This book feels old. It feels decades old, like it could have been written during the explosion of 90s vampire noir: The Vampire Files, Forever Knight. It feels like nostalgia, it feels like home, despite the new-to-me setting and mythologies and characters.

That's such an interesting feeling. I look forward to reading more of the author's work.

If you're looking for a spooky read to pick up this year, consider Certain Dark Things. Written by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (the author that brought us Mexican Gothic), this novel very much delves into the paranormal side of things in a delightfully dark fashion.

In a world where vampires exist, there are few places that are truly safe from them. Especially when you're a vampire on the run from a rival clan, Atl can assure you of just how difficult that challenge is.

Her run brings her across Domingo, a young man living in Mexico City. Together, they're going to keep running and do their best to stay alive – and out of the hands of police and vampires alike if they can help it.

“Nothing is easier." Elisa said. “It’s just another way to get killed.”

I don't know how, but I somehow managed to miss the release of Certain Dark Things back in 2016. Thankfully, it caught my attention during the reprinting process this year, so I'm going to take this as a net positive.

Certain Dark Things is a very different vampire novel than I'm used to. Personally, I love seeing different takes on legend and lore, so I was thrilled to see what sort of world Silvia Moreno-Garcia created here.

That being said, I do wish that we could have had more time to delve into it a bit deeper. I feel like there's so much potential here and that we only just scratched the surface of what was available. I don't know; maybe that's just me being a greedy reader?

Don't worry; there's still plenty of blood in this vampire tale! It's actually quite a lot, so if blood and gore isn't your thing, you should probably find a different book to read. On a related note, other warnings for this book include slavery, eye trauma, and animal abuse (dogfighting). I'm not going to lie, the latter was pretty rough for me to read, and I probably would have put it down had I not been feeling so stubborn at the time.

Still, I think Certain Dark Things is a novel that paranormal fantasy lovers will really enjoy, especially if they like it when their novels get a bit dark and gory.

This book had so much potential and was really looking forward to it as it had to deal with vampires. I've read another book by this author and really liked it so I figured that this would be just as good. But sadly this was just not for me. I really liked the idea of learning more about Mexican lore or vampires which really kept my interest but the writing style and the plot left me wanting more. I also felt like the author was dumbing down all the explanations of things to an uneducated character but it felt like she was doing this to the reader instead. Some of these explanations were not needed. I also felt that it took forever to get to anything good and then when it did it felt very rushed, like did I just blink and miss it? I so wanted to liked this but sadly this just didn't do it for me.

After Atl gets revenge on a rival narco-vampire clan, she's a woman on the run. She's alone, hungry, and in need of food. Fortunately, she finds a human blood bag in a sweet boy named Domingo who is obsessed with comic books and who would do anything for her. Together they try to avoid the vampires and human law enforcement trying to track them down.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia adds fresh blood to the vampire genre. It combines neo-noir, paranormal fantasy, and even a dash of sci-fi while still paying homage to classics like Bram Stocker’s Dracula.

There’s a lot of really cool concepts going on with this book like Atl’s bioengeered Doberman and I adored that Atl is rooted in Nahuatl lore.

However, the story feels more like incomplete rough draft of ideas. In fact, a lot of the worldbuilding is left explained in the glossary as opposed to being actually integrated and explored in the story itself.

Lastly, I also have qualms over the story’s ending. The conclusion felt abrupt and it completely discards all of the previous relationship build up between Atl and Domingo, leaving wondering what was the point of having a romantic subplot in the first place.

All in all, Certain Dark Things is an entertaining read for vampire lovers. However, it feels underdeveloped and ultimately undermines whatever relationship development it had tried to establish with its final pages.

This was an alright book. It’s certainly a different take on vampires than what I’m used to, so that was refreshing! I actually quite liked how vampires worked in this world.
Didn’t love the ending, it was kind of abrupt and felt unfinished.
Overall, it kept my interest, but wasn’t anything spectacular.

Certain Dark Things is filled with suspense, excellent world-building, detailed descriptions, and imaginative twists on vampire mythology. My sympathies kept shifting between vampire Atl and her human companion Domingo, and the villainous vampire Nick provides an excellent counterpoint to their interaction. I was also pulled into the narrative by police detective Ana's storyline, trying to make a difference as a single mother, striving for respect in a sexist workplace. (And there's Atl's dog! Every time the dog was mentioned, I immediately wanted MORE DOG!) I especially enjoyed the structure of the book, shifting points of view between main characters, which kept my attention and propelled the story forward. When a novel does this well, it's always fun for me to read, and Moreno-Garcia balances her narrators very well here. I also really enjoyed reading a take on vampire tropes that pulls the action out of Europe.

