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asolis's review
dark
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
A teen girl séance ends with one of them getting possessed by an ancestral spirit, which leads our Chicana circle of friends to self-actualization, sexual liberation, and general girl power - with some vigilante justice along the way. The premise was interesting but the execution was clunky (including a cartoonishly evil Catholic priest).
The writing felt a bit immature, which may have been intended to match the narrator, but resulted in some simplistic prose and stiff dialogue. It felt very YA, but with a lot of "mature content." Unfortunately I came away really meh about this decolonized ghost story novella.
I was also distracted by an unclear sense of time for when the story was taking place. Musical references mostly suggested the mid 90s or so, while technology ranged from "the family computer" to using phones to record video.
The writing felt a bit immature, which may have been intended to match the narrator, but resulted in some simplistic prose and stiff dialogue. It felt very YA, but with a lot of "mature content." Unfortunately I came away really meh about this decolonized ghost story novella.
I was also distracted by an unclear sense of time for when the story was taking place. Musical references mostly suggested the mid 90s or so, while technology ranged from "the family computer" to using phones to record video.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexual content, Blood, Religious bigotry, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infertility, Self harm, Vomit, Trafficking, Stalking, and Colonisation
avciera7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Man, this book wastes no time. Super fast and engaging read. At times, the prose was really masterful and full of life. At others, it was quite clunky, hard to follow, and lacking in subtlety. There's just a LOT going on here. As is the case with many of my recent reads, there were GREAT ideas in this book that didn't fully come together. I loved how its interesting interpretation of a possession narrative and its basis in the Mexican American experience interwove. I wish we had gotten to know the other girls better, especially when their connection to each other was supposed to be integral to the plot. What I will say is I was entertained and the book was mostly successful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Violence, Religious bigotry, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Blood, and Colonisation
Minor: Self harm, Trafficking, and Alcohol
mothmania's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Self harm, Violence, Stalking, and Alcohol
Minor: Mental illness, Misogyny, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, and Deportation
ericarobyn's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
4.0
Goddess of Filth by V. Castro is a story about the love a group of friends and how tough their bond is when they are tested after one of them is possessed.
One summer, a group of friends tries to call upon ancient spirits. In attendance is Lourdes, Fernanda, Ana, Perla, and Pauline. They think that they’re just doing this for fun and aren’t taking it too seriously. After all, what’s the worst that can happen?
Soon after beginning, something happens that startles them all. Quiet and serious Fernanda starts speaking a language they can’t understand. Unable to snap her out of it, they turn the lights back on, and she falls to the ground and passed out cold.
Turns out that Fernanda, who has a strong internal desire to do great things, has walked away from the event with a spirit in her. This isn’t just any spirit though, and while the spirit can take over when she likes, she actually works with Fernanda. This spirit has some stories to tell, and while she waits for the girls to figure out how to make that happen, she feasts on sin.
I really enjoyed that this tale centered around the love of friends. As a teenager, I always wished I had a group like this, minus the intrigue to do a séance of course! I’m too much of a chicken for that! I also really enjoyed that there was history included here with the Nahuatl language, which was from of the characters Aztec ancestors. I also like how much commentary there was on very important topics. V has such a beautiful way to touch upon things like this in a blunt and perfect format that still flows perfectly, but sinks its teeth into you so the words can stick around.
I empathized with the main character, Lourdes, in many ways and wished for the very best for her. I felt so protective of her immediately and wanted to reach through my kindle screen to give her a hug. Her inner monologue about not wanting to burden others, not asking for help, and forcing herself to swallowing down her anger really hit home for me.
The overall plot of the tale had me totally captivated. It was so easy to focus on the main storyline, but there were others flowing through in the darkness as well that wove in and out of the main focus, creating an even darker mood.
I love the way that V. Castro writes. Her words flow so well and the description of everything is absolutely beautiful, even when V is describing dark elements. Her use of dialogue was also wonderful. I loved the extra commentary the main character had with her inner thoughts when confronted with hateful characters.
And oh boy, speaking of those hateful characters. Some of that hatred was very difficult to read, but so impactful!
My Favorite Passages:
When your insides are egg white soft, you learn to develop an exterior tougher than fossilized dead things.
My innards felt like pop rocks crackling and jumping towards my mouth.
“I hope you are still writing.” I nodded my head, noticing the three of them were looking straight at me. I still did not mention I had a closet full of notebooks. There was probably the same amount of ink on those pages as blood and tears in my body.
The church sat on the corner of the street like a chipped headstone. It appeared rotten, choked by time and its own tangled intolerance.
We were women, finding our way in a world that didn’t give us a second glance.
My Final Thoughts:
When I first picked this one up, I was a bit nervous as I’ve heard there were sexual elements in it. I tend to avoid that as I feel a lot of the sex involved in things is just either to draw people in and doesn’t actually add to the story, or it’s added as shock value. That was not the case here. In this tale, the sexual elements were well done and added to the overall story.
I highly recommend picking this one up when you can read straight through because you won’t want to stop. This is a story that left me walking away from it feeling unnerved, but also hopeful.
Wouldn’t it be nice for something to really feast on the darkest of sins out there like we saw in this tale?!
You gotta pick this one up!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Self harm
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