Reviews with content warning for Slavery - Gótico

This was exactly what I wanted it to be. It's rare that a horror novel actually manages to gross me out, but man oh man did this manage it. It also managed to evoke such visceral anger in me that I had to put the book down and walk it off. The characters were well crafted, the atmosphere was unnerving, and the plot gave me all the gothic vibes I was looking for.

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ravenpuff's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

I was really looking forward to an immersive gothic atmosphere but I never really got that. The main character was so smart throughout the book but made some frustrating choices towards the end.

There wasn't a ton of character development but I understand why. Most of the characters feel empty, but I feel like they're supposed to given the plot development in the second half of the book.

The book did a good job of reflecting the time period, especially the racism, sexism, misogyny, and the really gross way Howard views "purity".

The mushrooms themselves felt like a metaphor for colonization and toxic family hierarchy. To support the patriarchal figure of the family, women, children, and indigenous people are literally sacrificed so an old man from the UK can preserve himself and his gross views that only benefit him. Historic events have shown that colonization is a selfish and horrific thing, Mexican Gothic depicts it as such.

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aparker89's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

3.25

Read this for book club not knowing what to expect.
There is definitely a great atmosphere to this book. I had dreams specifically about the dread and mystery in this book while reading it. Overall, it's got a decent plot. Is Noemi's cousin insane? Is the house really haunted? Is there more to the story of High Place?
We get all the answers. I personally didn't like the answer to the great mystery but it isn't my book lol. I had two theories as to what it was straight away and one of them was relatively close to the author's chosen path. This is a medium paced book with a SLOW BURN! This book is primarily atmosphere with just a tiny bit of action. The action is ALL at the end. The main character is VERY shallow and not loveable at all but she does want to help her cousin and at least she has a relatable desire to help someone she loves.

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plumdustsuns's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

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paperknotbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

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

2.5

It’s great for gritty scene lovers, and made me compare to books like Annihilation and maybe even Severance or The Raven King. But those books have excellent dialogue, characters, and narrative flow. This book fell flat in all those areas.

I kept having to put this down because the story stiffly shifts from one room, then another, then town, then something trippy happens. The plot was constantly interrupted with stories of past figures and happenings, which would have been something better discovered organically, or detail revealed to the reader through alternate chapters. So what I’m saying is that the book could use some more editing.

By the end, I think it was trying to draw parallels of the Grant Wood painting American Gothic,

if the knowledge of the figures are father and daughter, there’s a light conspiracy twist of incestuous relationship… idk!

The book was certainly unsettling, and full of ‘shrooms. I’m guessing with how often the word “putrefaction” came up, they would be particularly smelly ones!

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