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shaun_dh's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Silvia Moreno-Garcia can write a vibe, that’s for sure! This is a slow burn horror that took a little too long for me to get into. I found the plot to be a bit murky, but the vibes are immaculate. This is a great starting place if folks are wanting to do their toe into the horror genre
My biggest qualm with Moreno-Garcia’s writing isher hurried romances. In both the books I’ve read of hers, she rushes a romance into the last four pages. Either flesh it out a bit more or leave it out entirely…
My biggest qualm with Moreno-Garcia’s writing is
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Chronic illness
Minor: Bullying, Cursing, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Colonisation
rodile's review
adventurous
dark
tense
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This was a fun read! The main characters are Mexican disaster bisexuals, and their interactions are well-written. I enjoyed the portrayal of grief and its interplay with magic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Car accident
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Drug abuse, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Colonisation
Minor: Biphobia
alisonvh's review
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
virgilsinferno's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A slow burn with an epilogue I didn't care for. But I liked the bit of character growth we get and I think the magic stuff is interesting and the history bits were cool.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
Minor: Biphobia and Suicide
applesodaperson's review
funny
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? Yes
4.25
This was honestly a very fun book! It definitely wasn't perfect, but there was a lot that I liked about it. I loved the 90s Mexico City setting, and the turn of the century, and how the advancements in technology had a ton of impact on the story. Like how Monserat is being slowly pushed out of her job because of technological advancements (and of course in addition to a ton of misogyny). I also loved the characters. They were both so dysfunctional in their own ways and honestly their relationship was really dysfunctional too. They have a childhood best friends to eventual lovers at the end dynamic. But seriously Tristan treated Monserat terribly by using her as a fall back and only hanging out with her and needing her when he is going through a breakup. And holy cow Tristan reminded me so much of Rojelio de la Vega from the TV show Jane the Virgin. They are both middle aged, washed up soap opera stars that still have huge egos and a ton of regrets. He was just a very entertaining character.
A criticism I have about this book was that the horror was lacking. The magic scenes were a bit convoluted and boring. It also just wasn't very scary. Which should really be a requirement for something to be considered a horror book in the first place. And a lot of the plot beats were extremely repetitive. Monserat just complained about work over and over again and they talked about the movie curses so much.
Overall, the characters were really the stand out of this book, which made the lackluster plot even more dissapointing. But overall this was good.
Listened to on Libby.
A criticism I have about this book was that the horror was lacking. The magic scenes were a bit convoluted and boring. It also just wasn't very scary. Which should really be a requirement for something to be considered a horror book in the first place. And a lot of the plot beats were extremely repetitive. Monserat just complained about work over and over again and they talked about the movie curses so much.
Overall, the characters were really the stand out of this book, which made the lackluster plot even more dissapointing. But overall this was good.
Listened to on Libby.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Racism
vixenreader's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Cursing, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction, Biphobia, Bullying, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexism, Sexual content, Cultural appropriation, War, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Child abuse, Terminal illness, Torture, Vomit, Kidnapping, Stalking, and Colonisation
Be aware that this novel features ageism, toxic workplace environments, Nazism, cults, occult rituals, violence with knives, harming one’s self for rituals, and people being crashed by large instruments.knittingchaos's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Car accident
faehistory's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely brilliant book. The plot is well-written and doesn't drag.
I really enjoyed the overarching themes of magic as power and intent, as well as the examination of grief and guilt.
The mixing-in of real history is awesome and really fascinating.
I really enjoyed the overarching themes of magic as power and intent, as well as the examination of grief and guilt.
The mixing-in of real history is awesome and really fascinating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and Grief
Moderate: Ableism, Drug use, Racism, Car accident, and Cultural appropriation
jbfletcher's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism and Violence
The perfect summer read! It's a bit nostalgic (but in a good way), adventurous, funny. Plus you have a cursed movie and a nazi cult.azrah786's review
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
--
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
**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
--
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
Content Warnings
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