Mexican Gothic
- Downloads：5492
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-05 10:56:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- ISBN：1529402654
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
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。
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。
Reviews
Fresey Carballo Aguero
，
3。5 for me
Blair Dewing
，
As odd as they come。
Breanna Dennis
，
Overall I liked this read。 Slow burn for sure。 Kept me guessing til the end！
Ken
，
First two thirds of book very slow - kept building anticipation waiting for something to happen。 Thinking “just another page or so”。 But no。 Ending did pick up and provide some enjoyment。
Marylee
，
3。5
Don Leathe
，
Well written and midway through the book it takes off into spooky， fantasy-oriented gothic horror that is absolutely gripping and a real page turner。After the first half I was wondering why I chose this book but after the finish I knew why。A gripping， compelling， page-turning gothic horror novel well worth the read if you are into that type。
Jaclyn West
，
Gosh， that was weird。 Definitely not my usual type of book。 But I was hooked until the end。
Megan
，
Normally， I tend to avoid the horror/thriller genre because I am such a scaredy cat。 But this wasn’t necessarily the type of horror with ghosts and monsters going bump in the night。 This was so much more interesting， because in this tale the most deceptive， scariest monsters wear human skins。Our story begins with Noemi， a socialite and flirt living in Mexico’s 1950s。 She’s living a lavish， carefree lifestyle， until her family receives an odd letter from Noemi’s recently married cousin， Catalina。 Normally， I tend to avoid the horror/thriller genre because I am such a scaredy cat。 But this wasn’t necessarily the type of horror with ghosts and monsters going bump in the night。 This was so much more interesting， because in this tale the most deceptive， scariest monsters wear human skins。Our story begins with Noemi， a socialite and flirt living in Mexico’s 1950s。 She’s living a lavish， carefree lifestyle， until her family receives an odd letter from Noemi’s recently married cousin， Catalina。 In the letter， Catalina begs Noemi to come to her new family’s estate and save her， because Catalina believes she’s going mad。 Noemi decoders to make the trek。。。 and in doing so， she unveils，layer by layer the secrets of the Doyle family， who reside in their esteemed estate， High Place。Right off the bat， I’ll give this book merit for its immersion， atmosphere and it’s large Mexican influence。。。 lots of themes like colonialism， eugenics， etc。 came into play here and I believe they were explored well。 It was so refreshing to see these themes tackled by a protagonist from these marginalized groups， and get their uncensored perspective on it。 It was also interesting to see her address it with some of the less-marginalized characters in the novel。That said: THE CHARACTERS WERE AWESOME。 Noemi was a favourite from the get go for me。 I mean sure she seemed shallow in the beginning， but I loved the detail of her wanting to pursue graduates studies， despite her societal norms forcing her to get married right away （I mean。。。 her family was against her being in university to begin with， so you have to love a girl that goes against the grain）。 The Doyle’s were all such conniving， creepy villains that drove and developed the story。 Plus， they have this “ick” factor （in a good way） because as soon as they entered a scene， you are just filled with such dread or horror as there’s no telling what they’ll do and what levels they’ll cross。 （Of course， this excludes one the Doyle’s。。。 but that’s a spoiler）。 Also， the Doyle’s entire premise， as in their connection to their home， High Place， was so interesting and unique to gradually learn about over the course of the novel。 The story of High Place and how it’s patriarch came to be also adds more intricacy to everything。。。 and I LOVED IT！ The romance in this novel was very cute， despite the gothic/creepiness of the story。 I would says it’s almost comical。 But I felt myself really falling for Noemi and her partner （I feel like naming him is spoilers） because they just complement each other: Noemi with her wits and flirtations and “him” with his awkwardness but utter dedication to her。So all in all， it was a nice page turner， though the book did slog right at the end before the climax， which is why I took away one star。 I will also preface everything with trigger warnings for sexual assault and the attempted “extreme” of that sexual assault （which I will refuse to even type out）; I just felt uncomfortable during those scenes， and it’s another reason why I’m taking away the star。But that aside， if you’re looking for a really good gothic thriller/horror （leaning more towards thriller in my opinion）。。。 THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU！ At the end of the day， I recommend it。 。。。more
Caroline
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Loved the twist more than I thought I would。 The book was extremely enjoyable at the begining， but after reaching the big mystery reveal in the middle I was hooked。 I had to finish it then and there in one sitting。 A very worthwhile read。
Christina Rice
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Frustrated me how long it took the story to get going， but I did really like how it ended。 The suspense at the end really brought my focus in and I enjoyed the overall story
Ivy
，
moral of the story: MOLD IS BAD！！
Genna
，
