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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
Thank you Del Rey & Netgalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. I'm absolutely enthralled by Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing.
I enjoyed this story so much. It was well-written and I loved Mo and Tristan's dynamic!!
This is one of the better horror period pieces I’ve read. I’m new to the lost film trope and I’m so glad Silvia Moreno-Garcia was my introduction. Before I knew it, I was falling down a rabbit hole of the occult and cursed films. The entire story was touched by superstition and I mean in the best way. I loved reading about the seances and rituals as much as they were unnerving. My biggest regret is not reading this during the fall because the vibes were so autumnal and spooky.
Montserrat (or “Mo”) and Tristán have an interesting dynamic. They share a childhood friendship and eventually grow into codependent adults. Mo had a rough upbringing due to being teased constantly. She’s rough around the edges with a chip on her shoulder, but she often catches herself pining for Tristan, who is a bit self-absorbed and obsessed with his appearances due to working as an actor. However, his layers are peeled back as we learn that he’s still haunted by a car crash that killed his ex-girl friend. His laissez faire attitude seems to be a coping mechanism to mask his pain and guilt.
I’m glad I didn’t read the synopsis beforehand because it mentions the awakening of Mo’s hidden powers but to be honest, that’s a very subtle part of the story. She’s drawn to Ewer’s power and even gets lost in his spell book. At some moments, Mo even seems to become captivated by the idea of being one of his followers. Tristán, however, wants to stay clear of any involvement with the cult. After seeing a ghost and having a near encounter with death, he is reluctant to help stop Ewer’s rise to power.
There were multiple players with different motivations in the attempt to retrieve the cursed film said to be imbued with dark powers. I found Ewers, the former cult leader who died years previously and the lore surrounding him, a unique subject. That being said, the history of Nazism and the occult wasn’t very explored. There’s maybe a chapter or so that touches on it, but had the author gone deeper with his motivations, his influence over the members in the cult might have felt more menacing. I say this because in Mexican Gothic, I was truly, truly afraid of the antagonist because of how unwavering he was in his belief of eugenics. Here, the villain is a bit more surface level.
My main issue with the story was with the pacing. For instance, some of the dialogue read like monologues rather than a natural conversation. It also took me longer than I’d like to finish reading the last five chapters. When I get the ending of a story, I want to fly through the pages. I had a similar issue with Gods of Jade and Shadow. I’ve come to understand the author writes very slow burn plots, but the pay off is usually worth it. The ending tugged on my heart strings!
I didn’t expect Silver Nitrate to become of my favorite books from this author right after Mexican Gothic. I know the author doesn’t like to write the same thing twice. I was pleasantly surprised by how mesmerized I was by a tale of a lost film, ghosts and beasts, and the cultist who want to bring back their leader from the dead.
I enjoyed this story so much. It was well-written and I loved Mo and Tristan's dynamic!!
This is one of the better horror period pieces I’ve read. I’m new to the lost film trope and I’m so glad Silvia Moreno-Garcia was my introduction. Before I knew it, I was falling down a rabbit hole of the occult and cursed films. The entire story was touched by superstition and I mean in the best way. I loved reading about the seances and rituals as much as they were unnerving. My biggest regret is not reading this during the fall because the vibes were so autumnal and spooky.
Montserrat (or “Mo”) and Tristán have an interesting dynamic. They share a childhood friendship and eventually grow into codependent adults. Mo had a rough upbringing due to being teased constantly. She’s rough around the edges with a chip on her shoulder, but she often catches herself pining for Tristan, who is a bit self-absorbed and obsessed with his appearances due to working as an actor. However, his layers are peeled back as we learn that he’s still haunted by a car crash that killed his ex-girl friend. His laissez faire attitude seems to be a coping mechanism to mask his pain and guilt.
I’m glad I didn’t read the synopsis beforehand because it mentions the awakening of Mo’s hidden powers but to be honest, that’s a very subtle part of the story. She’s drawn to Ewer’s power and even gets lost in his spell book. At some moments, Mo even seems to become captivated by the idea of being one of his followers. Tristán, however, wants to stay clear of any involvement with the cult. After seeing a ghost and having a near encounter with death, he is reluctant to help stop Ewer’s rise to power.
There were multiple players with different motivations in the attempt to retrieve the cursed film said to be imbued with dark powers. I found Ewers, the former cult leader who died years previously and the lore surrounding him, a unique subject. That being said, the history of Nazism and the occult wasn’t very explored. There’s maybe a chapter or so that touches on it, but had the author gone deeper with his motivations, his influence over the members in the cult might have felt more menacing. I say this because in Mexican Gothic, I was truly, truly afraid of the antagonist because of how unwavering he was in his belief of eugenics. Here, the villain is a bit more surface level.
My main issue with the story was with the pacing. For instance, some of the dialogue read like monologues rather than a natural conversation. It also took me longer than I’d like to finish reading the last five chapters. When I get the ending of a story, I want to fly through the pages. I had a similar issue with Gods of Jade and Shadow. I’ve come to understand the author writes very slow burn plots, but the pay off is usually worth it. The ending tugged on my heart strings!
