I have mixed feelings about this book. I'll start with what I enjoyed. I absolutely loved the Náhuatl culture being the central part of the story. The representation of the culture and language was well done. It was refreshing to see Latin American Indigenous peoples represented, with actual accuracy of the traditions and beliefs. My favorite parts were all of the flash backs especially the beginning. I wish that there had been more flash backs or the novel in it's entirety had taken place during the conquistadors.

Now for what I wasn't keen on. The build up was entirely too slow. Too much time was wasted on building the story in unnecessary places. The addition of the socially political aspects were completely over the top; to the point they seemed out of place in the horror novel. With the first half being too slow, the second half ended up being rushed. Some scenes needed more development and certain aspects of the story remained unclear. I really wanted to love this book as I was won over with the premise. I think if the story had taken place entirely in Mexico and the possession had been developed more, the novel would've been wonderful.

I was super excited to read this based on the synopsis alone. This was a horror novel about a possession. It was full of Mexican culture representation along with mesoamerican representation. I rated it 4 stars just because it is slow paced building up to the actual action but once you get there, it’s non-stop until the end. I would recommend it to all anyone who loves a good horror book. Thanks to NetGalley and Tor publishing for this ARC.

Slow burn horror novels are such an interesting thing. Initially I'm all like c'mon already, get to the good stuff because I know it's in here... but then once the good stuff finally gets going I'm all like whoaaaaa there, slow down, why are you in such a rush all of a sudden?!

Also, mothers, how well do you know your daughters?

In Pinata, we find ourselves following Carmen Sanchez and her daughters Izel and Luna as they travel to Mexico so that Carmen can keep an eye on the renovation that's taking place on the site of an old Abbey. Carmen's excited to introduce her kids to some of thier cultural history, but things take a weird turn when some scaffolding comes loose and exposes a hidden alcove containing some ancient clay pots and other detritus. During the commotion Luna, ever the curious girl, sneaks one of the strange pots out of the room and manages to smuggle it back to their home in New York, unbeknownst to Carmen, when word of the accident at the abbey gets back to her boss.

Little by little, Luna begins to withdraw inside herself and strange things start to happen at a water's boil sort of pace. Small things that Carmen and Izel could easily brush aside without much second thought, like the sounds of Luna speaking to someone in her room when no one else is in there with her and the creepy drawings she's been sketching, soon become more worrisome until eventually there's too much to ignore, like waking up to a dog sized cricket at the foot of your bed, and uhm hello, NOW you realize that a very pissed off ancient entity is attempting to use your child's body as a gateway for the apocalypse? Really?!

While there were some head-shaking, eye-rolling, shoulder-shrugging moments of really bad parenting, it was quite a unique and wild ride. I see it being compared to both The Exorcist and A Headful of Ghosts and that's actually a pretty good way to describe this book. I was highly anticipating this one and it didn't let me down.

When a mother and her two daughters travel to Mexico for the mother’s job, they get way more than what they bargained for.
The plot was interesting and the book was very descriptive. You really get a sense of the characters, the surroundings, and the culture. It is a pretty slow burn and sometimes I found myself struggling to pay attention during certain parts because it kinda felt like a history lesson. Just wasn’t my cup of tea. But I did enjoy the book and the ending definitely went out with a bang.

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

This is a slow starting horror that led me to a gruesome and brutal ending that I will not soon forget.

This story begins with a short intro covering a scene about the brutal colonization of an ancient people and continues to be very rich in Nahua culture. I loved this take on vengeance against this atrocity against a group of humans. It gives the story a strong backbone and lends credence to any questions of why certain things happen.

Carmen is going to Mexico as a lead architect for a remodel of an old abby. She brings her daughters, Izel and Luna, with her to introduce them to the culture they come from. Everything seems to be going fine until Luna is targeted for possession by spirits who lead to the horror to come. When she finds an ancient pinata, originally a gift to gods made out of clay and sealed with viscera inside it, she is officially possessed, and the horror truly begins.

I liked this book a lot. However, I felt like the dialogues and interactions between characters were a bit cut and dry and did not have the energy I enjoy more while reading.

