Posted on by Hermione · 2 Comments

Mexican Gothic-A Book Review

Hello all people! Hope you are doing great. Today I am posting a review of Mexican Gothic, a book I really enjoyed so keep on reading!

Title: Mexican Gothic

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Genre: Horror, Gothic, Mystery

Publication Date/Publisher: June 30th, 2020 by Del Rey

53152636. sy475
Source: Goodreads

Sheeeeeeweeee! Isn’t this cover beautiful! I guess I really like the burgundy colour in the cover. *wait….does the first word in this paragraph even exist?* The cover gives me gothic vibes….

Noemí Taboada was busy enjoying herself at a party when her father calls her home. As she returns, she is given a letter to read that was written by her cousin, Catalina who is begging for her help.

Noemí’s father decides to send her off to High Place in order to try to bring Catalina back to Mexico City and cure her. As she heads for High Place, she is brought to the house by one of the family residents itself, Francis Doyle, the youngest son of the family and who is extremely kind.

As she enters the house, an air of doom and strangeness fills her. The air is thick and the darkness of the house is disturbing. She cannot believe that her cousin, so filled with happy stories of princes and princesses would ever want to live here. Noemí who can be so vain and caring about her looks is much more suited for happy days, beautiful dresses, perfect lipstick and cocktail parties than a dark house that looks like from a previous century.

Days and days pass with Noemí trying to find out more about the Doyles and why her cousin is feeling so ill and her continuous hallucinations she claims of having….until Noemí starts having disturbing hallucinations herself. They get worse and worse as if someone is trying to speak to her. With the mysterious residents of the house and herself going crazy with those dreams, Noemí has to act fast and get herself and her cousin out of the house before it is too late…but it is almost too late and escaping seems like a long lost miracle…

About the Author:

Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is the author of several novels, including Mexican Gothic, Gods of Jade and Shadow and Untamed Shore. She has also edited a number of anthologies, including the World Fantasy Award-winning She Walks in Shadows (a.k.a. Cthulhu’s Daughters). Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination. 

[Picture and text taken directly from Goodreads]

My Ratings: 4.5/5

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

My Thoughts:

This is what I call a really good blend of horror, gothic and mystery and I recommend it to anyone who like horror or any of the genres above. It is also perfect for readers who love Darcy Coates’ books. You should definitely check out Darcy Coates as well, if you read Mexican Gothic.

Miss Noemí Taboada is the character which I would call suited for herself. She’s vain, stubborn, badass, brave, fierce and somebody who cares way too much about her looks. Like a person made out of all the personality traits in the world in small quantities. I can totally imagine her in a party stealing everyone’s attention with her superb lipstick, dress and well-chosen words with a cocktail drink in her gloved hand. And we could add a charming smile and perfect hair that will send every boy gaping😂.

The author did a really great job in describing the places so much I could almost vividly see everything in my head. The plot twist….was absolutely great…well, I didn’t expect anything of that sort and I didn’t even guess it. It has got a ghost-y and monster-y taste to the book that makes it more gothic and scary which I really liked.

The book also mentions a lot of plants and mushrooms but I can’t tell much it will totally ruin the story for you. I wish I could visit the Doyle’s house and live in it but I will first let some sunlight in there and deep clean everywhere. I found Francis Doyle extremely likable and if I was in the book we could have been best friends because we both love mushrooms. Francis was the only person in the Doyle’s house whom you could trust and who wasn’t like the rest of the family. I found him also very caring and gentle and smart and if you compare him to young Miss Taboada, they are very very different so you kinda get the idea.

(Did I ever mention I really like mushrooms! One day, if you go in your garden or in a forest, make sure to look in some damp and shady spot like the soil around a great tree and you’ll probably find some mushrooms! Mushrooms are fantastic fungus you know!)

Yay! I am done with the review! Next review will be When You Were Everything by Ashley Woodfolk since I have just finished it….(before yesterday that is…)

So stick around for more!

