Skip to main content

Certain Dark Things - Silvia Moreno-Garcia

5/5

A fresh take on the old classic, Silvia Moreno-Garcia manages to reimagine vampire lore into something completely unique. Take whatever previous notions you have of vampire stories and toss them out the window. She managed to introduce such an interesting take on vampires, ones that take on aspects from their cultures like Alt with ties to Aztec mythology and so on. 

All of these subspecies of vampire builds on the richness of the world Moreno-Garcia created. Alt flees to Mexico City, a closed nation free from any vampire after her family is killed by a rival gang of Necro vampires(a deadly European subspecies of vampires). With only Cualli, her loyal and deadly dog, and a garbage boy named Domingo helping her, she has to flee both the Necros and human gangs who wish her dead. 

Vampire gangs are definitely a new one for me. The characters come to life on the page within the excellent worldbuilding. You just get lost in the story, captivated until the very end. 

The diversity of the setting was rich and fulfilling and with the magical realism threaded in heavily, it's even better. 

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an ARC!

*This title was previously published with a different publisher. 

9/7/21

*This review was previously posted on my Google Site.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Beeline to Murder - Meera Lester

4/5 ⭐ I was a little nervous when I started it that I wasn't going to like it because some of the dialogue is a bit much but I was pleasantly surprised! The setting was wonderfully designed and you felt like you were there in Las Flores, walking downtown and visiting the cute and quaint places Abby visits in her quest to solve the murder of French-Canadian pastry chef Jean-Louis Bonheur. She is aided by the victim's brother and her former colleagues in the police department to uncover the truth. And the victim's adorable and excitable dog, Sugar. I liked how the book was dotted with recipes for not only baked goodies but other things like doggie treats, chicken wraps and how to treat a bee sting. I wasn't the biggest fan of all the cheeky dialogue between Abby and her best friend Kat. Or when it was used elsewhere. There is an overabundance of nicknames used. It felt over the top and after a while it was annoying. But that was probably the only part I wasn't a fan o...

One by One - Ruth Ware

3/5 ⭐ Possible Spoilers - Read with care Snowed in on the French Alps, a cozy chalet filled with execs from a social media company, and murder. What started as a intriguing murder mystery said to be inspired by one of the greatest mystery writers, quickly fell down the slopes the author wrote about. I had heard mixed reviews about Ruth Ware's novels, some said they were great, some said they were left disappointed. I thought it only fair to read one and see for myself. Unfortunately, I felt disappointed. This one was talked up a lot in it's homage to  Agatha Christie's arguably best work 'And Then There Were None' which is why I decided to start with this one. Maybe that was my fault. Maybe I should have started with another one. But this one also sounded the most interesting to me anyways. It started off strong, introducing the characters and setting. Building the suspense before the first crime took place. But between the flipping back and forth POV and the dragge...

Such a Quiet Place - Megan Miranda

4/5 ⭐   Her conviction overturned, Ruby Fletcher has returned to Hollow's Edge putting everyone on edge. A suspenseful and thrilling mystery set in the idyllic community of Hollow's Edge where the residents have been plagued with bad luck and hidden secrets. The cracks are starting to widen as Ruby's presence frightens everyone around her. I felt that at the beginning it felt a little slow and it was hard to get into but eventually I couldn't put it down! I thought the inclusion of the Community Page messages was a nice breakup and also included something that everyone has probably had some experience with. It was definitely a slow burn mystery that made me question everything that happened. Who was telling the truth? Who was lying? What secrets were they keeping from one another? It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and is a perfect summer read. Thank you to NetGalley, Edelweiss+, and the publisher for my advanced review copy. Out on July 13, 2021. 6/7/21 ...