Overall, a very creepy and also, culture rich, read!

Out March 14, 2023!

PIÑATA is a horror novel that really got under my skin practically from the jump and then held my attention until the very end. I'm someone who is a bit hit or miss when it comes to possession stories, but Leopoldo Gout takes the idea of possession and brings in Mexican folklore and mythology, as well as a very dark and painful history regarding colonialism from Spain and the Catholic Church, and comes up with a unique possession tale that is terrifying and filled with anger and sorrow. I loved how Gout intertwines themes of genocide and colonial oppression with modern day Mexico, not just in the way that tween Luna is possessed by an ancient, angry spirit, but also how we see the reverberations of colonial violence in everyday, very real things, be it violence, racism and colorism, and loss of culture. I also really loved the tense and slow build of this story, with things starting as unsettling and turning into full blow visceral and gorey scares. I will say that the pacing does seem a bit off, because while we have a very slow build up, a LOT happens in the last fourth of the book and I think it happens a bit fast and haphazardly.

Pacing issues aside, I really really enjoyed PIÑATA. Horror fans must give it a go.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Tor Publishing for the ARC copy of this book.

I loved this book! The Mexican mythology was so fascinating to learn about and the writing style and pace were perfect. The horror portrayed in this novel was excellent and I really think this book would make a great movie. I personally would love to see the visuals of the ancient demons come to life along with the cray body horror and possession described in the novel.

Overall a great story, compelling characters, and great horror made this a really great read.

As a slow-burn horror novel, Piñata really shines in the parallels between possession and cultures destroyed by colonialist violence.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, I did! The thing is, though, and I should have been aware of this going in, I don’t find possession stories scary in the slightest. Yet, I was swayed to read it by the description and the cover (which is gorgeous). As such, while I loved certain aspects of the novel, I didn’t find it frightened me.

Yet, while the book wasn’t scary (to me), I loved the link between the reason for the possession and the colonialist history of Mexico. The cultural and historical aspects are a major facet of the story so much so that I learned things while also being engrossed in the plot. This focus on colonialist violence and theft gave the reason behind the possession a real gravitas and plausibility.

I also liked the characters. Carmen is being pulled in so many directions as a single mom and a woman in a male-dominated field. For a male writer, Gout really nailed not only the sexism women experience in their daily lives but the fears mothers have and how these fears can compile and overwhelm. Unlike a haunted house story where you wonder why the people don’t just leave, when Carmen notices weird stuff happening, she has valid reasons for not getting the hell out of dodge right away. It made sense. Everything in the book makes sense. It's very well crafted.

I thought Izel and Luna were great as well. In Izel, it was nice to see a normal, loving teenage girl, and Luna was adorable. Two other characters, Yoltzi and Quauhtli, are great as well.

Along with it not being scary, though, the prose didn’t work well for me. Perhaps it’s because I read an ARC, but there were a lot of long-winded explanations that could have been cut down, and the overuse of the word “suddenly” kind of irked me. (The word is often a crutch that should be used sparingly as it can be replaced with a transition phrase 90% of the time.)

I also found that the story dragged a bit in the center and a lot of the horror stuff is almost rushed in the last quarter. A pacing issue, but a minor one.

One thing I really appreciated about the book was how the spread of missing and murdered women in Mexico does not turn out to be part of the supernatural element. I was a bit worried about that, as I would have been frustrated if the onus of femicide had been taken off society’s hands, but this isn’t the case. This is not a spoiler, but something I just wanted to bring up that I appreciated.

I think Gout should write a historical fiction or a historical fantasy about the pre-colonial era because the scenes set in the past and his attention to detail are fantastic.

Overall, I recommend the novel, especially if you love possession stories - as this one comes at it from a different angle - and if you love it when the motivations behind a horror creature or monster has a rich and detailed backstory.

1.5 stars

Hundreds of years ago, when Spanish colonists brutalized and decimated ancient Nahuatl and Aztec culture, they could never imagine the immense hatred and vengeance that would survive their unforgiving influence.

