Reviews tagging 'Schizophrenia/Psychosis '

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

78 reviews

tkhz's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I enjoy horror and have liked gothic literature, but this book wasn't for me.

The beginning of the book was intriguing and I enjoyed the atmosphere being created, but it began to drag about halfway through. I was becoming frustrated with
Noemi's spinelessness despite being characterized as a strong female lead, and how she tried but never really tried to help Catalina escape. I thought it would end up going a different way.
I also felt some Get Out vibes when the Doyles would talk about genetics and ancestry, but the reveal of their reasoning for being interested in this topic was more odd and stomach-churning than anything else.
The ancestral memory scenes and scenes with Howard made me feel physically ill.


I would also not recommend this to anyone who is not comfortable with reading scenes of sexual assault. It was listed as a moderate content warning but the topic is brought up relatively frequently and is described graphically a few times. I did not expect it to play such a large role in the plot. I would also add that body horror is described very vividly.

Overall, I wanted to like this as it seemed up my alley, but the plot and characters really fell short.

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mdwsn27's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No

2.5


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wundini's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

This is my second book by Silvia Moreno this year, and once again, it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a stylish nod to the gothic tradition of British classics, with Englishmen imported to a castle in the Mexican mountains, blending horror and a love story. There’s something charmingly ‘pulpy’ about it, in the best possible way. The writing is accessible, the plot is engaging, and the concept feels fresh. Despite its readability, it’s far from superficial—there are references to Wuthering Heights, Ruth Benedict, and Margaret Mead, which add intellectual depth. The novel also brings an anthropological twist, touching on themes of native populations, colonialism, and the misogyny of the nobility. My only critique is that the 1950s setting feels underdeveloped and lacks the detail needed to fully evoke the era.


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khayes2's review against another edition

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

5.0

I really liked it! The mystery of it was really interesting and the imagery was really successfully unsettling

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hannahcstocks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5


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smilereads's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious
  • 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? No

4.5


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inadequate_hero's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

This book went off the rails early but it was a very slow train. 

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mypoormeatball's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

This was a truly excellent example of horror exploring patriarchy, white supremacy, imperialism, cycles of abuse both personal and systemic, AND how those cycles can begin to be broken. All wrapped up in a deliciously intriguing mystery with a touch of romance — a truly epic haunted house story. I think this book will be taught in colleges someday to students studying  postcolonial and intersectional novels. 

While some of the symbolism is a bit on the nose, I think that’s in the legacy of great haunted house novels!  

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emsavors's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
What was that???

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crumpledpapersheep's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense fast-paced
  • 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? Yes

5.0


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