Gabino Iglesias remains both a solid and unique voice writer of dark fiction. House of Bone and Rain is an excellent, engaging novel that works as a thriller, a commentary on the US’s relation to Puerto Rico, and a dark coming of age tale. Highly recommended.

A very engaging, completely engrossing novel that performed (to me, at least) much better in the first 90% with the supernatural undertones than in the final 10% where it switches gears to supernatural overtones.
The author has a great gift for description making it neither too much nor too little--he chooses the precise words to bring entire scenes and characters to life regardless of whether they are primary or secondary. I felt as if I knew these characters and places even though I've only been to Puerto Rico once.
The story was intriguing and entertaining. As with his other works, Iglesias intersperses dialog with Spanish/Spanglish for no apparent reason except, perhaps, to remind the reader where they are, but after a while, that became cloying--and I speak Spanish. I'm sure there was a deeper reason for it, but I couldn't figure it out. And perhaps I'm speaking out of class and it didn't bother non-Spanish speakers as much as I think it might have.
As I wrote when I began, the first 90% is masterful fiction; however, at that point I began to get the "I need to wrap this up" feeling because the unveiling of the "monster" that lurked in the shrouds of folklore, rumor, and superstition for most of the book felt rushed and pointless. I would rather have been afraid of the monster I didn't see than the one I eventually did.
Overall, though, an excellent read that I would recommend highly.

First and foremost, thanks to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy (ARC) in exchange for an honest review of Gabino Iglesias' newest novel, published a little over a month ago (6 August 2024).

I've had Iglesias on my TBR for some time, and am thrilled that this was the novel to begin my deeper dive into Iglesias' currently published works.

A dark and moody atmospheric horror which combines elements of post hurricane Maria crises in Puerto Rico with cosmic horror elements, ghosts, and the demons a group of five friends fight in the process of avenging the death of one of their mothers.

Childhood friends Gabe (our main POV), Bimbo, Xavier, Tavo, and Paul band together to avenge the death of Bimbo's mother, María. As they learn who killed María (a drug kingpin from La Perla - San Juan's most infamous slum, and his goons), and hurricane María approaches the island, the friends form a plan for avenging her death. Interspersed with first person POV narration of Bimbo's descent into agony over the death of his mother, and dialogue amongst the five friends about having each others' backs no matter what are stories of an evil that comes with big hurricanes (as old at least as the Taínos who originally inhabited that part of the Caribbean), and an evil that lurks on the reef outside La Perla, and the kingpin's connection to it.

With tropes including what happens after extreme violence, what we lose of ourselves in the process of seeking vengeance, friendship against all odds and no matter what, and the realities of life in Puerto Rico as a long-time U.S. colony, House of Bone and Rain is riveting, disturbingly dark, and incredibly compelling. 4.5 stars

CWs: graphic - death, violence, blood; moderate - homophobia, kidnapping; minor - fatphobia, vomit

I went into this completely blind (like I always do with my reads) and it was a real treat. Loved the cover, super eye catching with the purple and neon green together! Upon finishing the book, I noticed that he’s an award winning author x2 for his book, “The Devil Takes You Home”. I am definitely interested in checking out that book since I really took to enjoying his writing style after reading this one. It was the perfect mix of dialogue to story, interwoven with real life political issues. The dialogue felt accurately depicted based on the characters ages and I believed in their coming-of-age friendship.

It was an atmospheric read - I was transported to Puerto Rico. There’s a lot of lines in Spanish but as an only-English speaker I appreciated the bilingual dialogue switching between Spanish & English. I could still make sense of what is going on with the story. I felt like I was there experiencing the horrors of the hurricane with the characters. Honestly, it made me open my eyes to the devastation through its destruction and its aftermath - it felt authentically bleak. It’s so heart-wrenching to read about the lack of aid based upon where you live in the world and the author did a great job in depicting that.

It was an emotional journey. I felt the injustice, the betrayal, the anger, the hopelessness, the sadness etc. The writing style hits you with a punch at times. Lots of great quotes in there.

It’s listed as Mystery & Thrillers but I’d say it could also go under Horror. The killings and dark magic/stories got quite detailed and gory. Definitely not for the faint of heart (check TW)! There was supernatural ghost story element to it which was cool!

I really liked the 180 flip of character (we don’t hurt women - what are we doing?). It just was the cherry on top.

I was hoping to get a bit more out of the stuff with the ocean reef, I’m assuming it was left like that to leave you pondering and feel the creepiness of it, but I thought the ending got a bit rushed with that and the Bimbo/his girlfriend bit. I found a bit of the dialogue to be repetitive.