I didn’t expect Silver Nitrate to become of my favorite books from this author right after Mexican Gothic. I know the author doesn’t like to write the same thing twice. I was pleasantly surprised by how mesmerized I was by a tale of a lost film, ghosts and beasts, and the cultist who want to bring back their leader from the dead.
Montserrat works as a part-time audio engineer while ahe cares for her sister who has cancer. Her best friend Tristán is an aging actor who has been blacklisted after a car wreck claimed the life of his famous girlfriend. Their fortune seems to change when they discover legendary filmmaker Abel Urueta living in Tristán’s building. The infamous director has become convinced his unfinished film (made with a nazi sorcerer) is cursed and Montserrat and Tristán are needed to help reverse the curse. The spell leads to supernatural and unintended consequences as Montserrat and Tristán are drawn into a world of magic, movies, and Aryans moonlighting in Mexico.
The set up for the story was really interesting, I loved the plot of the cursed film, occultism, and fleeing nazis. Both Montserrat and Tristán are great characters, flawed, struggling, affectionate and thorny towards each other in the way of lifelong friends. There were some scary moments but it was a slow paced story and I could have done with a few more jump scares.
The set up for the story was really interesting, I loved the plot of the cursed film, occultism, and fleeing nazis. Both Montserrat and Tristán are great characters, flawed, struggling, affectionate and thorny towards each other in the way of lifelong friends. There were some scary moments but it was a slow paced story and I could have done with a few more jump scares.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“We will it and therefore it is.”
Gritty, original, dark and supernatural. Truly unlike anything I’ve read before. While I have some qualms with a few plot points (the ease in which Monserrat was able to intuit and pick up magic, seemingly out of nowhere; the pacing of the final climax of the story ), I still had a good time and was rooting for Monserrat and Tristán the entire journey.
“When they watched horror movies, it was the sight of the monster, the Other, that terrified Tristán and the idea of becoming the hero that seduced him. Monserrat saw herself in the faces of monsters and did not wince.”
“This was life, the figured. Not a fabulous medley of spells, hexes, and intoxicating power, but the simple, ordinary assembly of sights and sounds that were nevertheless a wonder, for they were viewing and listening to them together.”
Gritty, original, dark and supernatural. Truly unlike anything I’ve read before. While I have some qualms with a few plot points (
“When they watched horror movies, it was the sight of the monster, the Other, that terrified Tristán and the idea of becoming the hero that seduced him. Monserrat saw herself in the faces of monsters and did not wince.”
“This was life, the figured. Not a fabulous medley of spells, hexes, and intoxicating power, but the simple, ordinary assembly of sights and sounds that were nevertheless a wonder, for they were viewing and listening to them together.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
4.5/5
There was something about this book that was just so incredibly captivating. Something about how the mystical was woven through the mundane and slowly ramped up throughout the story. I really enjoyed the amount of detail put into everything, starting from the historic cinematography references all the way to audio technician work during the era, it was just all so rich and I really loved it.
The characters were both so good as well, each with their own troubles and hardships but still close friends through both good and bad. I loved the interwoven story and the progression of them understanding more and more what they have stumbled into.
The magic as well was just so interesting and strange. I wasn’t sure how well it would work in such a grounded novel and there were some instances that may have been a bit too much but overall the mysticism was well done.
Overall I really enjoyed it and will certainly be looking out for more books by Silvia!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the review copy!
There was something about this book that was just so incredibly captivating. Something about how the mystical was woven through the mundane and slowly ramped up throughout the story. I really enjoyed the amount of detail put into everything, starting from the historic cinematography references all the way to audio technician work during the era, it was just all so rich and I really loved it.
The characters were both so good as well, each with their own troubles and hardships but still close friends through both good and bad. I loved the interwoven story and the progression of them understanding more and more what they have stumbled into.
The magic as well was just so interesting and strange. I wasn’t sure how well it would work in such a grounded novel and there were some instances that may have been a bit too much but overall the mysticism was well done.
Overall I really enjoyed it and will certainly be looking out for more books by Silvia!
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the review copy!
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
VERY enjoyable! Easily my new favorite of the Moreno-Garcia books I've read. I love how the narrative builds, it feels very subtle and the magic system that is eventually revealed feels very natural and grounded in the world. The historical context enriches the theory of the magic, with themes of racial/color-based and patriarchal power throughout. the characters are built in natural and endearing ways, their relationship to each other and their lives unfolding to give a relatable and messy window into them. The plot was SO satisfying because we learn along with the characters that magic is real, and unlike many urban fantasy type books this is not a shock at the beginning but a slow and creeping unfurling that is mired in doubt and forgotten history. The film and horror aesthetics just add to everything! Always a pleasure to read something set in the 90s before smartphones, too. Great the whole way through!