I didn't know much going into Mexican Gothic and it ended up being a fantastically dark tale. Sometimes a story is so good but you can't quite pinpoint why exactly you love it so much.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is impeccable and so easy to get lost in the atmosphere she creates. She some how manages to find the perfect balance of descriptive imagery and character dialogue. I found the story impossible to put down, the first half I had no idea what was going on and the second half my mind was so blown while still trying to wrap itself around what in the world was happening.

The single perspective of Noemì keeps you as the reader from getting too confused in the spiderweb of a plot and characters. Although in the beginning she comes off as a bit shallow and spoiled her voice is incredibly fresh and you automatically like her and want to root for her. She's strong and smart, I loved her spirit through out the book.

I will say, the horror aspect was not scary for me as I've seen some mention. There were a few parts that were gory and made me say "ew" out loud and it definitely had that haunted house feel without being overly intimidating. I think it would be a great gateway book for someone new to the genre.

I gave this book a good try, but the pacing was so slow that I really couldn’t convince myself to remain focused on it. Definitely wish it was more horror focused with more excitement and weirdness!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has a nice creepy feel to it perfect for a stormy night of reading. I recommend it.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia knows people. This book was a character driven ride that kept me invested till the last page. I feel like I have been a part of something just from reading this Incredible suspense story. I am going to stare at my celling now and try to sleep. (I don't not believe I shall and that is a wonderful thing)

Wow! This book was fantastic. Gorgeous, immersive writing and fascinating storytelling. Silvia has a gift with language, because she completely lulled me into the dangerous world of High Place. I knew things were taking a turn for the creepy, but she does in such a slow and steady way, that one moment you're feeling tense and unsure, and then before you know it, you're caught in all the intensity and wildness. Very impressive story building. My only frustration with the book was the ending. This book had such strong female empowerment energy, so to have it end as a pseudo love story was really annoying. I wanted Catalina and Noemi bonding to wrap it up. Overall, great book.

This is such a subtle yet beautifully written story. I really enjoyed the own words view that this book offered. This is definetly a must read,

The first ad I saw for Mexican Gothic described it as combo of Rebecca, Dracula, and Jane Eyre set in 1950s Mexico.
It was everything it promised. Loved this book. The book plot was a slow burn with a satisfying conclusion. Despite adequate foreshadowing, the twist was a surprise. I was never once annoyed with the characters for doing stupid things (which happens pretty often when reading horror novels).
All said, this book is absolutely worth your time!

Loved this--Moreno-Garcia creates a wonderfully creepy and atmospheric novel that simultaneously made me visit the mysterious mountainside High Place and keep far, far away from it.

ALL. THE. STARS. FOR. THIS. BOOK.

I didn't so much read it so much as I was consumed by it. I couldn't put it down - I stayed up late and got up early just to get back to it. It's gothic fiction done in EXACTLY the right way. Deliciously creepy - I could not get enough of this one. It emerged as a clear 2020 favorite for me!

Y’all. This book is WILD. 🤯 It is deliciously spooky, immensely fun to read, and completely one of a kind… and the cover is gooooorgeous!!

I loved the style and feel of Mexican Gothic. The vibe reminded me a lot of some of Guillermo Del Toro’s work - specifically Crimson Peak - with all of the gothic elegance, magical elements, insidious spookiness, and mind-blowing twists.

Moreno-Garcia is an incredible storyteller. Her writing is fabulously beautiful and full of rich details and descriptive metaphors that really allow you to feel the book’s gothic setting and see it clearly in your mind.

This book starts off a bit slow but is a fast overall. I enjoyed the world and character building at the beginning, but the action doesn’t really start until about 65 or 70% of the way through. So, if you’re a plot person, stick with this one because once it hits the fan, it HITS the fan.

I will say, I am a scaredy cat… and while this book was spooky and creepy, it wasn’t like, keep-me-up-all-night level scary. So please don’t let the creep-factor deter your for trying this one out!

Overall, I thought Mexican Gothic was an incredibly original and super fun read. Between The Gods of Jade and Shadow and this book, I am officially a Moreno-Garcia fan and I wait to see what kind of mind-glowingly creative stories she comes up with next!

Charismatic city girl, Noemí Taboada finds herself at High Place, a spooky mansion high above a remote village when her cousin, Catalina, sends an unusual letter pleading for help. Catalina believes that not only is her husband, Virgil , poisoning her but that there are ghosts in the moldy walls of High Place. Noemí intends to visit her cousin, investigate Virgil and discover whether her cousin is right about him and the visions or if she is mentally unwell and needs a doctor. What she discovers during her stay in the dark and moldy mansion is much more disturbing and sinister than mere poison or ghosts.

