Silvia Moreno-Garcia has crafted an engrossing page turner of a read in Untamed Shore. Well worth the read!

A Mexican thriller set in the late 70s by the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow—did someone hear me quietly praying to my Kindle at night?? I read Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s historical fantasy set around an ancient Mayan god of death a little less than a year ago and have been hoping for more from her ever since. With Untamed Shore coming out February 11th and the absolutely seductive-sounding Mexican Gothic arriving in June this year, I’m beginning to wonder if Moreno-Garcia herself has made a deal with an ancient spirit to keep churning out these utterly unique and appealing projects, one after the other.

The book itself was a little slow to start, with not much happening until about a third of the way in, and even after that there wasn’t a lot of action til the very end. But that ending, my god, it’s satisfying. I probably wouldn’t really classify it as a thriller, either, but more of a domestic suspense. That’s not really my favorite sub-genre, but I still plodded through because I really loved the setting.

Viridiana lives in the small town of Desengaño in the state of Baja California, Mexico. The major industry of her quiet beach town is fishing, with many still catching and killing sharks, despite the overall drop in profitability. The entire village is in a plateaued decline with tourism all but dried up, so when three Americans arrive carrying with them the allure of a world outside of what Viridiana can even imagine, she gets swept up in their plots, in hopes it will help her carve out a new life for herself far away.

Some of the characterization is a bit heavy-handed, especially the dialogue. There’s also very little mystery surrounding the events of the novel, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still be on edge. I liked Gods of Jade and Shadow more than this and am desperately awaiting Mexican Gothic, but all in all this was a solid performer by Moreno-Garcia.

This is my second Moreno-Garcia novel, and I really enjoyed it. I love that she tries something new with every book she writes. This story is a noir set in 1970s Baja California. We follow our protagonist, Viridiana, who is 18 and feeling stifled by the village that expects her to work in her mother's store, get married, and have children. She longs to escape, and earns money working as a translator and giving tours to rich tourists. When she is offered a job working as an assistant for three tourists - a rich man, his wife, and her brother, it seems like a great gig and a way to escape the drudgery of her life. However, things quickly go off the rails.

This story wasn't a typical thriller, though a lot of those aspects are there. It was a slow burn, taking its time to build up to the plot twists. But once you get there, the pay off is worth it.

This was definitely a very character driven novel. I really liked the character of Viridiana. She seems to be a bit naive at the beginning of the story, losing herself to daydreams of old movies and the fantasy of a life in a big city, away from the village that is trying to tie her down. Over the course of the story, she is pushed into terrible situations and she finds out who she really is and what she is capable of. I really enjoyed seeing her self-discovery. She is also a bit of an unreliable narrator, as we're only getting the story from her perspective and there is a lot happening that she doesn't fully understand. But I found all of the characters to be well-crafted and believable.

The atmosphere was fantastic, and the way she wove the shark hunters/fishers and shark imagery and symbolism into the story was so well done. I really felt like I was there in the thick of it. The ending was very satisfying as well. It left me sitting there, thinking about life, and wondering what choices I might have made in Viridiana's position.

I loved this book so much, and not just because Silvia Moreno-Garcia has become a favorite author.

The story unfolds slowly, allowing you to get to know the characters. Viridiana, a young woman just out of school looking for an escape; Ambrose, an older man visiting Baja California who intends to write a book; Daisy, the beautiful and mercurial wife of Ambrose; and Gregory, Daisy's brother who's in his late 20s and is a bit of a moocher. These are the main characters for the first half of the story. you get to learn about their lives and their quirks, and maybe a little inkling that things may not be what they seem. When you reach the second half, one of them is dead. 

Viridiana starts off a little naive, not sure what she wants, but very sure of what she doesn't want. When she takes a job as an assistant to Ambrose, her life changes as she is drawn into a net of petty jealousies, lies, and maybe even murder. Her character arc is fascinating and beautifully done.

Moreno-Garcia's writing makes you feel like you are watching a movie, like you can see the shores of Baja California and smell the salty sea air. The story is set in a small seaside town in Mexico in the 1970s. The town is a little isolated, with one cop, one doctor/pharmacist, a shop, a hotel, and the one guy who always has random things to sell. Of course, there are also the fishermen, catching sharks to make even a small sum of money. It's also so cool how she weaves in the sharks and shark metaphors. Her ability to capture small town life in a new, yet familiar, way is excellent. 

Untamed Shore is a slice of life crime story. I would highly recommend it.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favorite novelists — 'Gods of Jade and Shadow' was a real stand-out for me last year. I'm excited that she's turned her talent for rich settings and unforgettable characters into a gripping thriller. Loved this novel from the first! Our heroine Viridiana is the perfect encapsulation of teenage expectation and boredom, and the Baja California setting sizzles in the heat.

Even though I always pre-order Ms. Moreno-Garcia's new releases, I still eagerly grab up the ARCs so I can get to them a little earlier.

***

The setting of this story is a character of its own. The oppressive heat of Baja California, the stench of shark carcass on the beach, the too-modern design of the huge house where much of the action takes place. Yet the story is timeless, classic; the drama that unfolds during these weeks of Viridiana's life could have happened here or there, in 1820, 1920, or 2020. These kinds of villains have existed everywhere in every time.

Viridiana is not naive, necessarily -- she is eighteen and inexperienced, and wise enough to know it. After taking a routine translator job in her small town working for some wealthy and mysterious Americans, she finds herself drawn deeper into a plot of deception. As her world becomes darker and more violent, will she become the predator or the prey?

Much like the author's other works, the ending has stuck with me. I'm looking forward to someone else reading this so we can discuss what we think happened.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia never writes the same book twice, but her characters very much exist on the same continuum. Here, Viridiana is looking for an escape from her suffocating small town life in Baja California, when mystery and murder find her. She wants many of the same things as Casiopea in GODS OF JADE AND SHADOW and Antonina in THE BEAUTIFUL ONES: to be understood, appreciated and to be given room to grow into her own person. That's catnip to me. As is the slow-burn mystery of UNTAMED SHORE, which, in a first, is not fantasy but noir. It's a very different read from Moreno-Garcia, but it has all the hallmarks of her style.

4.5/5 Stars

TWs: Allusions to domestic abuse, instances of violence and graphic injury

"By now, she ought to have lost all the childish innocence she'd possessed, but it had lasted and held true until this very moment. That is what pained her the most. Not the betrayal, but her steadfast devotion to her betrayers."

This is a deeply suspenseful noir thriller that proves, once again, that Silvia Moreno-Garcia can master any genre she writes. In this case, it's Viridiana's naiveté and her desperation to break away from small town life that allows this story to keep twisting in on itself.

Viridiana's story is painfully familiar, in that she is accepted into the employ of an affluent group of Americans who expect her to forsake herself in order to be "good enough" to be associated with them. She's hired as a note-taker and personal assistant, but quickly gets shackled into doing things like running errands, cooking meals, or carrying things to and from the beach as if she were a servant. And ultimately, that's how everyone in this story sees her: meek and subserviant. She's manipulated, challenged, and short-changed at every turn.

But Viridiana doesn't fight the rising tide that is her life. She realizes that the only way to move forward is to follow the story her life is becoming, even if it's not the story she envisioned for herself. Even though she is surrounded by destructive people, she refuses to allow herself to be destroyed.

Ultimately, I think this story is about how many of us find ourselves at the mercy of those who don't respect or understand us, and how marginalized folks are expected to appeal to those same people and institutions that continually wrong us just to have a chance at survival. All of this and more is at stake in Untamed Shore, which continuously surprises and haunts the reader at every turn, and that's what kept me invested in this story.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia can do no wrong, as far as I'm concerned, and I definitely recommend this one along with any of her other incredibly unique stories.

