Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genres: Horror, POC MC, Mystery/Thriller
Pages: 301
Goodreads
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . .
From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico. “It’s Lovecraft meets the Brontës in Latin America, and after a slow-burn start Mexican Gothic gets seriously weird” (The Guardian).
After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find - her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.
“It’s as if a supernatural power compels us to turn the pages of the gripping Mexican Gothic.”—The Washington Post
Opposite of my last review, this is for a book I did not like and will probably be very short. Frankly, I just don’t have a lot to say about it. . .
I should start off by saying that I listened to the audiobook for this but honestly, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it any more physically reading it. The narration was fine, but not the best performance. I did have a hard time distinguishing who was speaking when there was dialogue but otherwise, it was okay.
My issue was the story. It was. . . not creepy? I was expecting something so out there. I saw all the trigger warnings and all the people saying they couldn’t sleep after reading it that I was mentally prepared for something that was really going to knock my socks off – and it just didn’t.
It was slow and not a good slow. It was just Noemi doing nothing all day then having very lucid nightmares. Yawn. Nightmares do not spook me. Unless it’s Freddy Krueger because that dude can literally kill you in your sleep. Alas, there was no Freddy in sight.
Aside from not being at all creepy – or any word synonymous to that – I simply didn’t find it an interesting or unique story. In fact, it reminded me a lot of a movie I watched on Netflix called Apostle. They’re not identical, but some of the same concepts/ideas are there. I didn’t like that film either.
Honestly, I’m doing a terrible job at explaining why I didn’t like this. While browsing negative reviews on Goodreads, I found a lot of them explain my thoughts more eloquently. Overall, I just didn’t find it to be scary, unsettling, or interesting.
Does anyone else share the same opinion as I do?
Or am I alone here lol
| Rating Report | |
|---|---|
| Plot | |
| Characters | |
| Writing | |
| Romance | |
| Overall: | 2 / 5 |
8 Comments
Sorry this book wasn’t better for you. I’ve heard mixed things on this release and so I’ve not been certain I wanted to read but I know I’ll be wary going into this one. It’ll definitely be a library borrow than I purchase… just in case I don’t enjoy it.
Just go in knowing it’s not super scary lol Maybe a little creepy at times, but not scary?
Ohhh this is SADNESS! I was really looking forward to this one, but for the reasons that you said, that everyone seemed to be saying it was so horrifying and such! So for that part to be a letdown is a BIG letdown! So sorry this didn’t work for you!
Yeah…It definitely wasn’t scary. Especially if you regularly watch or read horror…it was just meh >.< If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it more!
I read it back in February before the hype. I loved it, but I also didn’t consider it true horror. I read it like it was historical mystery with magical elements. I can see why your expectations (and others) would be let down after some of the marketing.
Yeah, I went in thinking it was going to be more horror – but I didn’t really enjoy the ending either way. I think I would have enjoyed the rest of it more if I didn’t expect horror, but then when the reveal happened I just didn’t like it >.<
This novel was one of the silliest books I’ve read in a long time. Not even creepy, just silly. I think I saw a review that actually compared this to the Bronte’s. Ugh. I couldn’t wait to finish it! The best thing about this book is the beautiful cover. A slow burn? More like just dull…..
You were too generous by half, Molly. One star would have been kind. It is a comic book masquerading as prose: the dialogue is adolescent, the characters wooden, and despite a few notable phrases, the writing is at best mediocre. To compare it, as some have, to Daphne du Maurier is a grotesque insult to that Grande Dame, and a clear indication of the decline of literacy and judgment.