The setting and aesthetic of this entire book was exactly everything I love and more. Set in a city I love, Mexico City, and with a topic I adore, vampiric mythos, Silvia Moreno-Garcia puts a neo-noir spin on some common vampire story tropes in a highly original way. I found the conflicts between the various factions compelling, I really liked the dog companion, and I really appreciated each of the characters and their depth, motivations, and relation to one another. A full review will be released closer to publication, but in the meantime a huge thank you to Macmillan- Tor/Forge and Netgalley for a free copy of this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

While I definitely enjoyed this book, it felt a little rushed ... almost like the story wasn’t finished.

The characters were fine but I felt no real connection to any.

This book is badass, just read the synopsis and that is all you need. Legitimately, I have been starved for Latinx/Indigenous fantasy- but the Mexican goth in me was thrilled, nay, ecstatic to have a vampire story too. All the stars.

Oh how I love a good vampire novel and this one is just great! Previously published in 2017, a new cover will be released for this novel in September.
What a fun, interesting and NEW take on vampires. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of the best authors I have ever read. It's amazing how none of her novels can be compared to the others.

I was really excited to receive an advanced reader’s copy of Certain Dark Things from Netgalley because I LOVED Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s book, Mexican Gothic. Certain Dark Things was originally released in 2016 and is being rereleased this year. Certain Dark Things is a vampire novel set in Mexico City. Vampire themes in novels are sometimes met with trepidation, preferring original treatment like Grady Hendrix’s A Southern Bookclub's Guide to Slaying Vampires. However, after how brilliant Mexican Gothic was, I knew the depiction of vampires by Moreno-Garcia would be acceptable. Having a crime novel plot line definitely made for an enticing read.
The cultural backdrop of having vampires dwelling in Mexico City uplifts the realities of the third world, uplifting the gritty reality of the poverty and oppression that can take place in Mexico City. In trying to expand to more diverse voices in literature, this definitely provides the point of view of the characters who are situated in Mexico. Then this is coupled with the brilliant world building of vampire life, incorporating things like scientific terminology for vampires (homo cruentas) and policies regarding the presence of vampires. Don’t worry if you can not remember all of the terminology that is utilized in the story-- there is a glossary in the back of the book. Moreno has a way of playing with words that really are hilarious at times and then at other times states things that are really thought provoking. On top of that, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is also a master of suspense. Certain Dark Things is a brilliant book that should not be missed! If it were not for the success of Mexican Gothic, this book would not be rereleased and would be a gem that lovers of crime and horror fiction would have overlooked completely.

I received a copy of this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

After recently reading Gods of Jade and Shadow and Mexican Gothic, I was ECSTATIC to receive the notification that my request for an ARC of Certain Dark Things was approved. I hadn't realized when I made the request that it was a reprint of an earlier work, and while the book is fantastic it definitely doesn't have the more refined writing style you see in Moreno-Garcia's more recent work. The world building is the highlight of the novel - everything from the unique vampire mythos to the detailed description of a neo-noir Mexico City brings it to life. I was sad to put this book down in the end, because I wanted to dive further into its world.

Thank you to Netgalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge Books, and the author for an ARC in exchange for an honest review of the book.

What an interesting writer! This is my second Moreno-Garcia book. This one, a re-print from a few years ago, offers an entry into an alternate world where vampires exist; this is a fantastic contribution to the genre. Moreno-Garcia has noted that when she wrote this, the world was more eager for another vampire story--and she's right. However, I also think that being released to a wider public now might garner more attention since we're between "vampire cycles" in lit (this happens--the desire for vampire tales ebbs and flows, but never disappears). This vampire tale includes mythology, vampire lore, history, and a hint of fairy tales that, together, create a rich and vibrant world.

At any rate, I'm loving this author's re-telling of Gothic tales and monstrosities. Like some other young(ish) women writers who are re-visioning fairy tales, ghost stories, and monster tales (Carmen Maria Machado, Helen Oyeyemi, Julia Elliott, Karen Russell, Ottessa Moshfeg), I'd put Moreno-Garcia up there as a "must-read." I would love to teach a class that focuses on the work of these women!

Since the 1970s, a worldwide crackdown on the creatures known collectively as vampires had forced many to relocate. Mexico and a few other countries proved attractive destinations, entry easily bought at the border. Soon, tight-knit clans of as many as ten vampire species were vying for territory and power throughout the country, forming and breaking alliances more or less according to traditional codes of honor.
In the north, Atl is Tlahuihpochtli. Native to Mexico, these ezzohqueh (an Aztec term for the “bloodthirsty ones”) are descended from a high caste of priests and priestesses. She is the youngest member of a powerful and wealthy clan and enjoys the leisurely lifestyle of a rich party girl. The Godoys are a family of Necros, the east European variety most often portrayed in the media, and equally wealthy. When rivalry with the Godoy family turns disastrous, Atl is forced to run, seeking help from an old family “friend” in Mexico City. Bernardino is a Revenant whose method of rejuvenation is to suck the life-force from their victims. For centuries, he has hidden away in an ancient corner of the city and, though he has no knowledge of Atl, he is her best chance for survival.
Technically, there are no vampires in Mexico City. The local gangs “ . . . usually unwilling to cooperate, had come together against the single enemy that mattered to them: the bloodsuckers.” So, when Nick Godoy feeds on and kills a young woman outside a nightclub, it captures the attention of both Police and the gangs. Nick had accompanied Rodrigo when his father sent his “renfield” to track down and kill Atl. Like Atl, Nick is used to a comfortable lifestyle, and the tasteless bags of blood his father’s human servant provides merely stoke his hunger, and his anger at being forced to hide while in the city. The killing and the attention it receives puts added pressure on Rodrigo, whose preference would have been to leave Nick at home in the first place.
On the run from the Godoys and in hiding from local Police, Atl befriends Domingo, a street kid with a lifelong
fascination with vampires. Through his connections and knowledge of the city, she begins to see a way through. Together, they navigate the city and as plans form, fail, and form again, Atl begins to accept that the very nature of their friendship is at odds with her very nature and that hers is not the only life at stake.
This is a welcome and multilayered addition to vampire lore. Elements of crime, horror, family drama and a touch of historical epic and romance are skillfully blended in a highly satisfying read.
#CertainDarkThings #NetGalley

Certain Dark Things takes different vampire mythologies from many different culture to create a fascinating world in this neo-noir horror novel. Atl comes from a line of bird-women blood drinkers with origins in the Aztec Empire. When another vampire clan kills her family, she runs to Mexico City, a place where vampires are not welcome. Atl allies herself with Domingo, a garbage collector whose loyalty makes Atl think twice about killing him. With the enemy vampire clan, cops, and an anti-vampire group all after her, Atl and Domingo race to get out of the city alive. Silvia-Moreno’s story delivers complicated characters, a refreshing mythology, cinematic writing, and a setting that comes alive on the page.

Truly what can Moreno-Garcia not write? Because I despise the vampire stuff with a burning passion but this was WONDERFUL. It was thrilling and dark and totally out of my comfort zone but I loved it.

The historical aspects that were incorporated were fascinating to learn about and is encouragement to learn more about Indigenous culture from Mexico and Central America.

The writing itself does start off a little bit slow but it picks up very fast and is incredibly engrossing. I just could not put it down after about 15% of the way in.

This was such an interesting concept and premise, and a great execution.

I had very high hopes for this one, given I am a Silvia Moreno-Garcia fan, but this blew me away!

Set in Mexico City, this follows Domingo as he is introduced to a goddess-like being who enters his life and changes it forever. It is full of mystery, intrigue, and dynamic character relationships.

Silvia has such a way of creating such a rich and realized setting with her books, and Certain Dark Things was no exception. Mexico City felt real and fleshed out, full of dark corners things that go bump when the lights go out.

If you like the idea of vampires but are tired of the white-washing, pick this up. You won't be disappointed.

Moreno-Garcia continues to prove herself as a versatile author! If “Mexican Gothic” is haunting and eerie, “Certain Dark Things” is gritty and fast-paced. Moreno-Garcia uses the word “Neon-Noir” and that really does encapsulate the feel of this book.

Certain Dark Things is set in an alternate timeline wherein the existence of vampires becomes common knowledge in the 1970s. Now we have a walled-off Mexico City, one of the last “vampire free zones” in Mexico. This alternate Mexico has vampire narcos pitted against each other, the Mexico City police force, and the original human narcos. The reader follows Domingo, a street kid, and Atl, an Aztec version of the vampire, as they dodge the Mexico City police and evade a rival vampire syndicate.

There’s something quick going on in every chapter with blood and murder throughout. In addition to the noir aspect, there is mild exploration of socioeconomic class and colonialism. Moreno-Garcia also incorporates Aztec folklore and vampire mythology from other countries in an interesting and engaging way.

I love a morally grey character and our protagonist Atl is, in my opinion, a well done one. While I do think that Domingo could have been fleshed out more as a character it does not detract from my overall enjoyment of the book.

This is a fun ride and I would absolutely recommend to those who think they could enjoy a well done vampire story but with a new twist. I absolutely get why Tor Nightfire is reissuing this book and I’m looking forward to it’s new life!

CW: blood and gore

Instagram review to be posted by April 30, 2021 and can be found at www.instagram.com/unofficialbookstagram

This noir novel with vampires was quite the unique read. On the run in Mexico City after a vampire clan feud, Atl meets street kid Domingo and the two strike up a tense and cautious companionship. Atl's goal is to make it out to Guatemala, but Nick, the reckless son of the rival clan, the authorities, and Deep Crimson, a human organized crime group are all standing in her way. Although Atl is a young vampire, she is the hard-boiled, focused loner that gets distracted by the young, "pretty" and relatively innocent young man who by all rights should be just a servant ir a food source for her kind.

Moreno-Garcia's world-building is fantastic, and the back matter that further discusses the vampire types was fascinating. I could definitely see this book as a film--think Bladerunner style.

A stunning cover with a one-of-a-kind vampire story. It was thrilling, and I expected nothing less from the author I first discovered through Mexican Gothic.

