Reviews with content warning for Classism - Gótico

This was an intense, fascinating book with incredibly vivid and beautiful description and imagery. The author did an amazing job fleshing out the characters, and I absolutely adore Naomi, the main character and I was rooting for her the whole time. Themes of the impact of abuse and colonialism are woven throughout this tense story. I couldn’t put the book down and was listening to it at all opportunities. It’s wonderful and creepy from the beginning to the end.

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rtthalia's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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eli_like_a_lie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

1.5

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lmluft's review against another edition

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I'm not a horror person, and did not realize this was one.

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micaelamariem's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? No

5.0

After saying for months I was going to read it, I finally read Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno Garcia, published by Del Ray books. This was a book of the month choice for me last year–so long ago I couldn’t even tell you which month! But I finally read it and I’m mad at myself for putting it off for so long!

Mexican Gothic is a gothic horror set in 1950 Mexico, where Noemi recieves a frantic letter from her cousin who believes her new husband’s family is trying to poison her. Noemi goes to the house to figure out what’s going on, only to find there are more secrets than she initially realized and there’s something odd about the house.

I really enjoyed this book! I thought it was loosely reminiscent of gothic stories like The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins and Gilman and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. The writing style was descriptive and truly set me in the place, that creepy, creaky, moldy house. I liked how the horror slowly built in tension until the climax, using disgruntled relatives, nightmares, and family secrets to aid in its mood. The motifs were clever–mushrooms, the ouroboros, and the use of dreams all playing a role.

There wasn’t much I didn’t like. While much of the characters are meant to be unlikable, I still felt a strong resonance with the protagonist (and a strong distrust of all other characters, which I think built the story). I suppose there were scenes I think didn’t matter as much and could have been cut out–the beginning, for example, might have been cut shorter, though it did help me as a reader get to know the main character’s personality a bit more. I also really could have done without as many scenes that hinted or nearly led to sexual assault (trigger warning for the book! that and some body horror, which I don’t mind as much!). I think things can be horrifying without having to add SA scenes and there can still be a theme of feminism versus sexism without those scenes, too.

But speaking of which, there were some powerful themes in the book! There were themes of female empowerment, shown in the main character’s sassiness, fighting the expectation of submissiveness. Plus, her cousin may have been a damsel in distress, but towards the end had found her own empowerment. Another theme was about eugenics with the Darwinian ideal, which was the whole idea behind the horrors of the novel (and the basis for the other horrors found throughout the book, and seen in minor ways like racist comments or colonialism from the family).

I’m afraid if I type more, I’ll reveal some spoilers. So I’ll leave with this: I loved this book! I’ve been debating between four and five stars, but I think it’s a five star read in the end! Highly recommend.

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lizzybaldwin18's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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bubblegirl858's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.5

This book was a whirlwind for me. I love this author and her writing style. It was a really good blend of creepy suspense and mundane life. I really enjoyed how everything was described and it felt like I could see the castle and the characters right in front of me. Creepy books aren’t really my thing, but this book was done very well. You love to hate every single character for their flaws and their strengths. It kept me guessing until the last second what was going to happen.

As I just finished watching The Last of Us, mushrooms and fungi are officially on my do not trust list.

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