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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"Velvet Was the Night" follows Maite and Elvis in Mexico during the 1970's. Maite is a secretary who is barely scrapping by, and she is completely oblivious to the protests happening right outside her door. Her new neighbor, Leonora, asks Maite to watch her cat for her for a few days. But, when a few days turns into longer, Maite is thrust into a world she had no idea existed. Elvis has a violent way of getting what he wants, and when he is tasked with finding Leonora, he will stop at nothing to prove himself worthy to his boss.
This was a fantastic historical fiction, and the first historical fiction I have read that is set in Mexico. I did not even realize this story was inspired by true events until the author's note at the end, because this novel reads like an exciting, fictitious story all on its own. The fact that it is inspired by real events makes it all the more interesting.
Maite as a character was insufferable, but that kind of made the story progress in an interesting way. Maite has the habit of fabricating her life because her real life is not at all interesting and is in actuality kind of sad. Her whole motivation for wanting to find Leonora is because she needs the money Leonora promised her to pay for her car to be fixed. Even when Maite discovers that Leonora might be in trouble and is mixed up in some dangerous things, Maite is still really only motivated by money.
Elvis was such a complex, morally gray character. We all know what he is doing is wrong, and he should not be harming people in pursuit of truth, but he is also just this loveable guy that got mixed up in the wrong crowd in an attempt to survive. I really enjoyed his story arch and reading from his perspective.
This story, in spite of being a historical fiction, has some twists and turns that I did not see coming, and that kept me wanting to read more. Once I started, I could not put this book down. I was pretty happy with the ultimate resolution and where the story ended up.
I definitely recommend this story if you are looking for a peak into Mexico's corruption in the 1970's.
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Police brutality, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Torture, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Hate crime, Grief, Death, Violence, and Gun violence
Moderate: Sexual content
flaminggecko's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Toxic friendship, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Misogyny, Physical abuse, War, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Gun violence, Murder, Emotional abuse, Police brutality, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Classism
unlikelyplaces's review against another edition
4.0
This is a noir/mystery/thriller novel set in Mexico in the 70s during a time of extreme political control known as the “Dirty War”. The story itself follows a woman called Maite and a man called Elvis as they investigate the disappearance of a missing woman.
I loved the way the characters lives sort of circle around each other and interweave throughout the novel. I really enjoyed the author’s writing style and am definitely interested in picking up more of their work.
My main issue with this was that I really couldn’t stand Maite. I don’t think she’s meant to be particularly likeable but I just found her a very irritating pov, especially early on in the novel. Once the story got going through I was hooked.
As I say, this is really not my usual genre so I don’t know how much I can say about how good it really is but I had a good time and learned about a period of history that I didn’t know about before so that’s a win for me.
Graphic: Violence and Gun violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
alisonvh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Abandonment, Death, Stalking, Murder, Violence, Police brutality, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Medical trauma, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
carolined314's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.0
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Gun violence, and Gore
Moderate: Police brutality, Bullying, Alcohol, Stalking, Death, Body shaming, and Sexual content
saurahsaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body shaming, Gun violence, Police brutality, Violence, and Classism
Moderate: Dysphoria, Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Kidnapping, Torture, War, Cursing, Death, Colonisation, Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, and Stalking
Minor: Alcohol, Car accident, and Medical content
hendrixpants's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Physical abuse
isleoflinds's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Confinement, Cursing, Kidnapping, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Sexual content, and Stalking
kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, War, Blood, Classism, Cursing, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Physical abuse, Police brutality, and Gore
uranaishi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Graphic: Death, Murder, Physical abuse, and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Body shaming, Grief, Gun violence, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Torture
Minor: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Classism, Cursing, and Vomit