Book Review: Mexican Gothic By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Genre: Horror, Fiction, Gothic, Mystery, Fantasy, Historical, Adult, Thriller
Pages: 304pages
Publication Date: June 30th 2020
Publisher: Del Rey
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Synopsis: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets

After receiving a frantic letter from her newlywed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find – her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.

Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.

Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind. 

My Thoughts: If you have been following new releases this year then you have definitely heard of Mexican Gothic. This book has been super hyped up. I have been seeing people talk about this book nonstop. It has been getting such great reviews too. After reading the summary I knew I just had to pick it up. I do have to say I was a bit underwhelmed but I did still enjoy it.

The Plot:

Noemí is called away from a party early by her Father. Her Father has received a disturbing letter from Noemí’s cousin, Catalina. He wants Noemí to go visit her cousin and to make sure she’s doing okay. When Noemí arrives she discovers how uncomfortable it is living there. The longer she stays the more she begins to learn about the family and the house. When she finally decides she needs to leave she soon discovers it might be harder than she originally thought.

I have to say the plot of this book is what intrigued. I couldn’t wait to find out exactly what was going on with this family and the house too. However I just felt things were really slow in the beginning. I was interested but I had to push myself to continue to read. I do realize that the author has to set things up. So I understand that but I didn’t get fully invested until over 50% into the book. I do have to say once things are explained the pacing changes. I felt the book moving so much faster. Things were happening and I was excited to see what was going to happen.

The Characters:

I loved Noemí so much. I feel if it wasn’t for her I probably wouldn’t have pushed through with this one. She is very caring. I mean she comes all the way to this house where it is know she is unwelcome. She goes because she wants to make sure her cousin is okay. She is continuously told to leave but she wants answers. She always is very sassy. There were so many times other characters would get nasty with her and she would bite back. I loved seeing her hold her ground with them. Yes she was a guest but she’s used to doing things her way. It made for such a great read. It also felt like a little bit of a victory even though it technically really wasn’t. (If that makes sense) She really is just such a great main character.

The side characters added to the vibe to the story. Some of them were very unpleasant and you just knew you weren’t going to like no matter what. There were other characters I wish I could have gotten to know a bit more. I wanted to get to know her cousin a bit more. I mean Noemí is put into this situation because of her. I do understand she’s sick but she felt kind of just there for me. Sure there was maybe a scene or two where they would talk about when they were younger. You get some insight on their relationship but I just wanted more. I didn’t feel myself caring about her like I cared for Noemí.

The Setting:

Now setting in this book is a huge party of the story. High Place is a house that is by itself. If you need to get into town it is a bit of a trek. The only person that ever comes to visit is the family doctor. There used to be a mine but years ago there was this huge epidemic that caused a lot of the miners to die. So there is a lot of backstory to this place. The inside is very eerie. There isn’t much electrical work so the house is pretty dark. There is also a cemetery on property that has a lot of burials. So you get the idea this place is spooky. I also love reading about spooky houses and what makes them the way they are. Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a great job of having you never to want to step foot in High Place.

The Writing:

I thought the writing was incredibly well done. I felt it was extremely detailed that I could picture everything perfectly. I’m sure some people would say a bit too detailed because things get gross. This book definitely isn’t for the faint of heart. There are some really gross scenes in this book. So if you’re freaked out easily I might say to avoid this. I did see a couple of reviews where people were enjoying the book but it just got too gross for them. I am definitely planning to check out other books by this author because of how good her writing in.

Overall this book didn’t live up to the hype like I thought it would. I just felt like the pacing was a bit off for me. I wish it didn’t go from being pretty slow to so fast paced. There were also characters I wish I had gotten to know a bit more. I am so happy that I ended up picking this up. I was looking up other books by the author. I saw a couple that really interested me. So I will be planning to pick those up in the future.

Have you guys read this book ? If so did you end up enjoying it? If not are you planning to pick it up? I would love to hear from you guys in the comments below.

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