Fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia will not be disappointed by this reprint of one of her earlier books, a vampire noir set in Mexico City. Atl, a young vampire and the last of her clan, is on the run, reluctantly accepting the help of street kid Domingo. A strong cast of characters support this story of rival vampire gangs clashing on the noirish streets of Mexico City in this taut, moodily atmospheric book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really wanted to love this more but I think I'm going to have to come to terms with the fact that I just don't really enjoy Moreno-Garcia's writing style. The author writes that this was originally a short story and I think it may have been better left as a short story or maybe a novella. Either that or more time and editing needed to be put into transforming this into a full-length novel. The pacing dragged a bit and honestly I didn't think that the characters were particularly well developed. I didn't really find myself caring much about or believing in the romance. I loved the premise but I didn't love the execution, which I have experience before with Moreno-Garcia. I think this is a great book for a certain reader, I am just not that person.

I've been a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing since Gods of Jade and Shadow, so I was excited for the chance to read one of her earlier works, newly back in print (and with a gorgeous new cover). Certain Dark Things didn't disappoint. Moreno-Garcia's writing style is strong and clearly recognizable in this earlier book, providing rich vampiric lore throughout. Her prose is, as its inspiration would suggest, particularly cinematic - you can totally picture the gleam of neon lights on the asphalt in the dark alleys of this vampire-riddled, noirish version of Mexico City. Atl and Domingo are fascinating characters, surrounded by a strong cast in a few different plot threads that all ravel together into the dramatic conclusion. An excellent read for fans of Moreno-Garcia, of noir atmospheres, or of vampire fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the advance review copy!

Having not read any of this authors work (though I have it on TBR to definitely get to) I wasn't sure what I was walking into. I tried to avoid the synopsis a bit. Just glancing to get a grasp of it. Neo Noir is what it's being labeled as and I honestly liked the idea with (seeing as how I love Noir in general) the fusion of it. This is definitely dark. There is murder, violence and mayhem just about everywhere you look. There is some romance mixed in but it's not the point of the story and I actually find that refreshing. Some stories, all the plot is about is romance (and for romance books that makes sense) and sometimes, you just need a good, well thought out plot. I loved this story. The nitty gritty with the slices of mythology mixed with it. The concepts of merging different myths here and there was also a fun twist.

Overall, this book had me at the first sentence. I loved the characters (hate loved the bad guys) and found myself satisfied that no one was perfect and everyone had "blood" on their hands so to speak. I don't know if the author is writing a follow up to this. But if she does, I'm there for it. If that's it, I'm satisfied enough with the ending and that I had a good time reading it. (Now on to read more of this lovely author's books!)

My Rating: 4 Stars! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Certain Dark Things fell flat for me. This was my third attempt with this author and I guess she just isn’t my style. Even though I want to love her every time.
The world knows vampires exist, but the laws feel so lax?!
The premise and plot were so well put together, however I was just very bored most of them time. I just didn’t feel any kind of connection!

Certain Dark Things is a republication of a vampire novel SMG wrote a few years ago. At the time of its original publication, there was vampire fatigue after years of Twilight, True Blood, Vampires Diaries, etc, and it was quickly taken out of circulation. Thank you to @tornightfire for releasing it again ❤

Certain Dark Things is certainly an ambitious undertaking, as SMG created a very unique spin compared to her contemporaries. In this universe, vampires are a species, with different subspecies having their own capabilities. They are also not immortal and can be killed by humans. Since the novel takes place in Mexico City, one of the vampire MCs, traces her lineage back to the Aztecs and I enjoyed the way SMG combined real and fictionalized folklore.

In the same style of Velvet was the Night, Certain Things is also a noir novel, albeit with elements of horror. While it doesn't have the high stakes of a thriller, it captured my attention throughout its cat-and-mouse game. The only part I was not entirely pleased with was the ending, which was too abrupt, but that probably comes down to personal preference.

If you like character-driven novels and folklore, I would recommend this one.