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia! This book was such a unique vampire story. I really enjoyed it!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan- Tor/Forge for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Domingo is a homeless young adult in Mexico city who makes a living picking through garbage for scraps to sell. He survives by blending in with his surroundings and not drawing attention to himself in order to avoid the attention of the police and the health officials looking for people who have contracted a dangerous disease. However, that all changes for him when he follows a beautiful woman with a modified dog onto the subway, and she not only notices him, but asks him to follow her back to her apartment for a potential job.

Domingo accepts her offer, wondering if she does indeed mean to pay him for a job or something more nefarious. When they arrive at her apartment, she reveals that her name is Atl, and that she is actually a vampire. Vampires have been banned from Mexico City, so she needs someone to help her navigate the city and its ways, and to feed on. Domingo is obsessed with vampires, so rather than be afraid, he accepts her offer.

What Atl is not telling Domingo is that she is on the run from a rival vampire clan who slaughtered her entire people and are now coming for her. The head of the clan’s son, Nick, is interested in capturing Atl because she snubbed his advances prior to his clan’s violent attack and then escaped capture and killed one of his guards. He wants to make her suffer. Rodrigo, the clan’s number one human servant, is there to make sure the job gets done and keep Nick in line. But Nick is reckless, arrogant, and violent, which brings Atl’s attention to their presence in the city and the public’s attention to the illegal presence of the vampires.

Ana is a cop known for her string of vampire killings, but she is faced with police corruption and bureaucracy in Mexico City; all she wants is for her and her daughter to get out. She is lead on one of Nick’s murder victims but gets nowhere due to lack of help from her department. When the gang Deep Crimson asks her for help to get rid of the vampires in exchange for a large financial compensation, she reluctantly accepts.

What ensues is a chaotic clash of clans, gangs, and cops in Silvia Moreno-Garcia's rejuvenation of an old monster. Filled with action and questions of loyalty over instinct, this book will grab the reader by the throat.

While it is an action packed story, it is dark in a lot of ways. A lot of the time things feel hopeless, most of the characters such as Ana and Atl feel trapped, and the story takes place in a lot of run down locations as night, which all add up to the setup of the story being dark in literal and emotional ways. Moreno-Garcia is a powerful writer who sucks you into a story, and because of the setting of this story, I would sometimes end my reading with a feeling of despondency. I believe this is the mark of an excellent writer who doesn’t just make the reader enjoy the story; they make them feel it.

I understand there was vampire fatigue when this novel was initially published and that’s a shame because Certain Dark Things resuscitates a very dead genre into something exciting and innovative. I love vampires, but I am highly selective when it comes to watching or reading about them.

First of all, I simply loved the fact that there were subspecies of vampires stemming from various cultures and mythologies in this novel.

The protagonist Atl is a vampire that’s descendent of the Aztec goddesses, meaning she’s a vampire that laso has bird-like wings and feeds with a stinger rather than fangs. What I loved about the novel is that although the vampire and human friend, Domingo have feelings for one another, the author never forgets what would truly happen between a vampire and human.

My fave character was a revenant called Bernardino that gives Domingo the best advice ever when it comes to dealing with vampires, “We are our hunger.” Meaning that vampires will kill you even if they love you because their hunger is stronger than their love.

This isn’t your typical vampire story, this book is packed with violence, loyalty, and what it means to truly love someone.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE WHO LOVES THE UNDEAD AND WHO WANTS A VAMPIRE STORY THAT ISN’T THE SAME OLD REHASHED A THOUSAND TIMES.

**Thanks to the publisher for providing my eARC through NetGalley**

I really enjoyed this take on Vampires. Moreno-Garcia's vampiric universe is diverse and rich in culture. In this world, there are different subspecies of vampire, all originating in different parts of the world and all having unique vampire powers.

The specific story that we follow is both brutal and beautiful. You end up caring about the characters; none of them feel flat or one-dimensional. Set in Mexico City, the city itself becomes a character as you learn its places and people.

If you're looking for a great story that opens up the vampire genre to endless possibilities, I suggest giving this one a try.

A crime noir steeped in cultural history and vampire folklore, Certain Dark Things has unequivocally become one of my all-time favorite vampire novels. The vampires in this novel are drastically different from the ones we’re used to seeing in popular culture, drawing inspiration instead from the myths and legends of cultures around the world. These wildly different mythological figures come together and clash, creating a canonical universe where all exist.

Nothing about the plot or characters feels like it isn’t grounded in reality, the history of upheaval and the colonization of Mexico of centuries past is woven so naturally into the narrative. I loved the way that the novel subverts humanity’s increasing romanticization of vampires as sympathetic misanthropes that aren’t too different from people. This naivete is encapsulated so perfectly by Domingo, a poor street kid dazzled by the vampires of film and comic books. We forget that vampires are the embodiment of death.

Intensely readable and perfectly placed, from the steady beginning to the pure adrenaline rush denouement; I am so thankful that this book is being republished, and because of that it landed on my radar and I took a chance to read something different. I immediately wanted to reread it as soon as I finished, it is truly a hidden gem among the vast sea of vampire media.