The first half of this book is slow-paced but the beautiful, haunting writing is more than enough to keep you turning the pages. After the big twist, that I daresay no one will see coming, the pacing picks up and you are taken on a disturbing, chilly thrill ride until the end.

Though I was slightly displeased with the reveal, the reason for all of the unrest at High Place, because it was such a contrast to what I thought was going on, I must admit that it was an interesting plot choice. If you read a lot of mysteries and always find yourself ahead of the twists and turns, I highly recommend this for a refreshing mystery that you likely won't solve before the reveal.

I really enjoyed this slow burn thrilling horror novel set in the Mexican countryside. The suspense built over several chapters and while that might put off some horror readers who are ready for the thrills straight away. Reading closely though you can see horrors on the very first chapters; a woman unable to choose her destiny due to familial duties and constraints, racism, colorism, the violence of colonialism. The horror is there. It's just permeated our consciousness in a way that we can't detect it anymore much like the boogeyman in this novel.

I don't read a lot of horror novels so I wasn't sure what to expect going into MEXICAN GOTHIC. All I knew is that the cover is beautiful and I loved the author's most recent book. I was hooked instantly by the atmospheric writing and intrigued by the house at the center of the story. What I didn't expect (though maybe should have?) was all the creepy, weird, paranormal parts. Unexpected but utterly delightful in a grossly fascinated way. I loved this book but when I finished it, I was glad it was over.

You know those books that once you start reading, you can't stop? Where you are willing to do anything, even sacrifice precious, precious sleep just to know what happens? Where you will willingly neglect necessary chores because you just have to read one more chapter. JUST ONE MORE CHAPTER!

Mexican Gothic is one of those books. It has everything: a crumbling English mansion shrouded in mist with a serious mold problem, a 1950s Mexican glamour girl who likes parties, gambling and fast cars, sinister Englishmen, an adorkable baby Colin Firth-esque Englishman, mushrooms, snakes eating their tails, the evils of colonialism...seriously, this book is everything I ever needed and in a Gothic novel and more. Stop everything that you're doing and read it. Go on. You know you want to.

I absolutely loved Silvia Moreno-Garcia's God of Jade and Shadow, so I was very excited for Mexican Gothic. This author does a fantastic job mixing magical elements into historical fiction. This one definitely leans more towards horror that Gods of Jade and Shadow did. She successfully creates a dark and creepy atmosphere that surround this entire story while including elements that reflect the time and location the story takes place in.
This was the by far the best horror book that I have read in years and I would love to see it get made into a movie.

Set in the 1950’s Noemi is asked by her father to go and check on her newly married cousin Catalina, after he received a very startling letter from her. Hoping to get some answers she heads to High Place a isolated house in the Mexican countryside of Hidalgo. Catalina’s new husband Virgil Doyle family once owned a prosperous silver mine until is was ruined by a mysterious epidemic . Immediately when she arrives she feels like nothing is as it seems. She’s met with hostility and the house is falling apart and moldy, her cousin is bedridden and is talking incoherently, at times of clarity she talks of people in the walls. When she lays her head down at night Noemi suffers from horrible nightmares and even begins to sleepwalk again. She’s constantly being watched by everyone in the manor and the only friend she finds is in Francis who also lives there and is Virgil’s half brother. As Noemi begins to unravel the mystery that surrounds High Place and the Doyle’s she begins to wonder if she will able to save herself and Catalina? I loved Noemi she was strong independent and fiercely loyal. The gothic surrounding and the authors ability to to write so clearly, and make me feel like I was at the manor and seeing myself walking into the foggy grounds took my breath away. The story was captivating and I loved every word it was refreshing to read about a Mexican heroine I could see myself in Noemi and it made the story more special to me! Five horrifying stars!

