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weltenkreuzer's review against another edition
4.0
Schöner Coming-of-Age-Roman in einem eher ungewöhnliche mexikanischen Setting mit viel Musik und einem kleinen Schuss Magie.
lila_still_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Signal to Noise is a reprint of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s 2009 debut. It unfortunately comes across as exactly what it is- a rough first book with some moments that speak to the amazing things the author will write later on.
The characters are pretty terrible people. This didn’t bother me at first because I still felt some love for Meche, Sebos, and Daniela and understood their faults as part of being a teenager. Unfortunately, none of them developed. In the 2009 timeline, Meche and Sebastian are if anything more horrible and knowing that they wouldn’t grow made following them in both timelines frustrating. Her 2009 dynamic with Sebastian also made me all kinds of uncomfortable. Daniela gets a little moment of growth but on the whole is treated as a doormat by both her friends and the story. (It did bring me some joy seeing her doing the best of the three in 2009)
Meche’s relationship with her father felt underdeveloped, like a beat was missing. The significance of her father’s death was told rather than shown and it never quite made sense why he was so important. Meche’s nana seemed just as thematically relevant and wasn’t given nearly as much attention.
The book also felt fan-fiction-y, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but in this case was. The constant name dropping of songs and artists didn’t always feel integrated and often the sudden perspective jumping mid chapter felt lazy and jarring. I think there’s a much shorter and much stronger story inside this one, but it never peaks all the way out.
I liked the overall mood and tone. All the protagonists felt like teenagers (which is awesome). The setting was interesting when the story leaned into specificities of time and place. There were some strong moments, especially in Meche and her grandma’s relationship as well as Sebastian’s with his older brother.
If you’re looking for a split timeline story about family relationships, protagonists who’ve done terrible things for understandable reasons, and covens, I recommend Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. If you want a better Moreno-Garcia read, I’d recommend Mexican Gothic (of course) or The Beautiful Ones. Signal to Noise is one you can skip.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The characters are pretty terrible people. This didn’t bother me at first because I still felt some love for Meche, Sebos, and Daniela and understood their faults as part of being a teenager. Unfortunately, none of them developed. In the 2009 timeline, Meche and Sebastian are if anything more horrible and knowing that they wouldn’t grow made following them in both timelines frustrating. Her 2009 dynamic with Sebastian also made me all kinds of uncomfortable. Daniela gets a little moment of growth but on the whole is treated as a doormat by both her friends and the story. (It did bring me some joy seeing her doing the best of the three in 2009)
Meche’s relationship with her father felt underdeveloped, like a beat was missing. The significance of her father’s death was told rather than shown and it never quite made sense why he was so important. Meche’s nana seemed just as thematically relevant and wasn’t given nearly as much attention.
The book also felt fan-fiction-y, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but in this case was. The constant name dropping of songs and artists didn’t always feel integrated and often the sudden perspective jumping mid chapter felt lazy and jarring. I think there’s a much shorter and much stronger story inside this one, but it never peaks all the way out.
I liked the overall mood and tone. All the protagonists felt like teenagers (which is awesome). The setting was interesting when the story leaned into specificities of time and place. There were some strong moments, especially in Meche and her grandma’s relationship as well as Sebastian’s with his older brother.
If you’re looking for a split timeline story about family relationships, protagonists who’ve done terrible things for understandable reasons, and covens, I recommend Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. If you want a better Moreno-Garcia read, I’d recommend Mexican Gothic (of course) or The Beautiful Ones. Signal to Noise is one you can skip.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
lila_still_reads's review against another edition
2.0
Signal to Noise is a reprint of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s 2009 debut. It unfortunately comes across as exactly what it is- a rough first book with some moments that speak to the amazing things the author will write later on.
The characters are pretty terrible people. This didn’t bother me at first because I still felt some love for Meche, Sebos, and Daniela and understood their faults as part of being a teenager. Unfortunately, none of them developed. In the 2009 timeline, Meche and Sebastian are if anything more horrible and knowing that they wouldn’t grow made following them in both timelines frustrating. Her 2009 dynamic with Sebastian also made me all kinds of uncomfortable. Daniela gets a little moment of growth but on the whole is treated as a doormat by both her friends and the story. (It did bring me some joy seeing her doing the best of the three in 2009)
Meche’s relationship with her father felt underdeveloped, like a beat was missing. The significance of her father’s death was told rather than shown and it never quite made sense why he was so important. Meche’s nana seemed just as thematically relevant and wasn’t given nearly as much attention.
