Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy!

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I was unable to get past the first few chapters. I believe this is just an issue of my taste not aligning with the story. I recommend others try it!

VAMPIRES IN MEXICO? I love this so much! I'd heard about this originally a few years ago, before it was purchased and republished, and I was devastated that it seemed impossible to buy a copy. Once I found out it was getting a new edition, I was SO happy and couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I love this so, so much -- the worldbuilding, the tone, the way this feels both similar and completely unique to other vampire-y books that I've read. Stunning!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this advanced reader's copy and the opportunity to read this early. Review has been posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Certain Dark Things is a neo-noir that reimagines vampire love and takes place in Mexico City. We meet Domingo is just a lonely garbage collecting street kid. Domingo is just trying to survive with the heavily policed streets. Atl needs to flee the city and quickly get far away from a rival nacro-vampire clan that are persuing her. But, Domingo and Atl end up unexpectedly in each others lives. As they get to know one another, the corpses start to pile up as the cops and crime bosses start to close in. Can Atl and Domingo make it out alive?

I was obsessed with Mexican Gothic when it first released and gave it 5 stars. However, it was not until I finished Mexican Gothic that I learned I read Gods of Jade and Shadow, which I was not a fan of it, but I thought it was just a dud and that Silvia's books are probably for me. Yet, I read Velvet was the Night and the Daughter of Doctor Moreau and was not a fan of them either.


I noticed a pattern with this book and the other three books I did not enjoy is that I struggle getting into them and stay disengaged with the stories. I find that I struggle to connect with the characters and the plot is pretty basic and I find it lacking.

I do enjoy how Silvia is able to weave love into her books and this one too since I was once upon a time obsessed with vampires. The world was interesting at times though.

I just find this to be okay and not extremely remarkable most of the time.

I did enjoy this book more than the other three books I did not enjoy since there were small enjoyable moments.

I really enjoy Silvia Moreno-Garcia's novels. She just has a way with words and this one was no exception!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I have picked this book up so many times to try to read it, so I guess that's a review on its own. It just isn't catching me.

As a vampire lover I was excited for this book to come out by a favorite author. The characters and setting unfortunately fell flat for me. I rated this three stars and a decent middle of the road book. I will continue reading books by this author.

Another win for this author. This one isn't my favorite but still was very good. I honestly loved the darkness that comes out of Silvia Moreno-Garcia. THe characters and setting always rope in, whether it's fantasy, horror, romance I'm always intrigued. I don't often enjoy slower paced authors but I always find myself unable to stop reading once I'm in. THis one in particular was a lovely dark delicoius snack for my horror and dark fantasy loving heart.

This was an interesting book with an interesting hook and a quirky main character, but I still couldn't find myself hooked. It was strange that I couldn't because the action started almost immediately. I will say, though, that I really like Garcia's writing style. It keeps you on edge, like you always have this feeling that something is around the corner. Her writing is heavy and loaded and even though I didn't love this particular story that well, I still really like Garcia as a writer.

This book is described as pulse-pounding neo-noir that reimagines vampire lore and I am here for it. I enjoyed every bit of it.

The setting is Mexico City. Vampires have been discovered as actual living beings versus just a myth or whispered gossip. What I love most about how Moreno-Garcia wrote this is how she created different clans of vampires. They differ in their abilities, old school versus new school, and in their viewpoints of humans. They are layered and complicated, not just one dimensional blood suckers.

Domingo ran away from an abusive home when he was a young teen. He has learned the way of the streets and is just trying to survive. Then he meets Atl and his whole life changes.

Atl is a vampire in a city that strictly bans vampires. She is facing her own traumas and is running from a different group of vampires that want her dead.

I read this book when it first came out and liked it so much I had to read it again. Many thanks to NightFire for bringing this back - makes it even easier to recommend to 12th graders who I know will love it.

silvia moreno garcia just knows how to do it! a banger yet again! this is my first book of hers after reading mexican gothic and loving it so i'm so glad that i can get into the vibe in a different genre

I have read other novels by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and each one is so distinctly different. Certain Dark Things is about vampires, but not sparkly ones. These vampires are violent and selfish. They also are at war with each other. There are different kinds of vampires (too many for me to mention here) and they are fighting for territory. This novel takes place in Mexico, and follows Domingo, a human, who gets entangled with Atl, a vampire. She is trying to escape from another family of vampires and wants to get out of Mexico. Domingo, a homeless young man, has romanticized vampires, and is more than willing to help her.

Domingo frustrated me at times, because he is so naive, even though he lives on the streets. It seems like vampires have been known to humankind for quite some time, but he doesn’t know the truth about them. All he knows is the fiction he sees in comic books and movies.

I didn’t like many of the characters, to be honest. I liked Atl’s dog, but that is about it. However, I don’t think the reader is meant to like the characters. This book is gritty, and there are no heroes in it. While this is not my favorite of her books, I will continue to read from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. She is a talented author who never fails to surprise me.

I’ve not read a lot of vampire books and honestly I’m always a little worried they might be cheesy, so I stay away. After reading and loving Mexican Gothic I’ve been wanting to pick up something else from Moreno-Garcia and this felt like the perfect next step.

I was blown away by all of the vampire lore and culture that is contained within this story. I loved the multiple clans and different types of vampires. Add in two vastly different main characters who are forced to work with each other and this story has everything I need to be intrigued.

While the story is largely unfolded through Domingo and Atl’s perspectives, Moreno-Garcia treats the reader to a few secondary character perspectives sprinkled throughout. Pair all of these excellent aspects with a pace that keeps the tension high and the guesswork of what will come next flowing and you’ve got a book you won’t want to put down with Certain Dark Things.

A solid well-written book that just wasn’t for me. Fascinating take on vampires, though, and I loved the appendices with further information on the different subspecies that weren’t discussed in the plot.

I wanted so badly to love this one, but unfortunately I just didn't. Which is a darn shame, because that cover is flippin' GORGEOUS! I tried to get into the story, but it fell very flat for me. The writing is quite dull and nothing sparked my interest. And the premise absolutely should have been interesting to me. I also didn't care about any of the characters, I found them to be very one dimensional. At least the Aztec culture was really cool.

3.5 Stars
I unique take on vampires heavily intertwined with Aztec folklore. An interesting read but sometimes hard to follow. I found while I enjoyed the characters, I struggled with the actual storyline. The story felt very slowly paced, and took quite a while to get to the "meat". of the story.

I gave this a four out of five stars. I really enjoyed this and I plan to read more by this author. I recommend if you enjoy vampire reads and gothic literature.

Oh my god?!! This ending was!!

Ugh, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is genuinely becoming one of my all time favorite authors! I did have some trouble getting into the book, which I’m finding is the norm for Moreno-Garcia’s works but when I get drawn in, I never want to leave.

If you are able to listen to the audiobook, I would highly recommend it as the narrator is absolutely perfect

4.5**