I’m a lucky ducky because Silvia Moreno-Garcia is releasing not one but TWO books this year and I have yet to walk away an unsatisfied reader.

And before I get into my review I just want to say that most of the authors I like to read are deceased (Gloria Naylor, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison) and it is so refreshing to be able to follow the career of an upcoming author who refuses to limit herself to one genre. I hoped aboard this hype train with Signal to Noise and I’m glad to be along for the ride. Garcia has written a fantasy book where teenagers use magic through records, a fairytale-esque book that features a romance between a God of Death and a booksmart young woman and now has written a thriller wherein the bad guys lose, the good girl wins and you never really see where it’s going.

In Untamed Shore we follow Viridiana, an 18 year old with a hunger to escape the world she finds herself in. Her mother wants her married off, she’s expected to be a wife and mother and she just wants more than her current life can offer. She ends up getting a job with rich (white) Americans and from there she is unknowingly seduced into a criminal life.

What works best about this novel is that if you’re familiar with how thrillers work, you think you know how this is gonna go and because of how the novel sets up Viridiana and her desire you think you know what decisions she’ll make. Not wanting to spoil a beautiful twist, where Garcia takes this character and how she’s able to elevate the trope of a poor woman of color looking to rise above her situation is fantastic. When this character makes that big decision and it seems as though the goodwill and sympathy she’s earned might fade, the narrative turns in such a way that makes you realize, she is not them. And while she may have been dragged in to a bad situation she can adapt and make her way out.

I don’t feel completely right about the way in which Viridiana has to present herself in order to ensure that justice is both swift AND fair, but I do understand why she did what she did and I was rooting for this character to get everything she wanted and more.

This will be the newest hardcover added to my library, Untamed Shore gets ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ out of five and I CANNOT WAIT for Mexican Gothic in June.

Untamed Shore is a character driven story with a rich atmosphere. Viridiana dreams of romance, of staring in her story instead of merely staying in the same town forever. Desperate to escape the path before her, her introduction to three tourists changes her life forever. They not only offer her glamor and a chance to witness a whole new life, but also secrets, intrigue, and danger. I was extremely interested in the promises of thriller, but Untamed Shore is more of a character driven mystery.

What you might expect of a thriller is delivered late in Untamed Shore. Beforehand, there is a subtle and ominous sense of danger. Additionally, Untamed Shore is more focused on Viridiana and how she reacts to the mystery element, not one of those stories where the intrigue takes over. We are not only asked where Viridiana's loyalty lies, but also what she will do survive. The image of sharks haunts Untamed Shore, asking what Viridiana's role in her own story is.

I received an eARC of Untamed Shore from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

By this point I think we all know that I’m Silvia Moreno-Garcia trash, and I’m so pleased to say that her first thriller, and first non-speculative novel, is a novel I really enjoyed.

Set in Mexico in the late 1970s, Untamed Shore follows 18-year-old Viridiana, who longs to leave Baja California for Mexico City, where she can put her fluency in four languages to use in a job that doesn’t involve leading ungrateful tourists around her hometown or working in her mother’s shop. When three Americans arrive for the summer and Viridiana is hired as, essentially, a PA, she seizes the opportunity they bring her for excitement from the humdrum of her life, until the summer takes a dark, deceitful turn.

I love the way Moreno-Garcia writes about Mexico, and from the very first page of this novel the atmosphere feels sinister, oppressive, like something’s waiting to happen just around the corner. And when you sign up to read a thriller, you know something is going to happen. The heat seems unrelenting, and you can always count on characters in extreme weather conditions, whether they be hot or cold, to become irritable with one another. Maybe even dangerously so.

This is a thriller that takes its time, Moreno-Garcia never rushes things, and yet I read it in two days. It’s incredibly readable, but you won’t find the kind of thriller here in which a new dead body’s turning up every five minutes and the hunt is on to find the killer. This isn’t a whodunnit, we already know who, but a novel about class, consequences and learning to hold your own.

