Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

593 reviews

wundini's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

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

3.25

This is my second book by Silvia Moreno this year, and once again, it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a stylish nod to the gothic tradition of British classics, with Englishmen imported to a castle in the Mexican mountains, blending horror and a love story. There’s something charmingly ‘pulpy’ about it, in the best possible way. The writing is accessible, the plot is engaging, and the concept feels fresh. Despite its readability, it’s far from superficial—there are references to Wuthering Heights, Ruth Benedict, and Margaret Mead, which add intellectual depth. The novel also brings an anthropological twist, touching on themes of native populations, colonialism, and the misogyny of the nobility. My only critique is that the 1950s setting feels underdeveloped and lacks the detail needed to fully evoke the era.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Cannibalism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Cultural appropriation

khayes2's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I really liked it! The mystery of it was really interesting and the imagery was really successfully unsettling

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual harassment, and Classism

karen_lo's review against another edition

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Sexual assault

Minor: Incest, Suicide, and Cannibalism

mo0nsugar's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Incest, Racism, Rape, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Cannibalism, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

subtlymelancholy's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Sexual violence, Violence, and Xenophobia

jackyy93's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Sexual assault, and Violence

Minor: Cannibalism and Murder

noura's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Incest, and Violence

Moderate: Sexism and Sexual assault

Minor: Cannibalism

immovabletype's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Rape, and Medical content

Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage

c_l_ara's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Incest, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

elementaldragons's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

1.0

I went into this book knowing it was outside of my genre comfort zone, and reading it proved that it is just not a book for me. I had just heard too many great things to not give it a try. I also struggled with the cluncky writing. It felt like a metaphor would be given just to instantly spell out what it was. A bit too much telling rather than showing. I thought about dnf'i f multiple times, but pushed through to the end.

If you're a fan of darker stories this may be a good read for you, it just isn't my style. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Gore, Incest, Rape, Sexism, and Violence

Minor: Vomit and Cannibalism