Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Gótico

I'd heard a lot about this book and went into it with kinda high expectations. I enjoy a good gothic setting, and my hold on it at the library came in at the perfect time of year! Unfortunately, those high expectations might have worked against it. I liked the prose, and I found Noemi to be a compelling and likeable main character. What I wasn't fond of, however, was the direction the plot took -

telepathic mushroom spores that an evil old man is harnessing to control his family is unique, I'll give it that, but I don't know if I'd say I enjoyed it as a plot twist

. I also didn't like how Noemi was set up as having all these ambitions in the beginning of the book,

but by the end that was forgotten in favor of a nothingburger of a romance

. Ultimately it's a three-star read for me - it kept me entertained but I doubt I'll ever re-read it.

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noura's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

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knittingarch'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? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

It started out very strong but the big reveal and final confrontation was very lackluster and disappointing. The body horror and hose descriptions, however, did creep me out so some parts of the novel were successful. I also hated the actual ending. Definition of trite.

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immovabletype's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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c_l_ara's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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cielosiluminado's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

4.0

El futuro, pensó ella, no podía predecirse. No se podía adivinar la forma de las cosas. Pensar de otra manera era absurdo. Sin embargo, aquella mañana eran jóvenes y podían aferrarse a la esperanza. La esperanza de que pudiera rehacerse el mundo, un mundo más placentero, más amable.

ya lo he leído en inglés anteriormente y lo disfruté más leyéndolo esta vez. ahora puedo decir que es más oscuro y simbólico leerlo en español.

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milooo's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-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? No

5.0

this is Rebecca for mushroom girlies send tweet.
no but seriously this was a deliciously gothic book with every detail perfectly balanced. it allows you to follow along with the mysteries without giving you too many clues at once and manages to avoid the pitfalls of predictability. the author plays around with a bunch of gothic tropes in the beginning to keep the reveal just at arm’s length the whole time (i thought this might turn into a vampire book at one point), and as a lover of the gothic genre, this was at once refreshingly unique and faithful to the genre. the writing is fantastic, the setting is amazing, and this is the perfect read for spooky season. it’s these kinds of books that make me understand why people like horror movies. was i really grossed out at some points? absolutely, Moreno-Garcia does body horror VERY well, but i was also morbidly entranced. amazing use of tension that makes the ending SO satisfying. this is one for the creepy cryptic mycelium lovers out there

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