In some ways, Mexican Gothic reminded me of The Tenth Girl by Sara Faring. They both have that eerie Gothic creepy atmosphere. I don't know what I expected going into the book and I'm still not exactly sure how I feel about it. I'm not really a big fan of Historical Fiction or Gothic Fiction and I think that's why I can't give a more accurate review. The cover is gorgeous and what originally drew me in. I would love to see this turned into a movie eventually.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine (the only faction of Random House who seems to approve my requests 🙏🏻) for approving me for one of my most anticipated 2020 books. I wish I could have given a better review.

This is an excellent book. The setting is 1950s Mexico and the story is delightfully creepy and gothic. I would recommend to readers who like spooky, strange books in a different setting than a manor in England.

An atmospheric page-turner set in a British manor house in rural Mexico. Socialite Noemí travels to High House to care for her ailing cousin who has recently married the owner’s son, only to discover a house full of secrets and brimming with malice.

This book is incredible. I read it in a single day because once I started I couldn't put it down. The darkness and horror sucked me in, to a degree that I felt genuinely surprised to look up into light, bright surroundings and not a damp, dark gothic house of horrors. I will be definitely be looking into more of Morena-Garcia's works after reading this.

I loved the new take on the classic Gothic novel and moving the setting to Mexico. Noemi starts as this flighty, pampered character thrusted into a difficult situation trying to help her cousin. Completely unprepared she has little time to figure out what is going on and quickly finds out not only her cousin is in danger but her life is as well! Horror fans will enjoy this as well as those looking for books set in a different country,

I judged this book by its cover and I was not disappointed. As a huge fan of gothic fiction, I've read some modern entries that don't quite succeed, but Mexican Gothic does and then some. It has everything I love about the genre: a beautiful girl in an old, decaying house, family secrets, forbidden love, supernatural elements, and a creeping sense of dread. The writing is lush and transporting; I was by turns enchanted and thoroughly creeped out while reading. This was the first book I've read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but I can't wait to get my hands on the rest.

Moreno-Garcia brings her unique Mexican twist into another genre with this shiver-inducing tale of Gothic suspense. Her descriptive imagery creates a fascinating atmosphere of intrigue and dark dreams. Fans of historical romantic suspense will be delighted.

Mexican Gothic takes you to another place, another time with the descriptive writing. Noemi is an independent young woman before her time. It is a must read!

This will be a simple review: I adored this book. I devoured it, and it left me wanting even more. Silvia Moreno-Garcias's new novel is an absolute gothic masterpiece. As every good gothic novel must, "Mexican Gothic" tells a story of both love and terror, weaving a tale that is simultaneously hopeless and hopeful with a healthy dose of the supernatural, and deftly addresses class, racism, and culture. This story is packed with characters who carry a tangible presence, some of whom are immediately relatable and lovable, and others who irk and discomfit with startling effectiveness. Get ready for "Mexican Gothic" to immerse you in the beauty of the Mexican mountains, and then plunge you into the dark, Victorian nightmare of High Place. Fans of Shirley Jackson and the Bronte sisters will adore this stunning, unique take on gothic literature.

The title tells it all - Mexican Gothic. It is an excellent example of the gothic creepy house in a remote exciting setting. It takes place in the late forties or early fifties, before women have the right to vote in Mexico. The heroine is spunky, independent and clever but working within the constraints of her time droid and society. The author tells a riveting tale that is both true to the gothic archetype and original. Enjoy!

This book was a little slow to start but once things got going, I was hooked. I thought the time period and setting were fresh and interesting, and I loved Noemi as a character. The secondary characters weren't as fleshed out as I would have liked, but that worked for the context of the story.

The writing itself is really what shines: the descriptions are lush and vivid and the eerie atmosphere of the house is incredibly well done. I very much regret reading this one home alone at night!

It is so seldom that I come across something that feels refreshing and novel in horror that I'm always surprised when I do. "Mexican Gothic" fits that bill entirely. Set in the 1950's in rural Mexico, Silivia Moreno-Garcia has managed to take a typical haunted house tale and turn it on its head.

Noemi is a young upper class woman living in Mexico City during the 1950's. When her father promises to support her aims for a master's degree in anthropology in return for a visit to check on the welfare of her newly married cousin, Catalina, Noemi accepts and takes a train out to Catalina's new home in rural Mexico. In a crumbling mansion on a nearly inaccessible hillside, Catalina is deteriorating both physically and psychologically under the care of her new husband's family. What starts out as a story of a creepy house and a sick cousin quickly takes a turn for the horrifying as clever Noemi starts to put the pieces together behind Catalina's illness.

Deeply unsettling and simultaneously gripping, I highly recommend this book for horror readers who enjoy historical horror, gothic or southern gothic literature/themes, a good haunted house story, or the writing of Joe Hill, the current king of creative horror.