I'm not much of a horror reader, and at times I felt like I was reading with my hands over my eyes :) but the intricacies of the plot kept pushing me forward. The vampire politics plus the conflicts between the human gangs and police in an alt-universe, dystopian Mexico City made the book a fast read for me. I loved Mexican Gothic, so I'm reading everything else I can get my hands on by Moreno-Garcia. This book had a very different tone than that novel, but it's equally well-written.

Big thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for getting this book off my To Read shelf and in my hands!

**3.5-stars**

Certain Dark Things was originally published in October 2016, but is now being rereleased, by Tor Nightfire, with this splendid new cover!! With vampire fiction making a bit of a resurgance and Silvia Moreno-Garcia, justly, gaining in popularity, I believe it was a smart decision. I knew the second I saw this cover that I would read it.

This noir-style story takes place in an alternate version of Mexico City, where vampires are real and everyone knows it. Please note, we're talking dangerous, brutal vampires versus the sparkling romantic ones. We love to see it.

Domingo is a street-kid who collects garbage to make ends meet. When he spies Atl, the most beautiful girl he has ever seen, he is immediately drawn to her. As much as she tries to resist, Atl eventually succumbs to Domingo's charm. Atl is on the run. She has many dangerous people looking for her and Domingo insists on helping; even though he is clueless to the ins-and-outs of the vampire world. He'd do anything to stay with Atl though.

There's a gritty texture to this entire story. It's violent and dangerous. I really enjoyed the overall idea and the setting; particularly, how humans and vampires live side-by-side. For me, I feel like I needed it to be built out more to become fully invested however. It felt quite surface-level, which is fine. It's a good story. A solid world creation, but for me, I would need a little more substance before I could say that I really enjoyed it.

With this being said, it is a quick, fun read, quite atmopsheric and I think a lot of Readers will have fun with it. I do think it is a very solid example of Moreno-Garcia's style. I'm a fan!

Thank you so much to the publisher, Tor Nightfire, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I really appreciate it!

I was destined to enjoy this book since I'm a fan of vampires in general, but I was not prepared! Certain Dark Things takes place in Mexico City, which is a self-declared "vampire-free zone." But as we learn, that's not completely true. It's probably not correct to call this gory, bloody, violent book "fun," but it is! Fast paced, with complex characters and many different sub-species of vampires (loved this) and fierce, brave women. This is a completely different take on a vampire story, but it's perfect - highly recommend!

Certain Dark Things brings a fresh take on the vampire genre by blending indigenous Aztec tales with familiar vampire tropes. The story moves quickly as each faction comes closer to the finale, which takes place in multiple stages. The action is visceral and immediate, bursting with energy. Morena-Garcia weaves in music and comic books, helping to flesh out the human characters. Another excellent book by the author. Don't miss her other recent release, Velvet was the Night, a wonderful companion read.

Ahoy there me mateys!  I received this reissue of an awesome vampire book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Here I take a second look at a previously enjoyed novel from me younger days and give me crew me second reflections, as it were, upon visitin’ it again . . .

This be the book that started it all - me love affair with Silvia Moreno-Garcia.  I found out about this delight from Matey Sarah @ brainfluff's awesome review which said:

"I don’t know how Moreno-Garcia manages to worm her characters right into my inscape – I suspect she is a witch, whose books weave an enchantment. But I have yet to read anything of hers where I haven’t passionately cared about her world and the people in it. As for what happens to Atl and Domingo – you’ll have to read the book to find out. Even if you’re sick of reading vampire books, even if you’ve never read a vampire book, pick this one up and give it a go. It is every bit as beautiful and dark as that amazing cover."

Of course with that line I was hooked and got a copy from me local library.  I loved it so much that I went to buy me own copy only to find it was out of print.  I was disgruntled and I couldn't understand why.  But the writing was so good that I proceeded to read her backlog and all her new releases.  I have read 8 books so far and all of them were five star reads.

So when I hear this vampire novel was getting a new issue from Tor Nightfire I was thrilled.  ARRRRR!!!!!  It's about time.  This novel is rich and dark and has exquisite world-building.  This be an alternate history where in 1967 humans discover that not only are vampires real but they have been evolving over time.  In the much later future, a young man named Domingo meets a vampire named Atl and is pulled into a world of chaos, danger, and vampire politics.

