Reviews with content warning for Animal death - Certain Dark Things

Reviews tagging 'Animal death'

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

24 reviews

takarakei's review against another edition

adventurous dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The beginning dives right into the world and action. The gritty and gothic settings of Mexico City is described well and is an interesting backdrop for a vampire story. Via audiobook keeping the different characters separate and their involvement in the story was a bit difficult. However because it's multiple POV, as the story progresses the pacing gets off and really slows down.
Overall there was not enough character depth or development, and by the ending I rather feel like nothing had changed? meaning the story was kind of pointless?
I've read a few books by this author and none of them quite hit the mark.

2.5/5🌶️

Content Warnings

annemaries_shelves's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

3.5 stars

I had a very fun time with this story. It's an earlier novel of Moren0-Garcia's so some of her character and pacing work is less strong, but that creativity and sense of place is still there.

The vampire lore she's created for this world, with the various sub-species of vampire and their clan clashes and clashes with humans, is fascinating and I want to learn more. It's absolutely the best part of the novel.

The overall plot is fairly predictable and it's slower to start, but the chapters are short and the story is engaging enough that you just keep turning the page. I'd recommend especially for the Halloween/spooky vibes.

I think some of the themes hinted at in the novel become much more prevalent in her later works.

Finally as it's a noir, the novel does get bloody and violent towards the end and I think some may be unsatisfied with the ending (true to genre).

Content Warnings

nicoleonbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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

Vivid neon, smokey rooms, and rainy streets.

This one is for the vampire lore enthusiasts! Certain Dark Things follows five characters through alternate universe Mexico City as vampires hunt each other down and humans try to elimate the threat that they pose. This has sci-fi elements in a noir style, interwoven with Mexican culture and history. A little understanding of the noir genre greatly enhances the experience of this novel, and can be achieved with a little Google searching. Each component pairs together to make a delicious novel.

"We are our hunger."

Content Warnings

booksthatburn's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Atl is a vampire hiding out in Mexico City after her family was murdered. Domingo is a former street kid, now working as a scrap picker for a rag and bone man. When he has a chance encounter with Atl on the subway, she invites him to her home to drink from him. What Atl intended as a single meal turns out to be the beginning of a partnership as they work on fleeing Mexico City together. They're pursued by Nick, a Necros who is obsessed with Atl, and Ana Aguirre, a detective who thought her transfer to Mexico City would mean dealing with fewer vampires than she used to.

The rapport between Domingo and Atl is excellently-written, driven by Domingo's adoration of Atl, and Atl's need for Domingo's help but distaste for feeling weak. Atl is using up every one of her mother's contacts along the way, relying on wisps of goodwill and loyalty from humans and vampires who assumed their obligations died long before Atl's mother did. This results in a tangle of one-off and repeating characters as Atl and Domingo navigate this loose network of contacts, just trying to get out of the city alive.

The worldbuilding is immersive, built through stories, buildings, and how the characters move through this alternate version of Mexico City where not only are vampires real but there are several kinds of them. Some (like Atl) are Tlahuihpochtli descended from Aztec blood drinker temple priestesses, but human colonization and the encroachment of other vampires, like Necros and Revenants, have made things more complicated for recent generations. Several decades ago humans found out vampires are real, and many places promptly tried to legislate them out of existence. Mexico City is one such "vampire free" zone, a situation which causes problems for Atl.

The plot is a web of pursuers and pursued, beginning in earnest when one of Atl's pursuers gets sloppy and the police find a dead human. It's a dance of obsession, violence, and death, as Atl tries to use Domingo without him spooking, while Domingo finds himself falling in love with her and not minding being used.

I loved every minute, and am extremely happy with the ending. Don't miss this one.

Content Warnings

podanotherjessi's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book ended up a little muddled for me, mostly because of the perspectives. If it were just Domingo and Atl, it would make a great romantic thriller. Anna has a noir plot, but the mystery and detective work is ruined by knowing everything already through other perspectives. And honestly, I didn't need Nick or the other perspectives at all. I didn't mind the genre blending, I just didn't love the wa one perspective would ofte undermine the tension of another.
I also kept looking for a theme or some allogory, and if there was some, I couldn't find it. Any message I started to find didn't fit with all the information present. It's possible there was never meant to be some deeper meaning. Either way, once I stopped looking for one, I enjoyed the book a lot more.
On the possitive end, the vibe and tone of the book was fantastic. I really loved the characters - especially Domingo and Atl. And the world building was absolutely wonderful. I found myself intrigued by every new thing a learned about the different vampires of the world and spent most of the book longing for more.

Content Warnings

allthembooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

4.0

A very dark vampire neon-noir novel. Centered around two very different characters:
1. A 17 year old boy from the streets, that has ben through a lot of horrible things but still sees the world with hope and positivity.
2. A 23 year old vampire girl, that had everything and lost it all. Full of cynicism and violence trying to survive.

Content Warnings

applejacksbooks's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

4.25

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook for this story. I think it really brings out that this story is a neo-noir story with Aztec style vampires. There are five POVs throughout the story and I think it's the perfect amount.

Content Warnings