Rick Riordan's Reviews > Certain Dark Things

Certain Dark Things is not just another vampire novel. Set in Mexico City, the novel imagines an alternate present in which the discovery of vampires' existence in the 1970s has fundamentally reshaped the world of the 21st Century. Mexico City has become a closed nation city, leaving the rest of the country at the mercy of powerful vampire gangs who fight for territory against each other and the humans. And it's not just one kind of vampire. Vampires from every culture in the world -- dozens of subspecies -- have fled to Mexico because it has some of the least restrictive laws against blood-suckers. This is not great news for the native vampires of Mexico -- bird-winged blood drinkers who have existed since the time of the Aztecs. One of these, a beautiful young woman named Atl, flees to Mexico City when her Northern Mexico clan is destroyed by a rival gang of Necros (a horrifying European species that can control humans with a single bite and whose blood is poison to other vampires). With only her faithful dog Cualli and a young street boy Domingo, Atl must try to find a way out of the country while pursued by both Necros and human gangs who refuse to tolerate any vampires on their turf. I loved the premise of this book! Throwing vampire myths from so many cultures together was right down my alley. If you like vampire books but would appreciate some . . . er, fresh blood . . . this is a fast-paced read that breathes fresh life into the genre.