Rereading this was just as thrilling as the first time.  Moreno-Garcia has this amazing ability to weave complex and compelling characters, intense plot, and a world that is so dense and heavy with the pressure of time.  I knew what was going to happen and still read this in one sitting staying up late into the night avidly turning pages.  This might be me favorite and not just because it was first.  If ye haven't read her work before, get this one because "Even if you’re sick of reading vampire books, even if you’ve never read a vampire book, pick this one up and give it a go. It is every bit as beautiful and dark as that amazing cover."  Arrr!

Unfortunately, a DNF at 26%

I was really looking forward to this one because I've loved Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other books that I've read, but unfortunately I couldn't get into it. I think there was too many POVs introduced and while the scenes with the vampires were interesting, the other scenes weren't enough to keep me reading.

I do think there will be a lot of other people who will like this, so I recommend giving it a try anyways.

I am here for the re-release of this book! I loved this book when I read it a few years ago, and I love it now! Vampires and in Mexico?! Sign me up please

Moreno-Garcia continues to defy generes and expectations. I will 100% ready anything by this author, hands down, immediately.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This was the second book I've read by this author and I think it will be the last. This was a DNF for me. There's so much character development that nothing was actually happening or pushing the plot forward. In the last book I read by this author nothing really happened until the last 3 or 4 chapters and I just feel like I can't do that again with this book. I do not believe I will be returning to this author in the future.

Certain Dark Things is a neon-noir look at vampire folklore. Set in Mexico City, Moreno-Garcia crafts a world of vampire tribes, conflict, suspense and gore. Certain Dark Things is very well written - the prose is excellent. The setting and information about the various types of vampires and their lifestyles is also well detailed - if you like world-building and vampires, this book is for you. While the characters were detailed, I found that they were two-dimensional and did not develop throughout the novel. I also found that the plot lagged as there was so much detail going into the background of the characters and the setting. I considered not finishing it many times, but I powered through to the end, which I found somewhat predictable. I think it could be a great start to a series, but as a novel, I wasn't wowed. I did, however, really like Cualli, the dog - the dog was definitely the best part of the book for me. While I did not love this novel, I do think it will be very popular.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for review.

Thanks to NetGalley & Macmillan Tor-Forge for the early copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Certain Dark Things" is an urban fantasy noir story heavily focused on vampires in the modern world. Mexico City is one of the few cities in the world to outright ban vampires, however, the last vampire of her clan has sought refuge in the city. She is followed by an enemy vampire and as both of them try to hide in public, the city starts to be more aware of the re-emergence of vampires in their supposedly vampire-free city.

This would be great for fans of the Underworld movie series! It definitely has the same darker tone with some romance just like the movies do. I really appreciate how in-depth Moreno-Garcia goes in with the vampire mythology and lore, all the sub-species of vampires are fascinating to read about. I'd really love to read more books set in the same universe or even a prequel of when Atl's family were in their prime.

I will say I didn't entirely like the ending, no spoilers though. It was a really captivating story from beginning to end despite it all. Moreno-Garcia quite literally never disappoints with her wonderfully intricate stories!

Advanced Reader’s Copies (I ended up with an egalley and the audiobook) that were provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The audiobook is from Macmillan Audio and the egalley is from Macmillan- Tor/Forge and Tor Nightfire.

Moreno-Garcia describes this as a neo-noir about Mexico and vampires -with a genetically modified dog. CERTAIN DARK THINGS has been out of print for years and has been a book that has been very hard to find so I was super excited to see that this was FINALLY getting a re-release.

Told in multiple points of view, CERTAIN DARK THINGS is about a teenage street kid who happens to cross paths with a mysterious woman and her genetically modified dog. He soon finds out that she is a vampire - and in Mexico City they are rare given how much the city has hunted them down. But this isn't your typical vampire story. Moreno-Garcia took it a step further... vampires in this world are another species with subsects. There are different types of vampires - with different skills and feeding needs/desires/ways.

As Domingo gets pulled deeper into Atl's problems an unlikely friendship and alliance is formed. But Atl is being hunted by other humans and vampires and things quickly get violent as readers are left on the edge of their seat waiting to find out if they can make it out of the city alive.

This is an odd novel - and I mean that as a compliment. It's not the vampire story I was expecting, and I'm so glad that it took a different spin on something that has been told countless times before. I was hooked fairly quickly and was anxious to know how it would all pan out. CERTAIN DARK THINGS is violent and gritty, but overall it was a very entertaining read.

Aida Reluzco does a great job with the audiobook narration as well.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia combines noir detective style, vampire action, and Aztec legends in her upcoming reissue, Certain Dark Things. The supernatural mythology is compelling and her characters, human and otherwise, are unique. I’ve read eleventy million vampire books, and I hope Moreno-Garcia writes more in this world. Soon!