Overall I really enjoyed the story. There was a lot going on yet the author did a great job giving each part its time and marry it all together. I appreciated the journey I went on as a reader, I haven’t read a book remotely like it, it’s so unique and I’ll definitely recommend this book! It would be a great listen I’m sure as an audiobook too - it would be great to hear the dialogue spoken in Spanish, to hear the pronunciation of the words! Either way, book or audiobook you will be in for a treat!

Thank you Mulholland Books & NetGalley for an eARC copy!

After Bimbo's mom is murdered by a drug lord in San Juan, Puerto Rico he and his friends go on a quest of vengeance. Taking on a drug lord and all his men is no easy task especially while Hurricane Maria is causing havoc on the island.

Similar to Igesias' last novel, The Devil Takes You Home, this novel is a mix of crime thriller with the supernatural mixed in. In the midst of really bad decisions, there are beautiful messages of friendship and family. The story is incredibly brutal and bloody. Although the characters are committing crime they are also very sympathetic. Having the story told by Gabe, Bimbo's best friend, was a great way to get insight on why this group of 5 friends would go to such great lengths to help there friends with very bad things.

I would recommend this book to fans of brutal crime fiction, and enjoy the supernatural as well.

Special thanks to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Family isn't only blood and in this book Familia is group of Puerto Rican men are good friends and stick together when one of their members Bimbo's mother gets killed and boy do these men want to exact revenge. But the mother was killed by a drug lord who nobody has gone up against and won.

At times gruesome, and gory, I really didn't mind this book. It had some supernaturL elements to it. For me, it was good, just not for me but I think others would really like this book. 3 1/2 stars

A great horror/murder mystery that has a great group of male friends, featuring themes of identity, Puerto Rico as a US territory, and loyalty. Very well done.

Pretty good story from Iglesias about a group of friends who set out to avenge the murder of one of their moms. It has some good scenes, and the characters are interesting enough, but it's marred by two main issues. The first is the author's continued obsession with his belief that most Americans hate "brown people", and that America is somehow holding Puerto Rico down (he keeps calling it a colony instead of a territory to try to prove some point). Same issue with his first book. Keeps bringing the story to a grinding halt. The second is the introduction of voodoo and a "fish people" angle, which just doesn't gel with the story. Feels forced and out of place. Despite these issues, the book was still able to hold my interest for the most part, although the ending felt a bit rushed. I liked it generally, but it does have its issues. Thanks to Netgalley for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Gabino Iglesias is one of the most powerful storytellers I have come across in Latino Literature. His honesty is refreshing and it pulls you right in. You do not need to be Puerto Rican to relate to Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo. It is a haunting read because it's real. These characters, the generational trauma, and all these other themes are seeded in the culture. I am in awe and proud of Gabino Iglesias work and that he is also BORICUA, like me.

**Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the eARC of this haunting title!**

I went into this book with insanely high expectations, and that may have jammed me up a little bit. Between the synopsis, cover, and advanced praise of this book - I was ready for this to be a 5 star read that wowed me. I have also heard nothing but good things about this author and actually purchased another Iglesias book recently that I am looking forward to.

The writing is VERY good and I loved all of the piercing quotes and superstition that were packed into House of Bone and Rain. For some reason though the pacing in this one was off for me and I found myself not reaching for it and really struggling to get through it.

To be fair I really struggle with slow burn horror, and while there were glimpses of what was to come sprinkled in - I didn't feel that the story was really in full swing until over 50% in. By that point I had set this one aside multiple times and binged other books in between. I see a lot of people referring to this book as a thriller and it was just not thrilling to me in the least. The characters were amazing and well done, and the horror was horrific, I just didn't find myself swept away in the story unfortunately.

4 stars because this is a really good book and I think if it had held my attention a bit better it would have been 5 stars for me. I think fans of horror, slow burns, coming of age stories, and folklore will really enjoy this one!!

This is a story about brotherhood mixed with supernatural elements, revenge, and growing up. I was really drawn in by the group of friends, especially when they had to deal with the sudden death of one friend’s mom. The emotions felt real, and the Puerto Rican vibes and Spanish words added a nice touch that I enjoyed. However, some parts were really gruesome. I enjoyed how the paranormal vibes were weaved throughout the story.

The narrators, Jean-Marc Berne and Daya Mendez, did a great job bringing the characters to life. They used different tones and voices that made the story more enjoyable. I felt sad for Tavo, but I really looked forward to Gabe and Bimbo’s parts. Alta Gracia’s actions surprised me, and while I didn’t like how Bimbo reacted, the story kept me engaged.

