This is the third book by Silvia Moreno-Garcia I've read, and the more I read, the more she becomes an author I need to read! The layers of her stories leave them lingering in my brain long after I close the book. Certain Dark Things had some of my favorite elements: noir sensibilities, city as character, star-crossed lovers, and monsters as heroes.

The monsters in Certain Dark Things are vampires, but the word "vampires" is about the only thing recognizable in these creatures. I particularly liked the comparison of what people associate with vampires (the lore) with the reality of the ten species. Having Domingo being a bit of a Dracula 'fan' was fun because we could live vicariously through him as he questions all the differences. Our main protagonist, Atl, is an Aztec species of vampire that has more in common with birds than bats. The depiction of her vampiric feeding is one of the creepiest I've read! She's young and a bit privileged, but war between clans has left her alone and on the run with only her protective dog. She reluctantly turns to rag and bone man Domingo for help.

Although their worlds couldn't be farther apart, their partnership is such perfection! I would love to have more of their story! There's a lot more in this world to explore, from the genetically modified pets to the Deep Crimson organization, so let's hope this isn't the last story we have set in this dark world!

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan - Tor/Forge for this book!
#CertainDarkThings #NetGalley

Excellent take on the vampire legends bringing in ancient Aztec mythology. This reads like a thriller and kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next. The characters are so well developed and I really cared to see what happened to them.

I was so excited to read this book after the wonder that was Moreno-Garcia's "Mexican Gothic," and it did not disappoint. This gritty, neo-noir is set in a vivid and richly described Mexico City, and follows an Aztec vampire named Atl, and a sweet, innocent garbage-picker named Domingo. The story follows multiple POVs during vampire clan violence––violence which kills both her mother and sister––and leaves Atl alone and vulnerable against a maniacal vampire named Nick Godoy. The level of detail in this novel is dazzling: the richly described history of the Aztecs and vampire lore is to die for (no pun intended); and the characters endearing and captivating––even the evil ones. It was such a breath of fresh air––a new and interesting take on vampires that has me excited about them again.

Moreno-Garcia once again spins a unique tale of horror, fictional history and culture and the most terrifying vampire story to date.

Thank you for the ARC

Domingo is the star of this novel—a homeless teen surviving in an alternate Mexico City besieged by vampires. While the inclusion of vampires from Aztec and other religions/cultures was fresh, I wish it had done a little more with the concept. Even so, I’m not quite sure the story was interested in doing that. The moment’s where it shines the most are when we walk in the shoes of the very real people living in this city, such as Domingo and Ana, who are presented thoroughly as products of their world. Moreno-Garcia ties characterization into her world building here in a really neat way. The narratives surrounding Domingo and Atl’s felt unnecessary at times, and habitually fell into cliche—especially the chapters dedicated to the vampire mob. I can't say if this is more of a critique of Certain Dark Things or the genres it pulls from. Still, a strong voice and vibrant world made this a very enjoyable read with some succinct horrors.
Thanks to Nightfire and Netgalley for the copy!

This book was so different from any other vampire book and I think Mexico City was the perfect setting for it. I’m so impressed at how Silvia Moreno-Garcia can write all these different genres and capture my attention. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is freaking fantastic at creating moods and I cannot wait to read everything she ever publishes.

As an educator, one thing I'll say about all horror is that I hesitate to teach it because I don't want my students to be overly scared! With a book like this one, then, I'd be careful to offer as many warnings about content (e.g., Aztec blood drinkers!) and to even let students vote on this versus a different text just to make sure. I think I'd be less concerned, though, about something like Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other books such as Mexican Gothic (which is so excellent and is actually in development as a series on Hulu!) or Gods of Jade and Shadow. As far as my personal enjoyment, it should be obvious, by the way, that I'm a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's work and enjoyed this one immensely!

Like Sylvia Moreno-Garcia's previous novels, Certain Dark Things explores a literary tradition through the lens of Mexican culture, tradition and mythology. One of the aspects of Moreno-Garcia's writing that engages the reader is the assumption that the reader knows something about Mexican culture, geography, history and more. Instead of pausing her narrative to define terms for non-Hispanic readers, the story drives forward and the reader can choose to pause to investigate the meaning of words like "vencinodad" or not. Whether the reader picks up on the hints to define these terms, or knows something about Mexican culture or the Spanish language, these examples do not detract from the storytelling. Moreno-Garcia introduces readers in this novel to Mayan vampires, and offers an alternate history, in which European and other vampires have been known to society since the 1970s. Atl's thirst for revenge and her relationship with her human companion drive the story, which is alternately brutal and sweet. For readers familiar with Moreno-Garcia, Certain Dark Things is another adventure through a story model as seen through another's cultural viewpoint. For those who have not read Mexican Gothic or Gods of Jade and Shadow, for example, it is an entertaining and worthily crafted introduction to what the author does best.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley/ the publisher. I guess it was released earlier but it is now being ~republished.
If you are looking for a vampire story which isn’t quite like what you’ve read before I would say this is a solid pick.
The good points,
The story is very unique focusing on a vampire and a young garbage collector in Mexico City. There is a lot of background built through the book about different species of vampires and vampire history.
I do think the characters are well written, my opinions on them changed as I read the book. One thing I’ve noticed about the author is I do think she excels at writing compelling characters.
I am also extremely satisfied about the ending of the book.
This book does progress at a slower pace so I think it’s good to take some time reading it and just dive into the chapters as they come. (:
Overall I would bump this up to a 3.5 star rating but I’m working with what I have here