Delightfully dark and creepy。 I enjoyed this。
Haley Caldwell
，
3。5 starsI read about 60% of this book on audio and I honestly think that's what soured me to the book as a whole。 The narrator just was not good。。。 Once I had to return the audio to the library and read the actual book， it went by so much faster and was more enjoyable。 3。5 starsI read about 60% of this book on audio and I honestly think that's what soured me to the book as a whole。 The narrator just was not good。。。 Once I had to return the audio to the library and read the actual book， it went by so much faster and was more enjoyable。 。。。more
Seneca
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Heavy trigger warning for incest and sexual assault。 True to the title， this is a gothic story， a genre I wasn't particularly interested in before this book。 It has a wonderfully charming and interesting heroine， excellent pacing， and the antagonists are complex and eerie。 Touches excellently on white supremacy/eugenics and the ways it can tangle into communities of color， as well as the racialized and sexualized violence it imparts on women of color fetishized by white men。 Heavy trigger warning for incest and sexual assault。 True to the title， this is a gothic story， a genre I wasn't particularly interested in before this book。 It has a wonderfully charming and interesting heroine， excellent pacing， and the antagonists are complex and eerie。 Touches excellently on white supremacy/eugenics and the ways it can tangle into communities of color， as well as the racialized and sexualized violence it imparts on women of color fetishized by white men。 。。。more
Rachel
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I was pulled in to this book from the beginning， well developed characters and world - if you don't like it after the first few chapters you may not enjoy it overall。 Fun and spooky， takes your imagination on a ride。 I hope this gets adapted into a movie or mini-series or something！ I was pulled in to this book from the beginning， well developed characters and world - if you don't like it after the first few chapters you may not enjoy it overall。 Fun and spooky， takes your imagination on a ride。 I hope this gets adapted into a movie or mini-series or something！ 。。。more
Agne
，
AudioSo。 It's a bit bad， I'm afraid。 The setting is really cool and I think the sort of random British castle in Mexico is indeed a pretty Gothic idea。 I was into that。 Unfortunately， the book starts feeling somewhat trashy quite early on。 The characters are kind of interesting and things move along at a tolerable pace （although I was really over it by the last 20%）。 But it's just like。。 the opposite of subtle。 And I really dislike it for that。 The concept could have worked much better if it had AudioSo。 It's a bit bad， I'm afraid。 The setting is really cool and I think the sort of random British castle in Mexico is indeed a pretty Gothic idea。 I was into that。 Unfortunately， the book starts feeling somewhat trashy quite early on。 The characters are kind of interesting and things move along at a tolerable pace （although I was really over it by the last 20%）。 But it's just like。。 the opposite of subtle。 And I really dislike it for that。 The concept could have worked much better if it had been toned down or if it didn't commit so hard to the implausible side of things。 And it also felt kind of weirdly。。。 colonialist？ In a way that I wouldn't expect。 There is so much cultural stuff that could have been explored or woven in creatively to make the title worthwhile， but the community around High Place remained totally anonymous aside from the old-herbalist-woman trope。 And to top it off， they chose a really poor performer for the audiobook。 Nothing against her， this is on the decision-makers。 I could very easily imagine how the text could have been read by someone with a posh British accent with just the right kind of snide tone。 I can't believe they didn't go for that。 Would have made the dialogue much more bearable。 All in all， I wouldn't say that it is unreadable or anything。 You'll get a bit of a thrill and a cool setting and some spooky stuff。 But it's not for me。 。。。more
Raafter
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Mystical story of dark arts in another age
Leigh Patton Taylor
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One of my favorites of the year so far！
Amy （Other Amy）
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Love this heroine， love the setting， love the writing。 Unfortunately I cannot with the society gothic。 I cannot even express how much I wish I could love this kind of book。 This is a very 'it's me not you' kind of DNF。 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell lovers， go forth！ Love this heroine， love the setting， love the writing。 Unfortunately I cannot with the society gothic。 I cannot even express how much I wish I could love this kind of book。 This is a very 'it's me not you' kind of DNF。 Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell lovers， go forth！ 。。。more
Lipi Das
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5/5Certainly not a book for the faint-hearted。The Gothic setup and the protagonist development were excellent。 The eerie and gloomy atmosphere pervaded the entire book， and built up an air of mystery and impending disaster。 But it is a deeply disturbing read。 More than the horror that I was expecting， my skin was crawling with disgust at the atrocities depicted。 I'm usually not disturbed by gore。。。 But this。。。 Incest （LITERALLY ALL FORMS OF INCEST）， cannibalism， possession， rape， pulsating boi 2。5/5Certainly not a book for the faint-hearted。The Gothic setup and the protagonist development were excellent。 The eerie and gloomy atmosphere pervaded the entire book， and built up an air of mystery and impending disaster。 But it is a deeply disturbing read。 More than the horror that I was expecting， my skin was crawling with disgust at the atrocities depicted。 I'm usually not disturbed by gore。。。 But this。。。 Incest （LITERALLY ALL FORMS OF INCEST）， cannibalism， possession， rape， pulsating boils， oozing pus etc。。。 Was beyond disturbing。 It nauseated me too much for me to have a good impression of this book。。。 I wanted heart-racing horror， but was instead faced with stomach churning disgust 🤢。 。。。more
Shawna
，
I'm a little torn on how to rate this book。 It's closer to a 4 in execution but a 3 in resonating with me as a reader。 So I'm going with a 3。5 rounded to 3。The book is billed as a 'gothic'， complete with a old， creaky house on a wind-swept， foggy crag and a mysterious family secret。 And while all of that is true， it comes with a twist I wasn't quite expecting （though I think that's partially the point）， pushing it from 'gothic' closer into 'horror' territory than anticipated。The book is well del I'm a little torn on how to rate this book。 It's closer to a 4 in execution but a 3 in resonating with me as a reader。 So I'm going with a 3。5 rounded to 3。The book is billed as a 'gothic'， complete with a old， creaky house on a wind-swept， foggy crag and a mysterious family secret。 And while all of that is true， it comes with a twist I wasn't quite expecting （though I think that's partially the point）， pushing it from 'gothic' closer into 'horror' territory than anticipated。The book is well delivered。 Watching Noemi grow from a lighthearted debutante to someone dealing with trauma and horrors of life was satisfying （not that I would ever wish her journey on any soul！）。 The mystery is spooled out at a good pace。 It's just not the type of book I would typically reach for。 And it's not one I would casually suggest to just anyone。I am coincidentally also working my way （very slowly） through Cthulhu's Daughters: Stories of Lovecraftian Horror as an exercise in reading outside my normal comfort zone， and which happens to have been edited by the same author。 The parallels in interest are apparent， and if I had realized this fact sooner I probably would have been better prepared for the experience of Mexican Gothic。 。。。more
Emma Ratshin
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2。5 stars really。 i’m conflicted about this book， because i didn’t really care for it until the last third， which was awesome？ but why would you write a book and not start the plot until ⅔ of the way through？ because the plot is killer if you can make it there。 it just seems poorly structured。 i also had some problems with the prose itself that i haven’t quite put words to yet。
Stacey
，
2。5This book was a little far fetched for my taste。
Jayne Davis
，
Good book - engaging。 Good writing。 Predictable story but still a good story。
Chelsebelle
，
So I came across this book because I'm into haunted house books and this was repeatedly being recommended。 Full warning， it is not a haunted house book。 It is a creepy plot that takes part in a house。That being said， it's still a good book。 I love books with strong female characters and a concealed evil。 This has a very strong Lovecraftian vibe to it。 I didn't find it scary but I did find it engaging。 It's a good read。 So I came across this book because I'm into haunted house books and this was repeatedly being recommended。 Full warning， it is not a haunted house book。 It is a creepy plot that takes part in a house。That being said， it's still a good book。 I love books with strong female characters and a concealed evil。 This has a very strong Lovecraftian vibe to it。 I didn't find it scary but I did find it engaging。 It's a good read。 。。。more
Laura Bookish
，
He flipado con esta historia。 Me ha cautivado desde el inicio
Doug Robinson
，
this was a interesting Gothic style tale。。 The Mexican setting was new i na good way。。。 and it does evolve to much deeper horrors then the old well loved gothic novels。 worth the read。。 prob。。 3/12 stars for me
Jenny
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The genre is not my preferred， but it was a book club book。 It is well written， but the ending feels somewhat predictable and anti-climactic。 There was a long build-up of the initial story， a lot of drama， and then a let down at the very end。
Hanna （lapetiteboleyn）
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This is everything。 I adore gothic literature and Mexican Gothic makes for an incredible addition to the canon。 It's infinitely creepy and full of beauty and horror in roughly equal quantities。 I loved it。 I absolutely loved every awful， wonderful page。 This is everything。 I adore gothic literature and Mexican Gothic makes for an incredible addition to the canon。 It's infinitely creepy and full of beauty and horror in roughly equal quantities。 I loved it。 I absolutely loved every awful， wonderful page。 。。。more
Emma Petersen
，
Rich people ho isolate themselves with a superiority complex。 Love the mycillium。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Mexican Gothic
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Mexican Gothic&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Mexican Gothic&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0