Certain Dark Things

Certain Dark Things is a great case for making big worlds into little stories. I don't say that to belittle Moreno-Garcia's novel, this story is not small in a bad way, but it is tight and rather simple. And yet behind it is some pretty sophisticated world building.

Moreno-Garcia alternate universe is one where vampires have been out of the coffin (as Charlaine Harris would say) for fifty or sixty years. Humanity has done its best to create vampire free zones without antagonizing their superiors on the food chain (this did made me think quite a bit about how you manage a society where one group of people needs to eat the other to live), and one of those supposedly safe places is Mexico City. This is where the young vampire Atl runs when her vampire-narco clan is wiped out by a rival cartel. There, she runs into Domingo, a naive but charming street kid who decides to help her get out of the city while the Necros, the police and Mexico City's cartels are trying to kill her.

Domingo is a refreshing main character in many ways. I always appreciate it when a writer creates a character that isn't smart. A character doesn't have to be brilliant, or even particularly wise to earn my respect or interest. Despite living on the streets for a few years, Domingo's knowledge - of the world, of vampires, of emotion and relationships - is limited. He barely knows how to express his affection for Atl other than telling her she's “pretty.” But he is dedicated and loyal, and I like to think he knows a good person when he sees them. Atl has both parts bad ass supernatural chick, and sheltered narco brat who barely knows how to take care of herself on her own. Both her and Domingo are emotionally vulnerable and immature in this way and its why, while their romance is light-handed, its still effective. It's also why Nick Godoy, the Necro heir that comes to Mexico City hunting after Atl, serves as a good foil for both of them, but Atl in particular. Much the same way, Nick is a spoiled son of a vampire cartel boss who thinks he can do and get whatever he wants, and what he wants is for Atl to suffer. He's an easy villain to hate, and one that keeps the pace fast and the adrenaline high.

As said, this is a tightly wound book. Moreno-Garcia doesn't spend a whole lot of time dwelling or ruminating on anything with maybe the exception of the relationship between Domingo and Atl. Nick's hatred of Atl is summed up in a brief flashback of them meeting in a club and his anger about her attacks against his family. Nick's personality is summed up in his greed and petulance - he's not complex. The suggestions that there was a relationship between the Revenant, Bernadino, and Atl's mother are indulged for a just a moment and then left hanging. Moreno-Garcia also treats us to the inner workings of some more seasoned characters involved in the conflict, only to give them rather unceremonious and rather disappointing endings. I am glad though that Bernardino had his moment. I had a feeling once we began to learn what a Revenant was that this guy was going to have moment. That, thankfully, did not disappoint.

Certain Dark Things is enjoyable, but I couldn't shake the feeling that there's supposed to be more, that there's a deeper story hidden between the lines. Maybe I'm projecting a little bit. There's a fascinating little glossary of different vampire subspecies at the back of the book, and even though I'm not really sure its Moreno-Garcia's thing, I'm really crossing my fingers for a sequel, or some sort of expansion of this world. This book felt like a snack, a tasty snack, but I feel like somewhere there's a meal.

i apologize duly to veronica and justine who finished this book... an eternity ago. it's not even that long of a book and yet it took me so long to finish? sigh

you know, world-building that feels like a textbook at some points is only done well on occasion, and SMG knocked it out of the park with this one. i was obsessed with all of the details and history behind all of the different vampires. the slow reveal of what got atl into this situation was great, and i loved the relationship between her and our lil dummy domingo (bless his heart)

definitely spent too much time in the back of the book reading about all the different species

A well-thought-out vampire novel with likeable characters and an exciting plot.
It's set in Mexico City with the main characters being a homeless teen/trash collector, a worn-out beat cop with a knack for killing vampires, and a sole-survivor of one of several species of vampire, many never-before-seen in the vast amount of vampire novels published in the last decade or created by the author herself. This doesn't start out as a typical YA paranormal-romance (though it certainly contains elements). The only problem I had was the unsatisfactory and kind of hurried ending. I really enjoyed the glossary at the end, don't skip that. It made me wish for a sequel but set in another place with different types of subspecies.

