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hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
4.0
This book was a love letter to all the weird, slightly off putting girls who grew up loving witches and occultism and had a vast knowledge of obscure movies. Sooo basically me 😋 I would have probably rated it higher had there been no romance aspect but that’s just me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, Suicide attempt, Murder, Car accident, and Drug abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Blood, Biphobia, Addiction, Alcoholism, Antisemitism, and Cancer
Minor: Genocide, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Blood
This book does talk about nazis and eugenics, there being a hierarchy of races. The main characters are adamantly against that bullshit but it’s part of the cult’s background.sammaywin's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder, Addiction, Car accident, and Death
Minor: Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Drug abuse, and Self harm
imyril's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An homage to pulp horror as two down on their luck friends on the periphery of the film industry get entangled in a decades old spell to resurrect a Nazi sorcerer. Some lovely FX shots (Alma’s light webs are fab), but the script and pacing feel uneven.
If film, fiction and magic all thrive on audience belief, Silver Nitrate never quite managed to enspell me. I can see what it was aiming for, I just didn’t enjoy it nowhere near as much as I hoped.
If film, fiction and magic all thrive on audience belief, Silver Nitrate never quite managed to enspell me. I can see what it was aiming for, I just didn’t enjoy it nowhere near as much as I hoped.
Content Warnings
Minor: Car accident, Racism, and Blood
dconlon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Car accident and Murder
Minor: Addiction
tamara_joy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, and Death
Moderate: Classism and Murder
Minor: Bullying, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Addiction, Homophobia, Misogyny, Ableism, Medical content, Infidelity, and Cancer
meika_one's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
This one took me a few weeks to get into. I had to remind myself that the content of conspiracy theories can be a slow burn. I found the characters to be unlikeable in the first few chapters as well, but they let me in eventually. There were some deep themes about connection and loss woven into the plot, and it didn't disappoint with the magick/Nazi/Templars plot once it got going. The second half of the book pulled me along easily to the end (and made a difficult morning at work after 3 hours of sleep (oops)).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Blood, Toxic relationship, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol
wenwanzhao's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Only Silvia Moreno-Garcia can get me to read horror. I’m not sure why, but I just like the way she writes. I think that she is able to do third person perspective in a way that’s intimate without being unbearable. I feel like the last third was starting to unravel, but the first two-thirds were genuinely extremely riveting and fun to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Alcohol, Addiction, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Drug abuse, and Drug use
chloesnotscared's review against another edition
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Car accident, and Grief
Minor: Biphobia, Drug use, Cancer, Death, Racism, and Violence
carriepond's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-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? It's complicated
3.5
Set in early 1990s Mexico, Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Silver Nitrate is full of film references and dark magic. Montserrat and Tristan, friends since childhood, are horror film aficionados who become embroiled in a sinister plot by occultist magicians when they meet famed director Abel Urueta and agree to help him complete his unfinished film Behind the Yellow Door in hopes of lifting the curse Urueta feels has caused him to fade into obscurity.
Look, I am a SMG fangirl. This is the seventh book of hers that I have read. I love how she explores common themes like racism, colonialism, and misogyny by dipping into so many genres and periods of Mexican history. I love her female characters, who are so different from one another but are all strong, smart, and cool in different ways. I will never discourage people from reading her books. She is awesome.
With that caveat, I will say that I found Silver Nitrate more difficult to get into than other books of hers that I have read. She is not one to write breakneck, fast-paced books, so I didn't go in with that expectation, but this one was so slow in the beginning that I found it difficult to get into. Probably around 70 percent of the way through the pieces really started coming together and I was hooked, but it took me longer to get invested than it usually does with her books.
Although not my favorite of her novels, Silver Nitrate has much of what I love about Moreno-Garcia's writing-- flawed characters, strong female leads, and a progressive, feminist lens applied to traditional genre tropes and themes.
Look, I am a SMG fangirl. This is the seventh book of hers that I have read. I love how she explores common themes like racism, colonialism, and misogyny by dipping into so many genres and periods of Mexican history. I love her female characters, who are so different from one another but are all strong, smart, and cool in different ways. I will never discourage people from reading her books. She is awesome.
With that caveat, I will say that I found Silver Nitrate more difficult to get into than other books of hers that I have read. She is not one to write breakneck, fast-paced books, so I didn't go in with that expectation, but this one was so slow in the beginning that I found it difficult to get into. Probably around 70 percent of the way through the pieces really started coming together and I was hooked, but it took me longer to get invested than it usually does with her books.
Although not my favorite of her novels, Silver Nitrate has much of what I love about Moreno-Garcia's writing-- flawed characters, strong female leads, and a progressive, feminist lens applied to traditional genre tropes and themes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Car accident
rachelunabridged's review against another edition
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
[ Huge thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC! ]
After having a blast with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, I knew I had to check out more of her work. I'm so glad that I finally had the chance to do just that with her latest book, Silver Nitrate. With a background consisting of the Mexican horror film scene and Nazi occultism, it really snatched my interest right from the beginning.
Though the build-up was quite slow, I felt like the author did an awesome job letting the plot simmer for the first half of the book, but then really letting shit go wild in the last half. I had such a blast following the characters throughout this read as they peeled back the layers of intrigue and mystery, and I loved getting to linger in the tension and atmosphere that Moreno-Garcia built.
While there were some spooky scenes, I think that calling this a horror story might be misleading in some reader's eyes so I would actually recommend this as more of a thriller or suspense with some horror elements. If that's enough to grab your interest, definitely give it a read!
After having a blast with Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothic, I knew I had to check out more of her work. I'm so glad that I finally had the chance to do just that with her latest book, Silver Nitrate. With a background consisting of the Mexican horror film scene and Nazi occultism, it really snatched my interest right from the beginning.
Though the build-up was quite slow, I felt like the author did an awesome job letting the plot simmer for the first half of the book, but then really letting shit go wild in the last half. I had such a blast following the characters throughout this read as they peeled back the layers of intrigue and mystery, and I loved getting to linger in the tension and atmosphere that Moreno-Garcia built.
While there were some spooky scenes, I think that calling this a horror story might be misleading in some reader's eyes so I would actually recommend this as more of a thriller or suspense with some horror elements. If that's enough to grab your interest, definitely give it a read!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Death, Racism, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism and Toxic friendship
Minor: Alcoholism and Addiction