Mexican Gothic REVIEW

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
4/5 stars
Title provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Well, colour me intrigued from the beginning. This eerie, creepy and peculiar  story had me entranced from the start. I was morbidly fascinated by this dark, rather delicious but mostly disturbing tale. I devoured it in a day, eager to piece together all of the pieces of this spine-chilling puzzle. I just had to know what on earth was going on - and I wasn't disappointed. This book was bursting with gothic elements, from the mysterious, complex characters to the grim and decaying setting.

Oh, the setting. The house. I think it may be my favourite character, and it is surely a character, as its presence is overbearing, suffocating and intoxicating. It felt so claustrophobic and creepy, menacing and dangerous. The perfect gothic setting.

Our protagonist, Noemi was simply fantastic. I loved her. She was feisty, outspoken, clever and loyal; she simply oozed glamour with a hint of sass and defiance. She was a great character to read from and felt all of her emotions vividly - I was horrified most of the time as she experienced some awful things and grew angrier and angrier as she suffered at the hands of some monstrous individuals. The other characters were great also. Some villainous and unpleasant, others warm and friendly. One made me feel physically sick. What a disgusting creature. But a great character nonetheless.

I honestly think this book would make the perfect horror/ thriller TV show or film. It read like a film and I could vividly imagine the setting, the characters and the events. And it's all down to the writing. The descriptions are so evocative and intricate, and made the world of Mexican Gothic come to life (no matter how much it scared me at times!). It was suspenseful and full of tension; it had me gripped, turning each page in anticipation. Yet another perfect element of gothic fiction.

All in all, Mexican Gothic was a sinister story that kept me guessing from start to finish. I felt like I couldn't breathe properly until the final sentence; it was atmospheric, suspenseful and hair-raising. It's not my usual read but I am so, so glad that I picked this up. Definitely read Mexican Gothic if you want a diverse, spooky tale set against a glamorously grotesque setting.