Certain Dark Things is unlike other vampire novels, and quite different from other mainstream fantasy books in general. Classified, as a neo-noir, it feels similar to movies like Blade Runner and Sin City. Dark, twisted, and utterly captivating.

Certain Dark Things is hard to pin down. Most have never read a neo-noir and many reviews mirror the sentiment that it’s hard to comp this book. Even Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s own books vary wildly from each other in genre, tone, and story. However, her writing suits her stories quite well and while a reader may not be familiar with the genre - she makes it worth exploring.

Online there’s also a lot of lore surrounding Certain Dark Things - is it already out? Is it coming out? Well - according to Moreno-Garcia herself, Certain Dark Things was published in 2016, and while it won several industry accolades, it quickly went out of print due to her publishing imprint folding. It took on somewhat of a cult following and much like the underworld of her story, it refused to quietly fade into the background. Fast forward to 2021, Certain Dark Things is getting a second life through a new publisher - ready to suck in new readers.

Certain Dark Things takes place in Mexico City, and while the world has been taken over by vampires, Mexico City has kept them out and has become its own closed nation city. However, the rest of Mexico has not been so lucky and it's overrun with feuding vampire gangs who war over territory against each other and humans. Vampires in this world fall into almost 100 subspecies from around the world and many have fled their own countries to make Mexico their home - which is bad news for the native vampires of Mexico.

Our story follows Atl, a vampire from the Aztec clan, who fled Northern Mexico after her family was slaughtered by a rival narco-gang of Necro vampires. Necro vampires are despised by all other vampires for several reasons including their poisonous blood and their ability to control humans through a bite (think almost a mix of vampire and zombie-like monster). Atl ends up in Mexico City and catches the eye of Domingo, a 17-year-old garbage collector who spends his days riding the subway and daydreaming about vampires. Naturally, he’s fascinated (and attracted to Atl) who takes him on as her Renfield (a butler or assistant to vampires). Unfortunately for both Domingo and Atl, her Necro pursuer is not far behind and she’s also drawn the attention of the local police force so to survive they must escape Mexico City before it’s too late.

Certain Dark Things is rich with lore which sets it apart from other vampire novels. Moreno-Garcia does a phenomenal job tying creating complex vampire sub-species all while typing them to real-world cultures and setting them up with hierarchical purpose. It really sucks the reader in and would make for a great anthology that could be spun off into many MANY books.

Certain Dark Things has multiple narrators and it’s interesting to get to experience the story from so many different angles. However, the main narrators are Atl and Domingo. Atl is very much driven by self-preservation and a sense of duty to her family who was killed by the rival gang. She spends a lot of time reflecting on her shortcomings and how she contributed to the death of her family. However, as the story progresses we start to see her frosty exterior melt and start to consider the lives of those around her - mainly Domingo. Domingo on the other hand has very little self-preservation from page one on. He’s enamored with Atl and devoted to helping her escape.

In addition to Atl and Domingo’s POVs we meet a woman cop on the hunt for Atl, her Necro pursuer, and his Renfield. Everyone is absolutely morally gray and out for their own gain - which makes for a relatable, real-life story in the midst of all the fantasy elements.

Finally, this is not a particularly happy or upbeat book. It’s brutal, violent, and there are not very many sweet moments to balance it out. Make sure as a reader you are in a good headspace to read a dark and gritty novel. As long as you are okay with that, this book is absolutely worth the pain it may cause. If you are in a slump and need something completely outside of normal genres that is fast-paced with lots of action - put this at the top of your TBR.

This book was so cool and I'm kind of sad I didn't even know about until this year? I really liked learning about all the different types of vampires and the cultures and myths that went with them. Also Domingo being a vampire fanboy and Atl just being so over it was amazing. I would've liked a happier ending but was not disappointed in the one we got. I can't wait to read the rest of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review!

Set in Mexico City, Certain Dark Things is a vampire tale completely reimagined. Blending cultural context with Aztec mythology, Moreno writes characters that are compelling, intriguing, and utterly fantastic. The juxtaposition of a character of dark violence with a character of unworldly sincerity is stunning, and well developed.

