Mexican Gothic

This book stole my breath away. I admit, I went in blindly without knowing much of what it was about. The description doesn't give it away, but the cover and title is seducing enough. The characters are well-fleshed out and non-stereotypical while still touching on subjects of it's time. The world building is true to its gothic roots while giving us that taste of magic and at the same time, horror. Some of the pages of this book require re-reads to really understand what is going on, this is a book you sit with patiently, not breeze through expecting the next chapter.
I don't want to go into the details of what this book is about, but rather the experience of reading it and how unique it is. It's been a while since I've picked up a story that left me so thoughtful and mesmerized at the same time. Mexican Gothic is a must-read for everyone, regardless of what genre you're most interested in. The only bad part about it is finishing it.

Generous three stars. The concept of this book is good. However, I didn’t love the execution. The first 3/4 of the book is incredibly slow. The author could have done more to drive the reader’s curiosity to determine what is happening within the family/house. The last quarter things pick up and save the book.

This novel has made it onto my favorites list for sure. The creepy vibes from the setting alone drew me in and had me hooked from the summary. The story itself was also spooky and hard to guess what was going to happen next, which I prefer in a thriller. I will say, the explanation / ending is slightly far fetched but, and it's a big BUT as I know nothing about mycology I cannot say for sure that its not possible or even logical so I won't take any ⭐s away for that. The story follows Noemi, whose family is wealthy and well known in Mexico City. She has an older cousin that was raised very closely with her, more like siblings than cousins. Her cousin, Catalina, recently wed a man who Noemi's father was less than enchanted with. We find out that this man, while coming from a well-to-do family, has no family money and lives in an isolated part of the country. Noemi's cousin appears to have fallen ill, she writes odd letters to Noemi and when Noemi's father inquires with her husband he brushes the family off. Well, this naturally leads to Noemi visiting her dear Catalina in the creepy place she has made her new home, High Place. Noemi arrives to find the whole Doyle klan weird and unsettling, with the exception of Catalina's husband's cousin, Francis. This is where the creepy house, a super weird old man, and odd dreams come in. Also, Noemi seems to develop a sleepwalking habit that feels like more than just dreams. As if none of this were bad enough, her hosts keep insisting that she not smoke her cigarettes which seems plain rude to ask of a guest! While trying to figure out what is ailing her beloved cousin without stepping on the toes of her husband Noemi ends up in every woman's nightmare, unable to assert herself because she's been trained that it's not polite. This ends up almost being deadly for Noemi and Catalina as the Doyles use this to their advantage. Francis becomes Noemi's unlikely protector when the family's dirty laundry comes out and threatens all of their lives. I am already looking into ordering more works from this author, hopefully they live up to this wonderful novel! I will definitely re-read this one!

I'm not sure what to give this...stars-wise.

I went in with the idea that this had the same vibe as Rebecca...one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE books. And yes, the secluded mansion home and the mystery surrounding the marriage and people at said mansion...but that is where the similarities END! So, with such expectations in my head, I didn't like the book very much. But, had I known nothing going in, would I feel differently? I don't know...

Also, without giving away too much, if you are squeamish, just walk away! It's not so much blood and guts as much as boils and rotting mouths. Yeaaaaaah. No, Thank You...

Overall, it was... ... ...fine. I think I would have really enjoyed the writing if I hadn't been so distracted by what was going on in the story. I prefer my Rebecca and could have done without all the very, very graphic descriptions.

Edited to add: This is a PERFECT description of the "gore" of the book that I found on the Goodreads page...

"Gore in the sense of bloody violence: none. But in the sense of bodily fluids ending up where you wouldn't want them? Yeah, that is part of the psychological horror."

About halfway through the book, I realized this book may not been in my realm of interest. I actually liked the writing and many parts were enjoyable but as a whole, this book just didn't hit me.

It's dark but not "scary". Definitely feels like there's a dark cloud glooming over this entire book which is what I think the author was going for. If you like "romantic dark ethnic fantasy", this is right up your alley.

It was an OK read for me.