Piñata by Leopold Gout was one if my most anticipated horror books of the year, and unfortunately it fell flat for me. Described in the synopsis as a haunting/possession story, however nothing really happens until the last 40 percent of the book. And while I do enjoy a slow burn horror, this was lacking the buildup and creepiness I was hoping for.
I did enjoy the Aztec and Mexican history that is within the story, and the second half of the book did have the horror element I was missing in the beginning.
Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of Piñata in exchange for my honest opinion.

Leopoldo Gout's novel is brimming with Mexican folklore and revolves around a mother, her two daughters, and an age-old being. This horror novel gradually increases in suspense, with some truly eerie moments. The writing was solid and the general plot was intriguing, yet it felt like the novel never truly got going for me. However, if you're into folk horror, I would definitely check this one out!

Thank you to MacMillan and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC!

“I’ll wipe your despicable religion from the land and make a new holy empire from the rubble of your satanic temples. You savages believe in blood sacrifice do you? You think the blood of your people carries the same weight as the blood of Christ?”

Carmen and her daughters Izel and Luna travel to Mexico where she is overseeing the refurbishment of an old church (built from the colonized ruins of an ancient pre-hispanic temple) into a hotel. Due to some unfortunate circumstances at the work site she ends up having to go back home to New York and when she returns she notices her youngest daughter is… different.
There is so much to unpack with this book, Sadie Hartman (who I consider my own personal guide when it comes to all things horror) described it as a blend of the Poltergeist movie and the book Goddess of Filth by V. Castro and I can not think of a better or different way to describe it. I devoured this book in less than a day, it is a little bit of a slow burn at first but once Leopoldo unleashes the terror he really doesn't stop. On the one hand he unflinchingly covers the everyday terrors that so many in Mexico have to live with: the never ending femicides, the senseless cartel and gang violence, the predatory coyotes taking advantage of people. Then you have the supernatural terrors; the way he used Mexican folklore to weave a new take on a possession story was so good! I learned so much about piñatas from this book, like I legitimately had no idea what the origins of this ritual that I've been doing since I was a child were! I don’t want to say too much about the horror bits because I don’t want to give anything away, it’s something that you’re just going to have to experience for yourself! And trust me you definitely should!!

Huge thank you to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital ARC, this was one of my most anticipated books of this year!

4.5⭐️

The first thing about this book that caught my attention was obviously the cover, but close second was the fact it involved a kid. Not a huge fan of kids, but possessed kids? Sign me up.

Carmen Sanchez is helping to renovate an old cathedral into a hotel in Mexico, where she’s from. An accident at the location reveals an ancient piñata from the times of colonization from Spain. Carmen thinks only about her future in the field, but her poor daughter Luna starts changing in ways that are more than just puberty.

I quickly fell in love with Luna. She reminded me quite a bit of myself when I was young; interested in everything and always wanting to learn more about the world. I also saw myself in older sister Izel—someone who has lost their intrigued spirit. And then I saw myself again in Carmen, someone who just wants to get by day by day keeping her family safe.

I really enjoyed this book. I learned a lot about Nahua culture, and wrote down many more questions to be like Luna and research later. Piñata is a book that not only spooks, but it tugs at your heartstrings as well. And there’s some pretty gross parts, so a full horror trifecta.

Thank you to Net Galley and Tor Nightfire for the chance to read this advanced review copy.

TW/CW: body horror, blood, death, gore, genocide, colonization, racism, sexism, misogyny

"Piñata" begins with Carmen and her two daughters staying in Mexico while Carmen, an architect, oversees the renovation of an old abbey into a hotel. When a wall collapses to reveal a room that wasn't on any of the abbey's blueprints, it releases more than just a flurry of dust and concrete.

I loved loved loved this book! It was perfectly paced with a tight plot and compelling, complex characters. In some ways, it is an extension of a classic horror trope; someone discovers an old relic in a dusty basement/attic/etc, and everything goes off the rails. "Piñata" is a refreshing interpretation of that trope that deepens it to deal with questions of colonialism, historic and contemporary racism, and trauma. The relationship between the family was realistic and touching, the rich basis in Nahuatl history and culture solidly rooted the plot, and the themes of anger and trauma were deftly handled.

