The book that wins this years award for best title that describes exactly what the book is. This is a Mexican Gothic horror which feels like a response to Del Toro's Crimson Peak - fine, Silvia Moreno-Garcia says, you love Gothic horror, but why not set it in Mexico, its a super goth country? And by chapter two the job is done. Mysterious creepy mouldy house, ancient colonialist ancestors, sickly cousin, everyone in the local town says it is cursed. And so we gleeful ride on the mine cart (there is an old mine here, so the local workers can hate the old family), into full on gothic excess. And I cannot complain, there is something about seeing a decent writer flex their muscles on an exercise, wringing as much atmosphere out of its stock elements which perhaps have been given a Mexican twist - but not to the degree they need it. As Moreno-Garcia has identified, there are core aspects of the modern Mexican identity which are intensely gothic. Which, when you consider the book barely scratches Catholicism and nary mentions the Day Of The Dead, is remarkable.

The pacing is great, as the the core character development of our flighty lead who goes from disinterested, to intrigued, to engaged to trapped in the four quarters of the book. And the tales it parcelled out properly for you to have the mystery of what is going on (and the degree to which it is supernatural or not) teased gently until we get to our grand gugnol ending. It is not rewriting the genre, but it is doing some clever things about what the gothic horror and big house identity is within one of the oldest (and oldest independent) colonial countries in the world. Highly recomended

As gothic as gothic can be. A haunted house, a curse, tragedy, and paranormal elements but still with roots in the real world. I loved Mexican Gothic as a whole. Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing style is as graceful as ever, and the story plus setting drew me in immediately. Noemi has just enough flaws to be loved and her attraction to Francis comes naturally.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for a super creepy read and it would be perfect for a Halloween readathon.

"Open your eyes."

'Mexican Gothic' is a beautifully crafted work of gothic horror. The writing is exquisite, the images created eerily beautiful, and reading it makes you feel uncomfortable yet unable to look away. It feels both original and a tribute to novels of the past - it could have come straight out of its 1950s setting. An absolute triumph of imagination and wordcraft.

The protagonist, Noemi, is a Mexican socialite, living a life of balls and luxury in Mexico City. Her father - the owner of a large dye company - would like her to marry, but Noemi is too busy having fun to consider anything so serious. However, when her father receives a worrying later from her newly-married cousin Catalina, Noemi finds herself sent to a crumbling mansion in rural Mexico where nothing is quite as it seems.

It's the imagery which makes this book. Moreno-Garcia weaves pictures which are simultaneously grotesque yet stunning and never quite confirms what is real. The reader is kept detached from the characters, not allowed to fully understand them or what they're thinking - but rather than making the characters seem underwritten, instead it maintains the air of mystery and illusion. The plot twists and turns, and the reader is invited to make up their own minds as to each characters role and motivations. Even at the end, some things are left unexplained - this is not the sort of book which needs to be tied up in a neat little bow.

If you like mystery, and horror, and books where nothing is as it seems, this is the perfect book for you - but maybe don't read it after dark.

Having enjoyed a couple of Moreno-Garcia's previous works, I was keen to explore a Gothic tale from her in Mexican Gothic. Overall, I wasn't disappointed. The story and characters caught my interest from the first chapter and held it until the end, and there was a fun twist in the story that I hadn't seen coming, but which worked very well and added a fantastical element to what I thought would be a straightforward family-secret drama. There was plenty of action, suspense and mystery throughout and the reveals were nicely handled. Recommended to fans of Gothic fiction. 4.5 stars.

(Review will go live on my blog, Goodreads and social media on 16 June 2020.)

Well where do I start? Mexican Gothic is an awesome creepy novel. If you love creepy you’ll love this.

The author is extremely talented, she has managed to write a mysterious novel that keeps you gripped the whole way through.

I really enjoyed the characters, finding out the history surrounding the gothic mansion, and it’s strange inhabitants. I love how Noemí finds all the strange rules infuriating, and isn’t scared to question them.

Please go and read this if you love plot driven stories, with intrigue and creepiness.

In ‘Mexican Gothic’ Silvia Moreno- Garcia has created a darkly beautiful epic that I just about devoured in an afternoon. Noemi is living the life of a rich, carefree socialite when her father receives a worrying letter from her cousin Catalina in which she claims she is being poisoned. Noemi is sent to make sure she is receiving the help she needs, but she quickly discovers that Catalina’s new family home, High Place, harbours dark secrets, and that it may never let her leave.
‘Mexican Gothic’ is perfectly paced, building a slow but steady sense of dread. Moreno-Garcia’s writing is highly descriptive without ever feeling excessive, and in High Place manages to achieve the rare feat of creating a location that feels as alive as any one of the characters, without it seeming cheesy or contrived.
As for the characters themselves, I was completely entranced by Noemi, whose mixture of confidence and uncertainty rang entirely true. The Doyle family are fascinating and horrifying in equal measures, with the gentle and strangely tragic Francis becoming a particular favourite of mine.
I really enjoyed ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’ it for me ‘Mexican Gothic’ surpassed it. One of the best books I’ve read in a long time. Thank you so much to Quercus and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review

A fun modern gothic that is self-conscious of its intertexts (The Yellow Wallpaper, The Fall of the House of Usher, Rebecca, amongst others) as it reinscribes the gloomy house, the cursed family, with eugenics and capitalist exploitation. It gets a bit bonkers and the pacing isn't quite right as it drags then suddenly speeds up, but it's an entertaining page-turner. Gorgeous cover, too!

Chilling and horrifying novel about two cousins and a dilapidated mansion, the generations of family that dwell within, and the secrets that bind them all together. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to be an early reader in exchange for my review.