The book also felt fan-fiction-y, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but in this case was. The constant name dropping of songs and artists didn’t always feel integrated and often the sudden perspective jumping mid chapter felt lazy and jarring. I think there’s a much shorter and much stronger story inside this one, but it never peaks all the way out.
I liked the overall mood and tone. All the protagonists felt like teenagers (which is awesome). The setting was interesting when the story leaned into specificities of time and place. There were some strong moments, especially in Meche and her grandma’s relationship as well as Sebastian’s with his older brother.
If you’re looking for a split timeline story about family relationships, protagonists who’ve done terrible things for understandable reasons, and covens, I recommend Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. If you want a better Moreno-Garcia read, I’d recommend Mexican Gothic (of course) or The Beautiful Ones. Signal to Noise is one you can skip.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The characters are pretty terrible people. This didn’t bother me at first because I still felt some love for Meche, Sebos, and Daniela and understood their faults as part of being a teenager. Unfortunately, none of them developed. In the 2009 timeline, Meche and Sebastian are if anything more horrible and knowing that they wouldn’t grow made following them in both timelines frustrating. Her 2009 dynamic with Sebastian also made me all kinds of uncomfortable. Daniela gets a little moment of growth but on the whole is treated as a doormat by both her friends and the story. (It did bring me some joy seeing her doing the best of the three in 2009)
Meche’s relationship with her father felt underdeveloped, like a beat was missing. The significance of her father’s death was told rather than shown and it never quite made sense why he was so important. Meche’s nana seemed just as thematically relevant and wasn’t given nearly as much attention.
The book also felt fan-fiction-y, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but in this case was. The constant name dropping of songs and artists didn’t always feel integrated and often the sudden perspective jumping mid chapter felt lazy and jarring. I think there’s a much shorter and much stronger story inside this one, but it never peaks all the way out.
I liked the overall mood and tone. All the protagonists felt like teenagers (which is awesome). The setting was interesting when the story leaned into specificities of time and place. There were some strong moments, especially in Meche and her grandma’s relationship as well as Sebastian’s with his older brother.
If you’re looking for a split timeline story about family relationships, protagonists who’ve done terrible things for understandable reasons, and covens, I recommend Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. If you want a better Moreno-Garcia read, I’d recommend Mexican Gothic (of course) or The Beautiful Ones. Signal to Noise is one you can skip.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
pattydsf's review against another edition
4.0
“Why can’t music be magic? Aren’t spells just words you repeat? And what are songs? Lyrics that play over and over again. The words are like a formula.”
“’I hurt people, once.'
'Did they deserve to be hurt?'
Grandma touched Meche's chin. 'Don't they always, when you're a girl?’”
It is the end of 2017. This is the 183rd book that I have finished this year. Obviously, I read a lot. However, I am still not done with the Book Riot challenge (https://bookriot.com/2016/12/15/book-riots-2017-read-harder-challenge/) since I have one more book left. This has made me wonder about doing this task next year. Maybe three years has been enough. I never lack for enough books to read.
However, I never would have found this wonderful tale without the challenge. There are so many stories out there. (According to UNESCO, there were more than 300,000 books published in the United States in 2013. The per year number must be growing, not shrinking.) For the challenge I had to find a book set in Central or South America written by someone from that part of the world. I don’t normally worry about where a book is set.
One of the things that reading plans have taught me is that it matters who is writing books. It matters where books are set. If all I read are books by white women (my usual default) set in the United States or Great Britain, my life will be less interesting and not very well informed.
For years I have said that I read to visit new worlds and learn new things. Signal to Noise has introduced me to Mexico City. Even if I ever visit, I won’t see Meche’s city. I learned new things about the magic of music. I met people that are fascinating. This book was a great read. I can’t wait to see what Moreno-Garcia has to say in her other books.
“’I hurt people, once.'
'Did they deserve to be hurt?'
Grandma touched Meche's chin. 'Don't they always, when you're a girl?’”
It is the end of 2017. This is the 183rd book that I have finished this year. Obviously, I read a lot. However, I am still not done with the Book Riot challenge (https://bookriot.com/2016/12/15/book-riots-2017-read-harder-challenge/) since I have one more book left. This has made me wonder about doing this task next year. Maybe three years has been enough. I never lack for enough books to read.
However, I never would have found this wonderful tale without the challenge. There are so many stories out there. (According to UNESCO, there were more than 300,000 books published in the United States in 2013. The per year number must be growing, not shrinking.) For the challenge I had to find a book set in Central or South America written by someone from that part of the world. I don’t normally worry about where a book is set.
