I liked how this book takes place in a moment is history that is not very well known (outside of Mexico), and not many fiction books write about it. The author does a great job with atmospheric writing, the setting descriptions and feelings. My issue was not being able to connect with the main character, I found her somewhat unlikeable.

Silvia's talent transcends genre labels--I will read anything she writes, forever. She is a master of fantasy and horror, and this noir novel shows she's the master of any style. I'm more than happy to shelve Silvia's books in any and every section of my library. This novel is full of mystery, history, and thrills with flawed but fascinating characters. Recommend this book for library patrons who love dark thrillers and need a new voice in their reading habits.

This book didn't end up being something I like. I thought the writing was fantastic, the plot just didn't work for me. I'm still interested in reading more from the author in the future though!

Enjoyed the history aspect of this book, especially not knowing much about Mexico in the 1970s.

The rest of the book was meh. I don’t mind an unlikable main character, but I found Maite to be insufferable and childish. She was thrown into an adult situation and had no capacity to handle her surroundings, which made for a frustrating reading experience.

I worship at the church of Saint Silvia Moreno-Garcia and will always and forever read whatever she writes. You never know where she's going to take you from book to book so when I saw this was a historical political noir book, I couldn't wait. It's fantastic. Lush writing. Elegant storyline. Three dimensional characters. Another banger from SMG!

Although I was a huge fan of "Mexican Gothic", this book was very different. It still has the mystery aspect, but nothing outlandish happens in this story. For me, I kept waiting for something fantastic to happen.

I found this book and characters hard to connect with. Unfortunately it is one of the few books I did not finish. I have enjoyed her writing and will continue to recommend her to patrons but this book just didn't click with me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a force to be reckoned with. Her writing constantly blows me out of the water. However, I don’t think this particular story was for me. I expected this to be more like Mexican Gothic, which it wasn’t. No horror, no paranormal aspects. Noir fiction just doesn’t interest me as much as I thought it would. So no shame to the story or the writing, just a personal preference.

One of the things I loved about Velvet Was the Night, was the characters. I have always loved the way Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes her characters. They are always so well written that I feel like I know them. And the characters in this were no exception. While these characters were unlikeable for the most part, I was still fascinated with them and their story. Maite was something else but weirdly kind of relatable. She is not a perfect main character and I appreciate that.

Now onto the actual plot, some things were easy to guess. The book leaves you enough clues to guess what is going to happen. But I will admit some plot points did throw me for a loop. That is the other thing I love about Silvia Moreno-Garcia, she really knows how to throw out a good twist.

While this book may not have been for me, I think a lot of people would enjoy it. Just don’t do what I did. Don’t go into this thinking it will be like her previous books, it's something completely new and stands on its own. I will not be making that mistake again when I read her next book.

While I liked the overall premise and tone of this story, unfortunately the way the plot was executed did not keep me engaged and the characters felt one-dimensional and lackluster.

I think part of the issue with the plot is it never felt like there were any major stakes involved. I felt no sense of suspense surrounding the mystery, so never felt fully invested into the plot nor an edge-of-my-seat need to know what happens next. This, paired with the slow pace and lack of momentum made the book feel like it was dragging. If the book had allowed more of the political climate of the setting come into play, I think it would’ve made for a much more engaging and interesting read. I will say the tone and writing were consistently strong throughout, but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to make up for the plot and pacing.

As for the characters: Maite is an unlikable character, which I don’t have a problem with in general, but she was written almost to an extreme caricature of a self-centered, annoying, vapid, superficial, boy-obsessed teen—despite being thirty. If this had been toned down a bit, I wouldn’t have found her so insufferable, and it may have made me more interested in her character arc. Elvis was a bit more dimensional, but their two storylines felt so disconnected and incongruous—despite their shared goal of finding Leonora—that it didn’t work for me.

This might very well be a book that works for fans of noir fiction. However, I don’t have much experience with that genre, so can’t speak to how successfully it accomplishes what it set out to do.

