There is a lot of fear and heartbreak in this story. Some of it was unsettling but the story was pretty well done. I enjoyed this book, and felt it was eye opening and full of emotions.

This ARC was courtesy of netgalley - all thoughts and opinions are mine and unbiased

This was an intense hard read. I found it haunting - both in the beautiful way it was written and the story and characters. This will stay with me for some time

It has made me realise that although I know a little about the Venezuelan situation - I don't know enough - it has also left me wondering why the media have not picked up on this and given it the wider audience it surely deserves

The predicament of the characters chilled me to the bone - although it is fiction - I've no doubt that this is something that Venezuelans are experiencing in real life.

Powerful, upsetting, beautifully illustrated in the language of the author

I cannot rate this highly enough

This is an interesting story about Adelaida and her struggle to survive after the death of her mother. Set in Caracas, Venezuela, there could not be a more depressing setting. Once the shining jewel of South America, the death of democracy and a well run government is now in free fall.
This story is the tale of what one must do to survive.
A compelling tale at times a bit jumpy but still worth the read.
Thanks to Netgalley for the eArc for review purposes.

"It Would be Night in Caracas" by Karina Sainz Borgo is the story of Adelaida Falcon and her life in an unstable and dangerous Venezuela. After burying her mother and finding her apartment overtaken by revolutionaries, Adelaida must take desperate measures to survive in a city of violence and fear.

I was a bit disappointed by this book. Perhaps there was something lost in translation. I think it started off well, but the majority of the plot just seemed underdeveloped and some of it dragged. Though the author depicted many of the horrible realities in Venezuela, the characters and events didn't ever really seem to come alive to me.

As always, many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the privilege of reading an advanced digital copy of this book.

'Death happens quickly when the world insists on turning.'

The story is set in Caracas, Venezuela. Adelaida Falcon, whose mother has just died from cancer, journeys through the hell; the hell which surrounds her, feasting upon the lives of protestors and innocents by the Sons of Revolution in Caracas. Hunger, Fear, Hatred, Gun, Bombs, Tear Gas and Death resides over the nation and Adelaida, starts to lose everything to this. The book is centred on her journey among these cruelties while keeping in mind the sacrifices her mother made, the losses she has faced and most importantly, her survival.

This book is melancholic and frightening knowing how the world works on the other side since some real instances are taken into the account and created into its own piece by the author. I am in loss for words. I loved the book. It gave me chills. I cried with this book. I cried for Adelaida. I cried for Santiago. I cried for Aurora. I cried for the sufferers. I mourned for the dead. I got scared for the living of Caracas. I mourned with the families who suffered losses and I cried for the children being shot at. This book turned out to be a need, I denied. I needed to read every sentence of pain and angst blooming among the people. Our brothers and sisters.

This book changed my thinking and shed light on some aspects I always denied. Katrina has created a literary phenomenon with this poignant tale which ends with hope. I loved how the ending resonated 'The Sun will come out tomorrow'. This book is a different and difficult read but it is all worth it!

Grieving over the recent loss of her mother, Adelaida struggles to persevere amid revolution in Venezuela. While alone and desperate, she is forced to make a harrowing decision in order to ensure her own safety.

In my opinion, this story can best be described as monotonous. The blurb misled me to believe it would be a penetrating page turner, but the story itself was underdeveloped. It said there would be twists and turns, but I couldn’t find them. Yes, there was looting and raids. Yes, it was during the revolution…but what about the story? The only thing intriguing in the novel was the setting itself and what it entailed: Venezuela during hyperinflation with the revolutionaries controlling imperative economical aspects. The main character relies on this setting for intrigue. But everything she did was droning and predictable; it was the impact around her that provoked any sense of substance. However, even that began to become repetitious and anticipated. The same thing seemed to happen again and again.

This was a missed opportunity for a great story to grow and flourish. The background was all there, but the story wasn't.

I also wanted to note the organization of this book. The flashbacks of the main character occur sporadically without pattern. It was very difficult to get used to at the beginning because there was no page break, tense change, notation of time, or anything to indicate that a flashback was occurring. At moments it made it difficult to read the story fluently. Then, the story starts to use page breaks 30% in, and I was relieved but only momentarily because it quickly stopped and reverted to sporadic flashback disruptions. Some of the flashbacks told memories that were not relevant. The flashbacks were my least favorite part of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins, and Karina Sainz Borgo for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC. This book sat with me and took me some time to collect my thoughts on it. Set in a Venezuela marred in chaos, this book depicts a young woman trying to survive. She is alone and starving. The author is a journalist and you can tell by her prose. I'll be interested to read more books from her.

Initially, this book felt chaotic, but I realized not too far in that the chaos was an essential part of the story. Life in Venezuela as depicted here is unpredictable, capricious, and dangerous. The narrative does take shape clearly as the novel progresses, the structure loses its chaos—though chaos in Venezuela continues.

Reading this book left me aware of how little I know, even though I am someone who pays attention to the world and events around me. The narrator, who is an "ordinary" woman in so many ways rises to the challenges she faces. She's not heroic, but she solves problems I would find impossible.

A wonderful book, highly recommended. Set in Caracas, Venezuela, a woman tries to survive as the city descends into chaos. She has just buried her mother and is truly alone. When she goes out to try to find a neighbor, she returns to find that a group of female thugs have taken over her apartment. Crime, hunger, and violence are everywhere.

A gripping, riveting read. I couldn't put it down. It's an important book to read as well. I really didn't understand the level of crime and violence in Latin America until I read this book.

It Would Be Night in Caracas by Karina Sainz Borgo

I had to keep telling myself that this story of present day Caracas was fiction. It just seemed so real. It is a horrifying tale if actually real, yet it is oh-so-happily not. Or is it?

Sainz Borgo tells of a young girl, Adelaida Falcón, who finds herself in a very dangerous and different Venezuela than the one she loved as a child. She is totally alone, hungry, broke and seeking a way to stay safe while chaos claims every waking moment.There are random shootings, fires, death and destruction everywhere.

There are no supplies, including food and medicine. Everyone is on the take, corrupt, dishonest and ready to kill you for your wallet, as empty as it may be. Adelaida needs a way out.

Follow this gripping tale to see how our protagonist fares. Sainz Borgo has written a fantastic story which will keep you wide-eyed in fear for Adelaida; one which is so fabulously written you will want her next story ASAP!

First novel by the Venezuelan journalist Karina Sainz Borgo about the loss of the mother and the country, which are more similar than we think. A book about the loss of identity and the desperate struggle for survival. To mitigate the harshness of the events that narrates the current Caracas, about looting and murders, his memories of childhood in the village of his aunts are very necessary. I have missed a little more depth in some reflections on the regime.

A vivid evocation of a living nightmare, It Would Be Night in Caracas reads like dystopian fiction, but it's actually a fictional account of recent life in Venezuela. Despite the grimness of the subject, it's a fast read, tight and concise. I'd have liked to have known which year it took place and translations for the Spanish-language songs, but that's probably just me, and in a way not having those specifics adds to feeling of being disoriented in a world with few, if any, rules.

I started this and could not put it down. Borgo's descriptions, tight prose and lyricism built toward an explosive ending in this timely book about the economic collape in Venezuela. She questions place, belonging and indentity, all while narrating a nailbiting thriller.

This novel is sensational. The prose are so beautiful and painful at the same time, and the sense of intimacy of dread that is modern Caracas is palpable. Wrenching and provocative, I can’t wait to share this book and talk it up. The best art comes from oppression, and that is so true here. This author is a gem!