I chose this book because the description reminded me a bit of Rebecca (which I love) and it was to a certain extent.

Noemi is a beautiful debutante from Mexico City. Her father sends her to check on her cousin Catalina, who after her wedding, went to live at High Place, an English Manor in the Mexican countryside. What she finds there is at first very odd. She soon finds out there is something much more sinister at work.

The beginning of the book was like a slow burn. You know something's going on but can't quite put your finger on it. Then "the twist"! And good luck putting the book down after that. At one point I had to lock my husband and daughter out of the room I was in so I could finish in peace. While I guessed a few things I'm going to be digesting this book for quite some time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

In Mexican Gothic, author Silvia Moreno-Garcia takes the slow burn of this genre and turns up the heat. Set in the 1950s, Noemi is a free spirited society woman whose lively social life is interrupted when her father sends her off to check on her newly married cousin Catalina.

Catalina's letters to her family showcase a steady decline in her spirits and possibly her sanity due to living at the immensely isolated manor known as High Place with husband Virgil Doyle, heir to a silver mine that's seen better days.

Noemi is honestly concerned about her cousin before taking the trip and her dread increases upon meeting the Doyle family, whose cold manners and casual bigotry mask an even greater threat to both women. Despite what the Doyles may think of her, Noemi is more than a match for this mysterious folk and their sinister homestead.

I strongly feel that this engaging tale of terror should be a must-have for your TBR this and any season. Moreno-Garcia has a wonderful flair for reinventing those tried and true story lines to create amazingly awesome new worlds of literary wonder that any reader of fantasy and fear ought to appreciate.

A gorgeous Gothic novel full of the traditional elements of the genre, expertly handled and made interesting and new again. Moreno-Garcia gives readers a lot of hints throughout, but while they were obvious it never felt too heavy-handed. Her use of characters who can communicate in both English and Spanish, keeping non-Spanish speakers from understanding, was a good device, but would have been far more powerful if she'd replaced Spanish with an indigenous language to further emphasize difference and the eugenicist beliefs of certain characters.

This was a really enjoyable read that utilized tropes of gothic literature in ways that really worked for me, and had its own creative moments as well. I wasn't blown away by the prose (or the dialog, for that matter) - but the characters were compelling, the story was engaging, and the setting lived up to the pretty high expectations I was bringing in. A pretty quick read for me. Not sure if my library patrons would go for this one, as it had a little bit of a YA feel (aside from the graphic almost body-horror passages). I'll have to give it some more thought before deciding if this is one I want to buy for my library, but I'd be very happy to do so if I get any requests from patrons.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia can write! Her stories are compelling, impeccably written and full of complex, well-rounded characters. They are also unbearably suspenseful and so engrossing that they are impossible to put down. On the one hand, I wanted to enjoy the descriptions of The High Place, the Manderlay of “Mexican Gothic.” On the other, I needed to find out what was going to happen to Noemí. She’s a socialite from Mexico City. As the novel is set in 1950, she’s expected to marry, even if she dreams of becoming an anthropologist. So her Dad sends her to The High Place to find out what’s going on with her cousin Catalina, who has been sending desperate and very weird letters. When Noemí gets there, she finds that there really is something very strange going on with Catalina’s hubby and his family. Noemí is smart and resourceful, so it’s very easy to like her and root for her. The title is very fitting, as there are long, dark hallways, fog and even a cemetery. Noemí finds it harder and harder to keep her sanity and Moreno-Garcia takes themes and ideas from du Maurier, Poe and Lovecraft, and makes them her own. She has become one of my favorite authors and this is one of my favorite novels this year.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine -Del Rey!

MEXICAN GOTHIC by silvia moreno-garcia took me on a wild trip to High Place, a once beautiful but now deteriorating villa in the mountains on the outskirts of Mexico City. Noemí, a socialite from the city, goes to visit her cousin, Catalina, after receiving a frantic letter from her. Catalina married into the Doyle family, moved into the creepy manor, and has fallen suspiciously ill. Noemí immediately feels uncomfortable the second she steps into High Place - the Doyle’s are far from friendly and the house looks and *feels* like it’s rotting. she starts to have nightmares that quickly intensify and terrifying visions during the day. how is she supposed to help her cousin if she too is starting to lose her grip on reality?

my only qualms were wanting more from Catalina. she felt very two dimensional for the majority of the story, but somewhat redeemed herself towards the end. i also think this would have been equally as captivating without the love story that sometimes felt a little awkward. and finally, i wish there was a little more mexican culture in here - i think there was a pedro infante reference and then doctor camarillo eating his torta, but other than that ???

anyways. i still thoroughly enjoyed this. moreno-garcia is a masterful storyteller. i love books that treat the setting like a character and that’s what shined the most in this incredibly spooky thriller. if you’re a fan of suspenseful family dramas, ghost stories, and shaking ur head and continuously thinking, “wow, white ppl are crazy,” then this book is for you.

This is science fiction written in the feel of an old-fashioned gothic, but I'm not a science fiction fan. The description of the book doesn't indicate science fiction, so I was surprised when it veered in that direction - I wouldn't have selected the novel if I'd known. So to be fair, my opinion of this story isn't relevant - I don't read enough science fiction to say whether this is a good one or not. I didn't care for the plot, but what do I know?

