gilda_elise | Entries tagged with silvia moreno-garcia

A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine — but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the author of Mexican Gothic.

1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times.

So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.

Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination.

But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Herod: a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart.

Before the curtain comes down, there will be tears and tragedy aplenty in this sexy Technicolor saga.

The book is slow to start, as we’re introduced to the main characters. There’s Vera, who has lucked into a prime role. Nancy, who probably isn’t as talented as she thinks she is. And then there’s Salome, whose story is intertwined with that of the actress who’s portraying her. There’s also the men in their lives, who don’t come across as strongly as the women do. Their roles are very much second string.

This is definitely a step away from Moreno-Garcia’s usual work; there’s not a touch of the mystical, and the only horror is the way some of the characters are willing to do anything in order to get ahead. I have to say, I missed the unworldliness that usually permeates her books.

It wasn’t until near the end that the pace picks up; enough to make up for the rest of the book. The tragedy of their lives comes full circle with Salome’s. No one walks away unscathed.

( Mount TBR 2025 Book Links 1-20 )

21. We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
22. America First: Roosevelt vs. Lindbergh in the Shadow of War by H.W. Brands
23. American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meacham
24. The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Goodreads 24

MAY: “Virtual Book Club” - Read a book from a celebrity/influencer book club list, an organization’s book club list, your library’s book club lists, or a book club you’re a part of.

Good Morning America Book Club
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is either a genius or a madman.

Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.

The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.

All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.

For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is both a dazzling historical novel and a daring science fiction journey.

Morena-Garcia has become one of my favorite authors, in a large part due to her ability to write women who come into their own, who have a hidden strength brought out by perilous situations. Carlota is such a woman.

Though her secret is likely guess at by any reader who has read The Island of Doctor Moreau, from where this book takes its base, how that secret is brought forward, and how the inhabitants of the estate take that information, is what makes the book so captivating.

There is Montgomery Laughton, who has made the estate his home, and who cares for Carlota, and the other hybrids. Among those hybrids are Lupe and Cachito, who are almost like siblings to Carlota. And there is Dr. Moreau himself, who has blinded himself to the knife edge on which they all live.

Inevitably, the truth must come out and all their lives are changed. The ending is bittersweet, yet there is room for hope.

( Mount TBR 2024 Book Links 1-50 )

51. The Upwelling (The Hidden #1) by F. Paul Wilson
52. Xeno by D. F. Jones
53. Grant's Tomb: The Epic Death of Ulysses S. Grant and the Making of an American Pantheon by Louis L. Picone
54. Wolfsong (Green Creek #1) by T.J. Klune
55. The Best Land Under Heaven: The Donner Party in the Age of Manifest Destiny by Michael Wallis
56. The Last Policeman (Last Policeman #1) by Ben H. Winters
57. Krampus: The Yule Lord by Brom
58. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Goodreads 58

By BIPOC author
1. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
2. Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
3. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own.

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

Very much a fairy tale, though along the lines of a Grimm fairy tale, but not the Disneyfied versions. Though ostensibly a quest to return items stolen, the story takes the reader along on a journey of self discovery, for Casiopea, and for Hun-Kamé, the god of death she accompanies. It is fraught with danger, both physically and spiritually.

Though having lived a sheltered life, Casiopea is nevertheless feisty. She may be little more than a servant in her grandfather’s house, but she has dreams. This makes her a match for Hun-Kamé, who is dealing with being part human through his link with her.

As their quest progresses, so does their relationship. And though the ending is inevitable, I could have wished it otherwise.

Mount TBR 2024 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. Bone Walker (Anasazi Mysteries #3) by Kathleen O'Neal Gear, W. Michael Gear
2. Holly by Stephen King
3. Inferno (Inferno#1) by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
4. Fallout (Lois Lane #1) by Gwenda Bond
5. The Secret People by John Wyndham
6. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
7. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.

Atl needs to quickly escape the city, far from the rival narco-vampire clan relentlessly pursuing her. Her plan doesn't include Domingo, but little by little, Atl finds herself warming up to the scrappy young man and his undeniable charm. As the trail of corpses stretches behind her, local cops and crime bosses both start closing in.

Vampires, humans, cops, and criminals collide in the dark streets of Mexico City. Do Atl and Domingo even stand a chance of making it out alive? Or will the city devour them all?

It’s a strange Mexico City, one that’s supposed to be a vampire-free haven in a country practically overrun with vampires. But things quickly go array when it’s invaded by Atl, and those hunting her.

It’s interesting how Moreno-Garcia incorporates all the different vampires of legend, not just those from Europe. Each type has its own power, such as the revenant, Bernardino, who lives, not on blood, but on the very life of others. It makes for some really interesting reading.

Still, it took a little while for me to really get into this book. Sort of the way Atl takes time to warm to Domingo. Though the rest is interesting, for me it’s their relationship that I found the most intriguing, with the river of blood that follows them of secondary importance. But of course there is also Atl’s dog, Cualli, who does his part. The three of them team up to try to get Atl out of Mexico City and to safety.

This is another of Morena-Garcia’s book that I can heartily recommend.

Mount TBR 2024 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book or author, not to the review.

1. Bone Walker (Anasazi Mysteries #3) by Kathleen O'Neal Gear, W. Michael Gear
2. Holly by Stephen King
3. Inferno (Inferno#1) by Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
4. The Secret People by John Wyndham
5. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

By BIPOC Author
1. Certain Dark Things by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic comes a fabulous meld of Mexican horror movies and Nazi occultism: a dark thriller about the curse that haunts a legendary lost film--and awakens one woman's hidden powers.

Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood.

Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy. The magic film was never finished, which is why, Urueta swears, his career vanished overnight. He is cursed.

Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the missing scene and lift the curse . . . but Montserrat soon notices a dark presence following her, and Tristán begins seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.

As they work together to unravel the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once roamed their city, Montserrat and Tristán may find that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.

I was a bit disappointed with the book; it’s good, but not up to her regular standards. Maybe because it took awhile for anything to actually happen. Much of the book involves learning about the movie industry’s history in Mexico. Interesting, but more was needed, I think.

On the plus side, the characters were entertaining and kept me interested; Montserrat and Tristán, especially, are very likable. They sort of made up for the book’s slow pace. And though I sort of saw the ending coming, I was happy that the story ended the way it did.

I still plan on reading more of Moreno-Garcia’s books. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy this one; just not as much as I thought I would.