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rbash2391's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Vomit, Violence, Body horror, Alcohol, Blood, Gore, Gun violence, Slavery, Bullying, Classism, Death, Misogyny, Sexual content, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Murder
Moderate: Dementia
Minor: Torture
marareading's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
This is a brutal and bloody story. It is so well written. I really enjoyed it. Noir is not usually something I reach for, but I can never resist a vampire story. Definitely recommend if you like crime stories or vampires.
Graphic: Blood, Confinement, Torture, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Mass/school shootings, Police brutality, Sexual content, Violence, Vomit, War, Drug abuse, Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
jhbandcats's review against another edition
- 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
Vampires are fairly well-known and definitely undesirable. Sanitation departments around the world keep track of what vampires are doing, and vampires are hunted by both police and each other as various species fight amongst themselves. Particularly deadly and violent vampires escaping from Europe, having been banned, are taking over the gangs and cartels, ignoring the traditions that have kept vampires safe from humans in the past. Internecine battles are destroying the Mexican vampires descended from pre-Columbian times.
As a take on colonialism and its destruction of natives and their culture, it offers easily recognizable parallels without being didactic. I found the first half of the novel slow and I wasn’t invested in the characters, but both plot and characterization picked up. By the satisfying ending, I’d come to love the two main characters. Worth a read for Moreno-Garcia fans.
Graphic: Grief, Drug use, Genocide, Misogyny, Police brutality, Vomit, Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Murder, Torture, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Colonisation, Death, and Addiction
aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
It seemed to drag a little bit in some parts, but overall, a great and surprisingly quick read. I've enjoyed so much from this author and it's a goal that I read everything she has done.
Def check out content warnings for this as it is a vampire tale so there is a lot of blood.
Graphic: Sexism, Vomit, Body horror, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Blood, and Misogyny
Moderate: Alcohol, Drug use, Kidnapping, Police brutality, Sexual content, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Colonisation, Gun violence, and War
Minor: Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Torture, Trafficking, Classism, Cursing, and Kidnapping
baytamax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Medical trauma, Cannibalism, Gun violence, Gore, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Slavery, and Torture
emmdashed's review against another edition
- 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
The main POV characters themselves were fine. I didn't dislike them, but I didn't really fall in love with them either. Least favorite was Nick because he feels like a character we've seen too many times before: brutish and hot-headed, horny, rich boy. Atl and Domingo were alright, I liked them well enough, though I wasn't always sure I bought Domingo's blithe nature and immediate, absolute loyalty when there seemed little reason other than attraction. Ana and Rodrigo were interesting to me. Rodrigo really hit that banality of evil, 'I'm so tired I'll do awful things just to get out a little faster' vibe. Ana also had that scrappy cleverness that made me root for her even when she started doing some some morally gray stuff.
The plot was also just Fine, not bad, but not incredible. Writing was very good, solid description of scenes and action without going too overboard. I could visualize everything, and enjoyed the words.
I really hope Moreno-Garcia revisits this world in the future. A lot of concepts were touched on that I would love to see more explored. More different vampires, more about the seedy underworld in and out of Mexico City, and more of those near future aspects like the weird illnesses, and the genetically modified animals. Maybe a story in the past too, Bernardino and Atl's mother's lives before this story would be super interesting.
Overall a solid book if you're okay with a lot of exposition and worldbuilding. I didn't connect with all of it the story but that's probably more personal preference than any real fault with the writing. Like I said hopefully she comes back to this world again!!!
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Violence, Blood, and Colonisation
Moderate: Confinement, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Animal cruelty, Torture, Rape, Alcohol, and Adult/minor relationship
Minor: Sexual content
Expanding on the Adult-Minor relationship Atl is 23 (I think? Early-mid 20s) and Domingo is 17, which is the age of consent in Mexico, but not everywhere, so be aware if this is something that may upset you.ruthjenkins's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
The story is a little slow to get started, since the protagonist is in hiding so isn't doing a huge amount, but when the action gets going it becomes quite tense, and very violent.
Graphic: Gun violence, Vomit, Blood, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Torture
mswarning's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Death, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, and Police brutality
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and Torture
Minor: Addiction, Sexual content, and Pregnancy
ruthlessreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Blood, Medical trauma, Murder, Physical abuse, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Violence, War, Torture, Grief, and Body horror
Minor: Sexual content
vaniavela's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual assault