I enjoyed the whole concept of different kinds of vampires with unique powers and weaknesses and how they coexist as well as treat the humans in this alternate version of Mexico City. I thought the female MC was pretty cool and badass. The author's signature writing style also works very well in describing this mysterious city as well as its inhabitants. But the overall story didn't wow me much.

I'm not well-versed in vampire stories, so I can't say much about how Certain Dark Things uses or subverts lore. But for a novice, it was very entertaining!

The characters were memorable! The villains were genuinely villainous; the heroes were worth rooting for. Domingo was a golden retriever, and I loved him. He went along wholeheartedly, and I was rooting for him (and the dog) to survive.

It's been a few months now since I finished the novel, but the ending is still in my mind – in a good way! It was satisfying and fit the story.

Despite owning several of Moreno-Garcia's works for years, Certain Dark Things was the first I actually read. Needless to say, I'm a fan now, and her new books are an instant read!

Audiobook Review: The narrator brought this book to life! There are a lot of POVs, and I'd say that's the one thing that may have been improved. Sometimes it was hard to know who was speaking. After about halfway through the book, I was more familiar with the characters/voices and could recognize them better.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia seems to have made a career out of taking classic tropes and making them Mexican. This example is Mexican vampires. She has created an intriguing world of different vampire bloodlines with different powers with their conflict with both themselves and the human world. In this world the native Mexican (Aztec) vampires have largely been outcompeted by the imports from Europe (an interesting allegory to the cultural impact of european history), and we follow one of local vampires (Atl) on the run from a rival european gang, and a street sweeper (Domingo) who falls for her.

The worldbuilding is clever enough - I do like the allusions to the many myths of blood drinkers across the different cultures that exist in real life. The Mexican setting, as often seems the case with SMG, is somewhat incidental - it could in reality be set almost anywhere without impacting the story. This is one of her earlier works which has only just been rereleased and the prose is definitely weaker than in her more recent works. It is an interesting take on a genre which often feels done to death. This at least had some intriguingly original aspects!

DNF@ 40%

So I wanted to love this and I kept pushing myself to read it but every time I did I would either fall asleep or contemplate putting it away. This book is so so boring. I'm 40 percent in and not much has even happened.

It's also CLUNKY. There is too much going on at once. There are multiple vampire species and all different names and cartels. It starts to feel like a history textbook. I honestly did not like the cartel aspect. Also, I found it weird that the author included an encyclopedia at the end of the book rather than describing vampires throughout the story. It was a bit confusing to read about a vampire you never heard of or can even pronounce.

I don't like the characters. Atl is flat, despite the author trying to make her appear mysterious and dark. The romance trope is poor as well and didn't need to be included.

It wasn't what I expected, and I cannot get through this. It needs more plot development and less focus on feeding information down the readers throat.

One positive would be the Aztec references and culture put into the book.

Thank you Tor Nightfire for an advanced paperback of Certain Dark Things in exchange for an honest review.

Despite an interesting world, I didn't get a lot of interiority on any one character so I think I couldn't invest in anything going on. Would love to try again later!

This book took me so long to finish for whatever reason and I still really enjoyed it! Certain Dark Things is an interesting take of vampires. I really wasn't a fan of the romance in this book but did enjoy the wild ride of an adventure that we were taken on.

Thanks so much for providing me with an arc Tor!

Hm, this was only okay.
Nowhere near as good as Mexican Gothic.

This is a good book, but not spectacular.

I read this after reading Mexican Gothic. I'm not really a person who sticks to a genre, so any genre differences aren't gonna bother me. This book, on it's own, is good. What shines through the most is the rich world crafted here, in fact, it felt like a lot of worldbuilding went into this book for just one novel.