One of the things that reading plans have taught me is that it matters who is writing books. It matters where books are set. If all I read are books by white women (my usual default) set in the United States or Great Britain, my life will be less interesting and not very well informed.
For years I have said that I read to visit new worlds and learn new things. Signal to Noise has introduced me to Mexico City. Even if I ever visit, I won’t see Meche’s city. I learned new things about the magic of music. I met people that are fascinating. This book was a great read. I can’t wait to see what Moreno-Garcia has to say in her other books.
seacool's review against another edition
5.0
**Spotify Playlist:** https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7y9bybpJpFsy5i3oYCRcbw?si=cfaf1347c2f84649
^^^ This playlist isn’t 100% complete because I didn’t think to make a Spotify playlist of all the references until after I was almost done with the book (so it’s still a work in progress). But this playlist includes the songs, albums and artists mentioned throughout the book. If an artist was mentioned with no song accompanying them, then I just added their top five most popular songs.
**************Summary**************
Jumping between Mexico City 1988 and Mexico City 2009, “Signal to Noise” chronicles the love and friendship between Meche, Sebastián and Daniela, three high schoolers who discover the magic of witchcraft through old records. The novel documents their journey on navigating the magic to get what they desire — or at least the things they *think* they desire. Complete with typical high school drama and teenage angst, it feels like a real coming-of-age story.
**Final Thoughts**
- Definitely one of my favorite books. I’ve previously read Moreno-Garcia’s “Mexican Gothic,” which I instantly fell in love with. After reading that book, I knew I wanted to read more of her work which lead me to pick up this next gem, “Signal to Noise.” This novel was Moreno-Garcia’s debut novel and recently was released with a beautiful new cover — making me constantly want to pick up this book not only for the story but to admire the artwork on the front.
- Though it took me a while to finish, it was by no means because of the book. This book was enticing, I was constantly staying up late and telling myself, “Let me just get through this chapter and I’ll go to bed.” I couldn’t put it down!
- I also love coming-of-age stories, and the fact that this one was mixed with magic, the book quickly made its way to my favorites. Some reviews complained that this was more of a teenage love story than a story about magic, but I like to think of the magic as a backdrop. It definitely helped make the book charming and unique.
- Music is so powerful, so reading about it in this context kept me tied to the book. Moreno-Garcia has an incredible talent for keeping her readers hooked and writing unique stories with original concepts and storytelling.
- I also loved all the music references in this novel. Though I was familiar with some Spanish rock, this book really opened new doors for me musically as it exposed me to artists and genres I didn’t really think or know about before. I also liked that the music references weren’t random; they weren’t just name-dropped, when they talked about songs or artists it had a purpose whether that be to the story or the characters.
- Anyone who is a music lover and fan of coming-of-age novels, I highly suggest this one. Though some readers found the main character Meche to be annoying, I feel like that is what made her character human. There were times in the novel when you loved her, or you screamed at the pages, “No, no, don’t do it!!” Then there were moments where you couldn’t help but feel so sorry for her. Meche, like the other characters, was very human — complete with flaws. That was another reason why I really enjoyed this novel. I felt like I was reading about real people who hold grudges, who make mistakes, and who experience real emotion and conflict. Also, the time jumps were really interesting because you get this glimpse of who these teenagers grew up to become, their love, their fear, and their regrets.
- All in all, this was an incredible novel and I will definitely be reading this book again and again.
^^^ This playlist isn’t 100% complete because I didn’t think to make a Spotify playlist of all the references until after I was almost done with the book (so it’s still a work in progress). But this playlist includes the songs, albums and artists mentioned throughout the book. If an artist was mentioned with no song accompanying them, then I just added their top five most popular songs.
**************Summary**************
Jumping between Mexico City 1988 and Mexico City 2009, “Signal to Noise” chronicles the love and friendship between Meche, Sebastián and Daniela, three high schoolers who discover the magic of witchcraft through old records. The novel documents their journey on navigating the magic to get what they desire — or at least the things they *think* they desire. Complete with typical high school drama and teenage angst, it feels like a real coming-of-age story.
**Final Thoughts**
- Definitely one of my favorite books. I’ve previously read Moreno-Garcia’s “Mexican Gothic,” which I instantly fell in love with. After reading that book, I knew I wanted to read more of her work which lead me to pick up this next gem, “Signal to Noise.” This novel was Moreno-Garcia’s debut novel and recently was released with a beautiful new cover — making me constantly want to pick up this book not only for the story but to admire the artwork on the front.
- Though it took me a while to finish, it was by no means because of the book. This book was enticing, I was constantly staying up late and telling myself, “Let me just get through this chapter and I’ll go to bed.” I couldn’t put it down!