Hermione💜

Posted on by Hermione · 1 Comment

The Whispering House-A Book Review

Hi! Well, since I am a bit at loss at how to start the first paragraph of this post, I guess I should just start with the review before I start rambling about everything that is happening just to fill up this first paragraph(and this is what I am actually doing right now)🤦‍♀️

Title: The Whispering House

Author: Elizabeth Brooks

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Gothic

Publication Date: August 4, 2020

The Whispering House by Elizabeth Brooks
Source: Goodreads

Freya Lyell is still affected by the death of her big sister, Stella Lyell and hasn’t forgotten the day she went away from home, leaving her and her father, alone.

One day, her and her father go to attend a wedding at Byrne Hall, just a few miles away from where Stella threw herself from the cliffs and died.

As Freya enters the house of the Bryne family, which is out of bounds to all guests, to her absolute horror and shock, she finds a picture of Stella in one of the rooms, that looks like a mosaic with lots of pieces stuck together to form Stella. The mystery is that she has no hands…

Freya falls asleep in the dimly lit room and when she wakes up…the portrait had dissappeared. Freya is sure that she hasn’t imagined the portrait but she begins to doubt if she saw Stella or not.

When she returns home, she is determined to find out about the mystery portrait and for that, she will have to leave her father at home alone. When she reaches Bryne Hall, she meets Diana Bryne, the owner of the house and her son Cory Bryne.

Soon Fraya falls in love with Cory. Deciding to abandon her job in London, she stays at Bryne Hall with Cory who spends his time painting Freya.

Very slowly, as secrets begin to unravel themselves, Fraya learns that Stella DID set foot in this place, because it was Cory who drew that picture of her sister…

Freya begins to suspect Cory and Stella’s murder instead of Stella’s suicide seems like a good idea after all…

About the Author:

Elizabeth Brooks | Tin House

Elizabeth Brooks grew up in Chester but she lives with her husband and children on Isle de Man. She started by writing her debut novel, Call of the Curlew in 2018. Her new novel, The Whispering House is set in a manor house, that is, Bryne Hall.

Source of picture: tinhouse.com

My ratings: 3.7/5

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

The book was really nice. It was eerie. I kinda liked Bryne Hall because I could actually imagine the staircases, the dark rooms, the portraits along the wall. The thing is I couldn’t actually connect with the characters very much (I couldn’t ‘step into Freya’s shoes’) and I think that the aura of mystery should have been greater but otherwise, it was an enjoyable read. There was also many flashbacks of Stella and I think they helped put a lot of sense in the book too.

Would I recommend this book? Well, I think yes, but I don’t really think you HAVE to read it…(if you get what I mean)

Well, have a nice day!

Love, Hermione

Posted on by Hermione · 1 Comment

Catherine House-A Book Review

Name: Catherine House

Author: Elizabeth Thomas

Genre: Gothic, Fiction, Mystery

Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas
Origin of picture: Goodreads

This is the story of a very prestigious school, Catherine House, where only the brightest of students can attend. Students with horrific pasts…students who have been abandoned by their families…or who have been running away, like Ines.

Ines, a girl, attends Catherine House, the mysterious boarding school. Totally cut off from the outside world, not even capable of talking to their relatives. many students feel lonely, but still their determination and trust in Catherine is remarkable, especially those who have come here to learn plasm…the science of everything…the means of making and repairing and experimenting things by using plasm pins.

Ines makes friends with her roommate, Baby, a girl who attends Catherine in the hope to learn plasm.

Ines, is intrigued by plasm and its nature and also by a boy, called Sandy, with a strong resemblance to another boy in the picture of a dead student in a scrapbook in the library.

When Baby is killed, Ines is left alone wondering if she killed herself as of she was murdered. When Ines is sent to the restoration center, she is afraid of the plasm pins, that are going to be placed on her.

My ratings:

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Well, okay, this book can be described as fine. It was not really what I expected but I liked it. It is only that a few of the mysteries are left unanswered. I didn’t understand plasm very well because it was quite vague and I didn’t figure out why the students were kept locked in the school for three years. I didn’t really like the ending…

Anyways, I would recommend the book if you like mystery, gothic, well-explained surroundings(I loved the book because of that because I could exactly visualize the place exactly and I daresay, they were very beautiful).

Very nice book!

Tell me in the comments what you thought of the book!

Thanks for reading!

Hermione