Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Publication Date: September 7, 2021

Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia takes a modern day twist on a very old subject matter. Certain Dark Things is a tale about vampires in modern day Mexico City. In Silvia's story though, there are more than one "species" of vampires and they have many more enemies than just each other. Darwin's survival of the fittest theory is taken to a whole new level. The vampires themselves are constantly fighting with each other over territorial rights, but Silvia's tale gives the human race the power to exterminate vampires and try to keep them out of certain cities as well. Even the modern day police force has training on how to deal with the vampire threat. In Certain Dark Things a vampire needs more than just a set of fangs to survive because he or she is in danger of being attacked from all different angles. 

The novel's main character is, Atl. She is a younger vampire, as far as vampire age goes. She is currently on the run from a Necros vampire family named the Godoys. The Godoys completely irradicated her family and now want to take Atl down as well. Atl is proving harder to take down than they ever imagined. She leds them on a wild chase through Mexico City where she meets a street kid named Domingo that teaches her to take a step back and understand how her actions have immediate reactions to those around her. 

I am a vampire novel fan, so I was immediately drawn to this title. The story was very original on the idea of breaking down the vampires into different species. Atl, the main character, even mentions how they are all from the same genus but branch off into different species with different characteristics. I thought that was a clever way to explain how many different species there were in the story. The way the story is written reminded me a lot of the Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Vampires and humans trying to co-exist in society but having run-ins here and there with rogue vampires and humans. All and all I found the story creative and if modern day vampire novels are your thing this is one you should definitely give a read. 

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor Forge for and advanced copy for an honest review. 

For Purchase: Certain Dark Things