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blacksphinx's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Cancer, Drug abuse, Blood, Antisemitism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Bullying, Suicide attempt, and Cultural appropriation
boba_nbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Silvia Moreno-Garcia does not disappoint. Silver Nitrate had me on the edge of my seat and is terrifying in all the right ways.
Monserrat and TristĂĄn have been friends since they were kids, and though Monserrat has been in love with TristĂĄn all these years, he is oblivious to her feelings. The boys' club running the film industry in Mexico City in the 90s leaves no place for Monserrat, even though she's an extremely talented sound editor. As an aging actor, TristĂĄn is also starting to feel left out of the industry, too. So when he finds out that his new neighbor is a cult horror director who wants to work with himself and Monserrat, TristĂĄn wants to jump in without any hesitation. However, Monserrat is a little more cautious. The director, Abel, wants the two of them to help him finish a film that he never got the chance to complete, but that film has left everyone who has touched it with bad fortune. The person Abel originally worked with on the film was a Nazi who believed creating this film would bring them magical powers. Abel believes finishing the film will lift the curse and bring fortune and fame, as well as magic, to the trio, but once they start working on it, strange things start to happen that leave Monserrat and TristĂĄn wondering just what they got themselves into.
This novel focuses on how obsession with the occult can drive people to go to the extreme. It also explored the art of film, especially horror movies, and how all of the pieces come together to create a sort of magic--and in this story, the magic happened to be real. After being powerless her whole life, both in her career and in her own body, Monserrat has to decide what to do with the very real power she gets ahold of. She has to choose whether power is the most important thing to her.
Similarly to one of Silvia Moreno-Garcia's other novels, Mexican Gothic, this was a very atmospheric read. Silver Nitrate explores ritual and how the past can still permeate the present.
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Chronic illness, Racism, Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Car accident, Cultural appropriation, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Cursing, and Vomit
azrah786's review against another edition
4.0
**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 donât read a lot of horror but Iâd 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 â one being a sound editor and the other an ex-Soap actor â whose lives get upturned when they cross paths with an infamous cult horror director and his unfinished, cursed film Beyond the Yellow Door.
Iâd 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 didnât get to the same amount of eeriness that Mexican Gothic did for me. One thing that is guaranteed though is that Moreno-Garciaâs storytelling will truly fold you into the tale and keep you reading until the end.
I really loved Montserrat and TristĂĄn, Moreno-Garcia always aces her character studies! Our FMC is a badass, always determined to stand her ground whether thatâs 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 didnât 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 TristĂĄnâs arcs were great.
Final Rating â 4/5 Stars
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Drug use, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Cancer, Suicidal thoughts, Antisemitism, Kidnapping, Car accident, and Colonisation
reddeddy's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Cancer, Cursing, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Racism, Self harm, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Addiction, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Misogyny, Sexism, Suicide, Vomit, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation
mxpringle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Murder
Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Stalking, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Antisemitism, Kidnapping, and War
ktb97's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Blood and Antisemitism
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Car accident
Minor: Alcoholism
hauntedantiqueshop's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, and Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, Cancer, Blood, and Antisemitism
Minor: Animal death, Genocide, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury
This book does talk about nazis and eugenics, there being a hierarchy of races. The main characters are adamantly against that bullshit but itâs part of the cultâs background.nashxra's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Racism, Antisemitism, and Colonisation
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, and Suicidal thoughts
abitbetterbooks's review against another edition
- 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
4.0
I always say Iâm not a horror fan, but I think Iâm constantly getting proved wrong. This book wasnât even that scary! I loved Mexican Gothic (which in my opinion was much more disturbing than this one) so I knew I had to give Silver Nitrate a shot. While Iâm no film buff, I still really enjoyed the connections and details to the industry.
I loved Monserrat and Tristan. I loved their banter and closeness that only knowing someone your whole life can bring. I also adored heroes that were 38 and felt like real adult humans that made real adult human decisions. I also appreciated how flawed the characters were.
As a note, there is a decent amount of discussions of Nazis and Nazism as they pertain to post-WWII in Latin America, and in particular the ideas of âAryan superiorityâ and eugenics.
Graphic: Death, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Antisemitism
Minor: Biphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
chloesnotscared's review against another edition
- 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
3.75
Moderate: Alcoholism, Antisemitism, Grief, and Car accident
Minor: Biphobia, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Racism, and Violence