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slimeslop's review
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Bullying, Death, Gore, Racism, Suicide, Violence, and Antisemitism
sofipitch's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? It's complicated
4.5
I'm comparing this relative to SMG's previous book and her two releases before this one, VWTN and TDODM were really just mid after Mexican Gothic, so this one waa refreshing in that it I actually did like it. Monserrat and Tristan were interesting and well developed characters (also fell into character archetypes I like so I am biased lol). Same with their relationship, old friends who have a tendency to take the other for granted. The plot itself was good just painfully slow at times. SMG said this was her suspense novel but there was a degree of maybe over-explaining in places that made it drag. Some of the beats or themes I got pages before so when it was laid out I felt again like it was slow.
I really did love this as a love letter to stories, and more specifically movies. The choice to make Monserrat a sound editor was also 👌 my mother is a video editor so her descriptions of the work environment were spot on, and editing is such an undervalued part of television/cinema but really can be what makes or breaks a film. It was really cool to have that highlighted and acknowledged in a book about movies.
I really did love this as a love letter to stories, and more specifically movies. The choice to make Monserrat a sound editor was also 👌 my mother is a video editor so her descriptions of the work environment were spot on, and editing is such an undervalued part of television/cinema but really can be what makes or breaks a film. It was really cool to have that highlighted and acknowledged in a book about movies.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Grief
Minor: Addiction and Alcoholism
siobhanward's review against another edition
mysterious
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
4.0
Another reviewer described this book as "gritty" and I think that's an apt description - the story was creepy and well-told, although the beginning was a bit slow. I loved the idea of a curse surrounding a movie that was never finished - it feels like it should be an idea that's overdone, but it's really not.
The characters were great and I love how Moreno-Garcia unravels a story. This book had a great combination of creepy moments interspliced with action and character development. Definitely a fun read, and perfect for Halloween (even though at this point Halloween is three months away...).
The characters were great and I love how Moreno-Garcia unravels a story. This book had a great combination of creepy moments interspliced with action and character development. Definitely a fun read, and perfect for Halloween (even though at this point Halloween is three months away...).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Addiction, Death, Drug abuse, Gore, Violence, and Car accident
saintmaud's review
4.0
my most anticipated read of the year because horror set around film is one of my favourite niches and combined with cults, the glamour of old hollywood, and crazy bisexual friends meant that it delivered. I love that this is set in mexico, I love how tired but persistent montserrat is, I loved her dynamic with tristan, I loves how exactly smg captured the allure of fictional films.
my only complaint–the same I had with mexican gothic–is that smg doesn't dial up the craziness I really really want to see her go over the top with the horror and gore one day. also I feel the characterisation of the older actresses was sacrificed for the sake of momo & tristan and the general plot when it could've made the whole story more alluring.
but overall... so good I desperately want to watch a silver nitrate film now.
my only complaint–the same I had with mexican gothic–is that smg doesn't dial up the craziness I really really want to see her go over the top with the horror and gore one day. also I feel the characterisation of the older actresses was sacrificed for the sake of momo & tristan and the general plot when it could've made the whole story more alluring.
but overall... so good I desperately want to watch a silver nitrate film now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Drug use, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Gore and Racism
Minor: Ableism and Vomit
cadence99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
Overall I really liked this book- I
felt like the character development was much improved from the books that I’ve read of hers in the past. I’d highly recommended it to anyone who can handle supernatural horror. A lot of if also felt very historical fiction heavy, with all the elements of old Mexican horror movies inserted throughout, and I really enjoyed that about it.
felt like the character development was much improved from the books that I’ve read of hers in the past. I’d highly recommended it to anyone who can handle supernatural horror. A lot of if also felt very historical fiction heavy, with all the elements of old Mexican horror movies inserted throughout, and I really enjoyed that about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Bullying, Chronic illness, Death, Gore, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Antisemitism, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, and Cancer
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Drug abuse, Genocide, Homophobia, Suicide, Vomit, Stalking, Abandonment, and War
bkwrm1317's review
dark
funny
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? Yes
4.25
First and foremost, big thanks to NetGalley and RH/Ballantine/Del Rey for providing me yet another copy of a forthcoming novel by one of my favorite contemporary SFF/Horror writers in exchange for an honest review.
