Silvia Moreno Garcia has a magical ability to make any and every genre her genre.
I don’t know how she does it but every book by her is pure magic and stellar writing.
This is absolutely no exception and I enjoyed every minute of reading it.

This was a little boring and I found the relationship between Domingo and Atl a bit uncomfortable to read about (he's a teen, she's in her mid-twenties). Other than that, I don't really have an opinion on the book, it was just kind of bland.

This is one of the best books I have ever read, but it is definitely the best vampire book. As always, Silvia Moreno-Garcia has put a spell on me from the first page. The world-building is superb, as is the mythology, the characters interesting and the plot fast-paced. Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an auto-buy author for me, she never dissappoints.

3.5 stars

Domingo lives in Mexico City, collecting garbage to get by.
His life changes when he meets Atl, a vampire descended from a line dating back to the Aztecs.
Atl's on the run from a rival vampire clan who want her dead, and Domingo quickly agrees to help her.
Atl reluctantly accepts Domingo's aid, and they will have to work together to get Atl out of the anti-vampire city, avoiding enemy vampires and humans along the way.

The premise for this book really intrigued me, and as a fan of the author's other work, I was excited to read this.
Domingo and Atl were both likeable and interesting characters who I enjoyed finding out more about. I felt sorry for them both for different reasons.
The concept of the different vampire subspecies was really interesting, and I liked how unique/different they were to anything I had read before.
The plot was interesting and held my attention throughout, but I wasn't gripped and didn't feel as invested as I perhaps could have been. Some things did happen that I wasn't expecting, but nothing particularly shocked me.
The writing style was easy to follow and I like how versatile the author is.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read.

This didn't work for me sadly.
From the beginning I just struggled to read it. The pacing was too slow for me. Then I struggled to connect or care about any of the characters or the overall story.
Which some parts felt unfinished.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has an incredible way of drawing you into her worlds and making you care about everything that happens. I’m a huge fan of her other books and the way she reinvents stories with her own flair, and Certain Dark Thing. Just when I think every vampire story has already been told, Moreno-Garcia shows up with a gothic world steeped in new-to-me folklore, and blows be away. This book consumed me and I plan to reread it soon.

Silvia draws out a richly evocative world filled with vampire species from cultures across the globe but none are as fascinating as Atl and her clan. Cyberpunk meets noir in this gripping story of a young vampire trying to salvage what remains of her family with the help of a human and her enhanced dog.

I think what SIlvia Moreno-Garcia excels at is writing complex and flawed characters and this book is no exception. The world is gritty and dark and a lot of the characters are just trying to get by whilst being absolutely exhausted by that task. I really enjoyed this book, especially the setting, which is a contrast to most of the authors other works, and the vivid imagery used to really help set the scene.

My love of silvia moreno-garcia novels knows no bounds and just keeps expanding with each one I read.

"Certain Dark Things" is a rich and complex story with compelling characters and an action packed plot. I love vampire stories (even twinkly, brooding Edward Cullen) so to read such a detailed and fascinating description of the wide array of vampire subspecies in this fantasty world is just a massive treat for me. Add that to the great characters and spectacular world building and you've got yourself one heck of a story.

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing me with a free digital copy in exchange for an honest review

This is another winner from Moreno-Garcia. Urban fantasy is one of my favourite genres and this one manages to be both familiar (dark, gritty, violent) and different (different city, a fresh take on vampires). I love the alter-ego Mexican city and her take of vampires being woven into folklore and history. It’s really refreshing to see vampires given a new gloss and move away from the old-fashioned European folklore angle.

As it happens I'm reading two books by SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA at the moment, and I already knew this about her writing but as I'm reading her books simultaneously it's even more apparent how diverse her writing is.

None of her books are the same. I loved MEXICAN GOTHIC and THE BEAUTIFUL ONES, and I thought CERTAIN DARK THINGS was OK. The concept is fantastic, it takes place in Mexico in a world where vampires and humans co-exist (not on friendly terms but everyone knows the other exists). There are different types of vampires which I thought was super interesting, because I've mainly read about the European Dracula-type.

We're following Atl who is running from the murderers of her family; Domingo her new human drink vessel; Anna, a police woman; and Nick, the vampire chasing Atl.

The story is interesting and it is propelled forward. I just feel that because the world building was so great, I lost interest in the characters a bit. There was too much background and too many points-of-view in such a short book, that I found myself not caring but still liking what I read.

I would've loved if she would've taken more time with this story and maybe dragged it out a bit more in several novels, especially since I really liked the world-building and I would've loved to meet more vampire types in a bit more detail.