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a beautifully written and inventive take on the classic gothic novel. Noemi, a carefree socialite in 1950s Mexico City, finds herself summoned to a rural town by her cousin Catalina. Catalina is a newlywed and living with her husband's family in rural Mexico. The family hasn't seen or heard much from her until a strange and disturbing letter arrives prompting Noemi to travel to Catalina's new home to check on her. Once Noemi arrives, she immediately notices that not all is well with Catalina, and her new family seems to be hiding a lot. As Noemi tries to adjust to the strict rules in Catalina's new home, she begins to uncover a dark family secret. But can she trust what she's seeing? What she's hearing? She's not really feeling much like herself. The house is doing something to her. In Mexican Gothic, Moreno-Garcia takes traditional gothic tropes and adds new and complex perspectives. While not exactly a horror novel, it does have a heavy feeling of creeping dread. This book is perfect for readers looking to dip a toe in the horror world, especially if they enjoy historical fiction, classic gothic literature, or fantasy.

An atmospheric slow burn of a novel that will envelope the reader in one family's dark, dark secrets.
When Noemí and her father read the letter from their newly married cousin Catalina, they are disturbed by her distressing plea for help. Catalina recently married into a once-prosperous English family who built their wealth in silver mining in a remote hilltop estate - far from Mexico city and its progress. With concern for her cousin, Noemí travels alone to the estate to assess her wellbeing and intervene on her family's behalf if needed. What she finds is straight out of classic gothic horror novels - a ruined mansion, seeping walls, glowing mushrooms, and a creepy cemetery where a horrific secret is buried. Though the pacing is maddening at times, perhaps that is part of the point - by the time all is revealed, even the most dreadful horror is believable. The author laces the plot with tidbits from Noemí's studies in anthropology, further enhancing the folklore aspect. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this copy!

Mexican Gothic is the perfect title for this book. Because it is a spot-on Gothic classic. Just a little bit modernized and set in Mexico. And you all know I love me some Gothic literature. And I really enjoyed this story. It was dark and mysterious and reminded me so much of the Gothic novels I love. I know it’s summer, but I think this would make an amazing autumn read. This book demands to be consumed on a rainy day, in front of the fire, with a cozy blanket and a cup of tea. It’s one of those books that will pull you in slowly, until you realize it’s four in the morning and you can’t put it down until you finish.

This book starts off slow, which allows the eerie feeling to set in before anything really happens. My one issue with the pacing is that the inciting incident of the novel – Naomi’s father receiving the letter from her cousin – happens pretty quickly. Which is fine, except everything that came after felt even slower. Not really a big deal, but the pacing just felt a little off to me, and it took me longer to get into the rhythm of this book.

Since this is now the second Silva Moreno-Garcia book I’ve read, I feel confident saying that she’s a very talented writer. However, I didn’t totally agree with some of the choices she made with this book. Personally, I thought it would be a lot stronger if it were told in first-person point-of-view. It actually got close a few times. To the point where it was a little disorienting when it was made clear that this is third-person POV. I just thought the mystery might have worked better, and it might have been easier for the reader to become fully immersed in the story. I am curious to see what other people think, because this might just be one of those things no one else notices.

The story, though, was easily ten out of ten. Like I said, Gothic literature is one of my favorite things. And this just made me want to curl up with some Gothic classics. It felt both completely unique and very familiar. From the first chapter, I was getting strong Rebecca vibes. And then I realized what else this book reminded me of: Crimson Peak and Ready or Not (the films). It just had those modern, creepy family, dark horror elements that I really enjoy. I honestly think I will end up picking this one up again. I think there is a lot more I might pick up on the second time around. And, like I said, fall will be the perfect time to do it.

Content Warnings: Discussions of eugenics/white supremacy, conversations about death and suicide, alcohol, smoking, miscarriages/stillbirths, violence, cannibalism, sexual assault, incest.

"The serpent does not devour its tail, it devours everything around it, voracious, its appetite never quenched."

Mexican Gothic follows Noemí, an astute and stylish woman whose father receives a cryptic letter from Noemí's newly married cousin, Catalina. Noemí heads to a house known as High Place in the Mexican countryside to check on Catalina and discovers that more is going on than she anticipated. The head of the house, Howard Doyle, is a firm believer in eugenics. As Noemí learns more about the dilapidated manor, she seeks the help of Francis, the youngest inhabitant of High Place. Will Noemí be able to leave High Place peacefully, or will she become consumed by it like everyone else?

Silvia Moreno-Garcia did an excellent job of establishing a mysterious setting and deeply unlikable characters, both of which are vital to Gothic literature. The book moves at a slow pace, but the payoff is worth it. No matter where readers think the story is going, they can likely only guess a fraction of it. I also appreciated the vivid descriptions. For better or worse, I could clearly imagine the dark and damp manor and Noemí's hallucinations. I recommend Mexican Gothic to people looking to try Gothic literature.