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A review by imaginary_space
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
challenging
dark
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I liked it even more the second time around because I could appreciate the details a lot more.
Certain Dark Things is a fresh take on vampires in a neon-noir Mexico City, so there is a lot for me to like here: I love all the different folklore elements in the worldbuilding of the vampire species, especially the Mexican folklore, of course. The modern noir feel, which is very much supported by the character of Domingo (who is also quite the cinnamon roll) and the cop. Every character is flawed in some way, there are no heroes (although some try to be).
SMG seamlessly blends vampire horror, worldbuilding, folklore, noir, the effects of colonialism and drug wars, weaving a story that is both fantastical and distinctly Mexican, just like her other books.
Domingo was a great character to balance out Atl and I enjoyed reading about their dynamic. I also enjoyed all the side characters and how each relationship was tainted and in most cases ruined by the noir world around them.
On the emotional side, the writing was distant, which is something I have also experienced with SMG's other books. I couldn't get emotionally invested in the characters, which is sad, but in this book, there were so many other elements for me to enjoy, so it wasn't that big of a deal while reading it.
Certain Dark Things is a fresh take on vampires in a neon-noir Mexico City, so there is a lot for me to like here: I love all the different folklore elements in the worldbuilding of the vampire species, especially the Mexican folklore, of course. The modern noir feel, which is very much supported by the character of Domingo (who is also quite the cinnamon roll) and the cop. Every character is flawed in some way, there are no heroes (although some try to be).
SMG seamlessly blends vampire horror, worldbuilding, folklore, noir, the effects of colonialism and drug wars, weaving a story that is both fantastical and distinctly Mexican, just like her other books.
Domingo was a great character to balance out Atl and I enjoyed reading about their dynamic. I also enjoyed all the side characters and how each relationship was tainted and in most cases ruined by the noir world around them.
On the emotional side, the writing was distant, which is something I have also experienced with SMG's other books. I couldn't get emotionally invested in the characters, which is sad, but in this book, there were so many other elements for me to enjoy, so it wasn't that big of a deal while reading it.