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maniikoi's review
Dnf at 9%
I just couldn't get into this. The synapsis for this book seemed interesting enough, and the Mexican folklore was what caught my interest.
This book is a collection of short stories. I only read the first one.
Laura, a woman who suffered 2 miscarriages and a stillborn hears a baby crying in the middle of the night and sees large snakes everywhere that no one else can see or hear. One night, she hears the crying of a baby again and follows it to find a large white snake that had been making the crying noise. She ends up breastfeeding this snake who transforms into a baby.
I just couldn't get into this. The synapsis for this book seemed interesting enough, and the Mexican folklore was what caught my interest.
This book is a collection of short stories. I only read the first one.
Laura, a woman who suffered 2 miscarriages and a stillborn hears a baby crying in the middle of the night and sees large snakes everywhere that no one else can see or hear. One night, she hears the crying of a baby again and follows it to find a large white snake that had been making the crying noise. She ends up breastfeeding this snake who transforms into a baby.
dontpanic42's review
4.0
"Scales as Pale as Moonlight" - 4.5 stars. A woman who has experienced repeated heartbreak in her efforts to have a child is banished to her childhood home in the country. Uses mythology as a window into deep emotion. Sad and beautiful.
"Maquech" - 4 stars. Interestingly draws on Yucatan tradition and presents a bittersweet story about a would-be rare animal dealer, with just a hint of magic.
"Stories with Happy Endings" - 2 stars.. A journalist chats with a maybe vampire at a cafe. Didn't quit go anywhere for me.
"Bed of Scorpions" - 5 stars. Con artist siblings go to a creepy house hoping to marry the sister to the mysterious tenant. Even in short format compellingly weaves in gothic horror and builds to a super ending.
"Jaguar Woman" - 4 stars. Short, apparently allegorical story about a woman regaining her magic after being subjugated by a Spaniard husband. I read it as a story about colonialism, but it could actually be applied to other things, too.
"Nahuales" - 3.5 stars. Cleverly builds up a foreboding presence of a small group of vampires intimidating the narrator as he goes about his commute. Reflects the fear well but didn't quite come together for me.
"The Doppelgangers" - 4 stars. Uses the quiet background mechanism of parental doppelgangers to present well the stress of being the child of a difficult marriage and the wish for something better. Ends on an interesting note that poses a philosophical question about the trade-off for getting what you wish for.
"Driving with Aliens in Tijuana" - 4 stars. A quirky story about a Mexican woman who works for an alien during its stay in Tijuana. Engaging and often funny, though it ends on a sad note that left me wanting something more.
"Flash Frame" - 3.5 stars. A journalist discovers a mysterious group of people watching a silent movie in an old porn theater. Builds a sense of unease very well, but the conclusion feels a little forced.
"Cemetery Man" - 4.5 stars. Frankenstein meets the Mexican Revolution. I like it more the more I sit with it.
"The Death Collector" - 3 stars. A tourist from modern times goes into the past to witness deaths. There is an intriguing philosophical question underlying this story, as the premise is that modern deaths have become banal and therefore uninteresting. The story itself is good enough but didn't do a ton for me.
"This Strange Way of Dying" - 4.5 stars. This comes across as something of a folk tale about a girl who is proposed to by Death. Has a classic feel and a satisfying arc.
"Bloodlines" - 4 stars. A girl in a witching family grows up somewhat on the periphery because of her weak powers, and must find a way to come into her own. Not necessarily a new concept but well put together.
"Shade of the Ceiba Tree" - 4.5 stars. A neat little fairy tale about a young woman who goes after her sister who has been sacrificed to a local god (sort of).
"Snow" - 3.5 stars. A young woman stays on campus during winter break after a sad breakup, and a huge storm comes through. Interesting enough if taken as a metaphor for getting over the breakup. Didn't quite hit me the way some of the other stories did.
"Maquech" - 4 stars. Interestingly draws on Yucatan tradition and presents a bittersweet story about a would-be rare animal dealer, with just a hint of magic.
"Stories with Happy Endings" - 2 stars.. A journalist chats with a maybe vampire at a cafe. Didn't quit go anywhere for me.