- I also love coming-of-age stories, and the fact that this one was mixed with magic, the book quickly made its way to my favorites. Some reviews complained that this was more of a teenage love story than a story about magic, but I like to think of the magic as a backdrop. It definitely helped make the book charming and unique.
- Music is so powerful, so reading about it in this context kept me tied to the book. Moreno-Garcia has an incredible talent for keeping her readers hooked and writing unique stories with original concepts and storytelling.
- I also loved all the music references in this novel. Though I was familiar with some Spanish rock, this book really opened new doors for me musically as it exposed me to artists and genres I didn’t really think or know about before. I also liked that the music references weren’t random; they weren’t just name-dropped, when they talked about songs or artists it had a purpose whether that be to the story or the characters.
- Anyone who is a music lover and fan of coming-of-age novels, I highly suggest this one. Though some readers found the main character Meche to be annoying, I feel like that is what made her character human. There were times in the novel when you loved her, or you screamed at the pages, “No, no, don’t do it!!” Then there were moments where you couldn’t help but feel so sorry for her. Meche, like the other characters, was very human — complete with flaws. That was another reason why I really enjoyed this novel. I felt like I was reading about real people who hold grudges, who make mistakes, and who experience real emotion and conflict. Also, the time jumps were really interesting because you get this glimpse of who these teenagers grew up to become, their love, their fear, and their regrets.
- All in all, this was an incredible novel and I will definitely be reading this book again and again.
pattytru08's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing an arc - all thoughts and opinions are my own.
If Silvia has one fan- I am that fan.
That is all.
Her first published book is definitely not as dark vibes as her newer ones, but it’s neat to see where someone has come from.
If Silvia has one fan- I am that fan.
That is all.
Her first published book is definitely not as dark vibes as her newer ones, but it’s neat to see where someone has come from.
xavia's review against another edition
4.0
I read this book for book club, and before going in, I had no idea what to expect.
I really loved this book. I don't know if it was the angst, the unrequited love, the dark undertone, but this book hit all the right notes for me.
I love music, though maybe not to the same extent as Meche, and I love story telling and magic, and this book found a way to weave all of those things together in a story that was compelling and interesting and not overly hard to understand.
It reminded me of The Craft, a movie I just watched for the first time with my mother for Halloween. And like the Craft, the magic starts off fun and quickly dissolves into a tool to hurt people. I appreciated though, that even though the magic plays a role, its not central to everything that is happening. So much of the book is devoted to the connections of the people and their lives. The magic enhances rather than over powers.
I think, too, having the timeline split was a good idea. It doesn't always work in books and movies, but in this book it provided just enough mystery in the present to make me want to read more about the past. I kept thinking to myself that I desperately want to know what happened to cut her off so completely from her father and her friends. How she made it back to being on good terms with her mother when it felt like she resented having her around. I didn't get all my questions answered (I'd like to know what happened between Sebastian and Isadora), but I felt content with the end of the book.
I love these characters. Even when I don't want to. From the moment we got to read from Sebastian's point of view I knew I loved this gawky nerdy boy. Did he make some bad choices? Absolutely. But he was hurt, and he was in some bad circumstances, and he was a cocktail of hormones and bad decision juice and we all know that's a recipe for disaster. He was also too good for Meche. That he forgave her at all was a miracle.
Meche is an interesting character. I like her, but I don't want to. Because, by the end of the book especially, she is a mean person. She's mean to Sebastian, she takes Daniella for granted. She just assumes if she pushes hard enough things will fall into place. But maybe it's because I know she is 15 and full of hormones and playing with something she doesn't understand, and because we get to see her at 36 and know she's not that person anymore and that she does have some regrets, but I still found myself liking her. Which may be a testament to the writing.
Even though I felt he deserved better, I am glad Meche came back to him in the end. Because I want him to be happy, and apparently being with Meche would make him happy.
The final chapter was so cute. Maybe my favorite chapter.
I really loved this book. I don't know if it was the angst, the unrequited love, the dark undertone, but this book hit all the right notes for me.
I love music, though maybe not to the same extent as Meche, and I love story telling and magic, and this book found a way to weave all of those things together in a story that was compelling and interesting and not overly hard to understand.
It reminded me of The Craft, a movie I just watched for the first time with my mother for Halloween. And like the Craft, the magic starts off fun and quickly dissolves into a tool to hurt people. I appreciated though, that even though the magic plays a role, its not central to everything that is happening. So much of the book is devoted to the connections of the people and their lives. The magic enhances rather than over powers.