A bit different than other novels by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Silver Nitrate is an (of course) exquisitely researched and written novel, at its core, about folks who work in the film industry in Mexico, a film recorded on silver nitrate reel that was part of a magical spell, and a Nazi occultist. Our main characters, Montserrat and Tristán, childhood friends, both embedded in the film industry and starting to be looked over in their respective portions of the field (Montserrat, or Momo, in the sound editing world; Tristán in the acting world) as they start to get older and don't seem to cut it compared to younger, more attractive colleagues.
Perhaps most interesting in this particular Moreno-Garcia novel is the weaving together of the film industry of years past and Nazi occultists' obsession with film as conveyer of magic. Tristán and, especially, Montserrat, get themselves into lots of supernatural trouble as a result of messing with a film that contained the "unfinished" spell of one such dead Nazi occultist from Germany (this character, Ewers in the novel, is based on the real historical figure of Joseph Goebbels, former Chief Propagandist of the Nazi party (etc), and who was convinced that cinema was "one of the most effective propaganda instruments" (Author's Note).
As with all of Moreno-Garcia's works, the author also comments on historical and contemporary social issues like colorism and racism within México, love and the forms it takes, disability, homophobia and biphobia, and one could even read commentary of white folks co-opting spiritual practices of folks from the Global South into some of the novel, among others.
Spoiler ahead: The friends-to-lovers trope is definitely strong in this one, and the chemistry between Montserrat and Tristán builds throughout the novel. I particularly like that they are a bit older (40s-ish), so there is also commentary towards the end of the novel around how sometimes things are better, rather than worse, with age, and that love can be one of these.
I hope folks enjoy this Moreno-Garcia novel just as much as her others. It felt a bit different to me (not at all in a bad way) from prior works of hers, so I'll be genuinely interested to see what more folks things once this book hits shelves in a little over a week!
CWs in more or less order of intensity/severity: some explicit detailed gore (of someone long-deceased, but would give this one as a more graphic warning; description is fairly brief), misogyny, death, ableism, cultural appropriation (done by the Nazi occultist because of course), biphobia, bullying (as flashbacks/references to childhood), addiction (specifically alcoholism and references to the alcohol intake of a character increasing, references to side effects of hangover, etc.).
A bit different than other novels by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Silver Nitrate is an (of course) exquisitely researched and written novel, at its core, about folks who work in the film industry in Mexico, a film recorded on silver nitrate reel that was part of a magical spell, and a Nazi occultist. Our main characters, Montserrat and Tristán, childhood friends, both embedded in the film industry and starting to be looked over in their respective portions of the field (Montserrat, or Momo, in the sound editing world; Tristán in the acting world) as they start to get older and don't seem to cut it compared to younger, more attractive colleagues.
Perhaps most interesting in this particular Moreno-Garcia novel is the weaving together of the film industry of years past and Nazi occultists' obsession with film as conveyer of magic. Tristán and, especially, Montserrat, get themselves into lots of supernatural trouble as a result of messing with a film that contained the "unfinished" spell of one such dead Nazi occultist from Germany (this character, Ewers in the novel, is based on the real historical figure of Joseph Goebbels, former Chief Propagandist of the Nazi party (etc), and who was convinced that cinema was "one of the most effective propaganda instruments" (Author's Note).
As with all of Moreno-Garcia's works, the author also comments on historical and contemporary social issues like colorism and racism within México, love and the forms it takes, disability, homophobia and biphobia, and one could even read commentary of white folks co-opting spiritual practices of folks from the Global South into some of the novel, among others.
Spoiler ahead:
I hope folks enjoy this Moreno-Garcia novel just as much as her others. It felt a bit different to me (not at all in a bad way) from prior works of hers, so I'll be genuinely interested to see what more folks things once this book hits shelves in a little over a week!