This book took me way back to my early teens and the love of all gothic romances. Suspense and intrigue had my heart racing and kept me reading Mexican Gothic when I should have been doing other things. 5 *****

I will always read anything by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She is one of the most eclectic authors I have ever read, managing to write skillfully in a variety of genres. Will buy for the library, and recommend.

WOW!!! I finished this book yesterday and needed a full 24 hours to process it before I went ahead and wrote a review. In that time frame, I raved about it to my friends, yelled about it on twitter, and followed my roommate through the house while singing its praises. I can't easily articulate just how much I loved this book. I immediately marked all of Moreno-Garcia's other books as "to read."

Noemi is a clever, mercurial debutante from Mexico City who just wants to enjoy all the pleasurable things in life while also maybe being an anthropologist or a famous pianist. This needs to be put on hold, however, when a frightening and rambling missive arrives from her newly married cousin Catalina. At the urging of her father, and in exchange for the chance to go to University, Noemi must travel to a rotting Victorian mansion in a rural mountain town to investigate. I was sucked in from the first! Noemi is such a wonderfully deep protagonist and made of much sturdier stuff than the standard wilting gothic heroine stereotype. She's a very welcome departure from the expectation.

This was a page-turner, and I was loath to put it down even to eat. I was forced to, however, because the book is so absolutely tense and at times outright uncomfortable to read in the best of ways. If you enjoy gothic horror, this is a must-read.

Everyone dismisses Noemi as a flighty socialite, but she has a backbone of steel. When her cousin Catalina sends a nearly incoherent letter alleging horrifying conditions in the home of her new husband Virgil Doyle, Noemi goes to investigate. High Place is a world away from her glittering life in Mexico City: the house is a moldering wreck, the Doyles are harsh and cold, and the nearby villagers share tales of murder and madness. Noemi's only ally is Virgil's frail cousin Francis, who helps as much as his overbearing family allows. Soon the toxic atmosphere of High Place begins to erode the boundary between waking life and nightmare.

Lovely writing, the author builds a lavish backdrop for her gothic tale in the estate house, High Place. I could really feel the chill, the crushed velvet furniture, the darkness of the halls, and the smell of an old house. Noemi travels to High Place to visit her cousin, newly married into the Doyle family, who has fallen ill. In true gothic horror, we must discover what is making Noemi's cousin ill, can anyone be trusted, and will Noemi succumb to the same darkness? Noemi, despite a wealthy, socialite upbringing, is tough and endearing. Her dialogue is always fun to read as she definitely says what she wants when she wants to. I thought she was a heroine to root for.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia's gothic horror novel leaves the reader transfixed. The slow start builds an eery, creepy atmosphere that will haunt the readers dreams. For fans of House on Haunted Hill.

This is a riot! Haunted house story filtered through an <i>Annihilation</i> lens with a little Alice in Wonderland thrown in for good measure. Pretty socialite Noemí Taboada's father receives a disturbing letter from a cousin and sends his daughter on a visit to see for herself just what Catalina meant when she wrote, "I bar my door but still they come, they whisper at nights and I am so afraid of these restless dead, these ghosts, fleshless things." Moreno-Garcia does a lovely job evoking clearly the cold of the High Place, the weirdness, Noemí's disorientation; is the family Catalina married into eccentric or do they have sinister motives? Why is there always a mist too thick to see through outside, why aren't the servants allowed to talk, what happens when the rains come and the only road to town washes out? The writing is lush and beautiful and just so very creepy. Whatever your expectations of where this book might take you, you're almost certainly wrong and I think that's delightful.

Thank you @delreybooks and @netgalley for my review copy of MEXICAN GOTHIC, available on 6/30!

Set in 1950s Mexico, this atmospheric gothic suspense novel will chill you to the bone. Noemí Taboada is a fierce, stubborn socialite who lives life on her own terms. When her newlywed cousin sends her family an extremely unsettling letter, Noemí travels to a faraway city to check up on her. Noemí arrives at High Place—an eerie, crumbling mansion haunted by a history of murders and tragedies.

Noemí’s cousin, Catalina, is clearly not in her right mind and appears extremely ill. Her husband and in-laws are an unpleasant, disturbing bunch controlling her every move. Noemí realizes she must escape this dreadful house with Catalina and never look back but it’s proving impossible to leave. She must use her wits to unravel the mystery of the house and its magnetic pull. Noemí has no idea what she’s getting herself into.

I was reading along thinking this was just another gothic mystery and let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised by the unexpected turn of events. Things got WEIRD in the best way. It had ghosts, romance, mystery, villains, supernatural/sci-fi elements, heroes and heroines. This was a magnificent reimagining of the classic gothic novel and I loved every second of it. I highly recommend this book for fans of gothic horror and sci-fi!