I think, too, having the timeline split was a good idea. It doesn't always work in books and movies, but in this book it provided just enough mystery in the present to make me want to read more about the past. I kept thinking to myself that I desperately want to know what happened to cut her off so completely from her father and her friends. How she made it back to being on good terms with her mother when it felt like she resented having her around. I didn't get all my questions answered (I'd like to know what happened between Sebastian and Isadora), but I felt content with the end of the book.
I love these characters. Even when I don't want to. From the moment we got to read from Sebastian's point of view I knew I loved this gawky nerdy boy. Did he make some bad choices? Absolutely. But he was hurt, and he was in some bad circumstances, and he was a cocktail of hormones and bad decision juice and we all know that's a recipe for disaster. He was also too good for Meche. That he forgave her at all was a miracle.
Meche is an interesting character. I like her, but I don't want to. Because, by the end of the book especially, she is a mean person. She's mean to Sebastian, she takes Daniella for granted. She just assumes if she pushes hard enough things will fall into place. But maybe it's because I know she is 15 and full of hormones and playing with something she doesn't understand, and because we get to see her at 36 and know she's not that person anymore and that she does have some regrets, but I still found myself liking her. Which may be a testament to the writing.
Even though I felt he deserved better, I am glad Meche came back to him in the end. Because I want him to be happy, and apparently being with Meche would make him happy.
The final chapter was so cute. Maybe my favorite chapter.
paragraphsandpages's review against another edition
5.0
I would like to thank the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the ARC of this book. I read an advanced copy of this book, so the final edition of the book might be slightly different. All thoughts and opinions are my own, as always.
I think this is now the 4th book of Silvia’s that I’ve read, and still she manages to surprise me every time. I don’t think I’ve ever read an author that has quite so much range, and Signal to Noise is that the latest example of that. It’s unlike the other books I’ve read by this author so far, and yet is still just as strong as the rest of her work.
This book is also just quite unique in general, and I don’t think I’d ever read anything quite like it! I really enjoyed being introduced to a setting that I simply have not read much in yet, and I loved seeing how much the setting played a role, both in the story and in the effect it had on Meche. The writing supported this setting extremely well too, and I could feel the presence of the city in the story. I also really loved how magic was used in this story, and while it’s often hard for me to find urban fantasy that really works for me, this is a great example of what I do love about this genre. It blends the contemporary themes and aspects so well with magic, without either taking too much of the story. I also loved how magic was tied to something so personal to Meche, and that it takes different shapes for everyone.
The narration of this book was also fantastic, and I really enjoyed the flipping back and forth between the past and present. I did have a slight preference for the present, though it also took up less space in the story, but that’s largely because Meche was sometimes so hard to read in the past. She’s a classic teenager, but amplified by her anger and by her newfound magic, and it was easy to get frustrated with her, especially at the end. But even through it all, I found myself understanding her and rooting for her, even if I wouldn’t have made the same decisions.
Overall, I adored this book, and I can’t wait to continue on reading more of Silvia’s works. I wasn’t entirely sure if I would love this one as much as the others, but in the end, it surprised me!
I think this is now the 4th book of Silvia’s that I’ve read, and still she manages to surprise me every time. I don’t think I’ve ever read an author that has quite so much range, and Signal to Noise is that the latest example of that. It’s unlike the other books I’ve read by this author so far, and yet is still just as strong as the rest of her work.
This book is also just quite unique in general, and I don’t think I’d ever read anything quite like it! I really enjoyed being introduced to a setting that I simply have not read much in yet, and I loved seeing how much the setting played a role, both in the story and in the effect it had on Meche. The writing supported this setting extremely well too, and I could feel the presence of the city in the story. I also really loved how magic was used in this story, and while it’s often hard for me to find urban fantasy that really works for me, this is a great example of what I do love about this genre. It blends the contemporary themes and aspects so well with magic, without either taking too much of the story. I also loved how magic was tied to something so personal to Meche, and that it takes different shapes for everyone.
The narration of this book was also fantastic, and I really enjoyed the flipping back and forth between the past and present. I did have a slight preference for the present, though it also took up less space in the story, but that’s largely because Meche was sometimes so hard to read in the past. She’s a classic teenager, but amplified by her anger and by her newfound magic, and it was easy to get frustrated with her, especially at the end. But even through it all, I found myself understanding her and rooting for her, even if I wouldn’t have made the same decisions.
Overall, I adored this book, and I can’t wait to continue on reading more of Silvia’s works. I wasn’t entirely sure if I would love this one as much as the others, but in the end, it surprised me!
kristianeleigh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0