From the Bookshelf of Ranters and Reviewers…

Mexican Gothic

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Start date: October 3, 2021

Finish date: October 31, 2021

Discussion: BOTM

Why we're reading this: October 2021 Diverse BOTM
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November 2021 Series BOTM Suggestions
By Sofia , duckish things · 9 posts · 19 views

last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:56PM

October 2021 Continuation BOTM: The Wicked King
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last updated Oct 21, 2021 11:55PM

What Members Thought

Jan 21, 2021 Sabrina F rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This is my first horror fiction, so my opinion is not comparing to other horror/thriller novels. I did very much enjoy this even if there were a few things that could have been better executed.

This book is a highly atmospheric novel for 60% percent of it. Then the "scary" stuff begins. Though to me it was just plain gross (and creepy) and am very happy to report I've had no nightmares. Mexican Gothic takes us on an adventure with a young socialite who has to halt her plans for her newly-wed cou This is my first horror fiction, so my opinion is not comparing to other horror/thriller novels. I did very much enjoy this even if there were a few things that could have been better executed.

This book is a highly atmospheric novel for 60% percent of it. Then the "scary" stuff begins. Though to me it was just plain gross (and creepy) and am very happy to report I've had no nightmares. Mexican Gothic takes us on an adventure with a young socialite who has to halt her plans for her newly-wed cousin. Noemí Taboada finds herself isolated with a family who works in ways very foreign to her. She stays in a moldy old English mansion with its very own creepy (misty) cemetery. Here, she came for one answer but will find herself asking for a hundred more.

I truly enjoyed everything this novel had to give me. Silvia Moreno-Garcia truly tuned into the setting of creepy goth and I loved the tad bits of Mexican culture she gave. Though I wish she gave so much more and made the "1950s Mexican" more apparent.

Noemí is a lot more strong-willed than I would have been and I admired her for it. Though, the smoking in the house did raise an eyebrow for me. That came off a bit hot-headed. With as much of a bitch as Florence was, I felt a little more respect could have gone a long way. Though after reading the ending, she deserved more disrespect.

There's also the romance. (view spoiler)

Then there's the fact that I felt like Catalina was just a tool. The authoress just needed her there to get Noemí where she wanted her. Then Moreno-Garcia didn't know what to do with the character by herself. Maybe it would have been much more interesting if we got a chapter in Catalina's perspective. Perhaps telling the reader what she was doing or dreaming the entire time. Sometimes I forgot about Catalina...

I will say this (view spoiler)

I am glad I read this and I encourage others to add this to their TBR. I also applaud the Authoress for making Howard Doyle, very much indeed, creepy. This novel also inspired me to look for more horror novels! ...more

29 likes · Like · see review

Jan 02, 2021 kaitlyn rated it it was ok

Shelves: 2021, horror-sci-fi-thriller-mystery, favorite-covers, not-for-me

this was one of my most anticipated reads from 2020, but i sadly did not enjoy it :(

the first 100 pages or so of this book started out strong for me. i've read a lot of reviews on here of people who enjoyed the story overall but thought the beginning was slow, so it seems that i'm somewhat odd in thinking this lol. i did like noemí as a character and the cover is stunning. however, my main issue with this book was the ending. i feel like it was way too far-fetched for me to really enjoy it, and ...more

26 likes · Like · see review

Oct 15, 2020 Salma19 (And I Darken stan) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: library-2020

I did it! I read my first horror novel 👏🏼.

12 likes · Like · see review

Sep 01, 2021 M.M. Strawberry Library & Reviews rated it really liked it

Shelves: horror, mexico, mystery, historical-fiction, 20th-century

A bit weird, but I enjoyed it. I wasn't quite sure what to expect as the story unfolded - I mean, there was something weird going on, and the author did a good job of having me guessing what the secret could be, and damn. Kudos for originality!

Now I am stuck with the mental image of an half-alive woman with mushrooms growing out of her, kinda like that one episode of Hannibal with the mushroom garden. Shudder.

4.5/5 stars. ...more

9 likes · Like · see review

Jul 27, 2020 Jennifer rated it liked it

Shelves: latin-america, poc-representation, historical, mystery-thriller, owned

[Updated Review: 3.5/5]
Yeah, so while I enjoyed the writing in the 1st half of the book and the pacing in the 2nd half picks up (which redeems it a fast read and I stand by the aspects which I originally enjoyed), I also felt like the writing felt quite rushed. Like I would appreciate more explanations behind the spooky elements in the story - and it's one of the reasons I don't really go back and think about the stuff. It kind of felt like a blur than something that really gave me an impression ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 05, 2020 Kelsea Janae Hamm rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2020-reads, popular-thrillers-read-2020

Um.... Let´s Start Out By Saying This
This Was A Book I Have Been Waiting To Read Since It Was Announced
A Young Women Who Gets A Letter From Her Cousin That Her Husband Is Claiming To Poison Her
That Is What Made Me Wanna Read It In The First Place
I Even Went On Net Galley To Get My Hands On A Early Copy Of It But It Again Never Happened Because It Did Not Approve Me Which Made Me Wanna Yell At Them To Give Me A Dang Early Copy Of This Book But I Kept Calm And Breathed
Then I Went To Amazon An ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Dec 25, 2020 akacya ❦ rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audience-adult, ownvoices, format-audiobook, own, latino-authors, genre-gothic

Wow! This was everything I wanted and so much more. It’s gotten a lot of love and hype, but it deserves even more.

Also, I listened to a few songs from the author-curated playlist, and that’s amazing too! ...more

3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 08, 2020 Briney rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: copy-audio, fiction, surprisingly-good, reviewed, fantasy, 3-stars, standalones, na, dark-n-twisted, dark-magic

3.5 Stars

Swear to god Moreno-Garcia was on shrooms writing this. What a wild ride.

Audio book had me feeling a little spooked listening in the dark. Wasn't nearly as bad as I had readied myself for, but my wimpy self is not complaining. (Excuse my belated spooky snz read, final year of university is totally holding me hostage.)

Pretty slow build up but latter half of the book makes up for that. And talk about atmospheric, wow. Big up Francis, what a gem, loved his pale awkward ass from the start. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review