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damrod92's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Alcohol, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Drug use, Murder, Drug abuse, and Alcohol
clovetra's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
ok by self-admission this lowkey kinda breaks my "lgbt authors and/or stories only for june" but... the story says both leads are bisexual so it counts in my eyes!
now, other than that... this book was erm... not my style!
i think 2-stars is a tad harsh, but i dont like to give half-star ratings and 3-stars seems too.... nice.
my biggest BIGGEST issue is that the plot is so fantastical. and im not talking about the actual elements. like yeah no duh a story about a cursed movie with runes and witchcraft and shit is gonna be fantasy-based. but like this plot was so.....
first off, blurb is a liar. the blurb does NOT reflect the proper story sorry. like i thought this would be a cute thriller or horror... you know... like the book says. but i would say this has literally zero horror elements. well maybe one or two but like in a 315-page book? nah that doesnt meet the horror genre. this is magical realism and/or fantasy.
also the plot literally is all over the place. most of the time i had no idea what was going on. like at the beginning i could keep up! but then after things felt rushed, explanations felt wishy-washy, and i was waiting for this to be over. honestly the only thing that kept me reading this was montserrat. shes a baddie, an icon, a fellow cripple queen, and the bisexual icon we DESERVE.
another grievance is that the plot took so long to start. like when the mystical elements are introduced >50% in the story.... its a chop im afraid.
ending felt weird, epilogue feels forced, story went from x character being resistant to what was going on to participating in like 50 pages.
idk man i think i might have liked this more if i didnt go in with false expectations. false expectations, mind you, the blurb of the book & its categorisations on storygraph + goodreads provided.
anyways i will say this was not a horror book you cannot convince me of that. its a thriller at best. but because i literally did not care about any character other than montserrat it was not thrilling.
this book was a let down and i can feel it begging to drag me into a slump. did not have fun.
now, other than that... this book was erm... not my style!
i think 2-stars is a tad harsh, but i dont like to give half-star ratings and 3-stars seems too.... nice.
my biggest BIGGEST issue is that the plot is so fantastical. and im not talking about the actual elements. like yeah no duh a story about a cursed movie with runes and witchcraft and shit is gonna be fantasy-based. but like this plot was so.....
first off, blurb is a liar. the blurb does NOT reflect the proper story sorry. like i thought this would be a cute thriller or horror... you know... like the book says. but i would say this has literally zero horror elements. well maybe one or two but like in a 315-page book? nah that doesnt meet the horror genre. this is magical realism and/or fantasy.
also the plot literally is all over the place. most of the time i had no idea what was going on. like at the beginning i could keep up! but then after things felt rushed, explanations felt wishy-washy, and i was waiting for this to be over. honestly the only thing that kept me reading this was montserrat. shes a baddie, an icon, a fellow cripple queen, and the bisexual icon we DESERVE.
another grievance is that the plot took so long to start. like when the mystical elements are introduced >50% in the story.... its a chop im afraid.
ending felt weird, epilogue feels forced, story went from x character being resistant to what was going on to participating in like 50 pages.
idk man i think i might have liked this more if i didnt go in with false expectations. false expectations, mind you, the blurb of the book & its categorisations on storygraph + goodreads provided.
anyways i will say this was not a horror book you cannot convince me of that. its a thriller at best. but because i literally did not care about any character other than montserrat it was not thrilling.
