CERTAIN DARK THINGS | Silvia Moreno-Garcia
09.07.2021 | Tor Nightfire
Rating: 4/5 stars
Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized. Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn’t include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.
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.
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