Fast forward to modern day. Single mother Carmen Sanchez and her two daughters, Luna and Izel, are in Mexico for Carmen’s job; she is renovating an old Catholic church and turning it into a luxury hotel for tourists. Carmen is both thrilled and intimidated by the scale of the project, but excited about giving her girls the opportunity to experience their Mexican culture firsthand. Precocious younger daughter Luna soaks up the language and history, eagerly interacting with anyone and everyone who will listen. Teenage Izel, on the other hand, would much rather be back in the States with her friends.

After a terrible and bizarre accident occurs on the church’s construction site, Carmen is pulled from the project and the Sanchez family heads home. But something returns with them - an entity full of rage and spite that seeks the ultimate revenge. If Carmen and a handful of others don’t find a solution, the world as they know it will come to a bloody, violent end.

If that write-up hooked you, then you understand why I was so eager to get my hands on this ARC. Unfortunately the story went south really fast for me after the prologue. The prologue, which was gory, intense, and morbidly satisfying, is wildly entertaining compared to everything that came afterward, which plodded painfully along. The writing was also borderline insulting; it was amateur and full of redundancies:

“She stood up but hesitated as to whether she should take her coffee with her or leave it there so it would cool down.” Wow, the suspense. (Spoiler alert: She takes it with her. I think. Actually the detail was so insignificant I don’t remember.)

“More than ominous, they seemed to be an omen themselves.” …What.

It’s evident that Gout has a wealth of knowledge concerning Mexican history, and the premise allows for plenty of horror tropes to be explored in new, exciting ways. But it seems like there was just too much content to cover and it became overwhelming. The combination of stilted writing, the vast amount of information trying to be conveyed, and the narrative spin added to that historical information ultimately created one jumbled mess of a novel.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 out of 5 stars

Well, hell. Where do I even begin? The story is preceded by the horrific events of long ago, when Spanish friars are violently forcing their religion on the Nahua of mesoamerica. A child sees her brother die brutally for refusing to destroy a tlapalxoktli - the original piñata of the Nahua composed of blood, skin, hair, and organs. To them it was a sacred vessel. When it is her turn to destroy it, she runs and hides the tlapalxoktli.

Fast forward to 2027. Carmen is a single mom raising her two children, Izel and Luna. She lives in New York and has brought her mother up from Mexico to live with them. Both of them work to make ends meet - Carmen as an architect and her mother, Alma, at a hospital. Now, Carmen has finally been offered an opportunity that will push her career to new heights: to renovate an old cathedral in Tulancingo, Mexico to a fancy hotel. Taking her daughters with her to learn about their heritage, Carmen finds that while we has memories of Mexico and knowledge of how things work (the dangers to women, the tendency to be extorted even by businesses, the general feeling that women are not bosses) did not prepare her for the reality.

Izel spends a lot of time on her phone and is upset that she was unable to go to a theater camp with her friends, and mostly ignores her mother and sister. Luna is a bright and brilliant and joyful child who loves learning new things and talking with people. But all that brightness and innocence is shining in a darkness that has been waiting for a vessel of its own.

This book was terrifying and also a wealth of knowledge of the history of the Nahuatl, Mexicas, Mayas, and more. I was so captivated by both the story and the characters. The imagery, though. I was able to see so much of the story with a clarity that added to the horror. I am stunned at how the author was able to move seamlessly from reality, sometimes mundane day-to-day activities of renovating a building, to a scary surreal between-worlds dream-like trance.

At some points during the story, I almost thought that there was going to be a connection between the tzitzimitl and the missing women, but that was another glaring accusation of how humans can be so brutal to other humans.

