Scan barcode
A review by onceuponanisabel
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
5.0
Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again.
To my absolute pleasure, last year [b:Gods of Jade and Shadow|36510722|Gods of Jade and Shadow|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543268579l/36510722._SY75_.jpg|58230232] was one of the first ARCs I was ever approved for. It's a joy to be able to return. Mexican Gothic was everything I hoped it was.
Noemi embarks on a trip to visit her cousin, Catalina, who has written a concerning letter from her husband's home. There, she encounters the thoroughly mysterious Doyle family, their bloodstained history, and the haunting magic of High House.
The atmosphere was the shining star of this book. Moreno-Garcia created a setting so steeped in mist and mystery that I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the story. Noemi was a delightfully compelling main character, and the Doyle's were incredibly creepy, in an uncanny valley kind of way.
This book reminded me of the movie Get Out in a lot of ways, and I believe it has the same major pitfall: a slightly too abrupt shift from the creepy buildup to the explanation and climax of the story. Noemi makes it a small part of the way to the answer, but in the end, the big twist must be explained to us by characters, which I found somewhat frustrating. I wanted to feel like I could have predicted the ending or for Noemi to stumble upon the answer for herself. It's the age old "show don't tell" adage.
I'm not typically a fan of horror, but I really enjoyed this book. It had very strong [a:Rory Power|17203508|Rory Power|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544153828p2/17203508.jpg] vibes, so if you liked her two books, I would very highly recommend Mexican Gothic.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
To my absolute pleasure, last year [b:Gods of Jade and Shadow|36510722|Gods of Jade and Shadow|Silvia Moreno-Garcia|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543268579l/36510722._SY75_.jpg|58230232] was one of the first ARCs I was ever approved for. It's a joy to be able to return. Mexican Gothic was everything I hoped it was.
Noemi embarks on a trip to visit her cousin, Catalina, who has written a concerning letter from her husband's home. There, she encounters the thoroughly mysterious Doyle family, their bloodstained history, and the haunting magic of High House.
The atmosphere was the shining star of this book. Moreno-Garcia created a setting so steeped in mist and mystery that I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the story. Noemi was a delightfully compelling main character, and the Doyle's were incredibly creepy, in an uncanny valley kind of way.
This book reminded me of the movie Get Out in a lot of ways, and I believe it has the same major pitfall: a slightly too abrupt shift from the creepy buildup to the explanation and climax of the story. Noemi makes it a small part of the way to the answer, but in the end, the big twist must be explained to us by characters, which I found somewhat frustrating. I wanted to feel like I could have predicted the ending or for Noemi to stumble upon the answer for herself. It's the age old "show don't tell" adage.
I'm not typically a fan of horror, but I really enjoyed this book. It had very strong [a:Rory Power|17203508|Rory Power|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1544153828p2/17203508.jpg] vibes, so if you liked her two books, I would very highly recommend Mexican Gothic.
ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.