As Domingo loves to read comic books about vampires, he becomes obsessedw ith Atl, the first real one he’s met, and wants to become her servant/errand boy/lover/friend. The setting, too, of Certain Dark Things is typical of that of noir fiction: an urban center overrun by organized crime, drug trade, and poverty. The perfect blend of fantasy, horror and noir, with vivid characters and set in a Mexico City that became a character in and of itself .

One of my favorite books by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and one of my all-time favorite horror books…Certain Dark Things will make you think about vampires in a whole new way.There are a multitude of different races from Atl’s Tlahuihpotchtli clan of matriarchal run shape shifters, to the Godoy’s Necro style who can control people’s minds by sharing their blood. Moreno-Garcia uses folklore/mythology reference to give us the understanding of why each vampire race is different than the rest, and has an epic glossary at the back with a more detailed description of each type of Vampire and the historical reference’s she drew from for them. Warning: I don't know why people on Goodreads insist on classifying this as YA, but it's an adult novel. A feud between her clan and the Godoy’s, a rival Vampire gang, ended in the death of Atl’s mother and sister and led to her running for her life.

Her descriptions are vivid so whether the characters were in a beautiful old mansion, a festive plaza, an outdoor bar, or a subway tunnel, I felt like I was there. Author: Moreno-Garcia, Silvia Thriller / suspense Published on 1 September 2022 by Quercus Publishing (Jo Fletcher Books) in the United Kingdom. This was by far my favorite element of the book, and though not feasible based on the story she was trying to tell, I kept hoping we would see appearances from even more variants.

The narration brought it up to an another level-one where I can say I did end up enjoying this vampiric tale! Lastly, there are a few human characters in addition to Domingo whose perspective made this book a lot more interesting. If The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo met (and devoured) Interview with the Vampire to the twined rhythms of Octavio Paz, Bram Stoker, and Ozomatli, you might come close to the layers and textures of Certain Dark Things. Domingo’s a trash collector who learned to survive on the streets, and when he meets Atl he’s fascinated by her.

Our protagonist Atl sprouts wings and can transform at will; she also resembles a hummingbird when she feeds. balanced on a knife-edge between hope and horror * The Guardian * Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a chameleon of an author . On top of this, there’s a vampire-killing cop who’s trying to solve a vicious murder and she’s on both Nick and Atl’s trails.As well as this she explains how different countries dealt with the realisation of Vampires, and how exactly they came to be expelled from Mexico City.