I cannot recommend this book more! You'll like this if you like horror based in culture/history, horror that deals with themes of colonization and trauma, or just a book with a fast-paced scary story.

Leopoldo Gout did an amazing job on this one. I love anything to do with Mexican culture and Piñata certainly delivered in that aspect. The character development is complete perfection. Carmen, a strong single mother, is returning to Mexico with her two daughters Izel and Luna for a job she’s working overseeing the restoration of an old abbey and turning it into a hotel. But suddenly, Carmen and her girls are all seeing things and her youngest, Luna, isn’t the same sweet girl she has always been. She’s cold, cruel and distant. After an accident at the job site forces Carmen and the girls to return home to New York, it’s apparent something dangerous has come home with them. Possession stories are always creepy but fun for me and I ended up really loving this one. Thanks to Leopoldo Gout, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for my review copy. Piñata released earlier this week, make sure to pick up a copy!

Carmen and her 2 young daughters are living in Mexico renovating an old cathedral into a modern hotel. Ancient forgotten gods are disturbed, leading to her younger daughter Luna, to undergo what seems to be possession from one of these gods. The horror of what happens to Luna and how to save her is Carmen's nightmare, and she needs all the help she can find to deal with this. Fine history exploration and good descriptions of Mexico make this a readable book.

PIÑATA by Leopoldo Gout

Release Date: March 14th, 2023
General Genre: Horror, Occult & Supernatural, Historical Fiction
Subgenre/Themes: Historical Fiction, Human Monsters, Gods/Goddesses, Nahua culture, colonization, subjugation, revenge, possession, Religion, Strong Women
Writing Style: Multiple POV, Character-Driven, Cinematic, Brisk Pace

What You Need to Know: The publisher comps are: A Head Full of Ghosts + Hereditary but my feeling is that this book is more like, Goddess of Filth (V. Castro) + Poltergeist. I mean, listen to this quote from the book:
"Do you remember, Father, all those horror movies with spirits and angry ghost visiting vengeance on an otherwise innocent family? Have you ever noticed that most times they're set in homes and towns built on sacred Native burial grounds?"
That's pretty much all you need to know going into this book. The prologue is the perfect set up.

My Reading Experience:
This book is vivid and colorful--so cinematic! The prologue sets the tone with graphic depictions of the brutal colonization of the Nahua people and a front row seat to a specific, disturbing, act of dishonoring Nahua tradition through the subjugation of the children. Right away I was assuming that desecrating ancient, sacred deities will not go unpunished.

Chapter one takes us to Mexico City to meet our family of protagonists. Single mother, Carmen who is an architect on assignment to transform an old abbey into a hotel, and her two daughters, Izel and Luna. The author does an excellent job with setting. I felt like I was "on location" all the detailed descriptions like a little movie in my mind.
The cast of characters are fully fleshed out and essential to the story. As soon as conflict is introduced, the side characters, Father Verón, Yoltzi, Quauhtli, are engaged and fully equipped with their unique gifts to assist the family in their crisis. This kind of investment in secondary characters is so key to good horror. I love to care about what happens to people, not just the main characters. Gout also shares the POV narrative with these characters so that readers can absorb insight straight from them instead of seeing them through the eyes of one or two protagonists. Everyone gets a little intimate time with the reader.
I also enjoyed the classic tension of those that believe easily in the supernatural and those who question everything. That age old conflict of waiting for the doubting characters to finally experience enough horror to accept what's going on and join in the fight.
Gout does an incredible job of infusing this story with rich culture and history. Just like I did with the novella, RING SHOUT by P. Djèlí Clark I am advocating for readers to enjoy this on their eReaders so you can highlight words, places, and names in order to get a quick history lesson.