this book was a let down and i can feel it begging to drag me into a slump. did not have fun.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Death, Murder, Blood, Drug abuse, and Alcohol
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Vomit
mxpringle's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was absolutely incredible. So well-written and the concepts were unlike any other horror I've ever read which was so refreshing
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Drug abuse, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Drug use, Racism, and Stalking
Minor: Antisemitism, War, and Kidnapping
emilycirrus's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, and Death
ninahuynh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-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
I found the writing in this book to sometimes be confusing. I like the direction Silvia Moreno-Garcia is exploring. It gives me sci-fi vibes, like those of the genres using video games and film as a launchpad to another dimension. I did not anticipate magic to be part of this plot, but I guess that works on par with her theme as Mexican Gothic, my first book from her, also has elements of magic, but with mushroom
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Racism, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Bullying, Kidnapping, Murder, Death, Alcohol, Cursing, Drug abuse, Classism, Suicide, Addiction, Chronic illness, and Violence
smileymiley550's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident
Minor: Cancer
ktb97's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
Beautifully written and lots of fun despite some pretty heavy themes. The characters have depth and you grow with them as you read. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Antisemitism and Blood
Moderate: Car accident, Death, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism
panic_at_the_bookshelf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I don't even know where to start on this one... Silver Nitrate is set in Mexico City. We follow the story of Montserrat and Tristán. Both characters try to make their way in the film industry, one as a sound editor and one as an actor, during the 90's.
The first 80-ish pages of the book aren't that scary. We meet the characters, get to know some stuff about their past and come across an ocult horror movie director. Everything seems fine at first, until both Montserrat and Tristán both realise they are in deep trouble. Of course it is way too late to back off... Those occult stories might not be stories at all...
As soon as the creepy stuff started happening I was on edge every single chapter. The author found the perfect balance between creating a scary and mysterious atmosphere without it being too overwhelming or boring. Throughout the story subtle details are being shared, so I was able to put a few puzzle pieces together and figure some plot twists out on my own. None felt obvious to me, which I liked a lot! It is only until the last few pages the story finally reveals what is actully happening... The ending was a big chef's kiss if it were up to me.
The book gives us bisexual representation, together with trauma and disability rep.
Some content warnings: car accident, dead people, murders, mental health, mentions of addiction, mentions of drug and alcohol use, mentions of suicide, mentions of cancer, racism, scars and blood.
Ps. My edition had a small font, so it was often hard to focus on the letters once my eyes got a bit tired.
The first 80-ish pages of the book aren't that scary. We meet the characters, get to know some stuff about their past and come across an ocult horror movie director. Everything seems fine at first, until both Montserrat and Tristán both realise they are in deep trouble. Of course it is way too late to back off... Those occult stories might not be stories at all...
As soon as the creepy stuff started happening I was on edge every single chapter. The author found the perfect balance between creating a scary and mysterious atmosphere without it being too overwhelming or boring. Throughout the story subtle details are being shared, so I was able to put a few puzzle pieces together and figure some plot twists out on my own. None felt obvious to me, which I liked a lot! It is only until the last few pages the story finally reveals what is actully happening... The ending was a big chef's kiss if it were up to me.
The book gives us bisexual representation, together with trauma and disability rep.
Some content warnings: car accident, dead people, murders, mental health, mentions of addiction, mentions of drug and alcohol use, mentions of suicide, mentions of cancer, racism, scars and blood.
Ps. My edition had a small font, so it was often hard to focus on the letters once my eyes got a bit tired.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Grief
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Racism, Alcohol, and Drug use
Minor: Car accident, Cancer, and Addiction
lonerangerl30's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Death, Racism, Blood, Sexism, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Car accident, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Cancer
Minor: Alcohol, Drug use, and Biphobia
javafenn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I would actually give this book a 3.5 but rated it a 4 here because the 3.5 is my fault. I ad a lot of health issues this past year that caused me to take a very long time to read this. That said, I really enjoyed this book! I loved the magic and horror of it all. The description of Tristán’s dead girlfriend in his apartment was terrifying! The occultism and Ewer’s obsession with pure lineage was believable too! It felt like Moreno-Garcia did a lot of research for it. I also absolutely loved how the book ended! Momo was fighting the ghost of Ewer’s the whole book but it really felt like that ghost was herself. She was fighting what she thought was the worst of herself. Very relatable!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking, Addiction, Alcohol, Bullying, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
Moderate: Cancer, Alcoholism, and Chronic illness
Minor: Classism, Medical content, Terminal illness, and Ableism