A review by applesodaperson
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

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.

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