"tzitzimimeh"- a female, skeletal deity in Aztec mythology characterized by the sun, stars, fertility, and wears a skirt made of shells or bones.

again, this story is so cinematic! Anytime the demonic activity was front and center, I was in bliss! It's so refreshing to encounter dark entities from another culture.
There are scenes involving swarms of black butterflies, manifestations of demonic rage, and epic descriptions of catastrophic evil--seriously scary and unique! Just like V. Castro did her twist on demon possession horror by bringing in unique cultural themes and imagery, Leopoldo Gout is right here joining her with PIÑATA. It's very exciting!


Final Recommendation: Horror fans who show up for any demon possession horror, strong women, colorful characters you can invest in, and a celebration of Mexican heritage/culture, this is well check all those boxes and more. A must have for the library.

Comps: Poltergeist (1982), Goddess of Filth by V. Castro, Coyote Songs by Gabino Iglesias

Thank you NetGalley for this Arc
I went in knowing nothing about this read and at times it was slow going due to the amount explanation of the history to the upcoming events. This was not an in your face scare but a slow burning, terror inducing, nightmarish read.

I AM NOT OKAY. My god this was a freaking experience. I will never look at a piñata the same way ever again.

This book is so unlike anything I have ever read before. In the best ways possible. HOLY CRAP. I was not ready for that set up to be so dang compelling. The depths Gout goes to, to bring the Mexican Heritage alive is untouchable. Even though at times I felt like I was getting a little bit too much information at once, which pulled me away from the story just a teensy bit. I had no problem finishing this very quickly. I mean after a prologue like that I immedietly became obsessed with trying to figure out what the hell was going to happen. This does take a bit of time to reach the point of impact where the information starts to connect and things start to get creepy but it is well worth the wait. Yep, I'm definitely skipping the next piñata breaking I come across

Thank you Netgalley and Tor Nightfire for the advanced eGalley.

Piñata was unique, intriguing take on one of my favorite subgenres - possession! I loved the aspect of getting to learn about native Mexican cutouts and history. There were awesomely creepy and gross parts. The story was spun in a really interesting way that kept my attention! I will definitely be recommending this one in the future.

I’ve been a lifelong horror fan. Seriously I was only seven or eight when I picked up my first Stephen King novel. And yet it wasn’t until recently that more and more publishers have begun to embrace a greater diversity of authors, and their cultural influences have led to a wonderful broadening of the genre. In Piñata we meet Carmen Sanchez, a Mexican native now a New York architect. She and her daughters are down in Mexico while she is overseeing a project. It should be the experience of a lifetime. Unfortunately things aren’t going great. While Luna, her youngest is highly inquisitive and excited by all the new things to see/experience. Izel (Izzy), her older daughter, not so much. She practically lives on her phone and just wants to go home. From a professional standpoint, Carmen is seen as an outsider and treated as such, with her workers refusing to show her the respect she deserves. After a serious incident on site, Carmen decides it’s time to return home. But troubles don’t stop once they return home, in fact they seem to occur more often, usually centered around Luna. What’s happening and can it be stopped? This is a wonderfully creepy story featuring an excellent/tense story that works on multiple levels. Thanks so much to Tor Publishing Group, Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an arc of Piñata.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/pi-ata-leopoldo-gout/1139211792?ean=9781250781178&bvnotificationId=733e1cf7-c2ab-11ed-b867-0aa1560d3a2f&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/243425265

Happy release day to Piñata!

When the opportunity arises for Carmen, a Mexican architect now living in New York, to oversee the development of a new hotel in Mexico she jumps at the chance. Carmen has always wanted her daughters to spend time in her home country and it's a big work opportunity for her as well. Their trip doesn't go as planned and while some things are predictable, like the misogyny in her workplace, other, more sinister problems soon crop up. The Sanchez family is forced to return home sooner than anticipated and with them follows an evil entity that preys upon the youngest daughter, Luna.

Piñata is a very slow burn horror that is also saturated with Mexican culture and Aztec history, which is something that I particularly enjoyed. Leopoldo Gout does a great job of telling an interesting story without bogging it down with unnecessary elements. Every piece of history and mythology contributes to this horror story and we see the roots settle in at the very beginning of the book as a result of colonization. As I mentioned this book is slow burn, which may not be for everybody. It did take me quite awhile (about 30%) to become fully invested in the story, but once I was there I was hooked and finished the rest in one sitting. The story is very character driven and I loved all of the members of the Sanchez family.

