On the Horizon – mexican gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this gothic horror eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  So here be me honest musings . . .

mexican gothic (Silvia Moreno-Garcia)

Title: mexican gothic

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine Del Ray

Publication Date: TODAY!!! (hardcover/e-book)

ISBN: 978-0525620785

Source:  NetGalley

This be fifth book I have read by the author and me fifth five star read.  I have said before that what I find amazing about all of the author’s books is that they feel so different from each other.  The first was a vampire story with stunning vampire culture and history.  The second was a Mayan fairy-tale set during the Jazz age in Mexico.  The third was a romance with a hint of fantasy set in the Belle Époque era.  The fourth was a coming-of-age thriller set in Baja California in 1979.  This was a gothic horror set in 1950s Mexico.  I adored this book!

The story follows Noemí, a 20-something socialite whose night out partying is cut short when her father receives a strange message from a newly married cousin.  Noemí is sent on a mission, to find out what is going on with her cousin, not only because her father cares about family, but also to avoid a scandal.

To quote Matey Imyril’s excellent teaser:

Moreno-Garcia wears her inspirations proudly: cousin Catalina is an orphan, who grew up telling Noemí fairytales and reading the Brontës. Catalina is a hopeless romantic: of course she fell for the handsome Englishman with the tragic family history and a remote estate decaying in the mountains. Why yes, it does look an awful lot like he married her for her money. And now she thinks Virgil Doyle is trying to poison her, and Noemí’s father can’t decide if Catalina’s got psychological problems or a bad case of melodrama.

Sounds excellently gothic right?  Well of course strong-willed and independent Noemí is going to go and save the day.  Of course everything goes wrong and Noemí is in over her head from the moment she arrives at High Place estate.  And of course, Silvia Moreno-Garcia makes me love every delicious second and every shiver that runs up me spine.

The atmosphere of this novel is brilliant and wonderful.  The modern city girl goes to an estate where there is no electricity, no conversation allowed at dinner, and old-fashioned rules about proper decorum.  The house is falling apart and seems almost sinister.  The gothic elements are so nicely swirled with the more modern viewpoints that I kept second guessing many of the mysteries of the house and its inhabitants.  I didn’t really love Noemí but she still didn’t deserve the High Place.  And of course the ending was bittersweet but also kinda perfect.

I absolutely love Silvia Moreno-Garcia and can’t wait for whatever she writes next.  Arrr!

Goodreads has this to say about the novel (blurb shortened by me):

An isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic artistocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . .

From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico—“fans of classic novels like Jane Eyre and Rebecca are in for a suspenseful treat” (PopSugar).

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region . . .

The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness.

And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind

To visit the author’s website go to:

Silvia Moreno-Garcia – Author

To buy the novel please visit:

mexican gothic – Book

To add to Goodreads go to:

Yer Ports for Plunder List

Previous Log Entries for this Author
certain dark things (Captain’s Log – Sci-Fi)
gods of jade and shadow (On the Horizon – Fantasy eArc)
the beautiful ones (Captain’s Log – Fantasy)
untamed shore (Off the Charts and On the Horizon – Murder Mystery eArc)