Review: Certain Dark Things

Hi and welcome to the reading world!

Today I’m sharing a review of Certain Dark Things, a novel I received a copy of for review as part of @b2weird  #B2WTours!

Certain Dark Things follows several perspectives as a young vampire is stranded in Mexico City, a vampire-free zone. The perspectives added to the suspense and intensity of the story. There are different kinds of vampires, each with their own powers, and the way the world views and interacts with vampires is interwoven throughout.

This book has morally grey characters and doesn’t shy away from the grittiness of vampires and how the events unfold. I liked that the characters aren’t portrayed to be perfect and had to grow throughout the novel.

The beginning is a bit slower in pacing compared to the rest of the novel but I really enjoyed those sections because we saw the world building and the internal conflict some character perspectives have. I also loved that we had banter and lighthearted moments interspersed with the dark and intense parts of the novel. 

Overall, Certain Dark Things is unlike any novel with vampires I’ve ever read and has some great world building, complex characters, and a dark and gritty atmosphere well balanced with moments of levity. If any of these things interest you, I’d definitely recommend checking it out! I also listened to this as an audiobook and really liked the narrator’s performance of the story too!

If you liked Xiala from Black Sun, Nahri from The City of Brass, and Cara from The Space Between Worlds, I think you’d like Atl’s character complexity and growth. I think The Space Between Worlds also has similar pacing where the story builds the world and characters in the first part and then the action really kicks off after.

Thank you to @b2weird and @tornightfire for providing a copy of this book for the tour!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Rae