There were also some truly horrific scenes, which begins in the prologue to this story. If you love unsettling, supernatural stories that are steeped in mythology I would recommend checking out Piñata! I can't wait to read more from this author in the future.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire & NetGalley for a review copy!

Piñata is an entertaining book with well-written characters to root for, action, and some incredibly creepy imagery. It's a decent twist on the possession tale blended with history and mythology and made for a diverting, fun read. Will definitely check out what Leopoldo Gout writes next.

Pub Day Review!

Description:
Back in Mexico for work, Carmen brings her two daughters with her, hoping to spark some interest in their heritage. While her younger daughter, Luna, is quick to fall in love with the culture, her older daughter, Izel, is more interested in what’s going on in her phone. A local named Yoltzi feels a dark spirit lurking around the young girl and tries to warn the family, only making Luna even more interested in the religion. But just when Luna is getting deep into her research, the ancient cathedral architectural work that Carmen was working on comes to a halt after an accident occurs, making the Sanchez family pack their things and go back home to New York. Although far away from Mexico and the crazy local, they find themselves still experiencing strange phenomenons and Luna doesn’t seem like herself anymore.

Review:
I can’t believe how quickly I fell in love with this family. Carmen, the independent, single mother; Luna, the curious little girl; and Izel, the annoyed, theatre obsessed older sister. While I love all the characters (which is the important part of any story), I also love how dark this book gets. A slow burn horror isn’t for everyone, but Leopoldo Gout did an amazing job with a terrifying prologue and tastefully horrific scenes scattered throughout, keeping you on edge.
There’s a lot of religious, political, and historical talk in this book, but it doesn’t suffocate the story. Leaning on the dark side of all of those topics actually fueled the fire, making the story feel more fact than fiction. There absolutely could be a little Luna running around with an evil spirit trying to attach itself to her. And because of that, religious horror is the top horror genre, in my opinion. There’s nothing scarier than an evil spirit. With monster horror, body horror, even psychological horror everything that happens can be stopped or prevented somehow. If an evil spirit wants you, there’s nothing you can do. You can’t bring a gun to a ghost fight.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the ARC. Happy Pub Day! @leopoldoleopoldo

The essence of Leopoldo Gout's Piñata is a story of possession, but it goes so much further than that. Tackling problems of colonialism, misogyny and sexism in the work place, and xenophobia, Gout creates a nuanced cultural study wrapped up in a horror-ific tale of possession, ancient Mexican gods, and the revenge they want to take on the world.

When architect Carmen Sanchez brings her daughters, Izel and Luna, with her on a project to her home country of Mexico, she is hopeful that she can share in her heritage with both girls while she oversees a renovation of an ancient cathedral into a modern hotel. Her youngest, Luna, is mesmerized by the sights around her, while her eldest, Izel, can't believe her mother pulled her away from her friends back home for the summer. During the excavation, there is a scaffolding collapse and a previously sealed, unknown room is discovered, filled with artifacts from the early days of the cathedral. Inside, an ancient piñata, used by the priests of the day to co-opt ancient Mexican traditions, calls out to Luna, and before the chamber can be properly closed off for study, Luna makes off with the piñata. Between the scaffolding collapse, the way the men Carmen is overseeing disrespect her, and the dangers of being kidnapped by local gangs, she decides she's had enough of Mexico and returns home with her daughters

Once home, the usually bright and cheerful Luna takes a drastic turn, becoming scornful and mean. As strange things begin to happen all around their home, Carmen begins to realize that there may be more to Luna's strange change in behavior than she first thought. With the help of some of their Nahua friends from Mexico, Carmen and Izel try to save Luna from the ancient forces consuming her, but it may be too late for everyone.