Domingo a street kid, meets Atl a jaded vampire on the run from a rival gang. Atl's thought she has escaped and is hiding in a vampire free zone, but the arrival of Nick, a truly horrible vampire is raising the body count and the authorities have noticed. Domingo is along for the ride, providing a much needed contrast to Atl's dark nature.

This is my third book now from Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and I’m constantly surprised by how much range she has. I’ve had a horror, historical fantasy/romance, and now noir and vampires. If I had to read these blindly, I never would’ve thought the same author can write all these genres so well.

My absolutely favorite part of this story had to be the vampires themselves, from the world they’re set in (and how their existence being revealed shaped the alternate world the story takes place in) to the lore behind all the different types of vampires. I really enjoyed reading all the information in the back of the book that described their histories, powers, and traits, even if it was just like reading a textbook in a sense. I did have to read up on everything early in the beginning, though, just because I was having a hard time remembering all the vampire types + shortcuts of their names at first. Once I read the descriptions in the back, though, I was perfectly fine!

The characters were also well-done, as they all felt like they had real substance to them. There were no real ‘good’ characters, just bad and less bad ones, and I liked how morality just didn’t really come into play for the most part, since it was about survival for almost everyone. Everyone also really had their own motivations for their actions, which their personalities and actions were really based around. It made all the POVs quite distinguishable from each other, which is always so helpful in multi-POV books. I really felt like I was in each character’s head, and that they weren’t just the same character copy and pasted multiple times. It was so well done that at times I was so icked out by the certain POV I was reading that I was wanting to skip to the next chapter. Of the characters, I liked Atl the most (I just thought she was really cool!), and Domingo second. Domingo was honestly like a golden retriever puppy, and while I get the relationship between him and Atl wasn't equal/balanced in any sense, I did like the dynamic they had, and how Domingo pushed Atl (since no one in her past really ever did that). The romance was a cute addition at points, though I did care more about the friendship/platonic dynamic of their relationship more.

My only wishes are that it had been a bit longer. I really loved the world and wish I had gotten to see just a bit more of it. I don’t necessarily need more of Domingo and Atl, since their story feels definitively ended, but I would love more of these vampire snapshots in other areas (though I loved the location of this book, I just want to meet more vampire types!), or even just the same area + more/different vampires. The plot of this book, while wrapped up in the vampire politics of the world, was still just heavily a survival/get away story, so I’d love one with a bit more of the clans/gangs, more lore, etc.! Also, this book overall was extremely heavy and bleak, which was fine and did fit the story/vibe, but that did make it hard to finish in the end too.

Overall, I did really enjoy this, and I can’t wait to read another book by Silvia! All I’ve seen from her so far are fantastic stories.

Book Review: Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
September 8, 2021
Certain Dark Things is an adult urban fantasy (or as the author describes it, “Neon Noir”) about a female vampire running from a rival clan and the garbage collector that falls in love with her set against the backdrop bustling Mexico City.

Atl is the pampered youngest daughter of an ancient clan of vampires with their roots set in the Incan dynasty but a rival group of European vampires have swept into Northern Mexico with the goal of taking over the drug trade and pushing Atl’s family out. After losing her entire family Atl is hiding out in the worst place for vampires, Mexico City. With only her Doberman for company she’s trying to lay low when she attracts the attention of a human trash collector (Domingo) and an unlikely relationship begins. Atl and Domingo will need to team up, find allies and fight back against the relentless vampires out to get her.

Certain Dark Things is a completely fresh take on vampire lore that manages to be a love story without the sickly sweet typical beats. Atl is strong but is very honest about her limitations and Domingo is the hopeless romantic that won’t give up even when it’s looking grim. This book is dark, gritty and violent without being over the top or salacious.

I highly recommend it for urban fantasy fans!