A look at modern day Mexico, but with vampires as a real thing, and different kinds from different parts of the world was fascinating. While the characters are good, there are quite a few POV characters and some are stronger than others. Domingo and Atl passages prove to be useful while Rodrigo, Nick and Ana parts feel like they're there for plot motion alone.

None of those characters get enough life breathed into them beyond perhaps Nick to make them matter. There's a character death near the end that is supposed to have some impact that instead got me to verbalize a “What? Why?” You can at least track Moreno-Garcia's growth as a storyteller pretty well and see there's a ton of promise here that she builds off of in her later work.

This was an absolutely fantastic read. Dark, edgy, and sensual in the way that all good vampire stories should be, while at the same time engaged in fascinating world-building that combines a lot of the existing folklore about vampires from around the world and combines it with street-level urban fantasy.

3.5 stars!!!

Pros: several vampire species, unique setting, great characters

Cons: antagonist upsets his own plans

Atl is a Tlahuihpochtli, a vampire descended from those that served in the Aztec temple in Mexico city in ages past. Now she's the last of her clan, hiding in the city from a rival vampire drug lord's son. Domingo is a trash picker who stumbles across Atl one evening. Entranced by her beauty, he accompanies her home.

If you're looking for something different with regards to vampires - vicious, brutal, vampires - then this book is for you. In this world, humans discovered vampires were real in the 1960s, but not just Bram Stoker's style of vampires. The glossary at the end of the book goes over the different types, though only three types show up in the book.

I really liked Atl, and while I thought Domingo was naive, I couldn't help mimicking his belief that Atl was a ‘good' vampire, despite the mounting evidence against this idea. I did face a crisis of “am I supposed to be rooting for her?” half way through the novel, something I come against when there are no obvious heroes. Atl is a type of vampire I've never heard of, and found fascinating. She's strong willed and learns fast.

Another character I really liked was Ana, a detective who's faced vampires before and uses her skills to track Atl down. I loved her grit and determination to make a better life for herself and her daughter. She's the character I ended up rooting for the most.

Nick, as the antagonist, was great. He's flawed in many ways, not least is that his stupidity and desire to punish Atl upset his own side's plans. But he's a great traditional vampire - terrifying in his disregard for human life, even as he's constrained in his actions by his father's human henchman.

Mexico city was a unique setting that was a pleasure to read about. It's nice to see books branching out into new locations.

The ending gets pretty brutal, and while one character's ending left me somewhat unhappy, it was an appropriate and satisfying ending for the book as a whole.

This story is like cyber punk in Mexico City and that was new and cool. I wish we got more descriptors relating to the futuristic environment but I didn't mind it so much because of the amazing clan building when it came to the different kinds of vampires. I really loved Domingo, he was so sweet that I got teary eyed while reading. Domingo is definitely my favorite character. I basically have an issue with the main character being 23 and her love interest being 17 and that's why I gave this 4 stars instead of 5.

First, I would like to thank the author for sending me this ARC as part of an Instagram giveaway.

Everyone should go ahead and preorder this book now. I had such a fun time reading this. While this is only the second book I've read by Moreno-Garcia, (the first being “Mexican Gothic”) I already know I will like anything she puts out, and I already have some books on hold with my library.

This book takes place in present day Mexico City, where vampires are not allowed within city limits. When vampires were revealed to be a real thing in the 1970's, the world was in an uproar. Vampires took over media by storm, and many misconceptions were quickly made. This story follows a woman, Atl, who is part of a species of vampires that are descendants of the Aztecs. Her entire family has been killed and she's on the run from the Necros, the vampires that killed them. When she stumbles upon a human named Domingo who is willing to help her, she brings him on and together they try to escape Mexico City.

This book is a quick read, both in terms of page count and pacing. Everything moved so quickly. The characters were very well fleshed out for such a short book, and the world building was spectacular. I could've read multiple books set in this world. There was such a rich tapestry created of this alternate Mexico City. I was immensely fascinated by the history of Atl's family, because they were very traditional and traced their roots back to such a rich time period.