Gout creates some really incredible, gruesome visuals in this story, and I'm here for it. Luna's descent from cheerful and full of life to spiteful, hateful, and angry is quite the journey. With a large cast of characters, I was worried that some would be lost along the way creatively, but Gout fleshes everyone out nicely. While the last 1/4 or so of the book seems suddenly rushed, that does also convey the need to save Luna and keep the gods from consuming the Earth. Another excellent release from Nightfire, and a new author for me to discover more from.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

#piñata #netgalley #leopoldogout #tornightfire #horror #possession #bookreview #frommybookshelf #frommybookshelfblog #books #book #bookstagram

DID NOT FINISH - Stopped at 55% ; Too many typos and errors, making it distracting, and more importantly, the speech was just far too awkward or stilted, making it one of those 'people don't talk like this' faults. It would have been understandable if the book were translated, however it's not. At least, not that I was able to discern.

⇉ Third person POV told through numerous characters from a child on up to an elder.
⇉ Setting - Mexico, New York
⇉ Features: Gods, ghosts/apparitions/specters, seeing auras, tzitzimitl, possession. Which is my jam, but damn. Disappointed. I love the cover? And how the name ties into the novel. I did learn some cultural goodies.
⇉ "Simply having it near her made her feel good, euphoric–– not happy, really, but she felt a certain warmth and tingling in her chest, like when she waited for Christmas when she was younger."- Sooo relatable!

I had the chance to check out the tantalizing title, Piñata by Leopoldo Gout, and if it's a horror script you've been waiting for, you got it in this book! Piñata is about a Spanish-American family visiting Mexico for work and leaving with a curse in their suitcase. While Carmen Sanchez oversees the renovation of an old cathedral, they stumble upon a work chamber that holds one of the most sinister artifacts the world has yet to see. Her curious youngest daughter, Luna, decides to take it, thus triggering the start of an ancient prophecy that will destroy the world.

The story starts with a bang in the beginning. We time-traveled back to where it all began; the Spanish conquest overtaking villages and forcing people into their Catholic religion. But as the story progressed in the future, I believe we started to stray away from the initial narrative of the story. We focused more on Carmen and her delusional thoughts of what was happening to her family rather than paying attention to the curse itself. I wish I had gotten more of the backstory of the curse. There was so much potential in telling a complete story about the ancient people of Nahu.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Leopoldo Gout for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Piñata coming out March 14, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

They were supposed to have the perfect summer…

Carmen Sanchez goes back to Mexico to supervise the renovation of an ancient abbey. Her daughters Izel and Luna go with her in what Carmen hopes is an opportunity for them to connect with their heritage.

An accident at the worksite uncovers a stash of rare, centuries-old artifacts. One item is an ancient piñata. The disaster costs Carmen her job and they have to go back to New York earlier than planned. 

But something malevolent and mysterious follows them home to New York, stalking the Sanchez family and bringing forward a coming catastrophe. Is too late to escape the ancient thing that’s been awakened?

This is my first novel by this author. Overall, I loved this story! It had a lot of interesting ancient history about Mexico. I enjoyed the myths mixed with the horror and the supernatural aspect. I loved it was a story about a mother and two daughters, trying to understand their heritage. The writing was fantastic. The only thing I would’ve liked more would be to see more of the mystery and horror in the first half of the book. I don’t think it really picked up until the second half. I would’ve just liked a few more creepy things to set up the second half of the book.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys Mexican supernatural stories!

Carmen Sanchez goes to Mexico to oversee a project for work with her two daughters, Luna and Izel. Luna, the youngest, is open and eager to learn more about her culture. She explores and researches all that she can about the country and its native roots. Izel, the oldest is a typical teenager, she is less interested in what is going on around her and would rather be with her friends. When an accident happens at Carmen’s job site, their trip is cut short. However, when they go back home, something evil attached to Luna follows them.

This book sent a powerful message about good vs. evil and that no matter what, the voices and gods of the past will not go unheard. It shed light on the suffering of the natives and the erasure of their people, their languages and their spiritual beliefs.

Excellent pacing. The lore and history were fleshed out so thoroughly that I enjoyed this book from beginning to end. The imagery was so vivid and nightmarish, I was genuinely scared. It gave me chills!