Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Gótico

Upon first read, I gave this 4.75 stars simply because I felt the initial set up went on for too long. Looking back on it now, I think the choice to have such a slow start really pays off when things pick up in the end. I enjoyed how slow the first 100 pages were, because in contrast, the last 200 pages felt much more wild and disorienting with so much going on plot-wise.

I loved the development of the relationship between Francis and Noemí and even though I’m not obsessed with Francis as a character, I liked where the story went. It was never too heavy on the romance side of things, which I felt was appropriate for the subject matter.

The whole ending and the big reveal of what’s actual going on was a bit predictable imo, but the execution was well done, so I can forgive the predictability. The mushrooms being mentioned in the beginning was pretty obvious to me, as well as the mold in the house, etc. And the eugenics stuff in the beginning kind of revealed the incest bit that came later, but again, I’m not super upset by it being predictable to a certain extent, as the execution of the end reveals was so well done that it made up for the twists being a bit predictable.

Moreno-Garcia’s writing style is beautiful. I loved the words she used to describe things and I felt like her vocabulary choices really emphasized the haunting, disturbing nature of what was happening.

I also loved Noemí as a protagonist. She was smart, headstrong, self-assured, etc. She never let the chaos around her completely consume her, which I loved. In addition, she was an active player in the narrative of the story, and lead many events, rather than just letting them happen to her.

Overall, if you like Crimson Peak, Jane Eyre, The Invitation, We Are What We Are, or anything with a strange family with secrets living in a creepy gothic manor, you’d probably love this.

Content Warnings

yogomagpie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

It was an entertaining read. I loved Noemi and Francis. The other characters, however, felt pretty one-dimensional to me. The set up for the book was a little slow but the second half of the book moved a lot faster. The ending was satisfying but a bit rushed.

I loved the horror scenes/nightmares. They gave me a gut-wrenching reaction. I thought the idea of

magic/immortality around mushrooms/mold was unique and clever

.

The things I tagged in the content warnings though, pretty sickening that may be too much for some people.

Content Warnings

jedore's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-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

3.0

“...just because there are no ghosts it doesn’t mean you can’t be haunted. Nor that you shouldn’t fear the haunting.”

It's tough to write a horror book and not be cliché. But, I always hold out hope that the author will somehow find a way to do it differently. Unfortunately, that didn't happen with Mexican Gothic. The clichés start on the first page and don't stop until until you close the book.

Although reasonably well written, this one just didn't do much for me.

I found it distracting and mildly annoying that the author would throw in the occasional high-brow vocab word. There aren't many words that I've never heard or read before...yet somehow there were a small handful in this story. What is the purpose of using a word that no one ever uses...one that would never enter the brain or come out of the mouth of 99% of humans and definitely not a young woman in her 20s living in the 1950s whose first language was Spanish?

Although set in the 1950s, not much felt authentic to this time other than the occasional descriptions of the main character's wardrobe.

Throughout the entire book, I felt like I was reading a book meant for the younger crowd—and that the author was writing with the explicit intent of being the next book-to-Netflix sensation.

I know others who really enjoyed this book, so if you're looking for a gothic horror story and don't mind clichés, just ignore me and give it a shot!

Content Warnings

eve81's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

emtur007's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

Content Warnings

aribook's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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