Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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:
Yes
I really enjoyed this read.
Maite is lonely, reads her romance, antsy for an adventure of her own. So when neighbor asks her to watch her cat, then goes missing, she unwittingly does become involved in a much darker adventure than she’d expected.
Elvis works for a secret government backed organization tasked with infiltrating and disrupting student dissent. Basically thugs. He hates it but doesn’t know what else he’d be good at.
These two characters are flawed, a bit awful, self absorbed but actually quite relatable and interesting. I was both annoyed by them and intrigued by them.
And the story itself, of government corruption and suppression surrounding a few individuals who may or may not have information or a role of film, was fascinating. I know nothing of Mexican politics in the 1960s/70s and this is based and inspired by the real history of the era. This was both a mystery and a horror story of violence without impunity. I really enjoyed it.
Plus, the author has a playlist for the book on Spotify and it’s really good. Definitely sets the tone perfectly.
Maite is lonely, reads her romance, antsy for an adventure of her own. So when neighbor asks her to watch her cat, then goes missing, she unwittingly does become involved in a much darker adventure than she’d expected.
Elvis works for a secret government backed organization tasked with infiltrating and disrupting student dissent. Basically thugs. He hates it but doesn’t know what else he’d be good at.
These two characters are flawed, a bit awful, self absorbed but actually quite relatable and interesting. I was both annoyed by them and intrigued by them.
And the story itself, of government corruption and suppression surrounding a few individuals who may or may not have information or a role of film, was fascinating. I know nothing of Mexican politics in the 1960s/70s and this is based and inspired by the real history of the era. This was both a mystery and a horror story of violence without impunity. I really enjoyed it.
Plus, the author has a playlist for the book on Spotify and it’s really good. Definitely sets the tone perfectly.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Me when I read through a bunch of reviews calling one of the main characters flat and unlikable when I found her very relatable
I'm apparently a sucker for the covers of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books because that's one of the main reasons I requested this. I mean look at that gorgeousness!
But this really was great! I'm new to noir and was afraid I might not like it but SMG pulls you in from page 1. The story is told from two characters' POV, El Elvis and Maite whose heads you can't help get lost in.
Thanks to Net Galley and Quercus books for the e-ARC!
3.5/5
But this really was great! I'm new to noir and was afraid I might not like it but SMG pulls you in from page 1. The story is told from two characters' POV, El Elvis and Maite whose heads you can't help get lost in.
Thanks to Net Galley and Quercus books for the e-ARC!
3.5/5
emotional
mysterious
fast-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:
No
slow-paced
This was fine. It's probably a really good noir novel if you like noir. But apparently, I do not! So this was one way to discover that I don't have any interest in the noir genre.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I loved the backdrop for this, but I would have enjoyed more intrigue/mystery/politics. I really disliked Maite’s pov and felt the book could have been more dynamic following a different character. I also found the majority of the plot incredibly predictable. I wish I’d known about the playlist for this before I started it, thats so fun! This is my first book I’ve read of the author and even thought it wasn’t for me I do plan on reading her other books in genres more familiar to me.
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes