A review by wardenred
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

adventurous dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

4.0

Vampires, we are a diverse lot. So many differences. Yet we are united by one simple unavoidable fact: we are our hunger.

I remember starting this book a few years ago and then DNFing it pretty quickly because I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. But lately, a friend whose tastes I usually trust mentioned it as one of the inspirations behind her newest Vampire the Requiem campaign. So I decided to give this novel another chance.

I must say I'm pretty glad I did. This isn't going to be my favorite read of the year or anything, and it was pretty enjoyable. I still struggled a bit through the beginning, but pretty soon, I started feeling that connection with most of the alternating narrators, Ana and Atl in particular.

The story had a definite VtM/VtR vibe, but there's also plenty of unique worldbuilding and I really liked how it was handled: there were zero infodumps, and yet at every point of the story, I felt like I had all the setting information I immediately needed. The plot isn't too complex, but it's quite engaging. There's vampire politicking, gang politicking, and all the staples of neo-noir set in a corrupt, bloodthirsty city you can wish for. Things do get pretty dark now and then, but that's too be expected from a book like this. 
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