CWs in more or less order of intensity/severity: some explicit detailed gore (of someone long-deceased, but would give this one as a more graphic warning; description is fairly brief), misogyny, death, ableism, cultural appropriation (done by the Nazi occultist because of course), biphobia, bullying (as flashbacks/references to childhood), addiction (specifically alcoholism and references to the alcohol intake of a character increasing, references to side effects of hangover, etc.).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore
Moderate: Ableism, Death, Misogyny, and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Biphobia, and Bullying
taratearex's review
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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
4.25
I really had to sit with this book for a while before I could review it, it really has so much packed into it and really made me sit and think!
As usual Silvia Moreno Garcia is a master at creating an atmospheric setting and incredible characters. I think this is billed as a horror and to me it feel more like a noir with horror elements, the creepy and the horror are both there, but it's within the long and winding mystery as it unfolds. (It had Velvet was the Night vibes which I loved). As with most of her novels, the slow burn is there which is honestly something I love about her style, but if you have a hard time with slow burn the beginning is very much taking it's time to set the scene and get to know the characters- again, I personally love this about her style because I just love entering the worlds that she creates and spending time with her characters.
I love how Silvia Moreno Garcia layers in history and education around topics. In this one we have a love and fascination for film that comes through Montserrat's character. And some history of Nazi occultism, racism, and cultural appropriation told through the mystery of the cursed film and filmmakers. My only real qualm was getting a bit lost in the information and mystery, I think if I'd had a physical copy I would have tabbed to keep track of some things because I had a number of moments where I just thought "this book is much smarter than me".
I know that right after I finish a new book of hers I feel like it's my new favorite, but I really loved these two characters so much. I love that they are both around my age and both bisexual. I love how Silvia Moreno Garcia creates complicated multi-dimensional characters that you root for and also make you a little mad, they always feel so real. Montserrat being drawn to power that she knows is wrong, but can't help but fall deep into was so well done. Tristan trying to grow and let go, but being afraid to. I love their complicated friendship/relationship, how much they need and lean on each other. I really never knew where this was going and the ending was a surprise that I loved.
I truly look forward to a reread, there was just so much in this book!
Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, and Net Galley for the arc!
As usual Silvia Moreno Garcia is a master at creating an atmospheric setting and incredible characters. I think this is billed as a horror and to me it feel more like a noir with horror elements, the creepy and the horror are both there, but it's within the long and winding mystery as it unfolds. (It had Velvet was the Night vibes which I loved). As with most of her novels, the slow burn is there which is honestly something I love about her style, but if you have a hard time with slow burn the beginning is very much taking it's time to set the scene and get to know the characters- again, I personally love this about her style because I just love entering the worlds that she creates and spending time with her characters.
I love how Silvia Moreno Garcia layers in history and education around topics. In this one we have a love and fascination for film that comes through Montserrat's character. And some history of Nazi occultism, racism, and cultural appropriation told through the mystery of the cursed film and filmmakers. My only real qualm was getting a bit lost in the information and mystery, I think if I'd had a physical copy I would have tabbed to keep track of some things because I had a number of moments where I just thought "this book is much smarter than me".
I know that right after I finish a new book of hers I feel like it's my new favorite, but I really loved these two characters so much. I love that they are both around my age and both bisexual. I love how Silvia Moreno Garcia creates complicated multi-dimensional characters that you root for and also make you a little mad, they always feel so real. Montserrat being drawn to power that she knows is wrong, but can't help but fall deep into was so well done. Tristan trying to grow and let go, but being afraid to. I love their complicated friendship/relationship, how much they need and lean on each other. I really never knew where this was going and the ending was a surprise that I loved.
I truly look forward to a reread, there was just so much in this book!
Thank you to the publisher, Del Rey, and Net Galley for the arc!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Body horror, Gore, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Car accident, Murder, and Alcohol