Moreno-Garcia also explores a bit of race-class narrative in her characters’ dystopian Mexico City setting. Part of this comes from her main male character, Domingo. He’s a teenage garbage picker with no family support and some checkered gang-adjacent history. The realities of life on the street are pretty stark.

Still, Domingo also reads graphic novels about vampires in his little subterranean safe spot. He likes the classics. But there’s also newer content available because someone outed vampires back in the 1970s. Most regions or countries have their own vampire clans, and Moreno-Garcia details all of them in a glossary. (Why don’t publishers put these in the front?) Despite the species’ prevalence around the world, Mexico City outlawed vampires a while ago.

So when Domingo sees one on the subway, of course, he follows her. She’s young, beautiful, and has a huge Doberman with “enhancements.” Domingo learns her name is Atl, and that her clan is descended from the Aztec people. Like many of Moreno-Garcia’s vampires, she’s also a shapeshifter. Plus, she’s on the run from a nasty clan of drug-dealing vampires.

My conclusions
This is an engaging romp for a semi-dystopian book. Moreno-Garcia describes the dark and dank aspects of Mexico City in detail. She also delves into the Aztec aspects of Atl’s clan, in combination with the general vampire mythology.

But I wish Certain Dark Things had more emphasis on the psychological aspects of living in that world. Getting deeper into the mindset of her main characters Domingo and Atl would benefit the story. She’s from a privileged family and he’s the exact opposite. But Moreno-Garcia never explores that. Instead, she opts for a tepid romance, which left me cold.

The main plot—Atl escaping the more “evil” vampires—this has zing. The villains are vile, and the creatures Atl contacts for help add some layers of mystery. I definitely cheered her and Domingo on as they fought for their lives. Although Certain Dark Things is categorized as Young Adult, it reads as somewhat more mature.

I recommend this mostly light and easy vampire story because of its unique connections to indigenous people and interesting dystopia. But the romance is just so-so.

Acknowledgments
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Tor Nightfire, and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review.

Move over, Bram Stoker. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is offering up some fresh blood with her take on vampires in the resurrection of Certain Dark Things.

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a dark and enchanting story that makes you question all the vampires you’ve seen in stories before. The story takes place in Mexico City, where the knowledge of the existence of vampires has made it far from anything we would recognize now. Domingo, a teenage street kid, scrapes by and keeps himself alive by collecting random junk and later selling it. On one of his trips around town, he encounters a beautiful young vampire named Atl and her dog Cualli. Atl befriends him and enlists his assistance to help her escape the city as she is on the run from both human gangs and the nefarious Necros (a particular subgroup of vampires that can control humans and whose blood is poisonous to other vampires).

The world-building in Certain Dark Things is amazing. Moreno-Garcia went with the perspective that there is no wrong legend around the world, each one just describes a different type of vampire. Drawing this inspiration from around the world made it feel fresh compared to stories based only on the stereotypical European vampires. Despite there being multiple quiet moments, I never felt bored with the pacing or lost interest. I also enjoyed how the author emphasized that these vampires are not some breed of super sexy evolved humans (like some books are apt to do). Some of them are undoubtedly attractive, but it’s just camouflage to disguise the true animal predator underneath. Let me be clear: none of the vampires in Certain Dark Things were ever human, and they have no desire to be human. To them, humans are servants at best and most of the time nothing more than food.

If you’ve ever felt burnt out reading cookie-cutter stories about vampires, then Certain Dark Things is the book to get you out of that slump. This is definitely a story where I think it would be beneficial to have the audiobook on hand, if only to know the correct pronunciation of certain names and words (Nahuatl, Huitzilopochtli, tonalli, and Tlahuipochtin are just a couple of the words I was unfamiliar with in this book). Although this is listed as a stand-alone right now, I’d love to see Moreno-Garcia do another book in this universe to explore some of the other vampire subspecies that weren’t featured as heavily.

A couple of trigger warnings to keep in mind for this book: there is blood (as one might expect from a vampire novel), violence, death, and mentions of murder.

I kind of love the range Silvia Moreno-Garcia has? I'm not sure the ending of Mexican Gothic worked for me, though I loved the world it built, and The Beautiful Ones was quieter and less fantasy-heavy than I expected it to be (which are both in its favor, ultimately), but wow this one's a stunner. Who knew a vampire neo-noir in an alternate Mexico City where vampires gangs are squabbling over territory was just what I needed?

There's some great worldbuilding here, and the shift in perspectives between chapters helps keep up the pace and kept me saying "just one more chapter..." as I tried to keep getting back to my actual work for the day. Basically, I'm here for whatever she wants to right next, and I need to keep digging even further into her back catalog.