Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Mexican Gothic

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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khayes2's review against another edition

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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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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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monaewrites's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

What a reprehensible little family. Noemi Toboada <3 i luv u <3 I wish you'd never met them.

Very interesting concept, surprisingly thoughtfully feminist and intersectional. Underneath the

mind-controlling, life-extending, consciousness-transferring mushrooms

is a story about the use and abuse of female, non-white, and poor bodies at the hands of a colonial power and men who never hear or internalize the word "no." Is it ground-breaking or particularly deep? No. But I was glad that

the people who mattered (Catalina and Noemi) made it out alive and triumphant and that Agnes was freed. I also appreciated that, at the end of the day, Catalina and Noemi saved themselves/each other, instead of being saved by a man.

Also, learned a new word: lugubrious = adj. looking or sounding sad and dismal. It played in my head on a loop for three days after I read it. Very fun word to say, one might even say too fun to mean "sad".

Weakest part of the book for me was the romance between Francis and Noemi

, wish they just ended as friends. Though I guess the novel itself tells us that we never know what the future has in store for them, so they may very well breakup

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