This book started out slow, but the last 100 pages are a very quick read. Noemí is a great character and very entertaining. Virgil is perfectly horrible, and I felt so sorry for Francis. I loved the aesthetic of this book and the blend of gothic horror and Mexican culture was beautifully done and very unique. This book is very descriptive, and I found myself actually having to pause in a few places because the description of the gore was so vivid. This book is creepy, mysterious, tense, and very gross (but in the best way). I definitely recommend it.

I don’t know what to say about this book that hasn’t already been said so, I’ll write my review for others who also don’t usually like to read/watch horror books/movies. 

The introduction sets up the story and the characters. Like others have pointed out, this is the only time you can see/feel that the book is set in Mexico. I would have been more interested in this story if the plot was based on real, local/cultural superstitions than what the actual plot was. Maybe Moreno-Garcia wanted the story to be more universal? I don’t know. But the beginning was the most interesting part of this book IMO. 

As a person who avoids horror (in books, TV, and movies) 99% of the time, I was able to finish this book through sheer willpower and the ability to listen to the audiobook at 2x speed. I was able to understand what was going on even at that speed and didn’t have to linger too long on the horror and gore scenes, thankfully. That being said, the story actually wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be - again, thankfully. There were lots of creepy moments and I definitely got creeped out but overall, it wasn't too bad. Also, as many others have pointed out, you’ll probably finish this book with a distaste in mushrooms. I sure did. I already don’t like mushrooms (they taste awful!… don’t @ me) but, after reading this, I also don’t want to hear the word mushroom for at least a month. 

What I liked: 
I did find the “lore” behind the house/mushrooms interesting but, that  only had a minor scene and was not the focus of the story. I also appreciated that the main character, Noemi, was smart and strong enough to persevere and stuck to her goal (save her cousin). Hooray for a smart and capable main character!

What I didn’t like:
Aside from the gross and horrific stuff, there wasn’t really anything I thought was “bad.” Everything was written in a way to further the plot and set things up for the ending. 

Overall, I’d recommend it since it’s not too scary and does have a pretty interesting story overall. Personally though, it’s not one of my favorites and I’d probably never re-read it.

Pacing and tension were excellent. The further into the book you read the more questions you have. 
Ending could have been stronger, but still satisfying. 

The book is very dark and slightly horrifying. A little too much for me. But, it was very suspenseful and tense. 

Ew. I'm not sure how this won as many awards as it did. The writing is average at best. Noemi is a Mary-Sue in the worst way. So many of the reviews said the twist was amazing, and it wasn't. Like, at all. Save yourself the trouble of reading the book, because I'll tell you the twist right here:

it's the stupid mushrooms. They're controlled by Howard.

See? Ridiculous. Gothic horror doesn't have to mean body horror, and it seems like Moreno-Garcia didn't understand that. There's so much pus and bile and it feels almost like the author is just making it as disgusting as possible for shock value. I was also creeped out (and not in the good way) by the way Noemi responded to some sexual advances. She was obviously being assaulted, but maybe she wasn't because she kind of thought she might like it? No. Bad. This had so much potential, and I was excited to see how Mexican culture would play into the book, and then it just... didn't. What a waste of time.