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.

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor for an ARC!

In short, spectacular vampire noir that plays around with genre conventions in a big way. Excellent world building. This was one of those books I was sorry to see end.

Domingo is a street kid in Mexico City who scrounges a living by collecting objects for a rag-and-bone man. Everything changes when he says hello to a beautiful girl named Atl one night. Of course, Atl isn't just a beautiful girl: she's a vampire descended from Aztec blood drinkers (who were more recently a powerful drug-dealing family in Northern Mexico). Atl is fleeing the rival gang who killed her family, and she needs help. Domingo finds out that everything he knows about vampires is wrong except for one thing: they are very, very dangerous.

This is one of my favorite vampire novels of the last decade. The setting— a dark, dangerous Mexico City— is fantastically noir. The different vampire races, which we see tantalizing glimpses of, are a fascinating amalgamation of vampire lore and a fantastic set-up ripe for political intrigue. Domingo, as a romantic optimist even with his hard life, is an excellent point-of-view entry into this world. The story in itself is quite contained and focused on Atl's goal of escaping Mexico City— some readers in other reviews have said that the plot feels basic despite the excellent world-building. I don't agree, but I would have happily consumed more and hope Moreno-Garcia might write more in this world. I thought the ending was fitting.

So, if you’d asked me a bit ago, I’d probably tell you that I hate sexy vampires. I generally like my bloodsuckers scary and edgy. Huh…turns out you can have scary and edgy vampires that are ALSO sexy. Who knew?

Certain Dark Things offers everything compelling about vampires, while still reminding you that they are, indeed, horrors. Moreno-Garcia brings us into a well-drawn world where humans and these terrible hell-creatures are at war…and the reader isn’t quite sure which side they’re rooting for!

This is an extremely fast read. The author seamlessly slams you into her world and doesn’t let you come up for air until the very end.

Absolutely reading the author again in the future!

*ARC Provided via Net Galley

This was a heavy lift for me, as I’m not a huge fan of vampire narratives, and definitely not a fan of gangster fiction. But I gave it a try, because I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia, trusting that she would be able to do this in a creative, new way.

Domingo is a innocent street kid who collects garbage and he meets Atl, an Aztec Blood Drinker who is on the run from a rival vampire cartel, the Necros. Domingo is infatuated with Atl, and she needs blood—a match made in heaven. Vampires run rampant through Mexico and have formed cartels and criminal organizations—everywhere except for Mexico City. In Mexico City, vampires are monitored and driven off by law enforcement and large gangs. Domingo becomes Atl's Renfield, or human familiar, but they get closer and closer, as they run from the Necros.

This was one of the better vampire narratives I’ve read, partly because I loved the non-European, non-white characters and setting. But gangsters, grime, cartels and vampires are not my thing and even this book, with its original ideas, characters and setting couldn’t really win me over. But if you like any of the above, you will LOVE this book.

This isn't the first time Certain Dark Things has seen print, but as someone who missed it the first time round, I am THRILLED to have finally had the chance to read it. Moreno-Garcia's take on vampires is rich in lore -- but not the same old white, European lore that's been associated with vampires since the publication of Dracula. Here, we see influences from all over the globe -- and it underlines just how rich the tapestry of vampire lore really is.

Also, it's one heck of a story. A blend of horror and noir set in a futuristic-yet-familiar Mexico City, Certain Dark Things grabs you from the start and won't let go until you turn the last page. Richly drawn characters and a fascinating backdrop make this one a tale to look out for.

<b>“She seems to enjoy your company, she may even like you, and yet. Don’t deceive yourself, my boy, this is not a love story”. </b>

In Certain Dark Things by Silvia-Moreno Garcia, a battle between two vampire clans takes to the streets of an alternate Mexico City. Domingo, a garbage collector encounters a vampire on the run named Atl. An unlikely partnership is formed when they team up to help Atl escape Mexico City and the subspecies of vampires, the Necros, who hunt her. Dodging other vampires, cops and humans, will they make it out alive?

This book was so different from Mexican Gothic, but I still loved it. Unlike Mexican Gothic, Certain Dark Things was a neo noir in that it was sort of genre bending and just a very contemporary, dark setting. Set in an alternate timeline, one where vampires are known to be real, Moreno-Garcia brought to life not just one type of vampire, but many. We meet three types in this novel, but the afterword features a Vampire Index that features many different kinds of vampires. The index at the end is an absolute treasure. It really shows how much thought Moreno-Garcia put into the world building in this novel.

I was really impressed by this book. The pages kept turning as more bodies kept piling up. I was really rooting for Domingo and Atl (and of course for Cualli, ). The ending was satisfying. I would absolutely welcome more in this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and Tor Nightfire Publishing for this ARC!

Certain Dark Things is a gorgeous and gritty neo-noir set in Mexico City following vampire Atl, whose mother always told her to give humans she feeds off of iron pills, and Domingo, said human. If you live for dark fantasy and grew up on vampire novels, this is a must buy. So grateful to Nightfire for the ARC and for resurrecting this book from being out of print so more can enjoy this luscious, liminal world.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

Okay so Silvia Moreno-Garcia did not disappoint with this book! As soon as I read the description of this book, I knew I needed to read it! Certain Dark Things isn't your traditional, typical vampire book. It is filled with several VERY different species of vampires which I absolutely loved. This book set in Mexico City, a place that hates vampires, follows Atl, a vampire trying to find help to get out of the city safely while hiding from a rival vampire gang and Domingo, a homeless human guy just trying to survive. Their paths cross one night and after that, they are stuck together trying to figure out how to escape the vampire gang, the police, and the human cartel that runs Mexico City. Moreno-Garcia touches on several different cultures especially Aztec history and she isn't afraid to address the corruption that affects Mexico. If you are looking for a vampire romance story, don't look here but if you want something new, different and with a touch of horror, read this book!