"Bed of Scorpions" - 5 stars. Con artist siblings go to a creepy house hoping to marry the sister to the mysterious tenant. Even in short format compellingly weaves in gothic horror and builds to a super ending.
"Jaguar Woman" - 4 stars. Short, apparently allegorical story about a woman regaining her magic after being subjugated by a Spaniard husband. I read it as a story about colonialism, but it could actually be applied to other things, too.
"Nahuales" - 3.5 stars. Cleverly builds up a foreboding presence of a small group of vampires intimidating the narrator as he goes about his commute. Reflects the fear well but didn't quite come together for me.
"The Doppelgangers" - 4 stars. Uses the quiet background mechanism of parental doppelgangers to present well the stress of being the child of a difficult marriage and the wish for something better. Ends on an interesting note that poses a philosophical question about the trade-off for getting what you wish for.
"Driving with Aliens in Tijuana" - 4 stars. A quirky story about a Mexican woman who works for an alien during its stay in Tijuana. Engaging and often funny, though it ends on a sad note that left me wanting something more.
"Flash Frame" - 3.5 stars. A journalist discovers a mysterious group of people watching a silent movie in an old porn theater. Builds a sense of unease very well, but the conclusion feels a little forced.
"Cemetery Man" - 4.5 stars. Frankenstein meets the Mexican Revolution. I like it more the more I sit with it.
"The Death Collector" - 3 stars. A tourist from modern times goes into the past to witness deaths. There is an intriguing philosophical question underlying this story, as the premise is that modern deaths have become banal and therefore uninteresting. The story itself is good enough but didn't do a ton for me.
"This Strange Way of Dying" - 4.5 stars. This comes across as something of a folk tale about a girl who is proposed to by Death. Has a classic feel and a satisfying arc.
"Bloodlines" - 4 stars. A girl in a witching family grows up somewhat on the periphery because of her weak powers, and must find a way to come into her own. Not necessarily a new concept but well put together.
"Shade of the Ceiba Tree" - 4.5 stars. A neat little fairy tale about a young woman who goes after her sister who has been sacrificed to a local god (sort of).
"Snow" - 3.5 stars. A young woman stays on campus during winter break after a sad breakup, and a huge storm comes through. Interesting enough if taken as a metaphor for getting over the breakup. Didn't quite hit me the way some of the other stories did.
emeraldcitybookworm's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars, rounded up, simply because, while SMG's writing is always beautiful, and I enjoyed all of the short stories in this collection, I loved some more than others. (As is common when reading short story collections.)
Standouts for me included:
Standouts for me included:
read_nap_repeat's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.0
kajalhalwa's review
4.0
A collection of the author's early short stories. There's typos here and there and there's a bit more telling than showing than I'm used to from newer Moreno-Garcia. works.
Each story still has its own familiar eeriness and clever humour I've come to love, though some stories are stronger than others.
It's very cool to see what skills the author has sharpened over time.
Each story still has its own familiar eeriness and clever humour I've come to love, though some stories are stronger than others.
It's very cool to see what skills the author has sharpened over time.
gitli57's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
4.0
This was on my wishlist for a very long time and was worth the wait. The debut from S M-G, but she seems to have emerged pretty much fully formed. Strong concepts and writing. Some ideas here continue to be important in her more recent novels. Mexican film, Indig cultural ideas, strong young women and others.
stormlightreader's review against another edition
3.5
Scales As Pale As Moonlight: a interesting short story that centres around the Mexican myth of the alicante (snake), which catches the scent of a woman's breast milk, and immediately seeks out the source. The snake then uses its powers on her (and if she has a nursing baby, sticks its tail in the baby's mouth, as a sort of pacifier) in order to feed on the sleeping woman ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maquech: centres around a living brooch, a maquech. The brooch is made from a living beetle. The brooches are decorated with paste gemstones, bric-à-brac, and imitation gold, and are tethered to a woman's blouse by a small chain. Gerardo acquires and sells exotic pets and the maquech is one of those hut upon selling it he feels the loss of the animal when he returns to his apartment. I vaguely remember hearing about live jewellery but this was a very interesting short story, though the exotic pet trade is very sad ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Stories With Happy Endings: a journalist chatting to a vampire in a restaurant 👌🏻 my favourite exchange: ⬇️
Journalist: "No castle?"
