Reviews with content warning for Stalking - Velvet Was the Night

The only reason I didn't give this four stars was because I had a difficult time remaining interested in the story about halfway through the book. I have read other books by Moreno-Garcia and have just loved them, like Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow. So when I saw another book by this author I immediately picked it up, because their writing style is beautiful and I am sucked into the world every time. This book isn't usually what I read, I thought there would be more romance in it. If you are looking for characters that are easily loveable, this is not your book. The characters are raw, flawed, selfish, and human. There is conflict all the time and I enjoyed reading about the twists and turns two characters took to end up at the same place. If you are looking for a conclusive ending to this story, you will not find one. The ending is more open, And I hope that Maite took Elvis up on his offer.

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girlonbooks's review

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mysterious slow-paced

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

3.0

🐈🐈🐈 Three Stars (As rated in Leonora’s cat)

Maite knows big love is out there; she’s read about it in all her favorite comic books. But the pieces of romance she’s found IRL are just so… boring! She goes from her job to her home to her mother’s house and back again, always imagining that something unusual might whisk her into a whirlwind of intrigue. When her neighbor, Leonora, asks that she cat-sit for a long weekend, Maite agrees simply because she has nothing better to do. But when Leonora doesn’t return as planned, Maite uncovers a lot more excitement than she was prepared to handle. If only a dashing young man were to come to her aid. Or maybe even three?

“She had peered into the soul, the life, of another human being, and she had cut out a part of them and they’d never know it.”

I both loved this book and I didn’t. I wanted it to end and I didn’t. Before I say anything else let me make it clear that I am a SMG Stan for life! The woman can write and well. I would read a grocery list if it had her signature at the bottom. For whatever reason, however, this story just didn’t have me very gripped. I did finish it, though, so it deserves at least 3 stars for that. Also, the narration was seriously top notch and I really knew these characters by the end. So def go the audiobook route if you’re able and maybe don’t expect this book to change your life. To sum up: While I honestly relate to and agree with a lot of the criticisms about this book I’m also not honestly able to say I didn’t like it. I guess whatever spell Moreno-Garcia has on me is there for the long haul (Not that I’m complaining?) because I’ll probably buy every book she ever writes.

✨ Read this book because: you have often longed for your life to be more like a movie or can relate to a starry-eyed Latina getting herself into a real big mess.

✨ Content warnings for this book: violence, organized crime, state sanctioned violence, corrupt government, kidnapping, sexual content, medical stuff, gun violence

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hanarama's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-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

2.5

Cw: gun violence, police brutality, stalking, murder, torture

The Good:
• Interesting historical setting
• Mystery unfolds over two PoV
• Beautiful cover

The Bad:
• Unlikable main character
• Mystery feels inconsequential

You Might Like This if You Like:
• Noir
• The 1970s
• Bad Times at the El Royale

I really wanted to like this book, and I feel like there was a lot of promise. This could have been a really fun noir mystery. The political unrest and the setting of 1970s Mexico City should have led to a twisting mystery. Unfortunately it was really held back by Maite as a main character.

Maite finds herself pulled out of the boring humdrum of her life as a secretary when her glamorous, art student neighbor, Leonora goes missing. Having agreed to look after Leonora's cat, Maite begins searching for her in order to return the animal.

Seriously, she brings up the cat constantly through the book as her reason for looking for Leonora. Even as things become more intense and dangerous, it feels like all Maite cares about are dumb romance comics and getting rid of the cat. It might have worked if Maite embraced the mystery as an escape from her boring life, but she didn't.

Additionally, Maite makes a pretty poor detective. It feels like she's constantly in over her head, or being pulled along by other, more invested people. She spends most of her narration fawning over men, comparing them to the heroes in her comics, or comparing herself to other women. Combined with her disinterest in the mystery, I'm really wondering why she's one of the leads. She's just frustrating, and her disinterest really makes it feel like the mystery isn't worth solving.

Elvis, the second PoV character is a criminal and part of an organization that hampers socialist groups. He's tasked with tailing Maite and finding out what happened to Leonora. On the whole, he's more likable than Maite, but is mostly uninteresting. He becomes weirdly fixated on Maite and fantasizes about her. Because I knew what was going on in Maite's head, this felt really pointless.

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rebeccaxpaige's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-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? N/A

4.0

This book is a dark, almost Breaking Bad-esque novel with two different POVs with similar objectives. A missing woman and mysterious film cause mayhem.

I was impressed by this book and how Garcia was able to paint a consistently dark and mysterious atmosphere. It was also somewhat unnerving but I found myself heavy invested in both Elvis and Maite’s stories. Elvis is a long time thug as he calls himself- a criminal who will do whatever it takes to get the job done. Then we have Maite, a secretary who wants nothing more than to leave her current employment and perhaps do something else.
Though I am not sure what that is.

This story is mysterious, thrilling and rich. My only critique would be that I needed more emotion evoked in the language- it would have made the story much more impactful. Though, I’m still giving it 4 stars.

This is a wonderful read, so please read it.

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