I do think it's fair to say that the writing was a little distracting. I am not sure whether this was originally written in Spanish, but I wondered. There was a feeling something may have been lost in translation as far as sentence structure, word choices, and especially the fact that there wasn't much nuance to the text. ((Note, I did receive an advance copy, so it's possible that the text could be edited before it's published.)

What a wonderful book. It lures the reader in, leaving us guessing and never quite sure of whom of the characters we should trust. Lush, vivid setting and language made this the perfect read. Well done.

This novel has something for everyone. Noemi Taboada is living a privileged life in 1950s Mexico City. She is a young, smart, somewhat sassy socialite with a bit of a Dorothy Parker vibe as she observes the world around her. When her father gets a disturbing letter from her married cousin Catalina, Noemi’s world is about to change. Her father insists that Noemi go to the distressed Catalina and care for her. Noemi pares down her extensive wardrobe and goes into the mountainous mining town where her cousin resides in High Place, her husband’s ancestral home.

High Point is not what Noemi expected. Its worse than DuMaurier’s Manderlay in Rebecca. It has a sense of foreboding like Stephen King’s The Shining. Then throw in the claustrophobia of The Yellow Wallpaper. There are menacing family members, creepy servants, a family “doctor,” and a village curandera. Moreno-Garcia also uses traditional Mexican imagery and folktales gone very dark to build the horror. The author treads a thin line between terror and melodrama and for the most part she succeeds.

This is a scary book that will absorb the reader in terms of descriptions that build upon a constantly evolving frightfulness. Throw in a bit of romance, feminism, survival of the fittest, graphic nightmares, and even eugenics. If it were a movie, you would be saying to the main character – RUN! Recommended.

This book TERRIFIED me!! Silvia Moreno-Garcia has written an absolutely stunning gothic horror novel! Mexican Gothic is a slow-build mystery full of unease and suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Set in 1950s Mexico, debutante Noemi Taboada is sent to investigate the disturbing claims of her cousin after Noemi’s father receives a letter from her cousin insisting that her new husband is poisoning her. With no real information about her cousin’s handsome new husband or his family, Noemi arrives at High Place, the dark, isolated mansion haunted by a tragic past, where her cousin now lives. Full of silence and secrets, High Place immediately sets Noemi on edge. As she tries to discover the root of her cousin’s strange illness, Noemi unearths a dark secret lurking within the walls of High Place.

Noemi is a delightfully strong, smart, and outspoken protagonist. I was rooting for her throughout the entire book! The gloomy and oppressive atmosphere of High Place and the creepy characters that haunt the mansion halls kept me reading late into the night.

This book is intense, chilling, heart-stopping, and brilliant with just a touch of romance! Gorgeously written, Mexican Gothic left me speechless. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good gothic horror novel and strong female protagonists.

Yes! Everything a reader could possibly ask for in a gothic/horror novel. And, a feminist twist, for good measure. Sooooo good. Highly recommended.

This book was everything I wanted and more. Mexican, Gothic and very eerie. I had some of the weirdest dreams while reading this book and when a book can make me have some creepy dreams i just know its a fav and a 5 star read.

This book is set in the 1950s and Noemí is the main character who goes visit her cousin who has been writing her family strange letters that raises red flags so Noemí goes to see what is going on to see if her father should get involved.

Noemí cousin husbands family is very strange and there are rules to abide by while staying at the High place. the house and family has secrets and Noemí wants to discover them so she stays even when she is told she should go home.

I want to go into more detail but i dont want to ruin the setting or give spoilers

this book is creepy, gives some annihilation and some black mirror vibes. The plot twists and the setting was just everything. i could not put this book down. if you like gothic books and horror this should be added to your list.

It's hard to decide what to say about Mexican Gothic. I enjoyed it, but I think that if I'd known a little more about what to expect, I would have enjoyed it more. The first two thirds of the novel are lush, truly in the style of classic Gothic novels. Set in Mexico City and the Hidalgo silver-mining country, though, the Silvia Moreno-Garcia truly created her own version of the Gothic, and it worked well. I was completely swept up.

Then, two thirds of the way into the novel, it turned into a sort of silly horror story. I wasn't expecting it, and found the disconnect jarring. It's as if Pride and Prejudice turned into Pride and Prejudice and Zombies without me expecting it. I set the book down for a day, but then really did want to find out what would happen.

For readers who know what to expect, and those who can handle the jolt from classic to camp, I recommend Mexican Gothic. I'll be recommending it among my own circle of readers based on which individuals I believe will enjoy the jolt.

Takes a while to get going, but finishes strong. Moreno-Garcia does a fantastic job of creating an extremely creepy atmosphere at the primary setting of High Place, with strong-willed Noemí serving as an ideal central character to all of the unfolding events. Although the pacing is a little slow during the first half, the wait pays off with an exciting climax accompanied by many uniquely weird story details.