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3799561498

The author is clearly an expert at building a whole environment beautifully and so effectively that readers will fall in love with it. It is perfect for those who enjoy world building and are fine with reading a book on vampires. But it is a different take on vampires so worth checking it out. It was a quick read and the end felt really satisfying.

I was obsessed with this author’s other book, Gods of Jade and Shadow (haven’t gotten to Mexican Gothic yet, whoops), so when I saw she had another book in the works, I knew I needed to get my filthy gremlin hands on it immediately. So I did and I fell in love with this action-packed, addictive book.

According to the author, Certain Dark Things is a neo-noir that takes place in an alternate Mexico City. It’s gritty, dark, super bloody, and full of morally-gray characters. The writing was packed full of rich Mexican and Aztec folklore and I loved the unique take on vampire mythology that was included as well. I’ve never seen vampires done like this before - this book features ten different ‘species’ of vampire that come from the lore of ten different cultures. Along with ALL THE VAMPIRES, there are mafia-style vampire turf wars, strong and interesting female leads, and a dog who is A Very Good Boy.

This was not the vampire book I was expecting. Her wonderfully fresh take on vampires was exhilarating. She creates a unique set of vampire species, none of them falling into any particular vampire cliche. I truly enjoyed how she built on the Aztec folklore. I also loved how the whole book just radiated neo-noir.

Having adored Mexican Gothic and Gods of Jade and Shadow I was not surprised that I was once again treated to Silva’s ability to seamless paint vivid detailed environments around her characters with an efficient and ease I rarely come across. The world she creates is intricately woven in between pieces of dialogue or scattered among the inner musings of a character. It feels like the world renders around each character.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs, however there were some I enjoyed more than others. I had trouble with Domingo and Atl’s chemistry. Sometimes Domingos pining was a bit cringe worthy which could make his chapters tedious. While it was a fun read, it was not my favorite of her books I’ve read so far.

I tried to get into this book and it just didn't click for me. This is the second book by her that just didn't work for me. It's more than likely a me thing and not the story.

Well that was fun - and is at that as someone who was happy to see vampires’ influence on fiction wane for the last few years. Surprisingly, I really liked this.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a very, widely inventive author and no two of her books are even somewhat similar. This is narcos and vampires and Aztec culture. Refreshing and dark doesn’t feel like a retread of every supernatural book ever.

I will say I found the villain is a bit one-dimensional and the the cop POV to be unnecessary. This was a fun, fast and good time.

This book is set in Mexico, but in a world where vampires exist and are known to exist; however, their movements in some countries are severely restricted and there's a lot of fighting between different groups. Mexico City is a vampire-free zone, in theory...when a vampire sneaks into Mexico City to escape the vampire gang that killed her family, she meets a young man living on the streets who decides to help her.

So for some reason I thought that this was a sequel to Certain Dark Things called Nightfire. Sadly, it was not. But rather a re-release of the novel under a different publisher. It's a testament to how great this novel is that I still continued to read it for a second time even though I have previously read it about a year ago. I'm not one to reread books, especially only a year after reading. This is a great self contained Gothic ish novel, that deserves to be read by many.

Delighted that following her elevated visibility from the national enthusiasm for MEXICAN GOTHIC Silvia's vampire noir tale is getting a renewed publication and promotion!

Fantastic world-building, expanding this new trope into something both innovative and culturally relevant, the author makes vampires her own. Moreno-Garcia does for Vampires in Mexico what Ann Rice did for Vampire in New Orleans, makes them part of the socio-economic fabric. Loved this work.

This book was an excellent addition to the vampire genre, unique and bold and creepy, avoiding all vampire cliches and making the story completely her own, and dominating every second. Wonderful.

Certain Dark Things is a noir vampire story set in Mexico City. Atl is being pursued by a riva narco-vampire clan and needs to escape the city. Domingo is a homeless kid who collects garbage to sell to try and survive. When the two meet, Domingo is thrust into a world he doesn’t understand.

This story started off with so much promise for me, but halfway through I found myself losing interest. It’s only 272 pages, but in that time, I found myself getting distracted frequently. I wish that the action happened a lot sooner than it did.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.