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Certain Dark Things is certainly a different take on vampires. There are multiple types, and they aren't created, they are born. The deep history associated with them is fascinating, and I wish we got a bit more of that in the book. Overall the setting was lovely, well not physically, but it's details made you really understand the conditions of Mexico City at this time. The story however, was a bit lacking. It was a slow read that switched between perspectives enough that you never get deeply attached to any of the characters. It has such potential, but simply didn't do it for me.

Omg sooo good!! This book “sucks” you in and doesn’t let you go. I’m still thinking about it! I have already preordered the UK edition as well as the audible edition. So excited to listen to this! Thank you Netgalley for this ARC

I read my first book by this author, Mexican Gothic last year, and really enjoyed it. I was quite happy to see Certain Dark Things being rereleased since a vampire novel sounded like a great way to kick off spooky season. This isn't the kind of story where vampires seem to come to one town and cause chaos. Nope, vampires are now all over the world, which as you can imagine, changes everything.
Mexico is a melting pot of vampires who have come from every country, leaving the native vampires fighting for their own turf. A young female vampire named Atl has fled to Mexico City, after losing everything to the worst vampire gang, the Necros. Humans pursue her because of what she is and the Necros want to destroy her. She has her dog and meets a boy named Domingo, who might be dinner, but she winds up maybe, even liking him.
This is a wild vampire ride and the differences between the groups are horrifying. Don't expect Count Dracula here. He would most likely be destroyed by one of these vicious gangs. I didn't find myself furiously flipping pages but was totally immersed in this addictive tale. Probably not the best choice if you are squeamish, but if you enjoy some holy crap vampires, this one will keep your eyes glued to the pages while you try to not look over your shoulder.

4 stars

A vampire novel that plays with your expectations and brings new light into the niche? Nice.

Characters: ★★★★
Pacing: ★★★
World: ★★★★★
Enjoyment: ★★★★

In an alternate version of Mexico City, vampires exist. Well, they're outlawed from Mexico City itself, but they're a known species in Mexico and throughout the world. With several different subspecies of vampire originating from all across the globe, things come to a head in Certain Dark Things when the Mexican native group of vampires, the original Aztec blood drinkers, encounter a turf war with the European immigrant variant of vampire and the fallout impacts different people in Mexico City.

Atl, the lone surviving member of her vampire clan, is on the run from the European vampire clan that massacred her family. She picked Mexico City as a dangerous hideout spot in order to avoid the vampires in a city that outlaws their existence. While it makes it hard for the bad guys to track her down, it also makes it hard for her to get around—and she's not exactly hiding well with her huge genetically enhanced Doberman at her heels. Atl desperately needs to escape Mexico if she wants to survive.

Domingo is a trash collector in Mexico City. He's eeking a meager life for himself on the fringes of society, and he's still young enough to believe in adventure. So when a mysterious and beautiful woman with a hulking Doberman dog asks for his help, he agrees with a shocking lack of hesitation.

Atl thinks he's just a convenient meal for now. Domingo thinks he's having his shot at a grand vampire adventure. They're both in for a huge surprise.

I loved this neo-noir take on vampires in Mexico City. Like all of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's works, I thought this one was fantastic. I love her writing and her way of engaging storytelling. Her characters feel real and yet distant, easy to predict and yet surprising. Certain Dark Things was no exception, even though it did have a few more bumps in the plot and pacing than a usual Moreno-Garcia work (Gods of Jade and Shadow and Mexican Gothic were written later than this one, and you can tell. However, it's a testament to her writing ability that the difference in quality is not that large.)

Highlights for me: The characters, the worldbuilding, and unpredictable nature of the story.

Lowpoints for me: I did think the pacing suffered in the middle, but that's because I love drama.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and am thrilled to see it republished in this form with this stunning cover edition. Its brief original release and subsequent abandonment due to publisher issues was not the fault of the work, and now we can all enjoy this tale in its updated form!

