Reviews with content warning for Blood - Velvet Was the Night

This was one of those books where despite not liking either protagonist that much, the story itself kept me engaged and needing to know what was going to happen! Velvet might also have been my first noir book I’ve read and it has opened me up to trying more of this genre in the future.

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theologize'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? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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elsebeok's review

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adventurous dark informative mysterious sad tense 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

4.0

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kingrosereads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

A political historical mystery that takes place in 1971 Mexico City.

1970s Mexico, much like the US, was in political and social unrest, with many protests and corrupt government operations to undermine citizens and political activists. Separated from all this is Maite, an early 30-something year old, self-centered legal secretary living as a single woman. She's also a compulsive liar, a narcissist, and a kleptomaniac. She lives her life in romance novels and comics, and dreams about a better life she believes she deserves above others. One day, she asked to cat sit her neighbor, Leonora, a young, beautiful art student. All is well until Leonora fails to return and again fails to retrieve her cat after contacting Maite. Suddenly Maite is thrust into the mystery of where Leonora is and what information she has that's worth her life. Opposite of Maite is thug, Elvis. A young man that left home as a boy and has a long history of being emotionally manipulated by older men and women. He's currently been manipulated into being a thug for a shady, off the book group of thugs called The Hawks that undermine political activists (aka they beat up college students). Elvis is also looking for Leonora for incriminating photos she has in her possession. Slowly, Elvis and Maite's stories start to cross as they come closer to solving the mystery of the missing Leonora.

I had really high hopes for this book after reading Mexican Gothic and I was looking forward to its release, but have only gotten the chance to read it now. Unfortunately, it was very underwhelming and disappointing. It's not uncommon for me to connect with and enjoy terrible or problematic main characters, but Maite and Elvis weren't bringing anything to the table. Maite was completely unlikeable and pretty one-dimensional and Elvis was just boring. The marketing for this book also made it seem like there was going to be a romance between Maite and Elvis, but there wasn't anything like that. I wasn't a fan of Maite constantly being describe as "nothing to look at", I mean I liked that she wasn't the typical over-the-top gorgeous like most women in novels, but it just grated me that she was constantly described like this.

The mystery of the missing Leonora was also boring. The stakes didn't feel high until the very end and the "villain" was revealed. The ending was also deeply unsatisfying, which to say the ending would've been fine if there was literally anything else in this book that was enjoyable.

That aside, I think the setting and the premise of this book were intriguing. I love the author's ability to transport me back to 1971 Mexico City, a time and place I've never experienced, and yet I feel like I have (at least a small piece) after reading this book. I wish more of the political and social scenes were explored. I also enjoyed the dual POVs that slowly start to converge. I think that was done rather well.

So far, this is my least favorite of Moreno-Garcia, but I look forward to reading her other books. Perhaps the fact that her book, Mexican Gothic, was the one that got me out of a six-year long reading slump and was a book that literally had my heart pounding and hairs standing up, is part of the reason this book was such a letdown. I'm sure some will find it entertaining, so I suppose I can't recommend whether or not you should read this one.

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cerilouisereads's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

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hannah_solly17's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense 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? Yes

4.25

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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

2.5

I REALLY disliked Maite. She was annoying and didn't like animals! Also, her dreamer mentality was irritating. As was her obsession with Secret Romance. I LOVE some books but I don't compare real life to them, because that's just unreasonable! I much preferred Elvis! I saw the "twist" coming miles away, so overall a disappointment especially as I enjoyed Mexican Gothic! The narrator was decent.

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