A very special thanks to Novel Suspects, Mulholland, and Netgalley for the free copy.

Apologies for lateness. Life was in full swing.

Posted in good reads:

4.25/5⭐️

Familia is not only the one you’re born into. It’s also the one you create. And Gabe, Bimbo, Xavier, Tavo and Paul are just that…familia.

When Bimbo’s mother is murdered in a drug turf war, Bimbo goes on a revenge path with his friends there every step of the way.

Blood, gore, occult, supernatural and the underbelly of Puerto Rico play key parts in this powerful story by Gabino.

Each character was beautifully crafted and appreciated. Even the small side characters. And Gabe is such a rich morally grey character. He walks that line between being a good guy and bad guy so well. 🤌🏼 chef’s kiss

This took me longer to read than expected. And that’s because the grief is heavy. There is so much loss and the expressing of said loss. I found myself taking a lot of breaks. Damn bring such an empath. Which means the author did a good job.

Thank you netgalley, mulhulland books, anc gabino iglesias for the opportunity to read this novel.

Please note while I did receive this book through NetGalley I had already made a purchase and received my preorder prior to receiving this copy.

This is Gabino Iglesias at his best. The dark themes, the sheer brutality and pulling no punches are why I love his books. This book is no different and probably his best work. I won't get into too many details but this a beautiful dark horror story and I read in only two sittings. I love the multipov style he does with little hints about what is to come at the start of each chapter.

Loved this! Perfect amount of horror and mystery and the writing was stunning. It puts some heavy and intense topics in with a thrilling setting and it kept me hooked.

This was my first book I’ve read by Gabino Iglesias and it was a wild ride for sure! I loved reading every page of this book and it was an emotionally devastating to read it was a great story very well written and I’m definitely going to look into reading more of his other books as well.

Iglesias's love letter to Puerto Rico.
A country constantly in limbo - on the brink of crisis, rich with lore and legends.
Bimbo's mother is gunned down - he pulls his friends together. Hurricane Maria pulls the country into darkness. These young men abandon any morals to obtain justice.
Magical. Demonic. Drugs. Desperation.
How can any of the people ever make a life?

Updated with TikTok link. No spoilers:
House of Bone and Rain is like nothing I’ve ever read. From the first page it yanked me into the world of five young men, their brotherhood, their hopes, and the forces pressing down on them.

It took the top of my head off. It filled me with a pulsing, squalling, horror-filled, relentless battle. Wriggling truths kept emerging from the squelching murk in the darkest places. Gripping and stunning all the way to the end, a fever dream bullet.

This novel shines with a deep humanity. In the depth of brutality, in the book’s heart, there’s compassion. House of Bone and Rain shot into my top-5 new releases of 2024.

Highly recommended for seasoned readers of dark Literature, intense Horror, and Supernatural Thrillers. Except for people who avoid gritty, grisly, gory books, my recommendation: Avoid spoilers and read it immediately.

Thank you Mulholland Books for the e-ARC via NetGalley for consideration. These are solely my opinions.

“Perhaps one of the most painful things about growing up is realizing that rather than go away, the things you don't talk about lurk in dark corners and grow.”

“Clubs always remind me that we're all sad animals looking for something to lift us out of the mud we lived in and make us think being alive was worth it.”

“Sometimes lost love is like a disease that sticks around quietly and flares up from time to time, making the world a bit dull and rekindling the flame of that fucking pain that refuses to go away.”

I feel empty after finishing House of Bone and Rain. This is more than a book about revenge. We meet a cast of men who do bad things but have souls of gold. And that seems contradictory, but it isn’t. These men were fueled by love for each other, and it was apparent in the raw emotions depicted in this book. It was refreshing to see men so freely accepting a wide range of emotions, and expressing them to the men around them. There was no toxicity in that regard.

This book was a gruesome gut punch. I feel like it will alter me for the long haul like The Devil Takes You Home did. I think about that book daily, in all of its gory horror.

I really loved the religious superstition in this book and how the other worlds were seamlessly interwoven to the plot. It was lustrous experience. Gabino Iglesias’ writing is so rich and packed with emotion and empathy, that it’s hard to not fall into this book. It is fully immersive; I woke up tense this morning from having such vivid dreams brought on by his writing.

I cannot recommend this one enough.

I absolutely loved this story!!!! The character were perfect, and I felt so much! I cannot recommend this book enough, all the stars!!

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the eARC.

This is my second novel by Gabino Iglesias and his horror is something else. This book is not for those with a queasy stomach thinking "oh it can't be that bad" I just want to read about friendships. Nah. This is gore filled, rage filled, and rough. But for me, exactly what I wanted it to be.