Reviews tagging 'Drug abuse'

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

11 reviews

dolores_madil's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

So at first, I was going to give this a 4.75 because I was very emotional at the end. After some thought and sitting in my feelings yes this is definitely a 5. The world building was so good in this story it felt nior, old, but slightly futuristic at the same time. I liked the view point of someone from the Americas talking about European vampires.  How she described the different vampires and how the humans were dealing with them was very interesting. Now the only thing I will say is that if you are a romance girly like me be careful about be swept up with the romantic thread in the story. It has romantic elements it is not a romance you have been warned do not let yourself be hurt like I was. Besides that I will say this is so good and I recommend you read this.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Kidnapping, and Alcohol

crusoe's review

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

There's  a lot of things I like about certain dark things; the worldbuilding with the vampire subspecies, the characters and how their personalities are portrayed (generally speaking, except for Ana), etc. This book reallh makes me want to read more dark fantasy realism. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder

abditoryalive's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use, Violence, and Blood

megsbookishadventures's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Drug abuse, Grief, Death of parent, and Colonisation

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cursing, Police brutality, and Grief

trollmila's review against another edition

adventurous dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, and Blood

Moderate: Addiction, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Sexual violence, Police brutality, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Slavery, Trafficking, Colonisation, and Classism

maresuju's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Addiction, Death, Gun violence, Sexual violence, Grief, and Death of parent

Minor: Animal death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Trafficking, and Kidnapping

bee87's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I initially dnf the paperback version but gave the audiobook a try and I’m so happy I did. The narrator was able to bring life into characters I had a hard time connecting with. The story is a captivating experience and it’s hard to describe without spoiling. I will say that I’m hoping for a sequel. My heart needs it!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Blood, Kidnapping, and Grief

booksthatburn's review against another edition

dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Atl is a vampire hiding out in Mexico City after her family was murdered. Domingo is a former street kid, now working as a scrap picker for a rag and bone man. When he has a chance encounter with Atl on the subway, she invites him to her home to drink from him. What Atl intended as a single meal turns out to be the beginning of a partnership as they work on fleeing Mexico City together. They're pursued by Nick, a Necros who is obsessed with Atl, and Ana Aguirre, a detective who thought her transfer to Mexico City would mean dealing with fewer vampires than she used to.

The rapport between Domingo and Atl is excellently-written, driven by Domingo's adoration of Atl, and Atl's need for Domingo's help but distaste for feeling weak. Atl is using up every one of her mother's contacts along the way, relying on wisps of goodwill and loyalty from humans and vampires who assumed their obligations died long before Atl's mother did. This results in a tangle of one-off and repeating characters as Atl and Domingo navigate this loose network of contacts, just trying to get out of the city alive. 

The worldbuilding is immersive, built through stories, buildings, and how the characters move through this alternate version of Mexico City where not only are vampires real but there are several kinds of them. Some (like Atl) are Tlahuihpochtli descended from Aztec blood drinker temple priestesses, but human colonization and the encroachment of other vampires, like Necros and Revenants, have made things more complicated for recent generations. Several decades ago humans found out vampires are real, and many places promptly tried to legislate them out of existence. Mexico City is one such "vampire free" zone, a situation which causes problems for Atl.

The plot is a web of pursuers and pursued, beginning in earnest when one of Atl's pursuers gets sloppy and the police find a dead human. It's a dance of obsession, violence, and death, as Atl tries to use Domingo without him spooking, while Domingo finds himself falling in love with her and not minding being used.

I loved every minute, and am extremely happy with the ending. Don't miss this one.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Police brutality, Cannibalism, Murder, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Pregnancy, and Sexual harassment

marareading's review

adventurous dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

This was definitely outside my comfort zone as far as genre is concerned, and I genuinely liked it. This is a vampire crime noir. Imagine a gritty urban crime story based in Mexico City, with battling vampire drug cartels. Atl is a vampire and is on the run for her life. She is the daughter of one of the largest cartel families in South America, and another cartel vampire family is after her. Meanwhile, the cops/government are not fond of vampires and trying to extinguish them, considering them a threat. Atl takes up with a street kid, Domingo, who is overly curious, sometimes annoying and now they are in it together on the run. 

This is a brutal and bloody story. It is so well written. I really enjoyed it. Noir is not usually something I reach for, but I can never resist a vampire story. Definitely recommend if you like crime stories or vampires.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, War, and Injury/Injury detail

peachmoni's review against another edition

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence and Classism

Minor: Ableism, Animal death, Drug abuse, Sexual content, and Colonisation