Reviews tagging 'Xenophobia'

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

166 reviews

augie_'s review against another edition

challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Very well written and creepy in the right way. I usually avoid horror or horror-adjacent books, but I was hooked. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Murder, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

carefulfearanddeaddevotion's review against another edition

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

.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Kidnapping, Mass/school shootings, Cannibalism, Murder, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Miscarriage, Vomit, Medical content, Colonisation, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Minor: Infertility, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and War

bail33's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Good book! Great way to get into spooky season. I’m just getting into gothics and I think this was a fantastic way to start. The most literal definition of the house being a character.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Xenophobia, and Colonisation

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Rape, and Cannibalism

hannahcstocks's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Classism

acorn192k's review against another edition

dark 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

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror

Moderate: Confinement, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Xenophobia, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Infertility, Miscarriage, Rape, Cannibalism, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

rikathestrange's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark hopeful inspiring 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? No

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Incest, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexual violence, Xenophobia, Medical content, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Sexual harassment

jvsaucceda's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

2.0

TW: SA Though this book is engaging with fully fleshed characters and a story that got under my skin, the point of the book is a) too on the nose (I mean a book named Mexican Gothic? Not something more creative?), b) too driven by creepy old men forcing themselves on young women, and c) incest. Plus, the book focuses on the idea of eugenics as a driving factor for the plot. Good book. Wrong time for me to read it and appreciate it.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Incest, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicide, Xenophobia, Murder, and Colonisation

jovanh's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

This was exactly what you'd expect from a Gothic horror story:

• Moldering Victorian mansion
• An aristacratic family with secrets
• Gaslighting
• Creepy dreams

If you enjoy this genre, as I do, this book will fit the bill. That said, I felt like I knew what was going on pretty early. That could be because I've a bit too much Gothic horror. Or it could be due to the author's repeated description and motifs. Regardless it's was a fun read.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Incest, Xenophobia, Murder, Gaslighting, and Classism

Moderate: Infertility, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence

Minor: Child death, Mental illness, Suicide, Cannibalism, and Abortion

flygonjinn's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Incest, Mental illness, Racism, Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Moderate: Rape and Xenophobia

a_bow'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? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Incest, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

Moderate: Sexual assault