I am a fan. I will definitely be reading more by Gout and I am hoping for a follow-up? Even if not a sequel, perhaps something that takes place in the same storyline? ♥

Piñata
By Leopoldo Gout
Publisher: Tor Nightfire
Publish Date: March 14, 2023

What you need to know:
Carmen, single mother to Luna and Izel, is an architect who has been assigned to renovate an abbey in Mexico, where she herself grew up. She brings her daughters along for the trip, hoping to share with them some of their heritage. To her dismay, she is treated as inferior to her workers being a woman in this completely different culture, is overcome with anxiety for her daughters’ safety due to the number of missing and murdered girls in the area, and struck with an unrelenting fear after being approached by a local Nahua woman who has the gift of seeing into one’s soul. When ancient Mexican mythology infuses into present day with the vengeance of the scorned souls of the dead, Carmen’s family becomes the center of a possible ancient apocalypse.

My reading experience:
I was hooked on this book immediately! The initial setting in Mexico was very intriguing to me. The cultural differences, the way the characters interacted with one another, and the introduction and gradual revealing of ancient Mexican mythology throughout was fascinating. The visual descriptions were incredible! Gout’s use of words painted a vivid picture in my mind while reading. My curiosity was so piqued regarding the ancient mythology, that I stopped quite a few times to look up more information about it.

In short, I loved this book!
Constant fear and impending doom? Yes.
Blood, gore, and death? Yes.
Ancient spirit possession? Yes
Should you read this? Absolutely, yes!

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange of a book review.

Not my type of novel, writing was a bit too flowery for my taste. Things could have been explained a bit differently to attract more readers. A bit of a slow read for me, maybe an audiobook would make the reading experience a bit helpful and enjoyable.

Loved the plot of the novel and the gothic atmosphere it was producing. I can see how readers might love this type of book. I definitely know which type of readers I can recommend this to.

Piñata did a lot of things well but for some reason I didn't quite connect with it. I loved the prologue, it hooked me immediately. Violent. I think the best parts of the book were the violent scenes. I also liked all the bug scenes. It wasn't very scary for a horror novel but there was a lot of creepy Mexican folklore that I did enjoy.

The rest of it was fine but it did seem to plod along a little at times. There was a lot about how difficult it would be to raise a child when all this crazy stuff is going down that might connect with parents more than childless me. Most of the book is set more in the real world dealing with the crazy stuff than it did with the crazy stuff itself. I would have liked to have read a little less normality.

I think this movie would make a better movie than a book.

Pinata is likely going to be a top read for me this year. It deserves a horror spot light on it because of the horrors in which it speaks about paired with the visceral imagery.
First, this book was written by Leopoldo Gout, who is a film director, producer, author, and painter. This shows in how he writes. It plays out like a movie with the rising and falling in action.
My big love for this book is the acknowledgement of how colonization is a horror in and of itself. It discusses many attributes surrounding colonization, but I genuinely believe a good hold of the horror in this book is this recognition.
10 out of 10 would recommend and will definitely be buying for the library!

**I was provided an electronic ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.**

Leopoldo Gout presents Piñata, a horror novel of possession based in Mesoamerican culture and tradition. Readers follow Carmen, an architect returning to her homeland of Mexico with her two daughters, Izel and Luna. Neither of the girls have been to Mexico before, having grown up in New York, so Carmen is eager to have the assigned renovation of a church into a hotel that will allow her to share her mother country with her children. When an accident on the site leads to Carmen and family returning to New York earlier than she planned, she might have brought more back to the United States than was planned.

I really enjoyed the presentation of Mesoamerican culture, traditions, and the presentation of various entities I had previously studied in mythology courses. This was absolutely the strength of this work.

For me, I found the pacing to be too slow. There were moments of action, and I understand that Gout was likely using these moments to build dread. However, the vast majority of the action occurred in the last 20% of the book. I was not invested enough in the characters to withstand this pace. While I did finish the book, I likely would not have if I was not reading for review solely due to this factor.

I'm certain that this book will find its audience as my only real issue was a matter of complete personal preference. I was glad to be able to read this story and am happy to have been able to experience it in full.

Thank you @Netgalley and @TorNightire for providing me with an electronic copy of this excellent novel!

Pinata earns a solid 4.5 stars (rounded up to 5) for me. Possession is one of my favorite sub-genres of horror, and this book was a unique take on the genre. I can't remember reading another book quite like this one, and I've been thinking about it constantly since I finished it a few days ago.

