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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Originally posted on the blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
* I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Velvet Was the Night is a beautiful book, from the cover to the pages to the end. There is even a playlist to accompany the book. Guess what? It is beautiful too! Every song perfectly fit! I had such a fantastic time reading this book and listening to the soundtrack as I read. Really felt like I was transported to 1970s Mexico City. The author has an amazing ability of transporting the reader to the books locations. Very well done.
This book made me care deeply about our 2 main characters- Maite and Elvis. I mean, I normally care about the characters, but in this book I was dying for them to finally meet. They were such gorgeously broken characters and I desperately wanted these two lonely people to find each other. They felt so relatable and REAL.
I’m not a huge fan of political themes in stories, not because it’s a bad topic, but because it just normally goes right over my head. I did have a little trouble following along with the historical political climate Velvet is set in. I knew nada about these real life events, terms, or people. While it was a little confusing here or there, the plot is easy to follow along with and there are plenty of context clues / explanations that I never felt like I was lost.
At the end of the book (and in the book club kit) there was a little bit of a history explanation of the events that really happened. We get a brief look at the 1960s and 70s Mexican government and explanations about the problems with protesters and American rock n’ roll of the time. It was really fascinating to learn about this slice of time and place that I knew nothing about.
The big twists / surprise reveals in Velvet were pretty predictable. Normally that would be less that exciting, BUT here it felt like it actually ADDED to the excitement! You can see what is rushing head on to greet the unsuspecting main characters. It leaves you drenched in anticipation while waiting for the characters to finally see the reveal(s) for themselves. What will happen?? It was tense and exciting waiting…
With each chapter, you get sucked in more and more. Where is Leonora? It really sneaks up on you. Before I knew it, I was so wrapped up in the mystery, I could no longer put the book down. The action (and dead bodies piling up) kept ramping up into a very fast paced showdown, followed by a beautifully satisfying end. So very noir! I was in love with this story. ❤ As soon as I finished it I wanted to go right back to the beginning and start all over again.
Another great story from this author. She has a wonderful way of sucking you into the story. You feel like you are actually there taking part in the events. Entertaining 100% from start to finish. Bonus points for a BOSS soundtrack and music references. Gorgeous cover, realistic people, and a very authentic vibe for classic noir. I will be recommending this book to everyone for a while…
* I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
Velvet Was the Night is a beautiful book, from the cover to the pages to the end. There is even a playlist to accompany the book. Guess what? It is beautiful too! Every song perfectly fit! I had such a fantastic time reading this book and listening to the soundtrack as I read. Really felt like I was transported to 1970s Mexico City. The author has an amazing ability of transporting the reader to the books locations. Very well done.
This book made me care deeply about our 2 main characters- Maite and Elvis. I mean, I normally care about the characters, but in this book I was dying for them to finally meet. They were such gorgeously broken characters and I desperately wanted these two lonely people to find each other. They felt so relatable and REAL.
I’m not a huge fan of political themes in stories, not because it’s a bad topic, but because it just normally goes right over my head. I did have a little trouble following along with the historical political climate Velvet is set in. I knew nada about these real life events, terms, or people. While it was a little confusing here or there, the plot is easy to follow along with and there are plenty of context clues / explanations that I never felt like I was lost.
At the end of the book (and in the book club kit) there was a little bit of a history explanation of the events that really happened. We get a brief look at the 1960s and 70s Mexican government and explanations about the problems with protesters and American rock n’ roll of the time. It was really fascinating to learn about this slice of time and place that I knew nothing about.
The big twists / surprise reveals in Velvet were pretty predictable. Normally that would be less that exciting, BUT here it felt like it actually ADDED to the excitement! You can see what is rushing head on to greet the unsuspecting main characters. It leaves you drenched in anticipation while waiting for the characters to finally see the reveal(s) for themselves. What will happen?? It was tense and exciting waiting…
With each chapter, you get sucked in more and more. Where is Leonora? It really sneaks up on you. Before I knew it, I was so wrapped up in the mystery, I could no longer put the book down. The action (and dead bodies piling up) kept ramping up into a very fast paced showdown, followed by a beautifully satisfying end. So very noir! I was in love with this story. ❤ As soon as I finished it I wanted to go right back to the beginning and start all over again.
Another great story from this author. She has a wonderful way of sucking you into the story. You feel like you are actually there taking part in the events. Entertaining 100% from start to finish. Bonus points for a BOSS soundtrack and music references. Gorgeous cover, realistic people, and a very authentic vibe for classic noir. I will be recommending this book to everyone for a while…
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
Yes
dark
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
This book was decent I stayed interested in the story the whole time but it’s not one of my favs. I feel like the epilogue was unnecessary and didnt add much but the afterword with the historical info was neat.
Velvet Was the Night is the first book I have read by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and it's also my first noir mystery. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I was enraptured with these characters, particularly Maite, a thirty year old depressed secretary and lover of romance comics and blues music. The prose in this novel is easy to read, but not simple - I enjoy this author's voice and am eager to read her other books. Also enjoyed the plot of this novel even though it was a bit predictable at times (I guessed the big twist within the first 15%). My only wish/hope was that there was a more satisfying romance. I know that this book is not classified as romance and there is a much bigger plot overall, but the blurb really pushes Elvis' and Maite's connection and I felt that there wasn't enough payoff, but honestly that is just me being greedy. I wasn't disappointed by the ending by any means. Just, as always, wanted more.
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated