Silver Nitrate

Set in 1990's Mexico City, Silivia Moreno Garcia's new book Silver Nitrate brings me retro/vintage vibes perfect for those who love the mysteries behind “cursed films” and occultism. Silvia Moreno Garcia blends together Nazis, film culture, tragedy, secrets and mysticism. It's so hard to put into words how ‘atmospheric” this book is. Her writing literally pulls you into the story. I found myself invested in the characters, and even more invested in the layers of mystery surrounding the cursed film.

From unique, intriguing characters to mysterious plot twists, this book had me hooked for days, recalling all the details before bed, almost as if I was part of the story. I love when writing is able to pull my attention in this way, blocking out the world fully immersed in an alternate life. There's something eerie about old films that gives me the spooks and I live for it. Easily one of my top reads. of the year.

I'm not much of a horror girlie, so when I got an ALC of this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it. I decided to read it for the fall in the lead-up to Halloween. It's a mix of Lovecraftian-style horror, film, and Mexican history, which is a great starter horror for people who are scaredy cats lol. Moreno-Garcia touches on a magic system that touches on Nazism, racism, and classism and proves that magic is not just for white elites. The concept that Ewers, the main villain, was a thief who stole magic practices from other practitioners is similar to the way that colonizers have appropriated facets of indigenous cultures and twisted them for their own purposes. Montserrat and Tristán's battle against the forces they awaken with Abel is intriguing and kept my attention. I am a horrible audiobook reader, so it took me over a month to finish, but that's because I get distracted easily, so I listened in small chunks until I finished.

The book is slow to start, and the first 25% is very character-driven and focused on Montserrat and Tristán, which is why it took some time to slog through that portion of the book. Once they meet Abel Urueta, the action really picks up. The complexity of the characters got me hooked, and throughout the book, they work together seamlessly. It was refreshing to have Montserrat as a heroine who knew her shit and didn't take shit from anyone. The dynamic between her and Tristán was intriguing and a little codependent on Tristán's side.

If you are looking for a refreshing horror novel that is easy for beginning horror readers, check this out. This isn't a fast, breezy, and gory read, which I appreciated, but if that's your jam, this book is not for you. I have physical copies of Mexican Gothic and Certain Dark Things, and this is leading me to push them up my TBR.

Thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC, and this is my honest review.

Cool premise: filmmaking and horror/occult from the writer of Mexican Gothic. She seems to have researched the films and filmmaking elements very well. I also liked that it was set in Mexico City, an urban area with different cultural and pop culture references than my own. The story itself had some potential, could make a fun movie perhaps. It is similar to a Friday the 13th (television series about the antique shop, not the films) episode.

Despite the potential, it didn't hold my interest. It's a short book but there is so much telling rather than showing and repeating information. The author gave us the main character's specific thoughts and feelings all the time instead of letting the reader figure out what the characters are experiencing based on behavior. This tends to flatten out rather than add depth to characters.

Without the repeated information, the reader could piece things together from what they read. She either doesn't trust the reader to figure things out or is in need of an editor. I got impatient and skimmed a lot while reading.

The chapters where the conflict starts to heat up were more entertaining. Ye1, it is difficult to have a menacing villain when he's already dead. Yes, I know, Voldemort, but in Silver Nitrate, it is not as effective. His two grande dame co-conspirators were slightly scarier. I did like the inky dogs.

Thus begins my horror novel marathon for 2023. I hope they get better.