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A review by sol_journal
Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
*Thank you Netgalley and Del Rey for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!*
Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 28 July 2023
4.4 (rounded down to 4) out of 5 stars.
‘Silver Nitrate’ was a book that when I first saw the summary, I was a little iffy on if it was one I’d like. Now, I *loved* a few of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s previous books- ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’, ‘The Beautiful Ones’, and ‘Velvet Was The Night’. I knew her writing style well to know that I’d most likely *enjoy* her books regardless. I just figured that this new read would be a mood-read kind of book where I’d pick it up when I found myself *craving* a cursed movie title centering Nazi occultism, rough main characters, and stuff of fiction bleeding into two normal people’s reality. When I got approved for this eARC after all, I decided to just jump right in and, man, was it a *phenomenal* read at the end.
‘Silver Nitrate’ shows the ugly of characters as well as it shows their ability to work together in the face of other’s ugly. Monserrat and Tristán were a duo that I found myself in love with from the start. They had a dynamic that grew and burned into what was the ending scene and I *loved* it SO much. There was just something about their flaws- one’s cowardice and the other’s unhealthy dive into what she finds interesting- being highlighted and then *actually* working through them at some point that grabbed me.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the magic system. I know the premise was in-story built by not so good people, but Silvia Moreno-Garcia creates this interesting system that almost had me like Monserrat in that I wanted to know more! I don’t know how much of real world occultism was used to help base the magic in ‘Silver Nitrate’ though, but the entwining of it *and* the idea of movies being more magic than what meets the eye was enthralling.
I think I’ve got a major book hangover with ‘Silver Nitrate’ though because I want more reads *just* like it. I want to know what happens after the ending and I honestly just need more Monserrat and Tristán! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I can read it all over again (and annotate it this time!)
Posted to: NetGalley, Goodreads, and The StoryGraph
Posted on: 28 July 2023
4.4 (rounded down to 4) out of 5 stars.
‘Silver Nitrate’ was a book that when I first saw the summary, I was a little iffy on if it was one I’d like. Now, I *loved* a few of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s previous books- ‘Gods of Jade and Shadow’, ‘The Beautiful Ones’, and ‘Velvet Was The Night’. I knew her writing style well to know that I’d most likely *enjoy* her books regardless. I just figured that this new read would be a mood-read kind of book where I’d pick it up when I found myself *craving* a cursed movie title centering Nazi occultism, rough main characters, and stuff of fiction bleeding into two normal people’s reality. When I got approved for this eARC after all, I decided to just jump right in and, man, was it a *phenomenal* read at the end.
‘Silver Nitrate’ shows the ugly of characters as well as it shows their ability to work together in the face of other’s ugly. Monserrat and Tristán were a duo that I found myself in love with from the start. They had a dynamic that grew and burned into what was the ending scene and I *loved* it SO much. There was just something about their flaws- one’s cowardice and the other’s unhealthy dive into what she finds interesting- being highlighted and then *actually* working through them at some point that grabbed me.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the magic system. I know the premise was in-story built by not so good people, but Silvia Moreno-Garcia creates this interesting system that almost had me like Monserrat in that I wanted to know more! I don’t know how much of real world occultism was used to help base the magic in ‘Silver Nitrate’ though, but the entwining of it *and* the idea of movies being more magic than what meets the eye was enthralling.
I think I’ve got a major book hangover with ‘Silver Nitrate’ though because I want more reads *just* like it. I want to know what happens after the ending and I honestly just need more Monserrat and Tristán! I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy so I can read it all over again (and annotate it this time!)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, Blood, Antisemitism, and Murder
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cancer, Terminal illness, and Suicide attempt
Most of the minor content warnings are brief mentions that are a bit pertinent to the story, but aren’t too in depth. The antisemitism is in the form of nazi talk/mentions of nazi occultism and racism in that aspect- eugenics included.