All-in-all I like what I read, but I didn't love it as much as other books by this author.

Certain Dark Things is a vampire novel set in a world where there are many subspecies of vampire, and they’re all being pushed to the few areas of the world that will still allow them. Forced together, they are slowly killing one another in pursuit of supremacy.

I loved the premise of this book, unfortunately once I started reading it not much seemed to happen. The actual plot of the book is fairly simple, to survive, and the ending felt abrupt.

I didn’t find myself particularly liking any of the characters - except Domingo, and the dog - and thus wasn’t particularly invested in what was happening to them.

I like the idea of all the different vampire mythologies coming together, but unfortunately this was a miss for me.

Vampire noir set in an alternate Mexico City - this felt the most similar in tone to Moreno-Garcia's 'Velvet was the Night' but with vampire gangs instead of regular human ones. I enjoyed the balance of action, plot and characters and liked the vampire lore used in this with all the different species of vampires related to the different mythologies from around the world. I didn't love it quite as much as 'Gods of Jade and Shadow' or 'Mexican Gothic' but it was a good solid read and I'm looking forward to reading the author's next novel 'The Daughter of Doctor Moreau' out July 2022.

(ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley)

Sadly, I could not finish this book. I love Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but Certain Dark Things was not for me (or, at least, I did not try to read at the right time -- maybe I will go back to it in a few months and I will feel different about it).

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher/author for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno Garcia is one of my auto buy authors. I’m so glad some of her previous work is benign republished with beautiful new covers.

I always want more vampire books and this one really blew me away. As always the writing is beautiful and the characters really come to life. I loved Alt and Domingo and looking at vampire myths from different cultures!

This took me completely by surprise! I wasn't expecting it to be dramatically different in tone and style to her other novels.. but it is! WOW! if you are into vampires.. this is the book for you.. and even if you are not into vampires stories... you should give this book a try.

Thank you to the publisher for my eARC copy of this book. Unfortunately I didn’t love this book and therefore didn’t finish, I just didn’t connect with this one. Not for me, sorry.

I really really wanted to like this! The concept is so cool - there’s very few books set in Mexico too so they’re hard to find. Or at least ones I’ve found. However, it just didn’t hit right for me.

Vampires and different types of vampires aren’t a new concept in fiction but still felt very original within the story. I liked our Mc and found her interesting, as well as the boy she meets and how infatuated he is with her. I even love her dog. I don’t understand why we start following the ‘bad guys’ as well though. I found that once we got the initial set up there was absolutely no movement on the plot. Everything was just moving around slowly and nothing really happening. Just a lot of talking and brooding most of the time which was a shame. The world building was fairly limited and I would have appreciated more of that. Since I really didn’t know what was happening and why. I liked the supernatural element but I don’t think the writing style is for me.

There’s nothing wrong with the writing per say, and the setting is cool. But it just drags. Nothing really happens, and the three povs don’t have any real difference in tone to them. A lot of it is internal monologue and not much happening and I was just bored waiting for any plot to happen to progress the story.

I was very intrigued for the fact that this was a vampire book, and I was not disappointed. It's a very interesting sci-fi/horror book. It's the first book that I read of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, I have in my tbr Mexican Gothic, and now I'm very curious about it. I don't understand why people keep talking about this book as a YA, it's definitely a NA.
I really liked the plot and also the characters. I love vampires eheheh 👀
So in conclusion I appreciate this book and I rate it 3.5 stars!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has written so many books I loved, I couldn't miss out on this one. Vampires in Mexico City, what's not to love? It's a thrilling urban fantasy with different factions of vampires. Some more gruesome than the other. I love this idea, that even within a fantasy race, they develop differently. And what are factions without rivalry or gang wars? Also, have you seen the cover? I absolutely love it.

As with all of her books, Certain Dark Things has its own voice that fits the genre well. Its pacing is much faster than The Beautiful Ones for example. The descriptions are sharp, filled with scents and lights. Or lack thereof. The first page is an excellent example of how to use voice to describe something. It's a description of the garbage but from the perspective of Domingo, a homeless young man. He doesn't see trash, he sees possibilities. It's a way to make money. It's beautifully written and I'm looking forward to analysing it further.

Domingo and Atl are great characters. Two completely different people who are forced together due to circumstances. He admires her for what she is but that soon changes when he gets to know her. It's interesting to see how their two stories mesh together even though you'd never expect it at the beginning of the book. Atl's dog is a very good dog and I'm glad he makes the end of the book.

I give Certain Dark Things four stars. It's a great vampire novel with interesting worldbuilding and thrilling setting. If you're looking for something completely different but with vampires, I highly recommend this one.