[ARC Review] Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Release date: 9/7/21
Format: eARC
eARC provided by: Macmillan-Tor/Forge

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In a vividly reimagined Mexico City, rules and barriers can’t keep the vampires out. Despite being told there are no vampires in the city, young guys like Domingo occasionally run into the blood drinkers, and when Domingo runs into Atl on the subway, his whole world turns upside down. As a young vampire with no remaining family to turn to, Atl reluctantly relies on Domingo for food and for answers. But Domingo has entered a dark world where all the vampire stories and comics won’t help him stay alive. Alone and on the run, Atl and Domingo will dodge other vampires, humans, and the law in their sprint to save themselves in this paranormal neo-noir.

After reading Mexican Gothic, I knew I needed to pick up this reissue of Certain Dark Things from Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Full of the same attention-grabbing, fast-paced action that I’ve come to associate with Moreno-Garcia, Certain Dark Things dragged me through the gritty back streets of Mexico City on a wild ride on the run from several vampire species as well as humans. I absolutely loved Moreno-Garcia’s take on vampire lore; much to Domingo’s dismay, these were definitely not the vampires he’d read about or seen portrayed on the big screen. Moreno-Garcia intimately weaves her version of vampire lore with her cultural heritage, creating vampires of Aztec heritage, African heritage, etc. Usually, cultural diversity is not a concept I can associate with vampire myths, and it was very refreshing to see the diverse heritage living through the vampire lineage. I enjoyed the way Moreno-Garcia used Domingo as a conduit to educate the reader on the differences in vampires; just as the reader is probably used to seeing a standard vampire portrayal, so too is Domingo. Moreno-Garcia included so many facets of her vampire lore in this single novel, and I could have definitely spent hours just reading about the differences between her vampire races. Atl is a very interesting character; of Aztec heritage, alone, and on the run, she was unlike any vampire I’ve read about before and I could read a whole series (set before and/or after the events of Certain Dark Things) about Atl’s life. Atl and Domingo were stand-out characters for me for sure, but the other narrators were just as unique and interesting. Certain Dark Things is a must-read for anyone who is looking for a new twist on vampire lore. I’m certainly glad this story was reissued and can be shared with a much bigger audience.

I received an advanced copy of Certain Dark Things from Macmillan-Tor/Forge via Netgalley. I received no compensation in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.