is a Gothic novel, only a more modern version. There were definitely references to other really well known Gothic novels, which I loved - Dracula, Jane Eyre, Rebecca and Wuthering Heights being the most prominent in my mind. And some things to add to the plot is the mystery behind High Place, what happened there and who the Doyle family really is. This book is both plot and character driven, with a heavier emphasis on the characters. 

Finally, the characters. Noemi as a character was really interesting. I thought she was really well written - driven, independent and a bit of a rebel and I loved getting to see all of that explored throughout the course of the novel. The entire Doyle family was creepy - from the first moment you meet them right up to the last moment. The staff in the house was also really creepy too. The only Doyle family member I liked was Francis. He definitely had his issues, but overall I ended up liking him. Him and Noemi's interactions were always really great. Finally, Catalina, Noemi's cousin and the one who set this all in motion. She was an interesting character too. But she was kind of a background character for the most part. Overall, I loved all of the characters and the parts they played throughout the book. 

All in all, a great Gothic novel and one I'd definitely recommend. 

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘭, 𝘪𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵, 𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴, 𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘥.

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Noemí receives a frantic letter from her cousin, claiming her new husband is poisoning her and that the house they live in is full of ghosts😱

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Add this book to your Halloween TBR immediately, it is one wild ride. During the first half, I thought I was just in for your classic gothic horror story in a stately home...oh was I wrong. Things take a weird turn halfway through, and I just couldn't devour it quick enough. It is gory and gross and so unnerving, everything you want from a spooky read. The main protagonist Noemí is incredible, she wears amazing gowns just to pop to the shops and gives sassy comebacks to anyone who crosses her. She doesn't take crap from anybody💃🏻

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𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳.

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I loved Gods of Jade and Shadow but this was so different. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is showing so much range as an author already, and I truly can't wait to see what she releases in the future.

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Thanks so much to @quercusbooks for the gifted copy! 

Review | This boook was a trip.I thought I knew what was going on then BOOM this book sent me in another direction.This book is very spooky and intriguing.It is atmospheric and character driven but it makes the book very nice because noemi is a very compelling character .I give this book 4 STARS because I absolutely loved how it had me excited at each turn of the page.This is definenkty not a good book for the adult frightened because it’s so darn spooky.I recommend this to any one who wants a scare.👻👻



*Content Warning: [Sexual assault, incest, murder and gore, cannibalism, themes challenging white supremacy and eugenics, discussions surrounding the death of a parent and other family members, miscarriages and stillbirths, discussions surrounding suicide, and the consumption of alcohol and smoking. (less)