All-in-all, I think this is the perfect book to pick up for the start of fall. It's spooky, thrilling, and enthralling.

TW: alcohol, amputation, assault, blood, bones, death, decaptiation, drugs, fire, gore, gun violence, hostages, kidnapping, misogyny, murder, police brutality, profanity, prostitution, sexual assault, torture, violence

The worldbuilding is what really carries this book. The different types of vampires and the histories behind them are all so interesting. I did enjoy the characters, though about halfway through I realized that they didn't actually have much in the way of character arcs, so unsurprisingly the ending felt a bit lackluster.

Also, for some reason I had the impression that this was a road trip kind of story, where they're travelling across Mexico and trying to get somewhere. So the fact that they never left Mexico City kind of threw me off. But I would still say I enjoyed this.

This was going to be 5 ⭐️s with the unique lore and world building; the characters were so relatable and I was SO invested in them and their struggles. Then that ending comes and punches you right in the chest. I felt like the ending took away the whole point of the story. If there’s ever a sequel, I will absolutely rush to snatch it up because I need closure. 😅🤣

Got some “Let the Right One In” vibes from this.

When I first came across this book in some sort of review it was something like, “This is a really weird story and different” etc etc but it’s just a regular story. Another meh for me.

I cannot understand what Domingo saw in Atl to become so loyal and in love. At one point I thought that would break and he realized that he shouldn’t hang out with vampires but, nope.

4.5 stars, 4 rating for now. I REALLY enjoyed this book, but I can see how it might not be for everyone. This and the Green Bone Saga by Fonda Lee reminded me of each other because of the focus of the gang/mafia-esque groups. I really liked the multi POV (though it wasn't the typical complicated style), character development, and story overall. I'm also happy I liked it because I only have read Of Gods and Jade and Shadow and I was not a fan.

I really liked this book. I read it after reading Mexican Gothic and this is so different, but also so good! I liked the characters, the lore, and the action. I would have loved to see some more character development, I feel like the characters were enjoyable but there wasn't really much tangible growth or changing, because the action was prioritized.

I wasn't super invested in two of the mains but the world building was fascinating and I hope Moreno-Garcia decides to come back in the future.

... If the reader compares this to Twilight, the roles are reversed: the vampire is a girl instead of a boy, and the human mooning after her is a boy instead of a girl. I find this interesting because Domingo???s attitude towards Atl is generally attributed to love stricken female characters; boys with crushes are generally portrayed as being more aloof, maybe even cruel towards their ???object of affection??? because internalised misogyny dictates that no boy can admit to having ???softer??? feelings. Therefore, reading about a boy who admits to having these softer feelings is refreshing, especially in a YA story.

Full review here: https://wp.me/p21txV-Fx

Atl is on the run. Her family slaughtered. Her life in chaos. Her hunger ... imminent. She needs to feed and she needs to get out of Mexico City.

Domingo was in the wrong place at seemingly the right time ... right for Atl at least. She tells him she is looking for a friend and he goes with her. Domingo is not what she expects and just the same vampires (which Atl is) are not what Domingo has been led to believe.

Can this unlikely pair escape the vampire clan coming after Atl and make it out of Mexico City? Or will they fail and end up on a slab instead?

Set in a futuristic world where vampires are driven out in some places and overtaking in others, we are given a slow burning suspense. I say suspense as we are following the storyline of Atl and Domingo as they try to find a way to get out of Mexico City. They are on the run from humans and vampires both.

While it's not fast-paced or overly thrilling, it is atmospheric and dark. I LOVE this.

This author is amazing as they can write across genres. So far I have read 3 of their books, and loved them all. This one is an adult Sci-Fi/Fantasy and one I wholly recommend.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a review copy. All opinions expressed herein are mine and mine alone.