Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

34 reviews

blewballoon's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It took me a while to get through this book, but I think ultimately I enjoyed it. The two leads with alternating perspectives are very different from each other and both have their own flaws and strengths.
I feel like turning their friendship into a romance in the very last chapter didn't quite work. I would have liked a little more development throughout to make it feel less sudden.
For a horror book, I would say the horror elements are fairly mild. I enjoyed learning about Mexican film and culture. The story is set in 1993, but the characters reflect on Mexico's past as well.
I got a little bored with the villain backstory and spending time with the older, somewhat underdeveloped characters that were there to provide threats, rescues, and exposition mostly.
I would recommend if you like the idea of niche horror movies,  but don't actually want a book with really disturbing or gruesome scenes, and don't mind a slower pace that's more character focused. 
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erandle's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.0

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courtney_scott1025's review against another edition

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dark sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.25

This was my first Silvia Moreno-Garcia book. I was really looking forward to reading this book. I have heard great things, and I love a good cult. This just was slow and not really shocking or surprising like I hoped. I was honestly excited to get the book done with. I will try Mexican Gothic next, as I have heard better things about that.
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chelsearm's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

What if airing a reel of film was the next step in a long dead ritual?

WOW, this was a great read to start just as the weather turns. From page 1 I was in love with Montserrat, and fell into her world. Between her and Tristán, I loved that you never felt like they just “bought it” with no hesitations - a true friendship, one of them is always calling bullshit!

If you’re a fan of horror movies, old cinema, or are aware of Nazi Occultism, this is a great thriller to sink your teeth into. 
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crownoflaurel's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

4.5

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ninajean's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

3.5

The beginning of this book was a bit slow for me since it involved providing a lot of back story that would set up the rest of the plot. I was interested reading about the film aspects. I wasn’t a fan of the romantic aspect at the end of the book between the two main characters. It was a bit unexpected and the ending felt a bit anticlimactic. They both were messy characters (we love messy bisexuals) that had a very dependent friendship, and I didn’t see the romantic chemistry between the two. The book is so well written and properly researched (there were instances where it felt a bit more info-dumpy than adding to the plot).
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ecn's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

This book is SMG at her core and I really liked the concept of the book! The only drawbacks were that it REALLY seemed like the story dragged on for too long at different moments and (like classic SMG) sped up super quickly at the end. I also felt like I didn’t get enough out of the main characters other than sho they are at their surface level. I think this book would greatly benefit from a sequel and building out this world more. 
The writing was spectacular and the fantasy elements kept me entertained. I just wish it was edited a bit better and a whole lot spookier (then maybe I could feel fine with not dive too deep into the characters?). 
However I will say the biggest win is having two messy/annoying bisexuals obsessed with horror (kinda) as the MCs. Huge representation win lol
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seawarrior's review against another edition

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4.0

Silver Nitrate is a wicked novel that is most rewarding in its exploration of a devoted friendship. At times I felt the book was a little slow, but I was always excited to return to it because of how quickly Montserrat and Tristán endeared themselves to me. Other reviewers are correct in observing that the novel is swollen with exposition. Yet I enjoyed learning more about this world's fictional film history, technical details and all. This is a novel to fall into, and accept that the journey with its characters is more valuable than where they end up. 
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siobhanward's review against another edition

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mysterious 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

 Another reviewer described this book as "gritty" and I think that's an apt description - the story was creepy and well-told, although the beginning was a bit slow. I loved the idea of a curse surrounding a movie that was never finished - it feels like it should be an idea that's overdone, but it's really not.

The characters were great and I love how Moreno-Garcia unravels a story. This book had a great combination of creepy moments interspliced with action and character development. Definitely a fun read, and perfect for Halloween (even though at this point Halloween is three months away...). 
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cadence99's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Overall I really liked this book- I
felt like the character development was much improved from the books that I’ve read of hers in the past. I’d highly recommended it to anyone who can handle supernatural horror. A lot of if also felt very historical fiction heavy, with all the elements of old Mexican horror movies inserted throughout, and I really enjoyed that about it. 


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