Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a good read but it didn't knock it out of the park. I was entertained throughout but I felt like it fell flat in a couple places.
I appreciated reading a noir set in Mexico, a setting very different from many noir books I have read. Silvia Moreno-Garcia wrote a very interesting set of not quite likeable characters. It was great to get to know all the characters and see that no one character was the hero of the novel, as Maite kept trying to identify, but instead they were all imperfect and flawed people. While I could guess some of the twists, I still enjoyed getting to see how everything fell into place. The stories all weaved together wonderfully and I think having the two viewpoints helped to enriched the novel for the better.
Where this novel lost me was the world building. I think Moreno-Garcia tried to bite of more than she could chew. Learning the history of this time in Mexico, while eerily familiar to current US events, was a great choice for the noir, but I think Moreno-Garcia just tried to hard to make statements. It felt like a very Neo-liberal view on this history, painting both sides as equally bad without truly digging into the facts, but kind of pretending to. I am not saying she had to go deeper but the way she wrote this novel as stuck in between left me feeling disappointed.
I wouldn't call this a bad book but this won't be the best noir or mystery I have ever written. I would recommend this book for those looking for an interesting, if not fully fleshed out mystery read.
I appreciated reading a noir set in Mexico, a setting very different from many noir books I have read. Silvia Moreno-Garcia wrote a very interesting set of not quite likeable characters. It was great to get to know all the characters and see that no one character was the hero of the novel, as Maite kept trying to identify, but instead they were all imperfect and flawed people. While I could guess some of the twists, I still enjoyed getting to see how everything fell into place. The stories all weaved together wonderfully and I think having the two viewpoints helped to enriched the novel for the better.
Where this novel lost me was the world building. I think Moreno-Garcia tried to bite of more than she could chew. Learning the history of this time in Mexico, while eerily familiar to current US events, was a great choice for the noir, but I think Moreno-Garcia just tried to hard to make statements. It felt like a very Neo-liberal view on this history, painting both sides as equally bad without truly digging into the facts, but kind of pretending to. I am not saying she had to go deeper but the way she wrote this novel as stuck in between left me feeling disappointed.
I wouldn't call this a bad book but this won't be the best noir or mystery I have ever written. I would recommend this book for those looking for an interesting, if not fully fleshed out mystery read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Murder, War
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
for me, velvet was the night found it’s feet at the end of the story. what started out an an enjoyable but slow, sometimes dramatic, story passed in seconds toward the end.
while i struggled to connect with maite (mostly out of frustration and sadness than anything else), i found her chapters to be extremely understandable and relatable on a grander scheme- especially her feeling of being trapped in a boring life with a boring job, and a frustrating relationship with her family, only to be comforted by books, comics, and music. by fantasy.
in comparison, i found elvis to be a a highly interesting character, likely due to the fast-paced and mysterious nature of his chapters. funnily enough, i don’t particularly feel like either was a necessarily “likable” character, though they had likable characteristics.
velvet was the night is a book that i found myself ultimately, by the end, enjoying thoroughly. i look forward to reading other works by ms. moreno-garcia to compare.
while i struggled to connect with maite (mostly out of frustration and sadness than anything else), i found her chapters to be extremely understandable and relatable on a grander scheme- especially her feeling of being trapped in a boring life with a boring job, and a frustrating relationship with her family, only to be comforted by books, comics, and music. by fantasy.
in comparison, i found elvis to be a a highly interesting character, likely due to the fast-paced and mysterious nature of his chapters. funnily enough, i don’t particularly feel like either was a necessarily “likable” character, though they had likable characteristics.
velvet was the night is a book that i found myself ultimately, by the end, enjoying thoroughly. i look forward to reading other works by ms. moreno-garcia to compare.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, Mass/school shootings, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
funny
informative
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-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:
Complicated
I really enjoyed this noir novel set in 1970s Mexico. The government is combatting communism by conspiring against its own citizens. Maite is a secretary, who is quite unhappy with her life. By happenstance she becomes involved with warring factions and begins to experience the dramatic, harrowing life she has read about. El Elvis is a wayward member of a militia group, who longs for something unknown. The book is a smoky noir drama, with intrigue, drama, and romance. Very well-written.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
Silvia Moreno-Garcia always gives me a glimpse into Mexican history and culture that I didn’t know about before. In this book, the focus is on the Dirty War in Mexico in the 1970s - government forces (some of them secret) vs student and communist organizers.
This is heavy history, and there is plenty of violence on the page in this book, but this is also the story of two young people pulled into a whirlwind. Prior to this story, Elvis is one of the Hawks, because there weren’t any other viable paths in his life. Maite is a bored secretary, getting her drama from the pages of romance comics. Their paths intertwine, and we get a masterful piece of noir fiction.
This is heavy history, and there is plenty of violence on the page in this book, but this is also the story of two young people pulled into a whirlwind. Prior to this story, Elvis is one of the Hawks, because there weren’t any other viable paths in his life. Maite is a bored secretary, getting her drama from the pages of romance comics. Their paths intertwine, and we get a masterful piece of noir fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Stalking, Injury/Injury detail