There was something about this book that made it hard to put down. I was sucked into the story right away and felt immersed in the world.
It did move somewhat slowly for a while, but in such a way I could feel it was building up to something. And I’d say it delivered.
I loved the characters and found the setting very interesting.
For the first half of the novel, I was internally screaming at Noemí. She was clearly in over her head and too trusting of these creepy-ass people. I had a hard time believing she wouldn’t send a letter to her father asking for him to come rescue her and Catalina. I know it would be lame for our heroine to need rescuing from her father, but I found her reasons for not contacting him kind of weak. She has sooo many opportunities to leave or send for help and she dismisses them all. It was kind of infuriating, but I get there’s no book if she left at the sensible time!
One criticism I have is that I wanted to get to know Catalina more. All we learn about her is that she was cheerful and loved gothic novels and fairy tales. Even at the end, Catalina barely gets to say anything even though she was instrumental in getting them all out of High Place alive.
One thing I found surprising is that Noemí and Francis actually get together in the end. I was expecting him to not be as good as he seemed, or for him to be infected irreparably with the fungus. I thought maybe he’d sacrifice himself to save the women. Though it was nice he and Noemí get to fall in love, I just found it unexpected. It feels like an opening for a sequel, though I don’t anticipate one.
I also expected the local medicine woman to figure into the story more. She disappears after she gives Noemí the tincture. I just thought she’d be important.
I listened to the audiobook and I like the narrator, Frankie Corzo, but I felt she sounded more natural narrating the Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. English accents are not her strong suit and I found it kind of distracting. I imagine for actual English people, it probably sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
Since I listened to the audiobook, I never realized the spelling of Noemí’s name had an accent on the i. The narrator pronounced it like no-EM-ee and now I wonder if she was mispronouncing it? Though I do think that’s prettier sounding than no-em-EE.
I would be very excited to see this novel turned into a movie or a miniseries. I was thrilled when I finished and saw Hulu bought the rights to it, but I can’t find any news about it since 2020.
The novel feels so cinematic. It was like a movie was playing in my head as I read it. I think a miniseries has the potential to be even better than the book because of all the crazy visuals we’d get. Not just the special effects, but think of the setting. Think of the cocktail dresses! Fingers crossed the Hulu series actually pans out!
Has anyone else read this book recently? I’m glad I finally got around to it.
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I actually finished it this morning! Overall I enjoyed it–but I don’t think it really stuck the landing. Too much was revealed via exposition dump in the third act. The first two acts did a good job of keeping up an eery and creepy atmosphere, which I don’t think held over to the finale. To keep up the gothic feel, I think a lot more of the backstory should have been left vague. The origin of the fungus, exactly how it worked, specifics about the rituals, etc. Those should’ve been left up to the imagination.
And I think the unmitigated happy ending was a miss. There should’ve been a lingering feeling of dread or melancholy. Maybe dwell on the fact that Francis was possibly still beholden to the gloom? Maybe Catalina still suffered from lingering hallucinations and madness? Maybe Noemi continued to dream of Ruth? I think the fairy tale ending was a little flat.
But i did enjoy it. Made me want to check out more of her work.
This was exactly how I felt- I was enjoying it right up until it stopped feeling like a story and more like a deadline needed to be hit. It pulled me right out and I just couldn’t get back in, I ended up speed reading the final third of the book and lost all interest!
I had the same info dump issues with Silver Nitrate, I had been so excited for it but it was far too much tell and not enough show
Good but overhyped IMHO.
I’d kill for a dark academia sequel with them studying in the city but alas it’ll never happen
It’s one of my favorite books! I really loved it.
I liked it better than I thought I would. I went in knowing very little (how I prefer to read most books).
I liked the atmosphere throughout the book. Really nailed the “gothic” part.
Edit: I feel like that first statement should be qualified. I read a very eclectic set, and I’m always hesitant with new authors. The book started slowly, but once it got going, I really liked it.
I’m the same way! I read random things and prefer to know as little as possible going in. I’m the same with movies too. Trailers serve little purpose for me!
I really liked this one!
I still don’t know quite how I feel about it.
I think the writing is good and it was certainly horrifying, but I felt like something was missing.
Maybe because I never felt a real connection to the characters?
This is how I feel a lot about this author’s books. I generally love her world building but find it difficult to get ‘into’ her work because of the shallowness of the characters.
I listened to the audiobook and I wanted to like it so much. On paper I should have. And yet about 6 hours in I was pretty meh.
Same here. I also felt there were too many close similarities to others I have read (REBECCA, in particular). By the time the plot separated a but, I was lost…
I had the same experience. For me, the narrator’s attitude and talkative nature sounded too contemporary for the setting. It sounded like so many YA or teen books are supposed to sound.
Yes! There was nothing to show that it was set in the 50s. There’s not much to show it was in Mexico either. I thought it was boring and just Gothic-lite. If you have to name your book “Gothic” and mention it a few times in the text, you’re trying too hard. Just include actual Gothic elements.
I love love love the cover. But the story didn’t grab me until about 70% and then I didn’t love it. I wanted to though
I liked it but I agree that every character except Noemi was shallowly developed and also her love interest was so lame I don’t remember anything about him or his name, just that he was boring.
That’s why I was surprised they wind up together.
He was a dull character, I think because he had to be growing up in that household. But he is able to see right from wrong, especially when Noemí shows up and makes him see.
He does try to warn her, and help her, and so he does have those good qualities, but it’s not like I felt they were compatible ultimately. I think they’ve bonded due to this crazy trauma they’ve gone through, but might soon realize it’s not really love.
But who am I to say? If the author says it’s love, it’s love!
This was the book that introduced me to this author, and I loved it. I then tried another book (Certain Dark Things) and was surprised to find it totally different - writing style and genre was so out there. I will be definitely picking up more from her backlist.
highly recommend “gods of jade and shadow”
I read Silver Nitrate and thought it was only ok. I’ve had Velvet is the Night and Mexican Gothic on my tbr pile for a while now but now I’m not sure.
It was such a disappointing miss for me, it took me longer to get through that book than anything else this year. I kept waiting for it to grab me and it just never did!
I agree about Silver Nitrate. There was just something off about the dialogue, like if it was written in Spanish and then translated or something. I also knew it was supposed to take place in CDMX but didn’t feel like it to me other than the pop culture references.
I like Gothic horror, so I expected the slow, deliberate pacing. I liked it a lot. I think the author did a great job of using gothic horror as a statement on colonialism, complete with eugenics! At times I was afraid of the mushrooms and the gloom in the same way that the cordyceps mushrooms in The Girl With All The Gifts scared me! It’s like being slowly terrorized. It was very well done.
I would have liked to get to know Catalina better, and the Mexican healer needed a bigger storyline, too. That said, I think Noemi was a well developed, and layered heroine.
Do you have any recommendations similar to Mexican Gothic!? I’m about to finish it and I really like the gothic horror genre now
Try The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware. Her writing style is similar. The plot is different, but it has a gothic vibe. Wendy Webb and Simone St. James are pretty good authors to check out, too, since you like the slow burn and the haunted feeling of a Gothic book.
Those across the river by Buehlman for southern gothic horror.
To add to the other comment, The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell and The Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling for recent gothic reads.
And then of course Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier, the ultimate gothic novel.
I also listened to the audiobook, but the narrator ruined it for me to the point that I think that if had read the print version I wouldn’t have disliked it as much as I did. What’s with that weird cadence? And yes, she got the name wrong. I thought the story was boring and predictable.
I didn’t really like it and didn’t finish it. I guess Gothic horror is just not my genre.
I gave up about 3/4 through.