chelsearm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
What if airing a reel of film was the next step in a long dead ritual?
WOW, this was a great read to start just as the weather turns. From page 1 I was in love with Montserrat, and fell into her world. Between her and Tristán, I loved that you never felt like they just “bought it” with no hesitations - a true friendship, one of them is always calling bullshit!
If you’re a fan of horror movies, old cinema, or are aware of Nazi Occultism, this is a great thriller to sink your teeth into.
WOW, this was a great read to start just as the weather turns. From page 1 I was in love with Montserrat, and fell into her world. Between her and Tristán, I loved that you never felt like they just “bought it” with no hesitations - a true friendship, one of them is always calling bullshit!
If you’re a fan of horror movies, old cinema, or are aware of Nazi Occultism, this is a great thriller to sink your teeth into.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Colonisation, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Car accident and Misogyny
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Addiction, Drug abuse, and Grief
displacedcactus's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
As usual, Silvia Moreno-Garcia does an amazing job of conjuring a sense of time and place, while populating her story with characters who are kind of annoying. This time around, we've got two childhood friends well into their 30s, both struggling with their careers, who find themselves caught up in a plot involving magic, an unfinished possibly cursed horror film, and conflict between several factions who all have their own idea of how the magical film should be put to use. All of this against the backdrop of 1993 Mexico City.
Moreno-Garcia weaves in classic horror films, film dubbing, Mexican cinema culture, and Nazi occultism (and how Nazism intersected with racism in Mexico). You'll probably learn a lot of interesting facts along the way.
This book has bisexual and disability rep, and one of the characters is Lebanese-Mexican. It's surprisingly diverse for a book with a relatively small cast of named characters.
Moreno-Garcia weaves in classic horror films, film dubbing, Mexican cinema culture, and Nazi occultism (and how Nazism intersected with racism in Mexico). You'll probably learn a lot of interesting facts along the way.
This book has bisexual and disability rep, and one of the characters is Lebanese-Mexican. It's surprisingly diverse for a book with a relatively small cast of named characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Cursing and Racism
Minor: Animal death
devynreadsnovels's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Racism, Violence, Death, and Xenophobia
Minor: Vomit, Misogyny, Alcohol, Self harm, Blood, and Cursing
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