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A review by lyall_reads
Signal to Noise by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
2.0
Signal to Noise is a reprint of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s 2009 debut. It unfortunately comes across as exactly what it is- a rough first book with some moments that speak to the amazing things the author will write later on.
The characters are pretty terrible people. This didn’t bother me at first because I still felt some love for Meche, Sebos, and Daniela and understood their faults as part of being a teenager. Unfortunately, none of them developed. In the 2009 timeline, Meche and Sebastian are if anything more horrible and knowing that they wouldn’t grow made following them in both timelines frustrating. Her 2009 dynamic with Sebastian also made me all kinds of uncomfortable. Daniela gets a little moment of growth but on the whole is treated as a doormat by both her friends and the story. (It did bring me some joy seeing her doing the best of the three in 2009)
Meche’s relationship with her father felt underdeveloped, like a beat was missing. The significance of her father’s death was told rather than shown and it never quite made sense why he was so important. Meche’s nana seemed just as thematically relevant and wasn’t given nearly as much attention.
The book also felt fan-fiction-y, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but in this case was. The constant name dropping of songs and artists didn’t always feel integrated and often the sudden perspective jumping mid chapter felt lazy and jarring. I think there’s a much shorter and much stronger story inside this one, but it never peaks all the way out.
I liked the overall mood and tone. All the protagonists felt like teenagers (which is awesome). The setting was interesting when the story leaned into specificities of time and place. There were some strong moments, especially in Meche and her grandma’s relationship as well as Sebastian’s with his older brother.
If you’re looking for a split timeline story about family relationships, protagonists who’ve done terrible things for understandable reasons, and covens, I recommend Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. If you want a better Moreno-Garcia read, I’d recommend Mexican Gothic (of course) or The Beautiful Ones. Signal to Noise is one you can skip.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The characters are pretty terrible people. This didn’t bother me at first because I still felt some love for Meche, Sebos, and Daniela and understood their faults as part of being a teenager. Unfortunately, none of them developed. In the 2009 timeline, Meche and Sebastian are if anything more horrible and knowing that they wouldn’t grow made following them in both timelines frustrating. Her 2009 dynamic with Sebastian also made me all kinds of uncomfortable. Daniela gets a little moment of growth but on the whole is treated as a doormat by both her friends and the story. (It did bring me some joy seeing her doing the best of the three in 2009)
Meche’s relationship with her father felt underdeveloped, like a beat was missing. The significance of her father’s death was told rather than shown and it never quite made sense why he was so important. Meche’s nana seemed just as thematically relevant and wasn’t given nearly as much attention.
The book also felt fan-fiction-y, which doesn’t have to be a bad thing, but in this case was. The constant name dropping of songs and artists didn’t always feel integrated and often the sudden perspective jumping mid chapter felt lazy and jarring. I think there’s a much shorter and much stronger story inside this one, but it never peaks all the way out.
I liked the overall mood and tone. All the protagonists felt like teenagers (which is awesome). The setting was interesting when the story leaned into specificities of time and place. There were some strong moments, especially in Meche and her grandma’s relationship as well as Sebastian’s with his older brother.
If you’re looking for a split timeline story about family relationships, protagonists who’ve done terrible things for understandable reasons, and covens, I recommend Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert. If you want a better Moreno-Garcia read, I’d recommend Mexican Gothic (of course) or The Beautiful Ones. Signal to Noise is one you can skip.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.