Viridiana, like all of Moreno-Garcia’s heroines, is such an interesting protagonist to follow. At times she’s a little frustrating – more than once I wanted to give her a shake and say, ‘dammit, woman, open your eyes!’ – but she’s also only 18 and, though very intelligent, isn’t particularly worldly yet, which means it’s so much easier for her to be taken advantage of. Especially by a group of Americans who can go anywhere and do anything because they’re wealthy and white.

By the end of this novel, though, I guarantee you’ll be cheering Viridiana on. There’s very little I want to say about the plot because it’s not a particularly complex one, and it doesn’t need to be, but there are little twists and turns throughout that I don’t want to ruin. Ultimately Untamed Shore reads like a coming-of-age novel in the guise of a thriller, and Viridiana’s growth from the very first page to the very last, whether for good or for bad, is so compelling. She’s ruthless when she needs to be, and I love her for it.

I worried that I might miss the elements of fantasy or sci-fi that I’m used to encountering in Moreno-Garcia’s work, but this novel has proven that I’ll read basically anything she writes – I’d probably read her shopping list, to be honest – and I’d happily read another thriller from her in future. If I wasn’t already excited for Mexican Gothic (spoiler: I was), I certainly am now!

Wow, this took me on some turns around the bend. Poor Viridiana. I can only imagine how she would feel living the story, whereas I’m only the one reading about it. This was a welcome refreshing read from my typical go to list of books. When I read the synopsis, I thought this book would give me some diversity in my reading. Never did I think I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. The story grabs you nearly from the very beginning and has you questioning all the things you expect to happen. Once something happens, a chain of five more things happen. I am interested to see if this was just the story that captivated me or whether this author would make me feel the same way reading another book by her.

I normally read, and had previously only reviewed, SF/F/H. Silvia has worked in all those genres, and impressed me every time. I wasn't going to miss this book, so I created a new Non-SF section for my site, and I am so glad I did. Untamed Shore is filled with the typical tropes of noir mysteries, but there are several surprising twists along the way, and the best of those is the main character, Viridiana. It's likely I'll never be able to think of sharks again without thinking about this book.

Have you ever read a book where you finish and you need a definite moment to catch your breath after all that’s happened? That was me reading this one. It’s a slowburning thriller, but when the twists come, they come thick and fast.

In Untamed Shore, we follow Viridiana, an 18-year-old living in the village of Desengaño, who wants nothing more than to escape it. One summer, she is hired to act as translator and assistant to three rich American tourists. But then one of them dies and Viridiana finds herself having lied to protect people she comes to find she doesn’t really know.

What first strikes you about this book is just how gorgeous and evocative Silvia Moreno Garcia’s writing is. It sounds trite to say it, but it really does feel like you’re there yourself. You can picture everything that’s happening, and it also just keeps sucking you in, making you not want to stop reading at any point. I think it’s safe to say that the writing alone could have convinced me to read all of Moreno Garcia’s other books.

But books don’t stand for much solely based on writing. There has to be more, with plot and with characters, and Moreno Garcia knocks both of these out the park here. First, the characters. We see everyone through Viridiana’s gaze, which starts initially as quite naive and then becomes less so (no spoilers, but…….yeaaaaah), so it’s not an entirely reliable narrative. I mean, you the reader are able to see that particular characters are not so perfect as Viridiana believes them to be (such that, on occasion, Viridiana is surprised at a turn of events where you are not), but the way her perspective changes is part of the journey.

The plot is a slowburn, really. The aforementioned death doesn’t happen until a good 40% of the way through. Not that this is a bad thing, because it lets Viridiana get close to the characters, firstly, and secondly, the writing is enough to carry you through it easily. But when the action kicks in, from around when Lawrence arrives, suddenly everything gets more tense and you will not be able to stop reading (I’m honestly glad I read this book in the day so I wasn’t constantly going just one more chapter when I should have been sleeping).