Vampire: "In this fucking economy"
Excellent! 😂
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bed of Scorpions: an ok stoey that was atmospheric but may have been better if it was a little longer ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Jaguar Woman: I couldn't get into this ⭐️
Nahuales: I liked this. Very atmospheric and a quick, well written short story giving insight into the nahual myth. A nahual looks pretty cool ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Doppelgängers: this one was a bit eerie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Driving With Aliens in Tijuana: a sci fi short with Aliens (kotch'o). Not my favourite (because aliens) but some good atmosphere and descriptions of Mexico ("there's an illusory calmness about the city when you watch it from afar...you can't spot the sixteen corpses with plastic bags around their heads on the side of the road") ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flash frame: I read this earlier in the year, right after I fijished Silver Nitrate. I liked what I read and would potentially have enjoyed this as a novella or full length novel ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Cemetery Man: I liked this. It reminded me of the Orphan Black storyline where they put a parasite into Sarah's face. Yeah, I liked this. I'd read it as a full length novel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Death Collector: the plot, while based on a true story, wasn't the best part. It was the gritty descriptions of Mexico City that I loved:
• "Forty-seven years in the other direction the streets of Mexico City smell of charred human meat and the screams of the wounded"
• "Might as well stay home, stare out the window and watch the narcos drill bullet holes into a car"
• "Fifty thousand federal agents can't stem the deaths in the narco north"
• "Senseless decapitations in Morelos. Heads roll all through the country"
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This Strange Way of Dying: this one didn't hit, unfortunately ⭐️
Bloodlines: Mexican witches. I absolutel loved this one and need a full length novel immediately ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Shade of the Ceiba Tree: I couldn't get into this one ⭐️
Snow: odd and atmospheric, I knew there'd be giant penguins 😂 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maquech: centres around a living brooch, a maquech. The brooch is made from a living beetle. The brooches are decorated with paste gemstones, bric-à-brac, and imitation gold, and are tethered to a woman's blouse by a small chain. Gerardo acquires and sells exotic pets and the maquech is one of those hut upon selling it he feels the loss of the animal when he returns to his apartment. I vaguely remember hearing about live jewellery but this was a very interesting short story, though the exotic pet trade is very sad ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Stories With Happy Endings: a journalist chatting to a vampire in a restaurant 👌🏻 my favourite exchange: ⬇️
Journalist: "No castle?"
Vampire: "In this fucking economy"
Excellent! 😂
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Bed of Scorpions: an ok stoey that was atmospheric but may have been better if it was a little longer ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Jaguar Woman: I couldn't get into this ⭐️
Nahuales: I liked this. Very atmospheric and a quick, well written short story giving insight into the nahual myth. A nahual looks pretty cool ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Doppelgängers: this one was a bit eerie ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Driving With Aliens in Tijuana: a sci fi short with Aliens (kotch'o). Not my favourite (because aliens) but some good atmosphere and descriptions of Mexico ("there's an illusory calmness about the city when you watch it from afar...you can't spot the sixteen corpses with plastic bags around their heads on the side of the road") ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Flash frame: I read this earlier in the year, right after I fijished Silver Nitrate. I liked what I read and would potentially have enjoyed this as a novella or full length novel ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Cemetery Man: I liked this. It reminded me of the Orphan Black storyline where they put a parasite into Sarah's face. Yeah, I liked this. I'd read it as a full length novel ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Death Collector: the plot, while based on a true story, wasn't the best part. It was the gritty descriptions of Mexico City that I loved:
• "Forty-seven years in the other direction the streets of Mexico City smell of charred human meat and the screams of the wounded"
• "Might as well stay home, stare out the window and watch the narcos drill bullet holes into a car"
• "Fifty thousand federal agents can't stem the deaths in the narco north"
• "Senseless decapitations in Morelos. Heads roll all through the country"
⭐️⭐️⭐️
This Strange Way of Dying: this one didn't hit, unfortunately ⭐️
Bloodlines: Mexican witches. I absolutel loved this one and need a full length novel immediately ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Shade of the Ceiba Tree: I couldn't get into this one ⭐️
Snow: odd and atmospheric, I knew there'd be giant penguins 😂 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
marimiab's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
anouk_k05's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0