There's a lot to like about this book, and I know it will be popular at the library -- gorgeous cover, interesting setting and time period, shades of Rebecca and Jane Eyre. I felt it could have used some more robust editing, as certain chapters (especially in the first half of the book) felt repetitive, and the smart, glamorous heroine never really came alive for me. And then the book took an unexpected turn from "gothic suspense" into "grossout horror." This is where the prose gets really vivid and interesting, but it's not for the faint of heart (or stomach). Several other reviewers mentioned "The Yellow Wall-paper" and I think that comparison is right on.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Noemí travels from Mexico City to a replica English countryside mansion to investigate her cousin’s mysterious letter in this creepily fantastic adult historical fiction.

Set in a decrepit mansion in 1950’s Mexico, Mexican Gothic has the same ambiance of Stephen King’s The Shining and Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House. Vivid and grotesque imagery interwove with fairy tales from around the world pull together a lush and haunted setting. Someone much smarter than I will probably enjoy exploring the juxtaposition between the English estate and the Mexican village.

Noemí is the perfect protagonist to the fantastical. She’s practical and realistic, able to discern something is not quite right at High Place quickly. She’s a detective ferreting out clues from the house, the village, the family. I love that she never dismissed the paranormal as a legit possibility during her investigation. The secondary characters are as vivid as our heroine, each a catalyst – both good and bad – to the situation and setting.

I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Add in an unexpected romance, and it had everything I ever wanted. I’ll be interested to see how others view the romance. I could see some people disliking it, but it worked well for me. I hope those two crazy kids make it.

tl;dr This book delivered for me – I was in the head space for a creepy setting, an interesting plot, and compelling characters and it hits the mark in spades.

Wow. This book blew my mind. It was amazing. The setting, the world-building, the plot, the conclusion-- everything was phenomenal. The book follows a 1950s socialite from Mexico City as she visits her cousin and her new in-laws in an old English mansion nearby an abandoned silver mine. Something creepy is going on, and it is up to our heroine to figure out what is going on without getting entangled herself. It was a delightfully creepy read, and I am so thankful that I was able to read this arc. The plot pacing was perfectly done for a slow-build mystery and the growing sense of dread within an old Gothic mansion kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time. Some content notes to be aware of: Body horror, cannibalism, graphic violence and gore, references to incest, family member and child deaths, sexism and sexual harassment.

Full review to be featured on my Ariel's Arc segment on https://www.armedwithabook.com/ on June 20th, 2020.

This is my third book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and while Gods of Jade and Shadow remains my favorite, this was a good book.

The main character, Noemi, is a socialite in 1950s Mexico and is an immensely likable character. She’s smart, strong, opinionated, and feels genuine. Noemi’s father receives a letter from her cousin Catalina who has gone off to marry someone that nobody in the family knows well. The man she marries is from an old family that now lives in somewhat of a genteel poverty and relies on Catalina’s money. Catalina sounds like she has lost her mind in the letter, and Noemi’s father asks her to go visit her and check her out, as Catalina’s husband is refusing to let her go to a mental health hospital there.

What is so enjoyable about this book is that it is definitely a homage to other gothic stories (there’s some mentions of Wuthering Heights which Catalina is a big fan of and I also was reminded of The Yellow Wallpaper quite a bit) in a way that immediately makes you be able to visualize things without it overpowering the story, it was still very much its own story. In fact, the story was utterly unpredictable. Catalina’s new home reminds Noemi of Wuthering Heights and I could picture it perfectly, and feel that sense of openness and wildness in surroundings while also being claustrophobic, filled with mist and fog. And it is claustrophobic, Catalina’s new family has a lot of rules, including ones like not being able to talk at dinner time. The family are all so weird, with a complex history and backstory, it was honestly so intriguing to read.

That being said, some of the turns that the story took were too much for me, and I struggled with parts of it. Ultimately, however, I think that this is a good book to pick up if you are in the mood for something eerie but vintage.

Mexican Gothic manages to both be surprising and deliver exactly what it promises. After receiving a concerning letter from her newly married cousin, Noemi Taboada travels to visit Catalina and reassure the family about her welfare. From the moment Noemi arrives, though, it is clear that something is amiss at High Place. The tension continues to build through Garcia’s use of imagery (mushrooms, the family’s ouroboros crest) and a persistent, underlying sense of menace, both sexual and psychological. The novel harkens back to gothic classics (for me it was Rebecca and “The Yellow Wallpaper”) something readers of the genre will probably appreciate as it adds a comfortable touch of familiarity to an unsettling and otherwise wholly original novel. I will admit that I am not completely certain how I feel about the reveals of the book’s final section, having found them both satisfying (particularly the resolutions suggested for characters I had grown attached to and grown to care about) yet somehow not completely so. That does fit with gothic literature, though, and if a book is well-done, perhaps the reader should never feel completely settled.

A book that does it's genre proud with a creepy to die for setting and a character with a very distinct voice. I'll be honest, I wasn't really too keen on it from the beginning but the more I read the more I enjoyed it. I'd probably recommend this to some friends and I rarely recommend books because a lot of people I know aren't big readers. If I recommend it then they know it was something good. Unlike anything I've read before in the best of ways.