And then the end! I think all I really wrote in reference to that in my notes was a few choice swearwords because, well, it sort of required them, given the circumstances. Because it leaves you speechless and unable to think about much beyond how well-crafted it is. How the symbolism of the sharks crescendoes in this moment.

And when you finish, you’re left needing to catch your breath by it all.

Viridiana finds the small fishing village in Baja California in which she lives to be stifling, especially when her mother and her loutish ex-boyfriend's mother are campaigning for her to marry the boy and help run her would-be mother-in-law's store. Viridiana dreams of college in Mexico City and following in her deadbeat dreamer dad's footsteps to become a translator. When a wealthy old man entertaining ideas of writing a novel arrives in town with his glamorous wife and brother-in-law, he offers Viridiana an opportunity too good for her to pass up: a summer living as his translator and personal assistant in the fancy home he has rented, for which she would be paid extremely well for sporadic work taking notes and typing whenever he felt like working on the book. Of course, she quickly discovers that this is a family of secrets and complicated relationships, and she must tread carefully in her dealings with them.

Viridiana starts out naive, slowly learning over the course of the novel how others are manipulating her. She is used to being the smartest person in the room and understands the small town politics and corruption that she has grown up with, but begins the novel dazzled by her employers' glamorous lifestyle and charm. When one of them dies, she begins to unravel the truth about them and must use her wits to save herself from incrimination in their schemes.

I enjoyed the slow burn and introspective protagonist, which offered excellent character development and suspense at how Viridiana would try to navigate and survive the drama unfolding around her. This is Moreno-Garcia's first book outside the SFF genre, and she has pulled it off well. If you like noir-style suspense, I highly recommend this novel.

Baja California, 1979. Viridiana spends her days watching the dead sharks piled beside the seashore, as the fishermen pull their nets. There is nothing else to do, nothing else to watch, under the harsh sun. She’s bored. Terribly bored. Yet her head is filled with dreams of Hollywood films, of romance, of a future beyond the drab town where her only option is to marry and have children.

Three wealthy American tourists arrive for the summer, and Viridiana is magnetized. She immediately becomes entwined in the glamorous foreigners’ lives. They offer excitement, and perhaps an escape from the promise of a humdrum future.

When one of them dies, Viridiana lies to protect her friends. Soon enough, someone’s asking questions, and Viridiana has some of her own about the identity of her new acquaintances. Sharks may be dangerous, but there are worse predators nearby, ready to devour a naïve young woman who is quickly being tangled in a web of deceit.- Goodreads

It is hard for me to write this review because I am slightly still on a high from Gods of Jade and Shadow. The reason it is hard for me to write this review is because I didn't particularly like this book. 

It was slow, it lacked life, personality and it was overall fairly predictable. What I love about Silvia's writing is how rich in culture it is. That was the best part of this book. She describes Baja California in the most perfect detail, I felt that I could smell it. I love how she writes settings and builds it up to surround the plot and characters. 

However, Viridiana was like the town she described as boring, predictable and lifeless. Even when the turning point in her life comes, she doesn't show any spark of excitement or life. Whenever she spoke all I heard was "Buller, Buller." There wasn't anything there even when she faces the most challenging things she has ever dealt with. 

This is a short review because I just didn't like it. 

Overall, 

1 Pickle

The publisher, Polis Books, kindly offered me an advanced reader copy (ARC) of Untamed Shore by Silvia Moreno-Garcia via NetGalley. Yet, this is an honest review of the book expressing my humble opinion.

If this spectacular noir coming-of-age story is her first crime novel, then the standards are sky high already. This is the second novels of her I've read; the first one being Gods of Jade and Shadow, an adult historical fantasy. I loved it in an almost obsessive way, and I needed to read more from this author. Untamed Shore did not disappear. It sealed my love and adoration for the author. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has this blunt, straight-forward, alluring writing style that impresses and astounds me. It's so distinct that I'd recognize a novel of hers by miles. In other words, if you're unsure of this non-fantasy book of hers, don't be; you're going to love it.

