A review by raechel
Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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

3.5

<i>Certain Dark Things</i> takes place in a slightly futuristic Mexico City, in a world where vampires have been known about for decades.  Mexico City is one of the few places they're not allowed, but it's where we find Atl, who is on the run from a Necro vampire clan.  She teams up with a human garbage collector and works on getting away.  This plot is very what-you-see-is-what-you-get and there's no big twists or turns, but sometimes it's nice to have a basic story.

I loved the different types of vampire (we get a encyclopedia in the back of the book), and how the world is different because of it.  There are strong themes of tradition, colonization, trust, and love.  All wrapped up in violence and blood and neon noir.  Side note: idk why this is labeled as YA but it is NOT.

A fun read and I'm honestly a little surprised this isn't a series.  Atl was very cool and had a strong personality.  Domingo was so sweet and naïve.  Bernardino was a cool character, though I feel like more could have been done with him.  If you like modern/sci-fi vampire stories this is a great pick.
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