Reviews tagging 'Death'

Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

77 reviews

alisonvh's review against another edition

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

4.5

I surprised myself by answering “no” to the question “Did you find the characters lovable?”

Whether or not I like the characters is usually directly related to whether or not I like a book. In this case, I didn’t care for any of the characters, but I think that was kind of the point.

The book is all about magic and movie-making, and I don’t mean “the magic of movies!” I mean using movies as a vehicle for casting literal spells.

A central part of the book is how access to that kind of power can bring out the worst in us.

I loved this book! I was growing up in the ‘90s, so I feel very nostalgic about that time period. And I love a story about magic and sorcery, so this book was right up my alley.

My only complaint is the narrator gave a very stilted and wooden performance, so maybe skip the audiobook for this one.

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dishajetly_123's review against another edition

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dark mysterious 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? It's complicated

2.75


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vixenreader's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious 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

4.75

A tribute to foreign cinema, adversity, and overcoming your own demons, this book inspires everyone to embrace their own magic. 

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knittingchaos's review against another edition

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

4.5


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bellsdixon's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny informative mysterious 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? No

3.75


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azrah786's review against another edition

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4.0

 [This review can also be found on my BLOG]

**I was provided with an ARC through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review**

CW: blood, violence, injury, murder, death, car accident, misogyny/sexism, racism, colonialism, ableism, drug use/addiction, alcoholism, cancer, toxic relationship, antisemitism, depression, kidnapping, grief, suicidal ideation, bullying
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Not my favourite Silvia Moreno-Garcia book but an entertaining one all the same!

I don’t read a lot of horror but I’d pick up anything she writes and the main ideas behind this book really intrigued me. Silver Nitrate follows two childhood friends who are now both part of the film industry – one being a sound editor and the other an ex-Soap actor – whose lives get upturned when they cross paths with an infamous cult horror director and his unfinished, cursed film Beyond the Yellow Door.

I’d say this is more of a supernatural thriller/mystery story than an all-out horror and while it definitely had a dose of murder and spookiness it didn’t get to the same amount of eeriness that Mexican Gothic did for me. One thing that is guaranteed though is that Moreno-Garcia’s storytelling will truly fold you into the tale and keep you reading until the end.

I really loved Montserrat and Tristán, Moreno-Garcia always aces her character studies! Our FMC is a badass, always determined to stand her ground whether that’s standing up to bullies as a child, striving for her place in a male-dominated industry or facing off against Nazi occultists. Whereas our MMC is as charming as he is cowardly, he is haunted by his past and prefers to run away from his true feelings. The addition of the messy yet endearing relationship between the two of them and the fact this was dual PoV so we get to see both sides of it develop was the icing on the cake.

Additionally, I loved the 90s atmosphere and all the pop culture references. Whilst I didn’t know them all they really informed the personalities of the protagonists and them being film buffs especially for horror films which enriched the overall story. I absolutely loved the inclusion of film history in this too and the whole sorcery/occult side of the story made it all the more interesting.

Mexican culture is beautifully woven into the story as with all of her books as well as discussions on the themes of colonialism, racism, white supremacy and gender based discrimination which were addressed really well.

I have to admit the mystery/thriller side of things whilst having some suspense fell short of being scary/creepy. The narrative felt more like a follow the bread crumbs to get to the bottom of what is happening and why to solve the case kind of thing. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. The plot overall was really cleverly wrapped up and Montserrat and Tristán’s arcs were great.
Final Rating – 4/5 Stars 

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julianh's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75


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rmperezpadilla's review against another edition

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

4.5


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reddeddy's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0


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damrod92's review against another edition

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

4.0


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