I enjoyed the historical backdrop and the actual plot, but I found Maite’s character incredibly annoying. It could just have been the mood I was in when I was reading it but her constant complaining about being old and not wanting to get married like her mother expects her to while simultaneously imagining herself in a grand romantic adventure just made me dread when the narrative would switch back to her POV.

Velvet Was the Night was an interesting read about some of the atrocities that have taken place in Mexico in the 1970s. Although fictional, this book felt like it could've had similarities to real life. Well done.

another slam-dunk from this author. the cover makes me long for a cigarette. I cannot wait for more twisty tales from this talented author.

I enjoyed this but wasn’t fully enthralled. I like historical fiction and I like Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing. I couldn’t find myself liking any of the characters in this book, though. So it was hard to keep my attention on it when I wasn’t fully invested in what was happening.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy to read and review.

Set in Mexico during the 1970s with its dangerous political climate, two very different people go through life in parallel. Things become more complicated for Maite after her next door neighbor goes missing, and Elvis has to further navigate his way as a mobster.

A typical noir type novel with the added setting of Mexico and the cultural aspects applied, I think this very well could be a better movie or miniseries than a novel. The ease of which I got through it was great, although I kept getting confused as to what exactly was going on and became lost. And times where I couldn't tell if or how things were tied together. So it was a bit messy to me at times to keep up with what was going on.

Maite, although a touch annoying, she happened to be surprisingly realistic in her daydreaming and somewhat vapid ways. Which added to the noir atmosphere, it fit and felt right. And the same with Elvis.

The author does a fantastic job in creating atmosphere, as I've learned from a previous novel of hers, and I continued to be amazed by this and her characters. The nuance brought out hits all the right points of the genre she's writing in. I'll continue to read anything she puts out that interests me. Also I must add the afterword is a must to read.

content warnings for politics, gun violence, violence, sexual harassment.

This author really knows how to create an atmosphere.
Just like with her previous release, it’s very easy to slip right into the setting of this release.
This novel is a mix between a domestic suspense and a crime novel it was not exactly what I was expecting but in a good way,
The type of character our main narrator is, isn’t typically one I enjoy but the author did a great job of still making this character likable and relatable to me.
I also love a morally grey character which we definitely got in this book,
So all in all. Pretty fun read

This was a historical mystery set in 1970s Mexico. The novel started off well. However, I could not relate to Maine. She was very selfish. The romance was very dull. The story moved at a slow pace. The best feature of this book was the setting. 1970s Mexico seemed to come alive. Still, I recommend this for fans of Elizabeth Acevedo, Isabel Allende, and Chanel Cleeton!

Moreno=Garcia's work never misses. Tense and sprawling, Velvet Was the Night places you into the world of 1960s Mexico City and invites you to actively solve the mystery of the plot alongside Maite. I love that she is an older protaganist going through a main character, coming of age moment at a time in her life where she never expected it to occur.

Silva Moreno-Garcia knows how to write, from Mexican Gothic to this just proves that this was something she was meant to do. from the world that they're in, to the amazing plot and cast of characters I'll never stop recommending this book.

3.5

Short enough that I didn't get bored and the plot was mostly relevant.
The character views did jump around a bit and sometimes I was confused which person was working for who and watching who.

I'll admit I don't always like books set in other places (or worlds) because of all the words I have to use context clues for, listening to audio does seem to help with this so it doesn't interfere with the pace I have.

Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Velvet Was the Night by Silvia Moreno-Garcia in exchange for an honest review. I love how there is always a thread of truth and history in Silvia Moreno-Garcia's books. The history we are taught in school is so limited and centered around the country we live in and who is in charge. Wouldn't it be nice to get the real facts about atrocities that have happened and to know that the perpetrators were prosecuted fully, instead of given high level positions? I like how her books shine the light on little corners and show a snippet through different eyes. Wonderful story as always.