Reviews with content warning for Violence - Silver Nitrate

This book is SMG at her core and I really liked the concept of the book! The only drawbacks were that it REALLY seemed like the story dragged on for too long at different moments and (like classic SMG) sped up super quickly at the end. I also felt like I didn’t get enough out of the main characters other than sho they are at their surface level. I think this book would greatly benefit from a sequel and building out this world more.
The writing was spectacular and the fantasy elements kept me entertained. I just wish it was edited a bit better and a whole lot spookier (then maybe I could feel fine with not dive too deep into the characters?).
However I will say the biggest win is having two messy/annoying bisexuals obsessed with horror (kinda) as the MCs. Huge representation win lol

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booksybookbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.25

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pmhandley's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-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

3.75

As with most books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, the storyline is a little convoluted, but god, it's not boring. Silver Nitrate is, in a lot of ways, repeating the themes in her other works. Dark magic set in Mexico City, or Mexico as a whole. Not subtle metaphors where the evil is really white supremacy. Nothing really happens and then suddenly EVERYTHING happens at a rapid pace. But it still always manages to be a new story and wildly creative. The only thing I could have gone without is the romantic subplot, but it doesn't get in the way of the larger story, so it's pretty unobjectionable. And of course, the most important lesson to take away from this book is the evergreen lesson of "don't hang out with Nazis, nothing good happens."

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megan_harper's review against another edition

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adventurous 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

4.0

The first third was slower than other books I’ve read by SMG, but there was a lot of context to set in order to build a strong world.

Overall, I really liked the fact that the flaws in Monsterrat were used in the climactic scenes in ways that caused her to doubt herself. I also appreciate that while the tension between Monsterrat and Tristán was thrumming in the background, it wasn’t a central plot line and wasn’t overly romantic.

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