Review: Silver Nitrate

3 stars. It took me forever to get through this - I should've been absolutely clawing at my Kindle to read just one more chapter, but ultimately the style never really pulled me in. I agree with the reviews that call this a rough draft, even if that was the author's intention - the whole thing felt very sketchy, and repetitive, and frankly very odd at times. The "scary" moments are few and far between, I could barely grasp the "rules" of the magic system/some of the worldbuilding, and honestly sometimes I had trouble paying attention - especially toward the end, when the random instances of lengthy exposition got more frequent. 

I also agree with the reviews that praise this book's premise. It truly is an inspired, wonderful concept/idea, with layers and layers of delicious lore to explore. It's what got me interested in the first place; and, having read and loved Mexican Gothic, I was pretty excited to dive into something from the same author. It's about two best friends, Montserrat and Tristan, who are recruited by the latter's mysterious neighbor - a former horror director - to help him complete a film, thus closing the loop of a magic spell he opened back during the initial filming. Cue unexpected consequences, side effects, a crash course in rune magic, nefarious characters, and an undead Nazi cult leader.

Sounds pretty wild, right? Yes, all the elements of this story are wild and interesting and out there and full of amazing, Old Hollywood vibes. Montserrat and Tristan are easy to root for and classic horror references abound. But somehow, when all of these elements come together, the mixture reads incredibly dry, dusty, and bland. I don't know how to put my finger on it - it just doesn't deliver on the writing front. It snags and catches where it should flow and glisten.

I think this story would've been better-suited for a tv series, or even just one single episode of X-Files or The Twilight Zone or something. Maybe it would've been a great short story, part of an anthology. As a book, it really needs some editing, or reworking, or something. I'll say, though, that I really admire this author for the idea, and for going for it. It's ballsy, with a wonderful setting and a few great sequences - and I was even pretty charmed by the end. Can't wait to read more of her work. 

Silver Nitrate on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads