Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Certain Dark Things

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).

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starlesscircus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

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? It's complicated

3.25

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rbash2391's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I found the MC's relationship to be weird because of an age gap with a minor. The substance of their relationship was one of power and control, and the typical gender roles being subverted as each struggled with who they were and who they wanted to be based on a fantasy. The plot was really slow in the first half, it didn't pick up until about 60% and afterwards I was able to finish the book in one sitting. There was a lot of lore that wasn't explained until a glossary at the end that was hardly mentioned at all in the story. SMG's writing seemed so rich and elegant in The Beautiful Ones that I was a little disappointed to not find that here. However, I'm not a noir fan so that may have something to do with it as the story didn't really call for that style. I liked the urban, fantastical elements. I would have liked some more character development but in the end they are each not too much better off than how they started.

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30something_reads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

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

4.25

4.25 ⭐

I had such a great time reading this, especially considering I don't typically read Noir. I also listened along on audio while reading, and I think that really helped set the tone.

Dark, gritty, and very violent. This is the story of, Atl, a young Tlahuihpochin vampire who is on the run from a Necros vampire clan. She reluctantly teams up with a street kid from Mexico City, Domingo, in order to evade vampires, cops, and all matter of criminals that are looking to take her down.

The vampire lore in this was just freaking fantastic. I loved the descriptions of the species and different subspecies and how the author wove it all together in this world.

I can imagine this being a fantastic movie or graphic novel.

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wenwanzhao's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Shoutout to this book for breaking my reading slump. I have never been much of a vampire genre reader, but this concept intrigued me. I liked how focused the plot was. Sometimes I feel like authors try and do multiple different plotlines, and end up losing the thread. Certain Dark Things is entertaining and thrilling throughout. Awesome lore. Realistic characters. Great read.

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