Thank you to Macmillan/TOR for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This magical book was set in Mexico City, a dark unseen ancient world that still lives within our world. I was enthralled by all the vampiric beings and cryptids that were present. Usually it's only the normal euro vampires we see in stories but there were so many in this book! And they had a hierarchy and turf. The Revenant, Necros, Imagoes, Tlāhuihpochtli, (I want to read a book about Asanbosam or Obayifo, which glow in the dark to mesmerize their prey).

Domingo is a street teen who collects garbage for money but doesn't have much. He's heard of the stories of the vampires but isn't afraid especially when he runs into a beautiful otherworldly woman.

Atl, the descendent of Aztec blood drinkers accepts Domingo's help and is needing to escape town to get away from the Necros.

The Necros kill/eat brutally where the blood drinkers are more ritualistic and preserve their food as Renfields.

The more Domingo helps Atl, the closer they get but a romance can't happen between a human and a vampire.

There were more sides fighting along with the police fighting with specialized weapons. And Atl had a fancy doberman with neon light work done like the picture. This book was so interesting! I love different types of folklore/myths/ legends being placed in current times.

Listening to the authors note- I found it fascinating that colonization leaks into all of her narratives then though they weren't intended to be there. 

"I wanted to touch upon class, not really colonialism, but it just seeped into the book uninvited, so that you have European vampires versus local Mexican vampires, and it’s as if a natural balance has been wildly disrupted. And then, of course, one thing that happened was that I’ve been chasing the idea of colonialism and what happens in its wake through several other books, including Mexican Gothic. It’s just this thing that keeps coming back."

Definitely add this to your October spooky stack or to your Vampire TBR!

Thank you tornightfire and netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

*3.75 stars*

Well this was quite the pleasant surprise for something so entirely out of my wheelhouse. I have been curious to read more books with horror and speculative elements and this book sort of fell into my lap so I just went with it. Full disclosure, when requesting this book months ago on Netgalley, I mistook Certain Dark Things for Velvet Was the Night (it didn't have a cover on it alright??) and the rest is history.

Certain Dark Things was previously released in 2016 and getting republished after going out of print. It's part alternate history, horror, noir, and paranormal story rolled into one. Set in Mexico city, a safe haven from the various species of vampires. Domingo, a human and garbage collector, somehow finds himself assisting Atl—a very desperate and very hunted vampire on the run. Soon enough Atl's violent past descends upon them in this bloody action packed tale.

I really liked this for a multitude of reasons. I super loved the vibe and atmosphere of the story and thought the noir elements were developed excellently. The city's characterization itself was a highlight. Moreno-Garcia also did a fantastic job with the world building and creating an entirely different history. Admittedly it could be a little info-dumpy at times but with such a short book I gave it a bit of leeway. The culture and practices of all the various vampires were fascinating, if Moreno-Garcia ever wanted to write a book about the politicking of the vampires I would be so down.

The plot itself wasn't an absolute favourite but that just comes down to personal preference. Thrillers aren't usually my thing but I liked the surrounding elements so much that I was relatively happy with the plot. I'm probably never going to like reading about a disillusioned cop in a super corrupt setting so that side plot was kind of a bust for me. There also was an additional perspective that could have been entirely cut. Having a human lackey in theory could have been cool, but I think all of the things attempting to be established with his perspective already were established with the actual antagonist having a perspective. I just didn't think there needed to be both.

I enjoyed the two main characters and their dynamic quite a bit. I'm always going to be down for a role reversal when it comes to a super classic trope. They played well off one another and for such a short book I think the character development for both was very successful.

I think this could appeal to a ton of different readers. Coming from someone who absolutely avoids thrillers like the plague, I think if you enjoy thrillers, horror, or speculative fiction in general you could be successful with this book.

Certain Dark Things is a master class in atmospheric world building. This book is about Domingo, a young man just trying to survive the streets of Mexico City by collecting garbage and Atl, a vampire on the run from a rival gang. Both of them are trying to find their place in a world determined to bring them down but find solace in each other and their newfound relationship.