Before I wrote this review, I did some research on the noir genre, to make sure I had the facts right. It turns out that noir (French for "black") is centered on protagonists that are either victims, suspects, or perpetrators, who are forced to deal with a corrupt legal, political or other system. I feel this is an accurate reflection of Untamed Shore. Viridiana goes through many phases throughout the book, all the while staying true to her goals and wishes. And without giving any spoilers, let's just say that her village, Desengaño, in Baja California isn't the most un-corrupted place in the world. But it's certainly vivid and beautifully described.

Viridiana is full of life, vibrant, exciting, and intriguing. She discovers herself, what she wants, what she's willing to do to get it, how she reacts to heart-breaking and urgent situations. As readers, we see her delightful journey and don't know the person she'll become on the other side of the chaos. We discover her just as she discovers herself, and it's beautiful and undeniable and enthralling. Yes, that's the word. Viridiana is enthralling. You never know what she'll say or how exactly she'll react, but she's captivating and demands your attention.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a masterful story-teller, and Untamed Shore proves it through a web of twists, revelations, and death from the eyes of our enthralling main character, Viridiana. There's nothing in this book I'd change.

Just wait and see. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is going to change the crime landscape and transcend it to another dimension. Untamed Shore is vivid, unique, brilliant, and I'd really like a sequel that follows Viridiana's life.

5 stars – ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Publisher: Polis Books

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a Canadian author of five previous titles, all different genres and all critically acclaimed. This is the first book I have read by Moreno-Garcia and am now eager to dive into her back catalogue and will watch for all new releases.

Untamed Shore is the story of a young woman who wants out of her seaside village in Baja California—aptly named Desengaño, or “disillusion.” Viridiana is determined to leave and never return, unlike her mother (who did come back, with Viridiana’s big-city father) and very much like her father (who didn’t stay long).

Viridiana is bright and bookish. She speaks English and French, besides Spanish, and often interprets for visiting gringos. This summer, she takes a live-in job with a family of wealthy Americans: an older man, his dazzling young wife, and her movie-star handsome brother.

When one of the trio dies, Viridiana makes a choice that topples a whole series of dominoes.

Both a thriller and a coming-of-age story, Viridiana is caught between the desert — “a land plagued by restless dreams, by dark dreaming, edged by salt and strange cirio trees” — and a shark-filled sea. By the end, our protagonist has evolved and clamps down on her future between “rows of razor-sharp teeth.”

Untamed Shore is an artful, nuanced, and superbly crafted novel with a black-and-white cinematic feel. I highly recommend it.

"I don't believe in ghosts either. But sometimes they're here anyway."

Set in a small coastal town in 1970's Baja California, Untamed Shore is a carefully paced noir coming of age crime noir. 18 year old Viridina is a tour guide for tourists and decided to help out an American family. She quickly becomes entangled in their Bonnie and Clyde-esque web. She takes matters into her own hands and the ending of this book is incredibly satisfying. While there are no supernatural or fantasy elements in Untamed Shore, fans of Garcia's work will still find the way she writes familiar and magnetic.

Moreno-Garcia has a knack for creating threats and alibies out of social norms. This tactic, seen in her fantasy and horror stories, works to greater effect in Untamed Shore, her first noir novel, which also happens to be a compelling coming-of-age story and a nostalgia trip to the late 1970s. Three suspicious travelers arrive at a sunbaked coastal town. Viridiana, eighteen and fearing a future of boredom, is ready to take any chance to leave the place. She’ll work for them and she might even become an accomplice to whatever is needed. Things are supposed to be easier in this part of Baja California, where time stands still and grandmothers tell stories of giants and ghosts, but this time success will be a matter of improvising and never looking back.