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thecaptainsquarters 's review for:
Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this gothic horror eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
This be fifth book I have read by the author and me fifth five star read. I have said before that what I find amazing about all of the author's books is that they feel so different from each other. The first was a vampire story with stunning vampire culture and history. The second was a Mayan fairy-tale set during the Jazz age in Mexico. The third was a romance with a hint of fantasy set in the Belle Époque era. The fourth was a coming-of-age thriller set in Baja California in 1979. This was a gothic horror set in 1950s Mexico. I adored this book!
The story follows Noemí, a 20-something socialite whose night out partying is cut short when her father receives a strange message from a newly married cousin. Noemí is sent on a mission, to find out what is going on with her cousin, not only because her father cares about family, but also to avoid a scandal.
To quote Matey Imyril's excellent teaser:
"Moreno-Garcia wears her inspirations proudly: cousin Catalina is an orphan, who grew up telling Noemí fairytales and reading the Brontës. Catalina is a hopeless romantic: of course she fell for the handsome Englishman with the tragic family history and a remote estate decaying in the mountains. Why yes, it does look an awful lot like he married her for her money. And now she thinks Virgil Doyle is trying to poison her, and Noemí’s father can’t decide if Catalina’s got psychological problems or a bad case of melodrama."
Sounds excellently gothic right? Well of course strong-willed and independent Noemí is going to go and save the day. Of course everything goes wrong and Noemí is in over her head from the moment she arrives at High Place estate. And of course, Silvia Moreno-Garcia makes me love every delicious second and every shiver that runs up me spine.
The atmosphere of this novel is brilliant and wonderful. The modern city girl goes to an estate where there is no electricity, no conversation allowed at dinner, and old-fashioned rules about proper decorum. The house is falling apart and seems almost sinister. The gothic elements are so nicely swirled with the more modern viewpoints that I kept second guessing many of the mysteries of the house and its inhabitants. I didn't really love Noemí but she still didn't deserve the High Place. And of course the ending was bittersweet but also kinda perfect.
I absolutely love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and can't wait for whatever she writes next. Arrr!
This be fifth book I have read by the author and me fifth five star read. I have said before that what I find amazing about all of the author's books is that they feel so different from each other. The first was a vampire story with stunning vampire culture and history. The second was a Mayan fairy-tale set during the Jazz age in Mexico. The third was a romance with a hint of fantasy set in the Belle Époque era. The fourth was a coming-of-age thriller set in Baja California in 1979. This was a gothic horror set in 1950s Mexico. I adored this book!
The story follows Noemí, a 20-something socialite whose night out partying is cut short when her father receives a strange message from a newly married cousin. Noemí is sent on a mission, to find out what is going on with her cousin, not only because her father cares about family, but also to avoid a scandal.
To quote Matey Imyril's excellent teaser:
"Moreno-Garcia wears her inspirations proudly: cousin Catalina is an orphan, who grew up telling Noemí fairytales and reading the Brontës. Catalina is a hopeless romantic: of course she fell for the handsome Englishman with the tragic family history and a remote estate decaying in the mountains. Why yes, it does look an awful lot like he married her for her money. And now she thinks Virgil Doyle is trying to poison her, and Noemí’s father can’t decide if Catalina’s got psychological problems or a bad case of melodrama."
Sounds excellently gothic right? Well of course strong-willed and independent Noemí is going to go and save the day. Of course everything goes wrong and Noemí is in over her head from the moment she arrives at High Place estate. And of course, Silvia Moreno-Garcia makes me love every delicious second and every shiver that runs up me spine.
The atmosphere of this novel is brilliant and wonderful. The modern city girl goes to an estate where there is no electricity, no conversation allowed at dinner, and old-fashioned rules about proper decorum. The house is falling apart and seems almost sinister. The gothic elements are so nicely swirled with the more modern viewpoints that I kept second guessing many of the mysteries of the house and its inhabitants. I didn't really love Noemí but she still didn't deserve the High Place. And of course the ending was bittersweet but also kinda perfect.
I absolutely love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and can't wait for whatever she writes next. Arrr!