This novel took its time at first, slowly introducing us to the characters, cultures, and settings. Readers are privy to several characters' inner thoughts, and this helps flesh out these characters as well as allow readers to connect with them.

Around 40% of the way through the novel, the plot began to accelerate. The book became considerably scarier at this point, and it didn't relent until the end. I especially enjoyed descriptions of objects and entities I wasn't previously familiar with; this book felt unique and immersive, and I raced through the second half of the novel in just a few sittings.

I loved this book, and felt that the pages the author devoted to developing the characters really paid off in the climax of the book. This book was surprising, emotional, and horrifying. This is horror with heart and fresh ideas, and I can't wait to read more from this author.

This creepy and atmospheric read is so well written that it was hard to put down. The content, though, is really, truly horrific. Borne of the worst kind of evil, a dark entity possesses a child to cause the end of the world. I loved how the author adapts the ancient religion and culture of his native Mexico, and creates an armageddon that has nothing to do with what’s been done before. What surprised me the most is how a male author got the psychology of a family of four women so right. The relationship between mother and daughters and between sisters, as well as the influence of the grandmother was dead-on. I also liked how the secondary characters are well developed and how the author doesn’t fall into easy categorizations. Both, a Catholic priest and two Nahuatl cousins try to help from very separate perspectives, but they all recognize that they want the same thing. I also liked how the horror originates with the evils of colonialism, but it doesn’t fall into preachy political commentary or easy caricatures. The characters are good or bad because of who they are, not what, and most of them are very likable. This is not for squeamish readers, but it is simply wonderfully well written.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire!

Piñata is an interesting tale pitched as having a Hereditary bend. Once we got deeper into the possession aspect, I could see where that comparison comes from. This is a multi-generational family tale that integrates Mexican history, culture, and tradition. That aspect of the book was the best part of it for me. The setting and background information and utilization of different pieces of Mexican culture felt really unique to this kind of story and kept me engaged and interested in what I was learning.

I will say, this was a slow burn, and for a time was a little too slow of a build up. When we finally got to the possession and the ramifications of it, I was a little checked out. And while there certainly were horrific scenes and interesting imagery, I wasn't completely sold on the resolution. Felt a little too wrapped up for the supposed stakes.

This was all in all a pretty enjoyable read. I had a fun time with it and would definitely pick up another book from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the arc!

I went into this book not knowing anything about it, as is my preference when possible. I don't tend to read much history or historical fiction. Nor do I read much folklore or books about the native cultures of the americas. I only bring this up to note that this book was somewhat of an atypical choice for me, but it is an upcoming selection for a book club and I was able to receive an advance copy from netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review. All that said, this was a very engaging read that was very hard to put down. People say that all the time, but this really was a check-the-clock to see how much sleep I was sacrificing in order to read juuuust one more chapter. The settings and the historical contexts are introduced and described expertly, giving me everything I needed to feel invested and anchored in the story without it slowing down the pacing or feeling like a textbook. The principal characters were well-crafted, relatable, and their interactions felt very real. Who is this book for? I would recommend it to fans of more subtle, nuanced horror/thrillers. it isn't a bloodbath but there is plenty of action. The blurbs/synopses for this book categorize it as a 'possession' story, and while I understand why, that is not really what I feel it is chiefly about. At its heart, this is a story of a hard-working single mom doing everything she can to give her kids the best life possible, and the book has a lot of heart throughout, even when the action is at full blast. I think this book is very well-edited, the pacing and tension feels expertly crafted. Perhaps some of the side characters are somewhat one-dimensional, but I wouldn't trade the book it is for one that slows the story/action in order to better flesh-out some of the smaller characters. I don't expect this is a title I will revisit, but it is one that I will recommend.

A very well written horror with a possession story leaving you feeling just as bad for the "demons" and the family they haunt. It had enough gore for a true horror experience while also giving you a beautifully sad story of traditions and lore being wiped out by the rise of Catholism.
I hope this comes out on audiobook so I can listen to the songs and pronunciations of words I'm unfamiliar with!