What I really enjoyed about this book was how immersed I felt in the setting. I feel like the author's prose really elevated my experience by making me feel like I was in a walled off version of Mexico City, walking the streets trying to avoid being caught between this war between vampires and humans and everyone in between. I also loved how deeply connected Aztec tradition and lore was built into this world because it provides an amazing background for a lot of character motivations.

I appreciated seeing the relationship between Atl and Domingo develop. They both have this vulnerability yet fierce strength to protect one another even though they haven't known each other that long. I think that's such a strength of the author to make the reader feel for these 2 in such a short amount of time and I just really recommend this book to anyone looking for a tense yet tender noir vampire story.

Certain Dark Things is a neon-noir vampire story set in an alternate Mexico City. As a long time lover of any and all things 'vampire' I've found that over time most vampire stories start to feel cliché, however, Moreno-Garcia found a way to make a vampire story that doesn't fall into the usual tropes that can plague most vampiric tales. Certain Dark Things gives vampire fans something new and interesting to sink their teeth into (sorry, couldn't help myself)!

Tor launches it’s Nightfire horror imprint with a reprinting of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s action packed 2016 neo-noir Certain Dark Things. Blending the best elements of vampire tales with entirely new lore, Moreno-Garcia has written a can’t miss novel for any vampire fan.

When street kid Domingo miraculously catches the eye of the hot woman on the subway, the last thing he expects in walled off and vampire free Mexico City is a vampire looking for a meal. Luckily for Domingo, Atl is more interested in keeping a low profile than trying to dispose of a body. Desperately in need of any ally in the hostile city, Atl not only doesn’t kill Domingo, she eventually asks him to help her get out of city safely. Because Atl isn’t just trying to lay low from the authorities in Mexico – she’s on the run from the rival vampire gang who slaughtered her family. As the corpses pile up and the cop and gangs close in, Atl and Domingo must work together to make sure they both get out of this mess alive.

Certain Dark Things isn’t just another vampire novel. Moreno-Garcia sets the book in an alternate present Mexico where vampires were discovered by the world at large in the 1970s and the discovery has entirely reshaped the world. It’s brilliantly crafted worldbuilding marrying modern sociopolitical conflicts with the vampire mythos. Not only does this result in a compelling action packed plot, but in a fascinating world that Certain Dark Things barely manages to scratch the surface of. With ten different known species of vampire, including one native to Mexico, many countries banned them entirely – forcing vampires to migrate and concentrate in new areas. This brings the species into conflict. European vampires moved into established territories for local vampires – competing not only for the same resources, but the same business. Vampires in Mexico are the modern drug cartels – selling intoxicants for vampires and humans alike. When the territory disputes get heated, vampires go war. Atl is fleeing one such conflict between her clan and the Necos – a virulent species of European vampire that can take control of human victims with a bite.

One of the most interesting aspects of the novel’s worldbuilding is that the discovery of vampires comes so late in modern pop culture. By the time of the 1970s so many of the iconic vampire myths already existed – Dracula, Nosferatu, all the pulp books, comics, and b movies of the early twentieth century happened. This means you have a completely distinct vampire culture co-existing with myths of stakes and garlic and virgins hypnotized by moonlight. Moreno-Garcia has some fun with this – Domingo is a vampire pop culture fanatic and constantly running up against the reality of vampires in his actual world once he meets Atl. While it’s often played as humorous or embarrassing for poor Domingo, it’s a great way to introduce the reader to the differences in the vampires of the novel’s world without info dumping. Luckily for those of us who might get a little too into her worldbuilding – Moreno-Garcia includes a fascinating history and rundown of the different vampire species at the end of the novel.

While the worldbuilding is fascinating, don’t overlook the neo-noir aspects of this book either. With a fast paced plot, multiple points of views, a not insignificant body count, and a tangled mess of a conflict Certain Dark Things is a can’t put down read whether you’re obsessed with vampires or not. Any neo-noir or vampire fan should pick this one up next time they’re at a bookstore or their local library.