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sebyreads304's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Incest, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Torture, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Pandemic/Epidemic
thebuttler's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
As for the rest: if you're looking for a book to puzzle over, this is not it. The author is incredibly heavy-handed at the start, dropping clues with all the subtlety of a neon sign for the first fifty pages, but apart from that, I found Mexican Gothic to be pretty good. It's a creepy house tale in the grand tradition of the Haunting of Hill House, with a heavy dash of colonialism and a generous helping of men are trash. It's definitely a story I'm going to sit with for a while now that I've finished, and could easily see myself rereading in a year or two. That said, it's not exactly worth the hype surrounding it, but still, as I said, it's pretty good.
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Sexual assault, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Emotional abuse, Rape, Sexism, Fire/Fire injury, and Sexual harassment
Minor: Gun violence, Torture, Vomit, and Pregnancy
sherigan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
shadowspinner'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? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Sexual assault and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Sexism
Minor: Incest and Fire/Fire injury
dianacn's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Cannibalism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic
pipettesandpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Death, Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, and Violence
Moderate: Torture and Cannibalism
Minor: Miscarriage and Racism
ineedrhythm's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Incest, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Murder, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Gun violence, Mental illness, and Classism
teresaelj'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? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Racism, and Suicide
Moderate: Death, Rape, Sexism, and Sexual assault
liesthemoontells'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
3.75
Overall I think this is an accomplished entry into the Gothic literary canon. It takes many of the tropes of the genre (e.g. young female protagonist who wonders if she's going mad, scary house, mean old lady who hates protagonist) and weaves them into a new story.
I was surprised at first at how much the setting is literally a transplanted English Gothic setting into the Mexican countryside, however as I kept reading I was very impressed at how this was used to explore themes of colonisation, misogyny, and the subjugation of poor and female bodies.
The atmosphere in the book begins with low level, constant dread which slowly ratchets up the tension into full panic, and the body horror is incredibly visceral and stomach-turning.
I did however find it dragged in some moments, and the plot became a bit convoluted towards the end. I felt like the book was trying to fence sit on whether or not the cause was supernatural, and having it end up being
I also found
Overall I think this is is a more polished book than Gods of Jade and Shadow, but I found that to be a more enjoyable and emotionally engaging read, hence it receiving a higher rating.
I also think this is a book that would benefit from a second reading once all of the plot twists are revealed.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
library_of_wonder'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
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Incest, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence