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aliciawithoutkeys's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Alcohol
modernathos's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Two hundred plus pages of waiting for plot.
This was just a drag from start to finish. It had so much potential, but the character development was either sudden and forced or non-existent, and the ending was horrible, especially since this is apparently a stand-alone.
I'm not saying Moreno-Garcia can't write. Her writing style is fine and I enjoyed the action scenes. The plot was just a drag, there was no development and it all ended in nothing.
February 1st, 2024 - February 7th, 2024
This was just a drag from start to finish. It had so much potential, but the character development was either sudden and forced or non-existent, and the ending was horrible, especially since this is apparently a stand-alone.
I'm not saying Moreno-Garcia can't write. Her writing style is fine and I enjoyed the action scenes. The plot was just a drag, there was no development and it all ended in nothing.
February 1st, 2024 - February 7th, 2024
“Nothing is easier." Elisa said. “It’s just another way to get killed.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Sexual content
mhcraft's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
slimshaedy92's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I love me some built out vampire lore inspired by real world history and folklore! This book gives neon-nighttime (cyberpunk 2077?) vibes and variations on the vampire (as well as silly tidbits we love to see included) that I haven’t seen before but fit wonderfully in their respective cultures.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Animal cruelty and Animal death
bookswithpao's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Trafficking, Death, War, Misogyny, Violence, Pandemic/Epidemic, Gun violence, Death of parent, Gore, and Murder
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, and Sexism
Minor: Animal cruelty, Addiction, Alcohol, Drug use, Child death, and Excrement
mengzhenreads's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Gritty and gory neo-noir thriller about vampires. The world building in this story was totally insane and I was absolutely here for it. Gruesome in the best way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gore, Blood, and Death
Moderate: Gun violence
Minor: Drug use and Animal cruelty
teeticker's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Blood, and Gore
bessadams's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Death of parent, Animal cruelty, and Gun violence
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
3.5 ⭐ CW: Violence, blood, gore, violent/gruesome deaths, death of a parent, substance use, sex work mention, sexual content, colonization mention, dog fighting mention
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is neon-noir horror that gave me Bladerunner vibes, but instead of androids, vampires. I have found that this author is very hit or miss for me. I did enjoy parts of the novel, but it was just so slow for such a short book. It was also very gruesome, which is not my favorite thing.
We follow Atl, a birdlike vampire on the run from a rival vampire gang. We get several povs from people either going after Atl or assisting her. Domingo is the sweet, naive one that should be protected at all costs. Atl appears to be a badass, but is really a spoiled vampire who made a grave mistake. I really didn't like Nick, the vampire from the rival gang. He was violent and misogynistic.
As I said, this was incredibly slow and not much character development. I did like learning about the different types of vampires from different cultures. It was cool seeing Aztec culture represented through Atl. This was just fine. I'm wondering if I should continue to read this author. I really enjoyed Gods of Jade and Shadow, but that's about it so far.
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is neon-noir horror that gave me Bladerunner vibes, but instead of androids, vampires. I have found that this author is very hit or miss for me. I did enjoy parts of the novel, but it was just so slow for such a short book. It was also very gruesome, which is not my favorite thing.
We follow Atl, a birdlike vampire on the run from a rival vampire gang. We get several povs from people either going after Atl or assisting her. Domingo is the sweet, naive one that should be protected at all costs. Atl appears to be a badass, but is really a spoiled vampire who made a grave mistake. I really didn't like Nick, the vampire from the rival gang. He was violent and misogynistic.
As I said, this was incredibly slow and not much character development. I did like learning about the different types of vampires from different cultures. It was cool seeing Aztec culture represented through Atl. This was just fine. I'm wondering if I should continue to read this author. I really enjoyed Gods of Jade and Shadow, but that's about it so far.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual content, Death, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent and Colonisation
Minor: Animal cruelty
nightmarebees's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
the vampire lore of this world was very cool. each subspecies of vamp has cultural and biological differences that mirror human cultures. the action was good and the character choices seemed to make sense up until the end? maybe it’s just because this book was shorter that this bittersweet ending felt way more abrupt than, say, gods of jade and shadow. this is now my 5th silvia moreno-garcia book this year, and while it wasn’t my favorite of hers, it was still a fun ride
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore