Reviews tagging 'Torture'

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

29 reviews

gdulecki's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

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

3.75

You know what hell yeah!! I always go into SMG books not knowing what they are about, just that I love her brain and want to eat it all up. This was certainly a fun one!! Gross and gory, but fun nonetheless. The first couple chapters as we were being introduced to everyone felt a little clunky, but once things got going I was hooked. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

sandstar's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Murder

Moderate: Genocide, Misogyny, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury

ceruleanseas's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Kidnapping, and Classism

atlantisfrost's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

I enjoyed this unique spin on vampires. The historical/folklore details of Aztec, Mexican, and European vampires weaved through the story made it really immersive. Fight scenes were well written. However, the ending felt a bit rushed and unsatisfying. I also wish there was a bit more "neon" in the "neon-noir" - there were some elements that seemed almost cyberpunk (like Cualli), but it wasn't really explored. Overall, I find Moreno-Garcia's writing style accessible and elegant.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Drug use, Misogyny, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Classism

Minor: Animal death and Torture

little7thbirdie's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I liked the storyline but my main issues were that Atl got with the boy, and I feel like he could've been aged up to be in his early 20s like Atl instead of being a minor. My other issue is with Ana's plot didn't really seem as important as Atl's and Domingo's.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship

meg_thebrave's review

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-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? Yes

3.75

This is an excellent exploration of vampire lore. Moreno-Garcia creates fascinating worlds. I really liked experiencing Domingo and Atl’s interactions. I definitely recommend this book to people wanting a good vampire noir. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Vomit

Minor: Animal cruelty

sonygaystation's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

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

3.75

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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Gun violence and Stalking

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual content, Torture, and Pregnancy

raavi's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Torture, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Xenophobia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship and Grief

ashley_elizabeth's review against another edition

dark

• Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.0

I did not care for this entry from SMG as much as her "Mexican Gothic", but it was certainly an interesting take on Vampires set in Mexico. I could not get past the gross age gap between the two MCs, not because they are particularly far apart in age but because one is still a minor (age 17), so that definitely impacted my enjoyment. Also I found Domingo's puppy attitude pretty annoying.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Torture

Moderate: Violence

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