Every Silvia Moreno-Garcia Book, Ranked—From 'Mexican Gothic' to 'The Intrigue'

Velvet Was the Night may unanimously rank the lowest amongst Moreno-Garcia’s readers, but make no mistake: This is still a New York Times bestseller. Enjoyment of this one largely comes down to its subject matter, as it strays from Moreno-Garcia’s traditional paranormal and gothic fare. Instead, she explores the world of organized crime, as heroine Maite falls down a rabbit hole of spies and government agents after her neighbor goes missing in Mexico City.

This is a modern spin on the H.G. Wells classic The Island of Dr. Moreau. Moreno-Garcia's take follows both Carlota, the devoted daughter of Dr. Moreau who believes him to be a kind genius, and Montgomery Laughton, his estate’s overseer, who watches as Carlota’s blinders to the true nature of her father’s work are ripped away by a horrifying discovery. For a story that includes hybrid creatures, however, it’s one of Moreno-Garcia’s slower works, landing it lower on our list.

The lines between fiction and reality get really blurry, really fast for Montserrat and Tristán, who have been tapped to help a famed cult horror director complete his unfinished masterpiece. When they become immersed in his film about a Nazi occultist dealing in silver nitrate stock, creepy things start happening, pointing to the unleashing of something sinister. While it may not be foreboding enough for a true horror buff—the deep development of characters and their relationships here means less time spent on scary scenes—it will be just enough for others.

Moreno-Garcia has called Untamed Shore her most obscure novel, but this noir coming-of-age story still has its fans. Its heroine, Viridiana, is a Baja California, Mexico, native who gets wrapped up in the lives of the three strangers visiting her shores—and quickly becomes a suspect in one of their murders. Says Moreno-Garcia: “It's a coming-of-age story wrapped in bleakness.”

Moreno-Garcia first cast her spell on readers with 2015’s Signal To Noise. Following Meche, a 15-year-old girl with a newfound ability to cast magic through music, the novel serves up a heavy dose of teenage angst along with a side of witchcraft. While readers have praised Moreno-Garcia’s realistic portrayal of the misfit teenage protagonists at its center (you know, minus the whole magic bit), others have criticized the lack of attention paid to its most overlooked character: the Mexico City scenery.

There are no supernatural entities at play in this juicy drama—just some good old-fashioned jealousy mixed with a side of creepiness. It’s about two actresses, including an unknown named Vera, who’s just landed the role of a lifetime, and veteran Nancy, who’s not letting the part go without a fight. Largely historical in its exploration of the woman they’re both vying to play—the biblical figure Salome—it still lends that noir factor Moreno-Garcia is known for.

If ever there was a good time for a book about witches, it’s now, just before Halloween, and Moreno-Garcia delivers in spades with her 2025 offering, The Bewitching. Inspired by the witchy folklore of her Mexican family and her ties to having previously lived in Massachusetts, it’s got magic, warlocks, and superstition galore, much to the delight of the writer’s fan base. Written from the perspective of three separate witches across three different timelines, this one’s more Hocus Pocus and less Suspiria (read: the scare factor is low), but it’s a great autumnal read nonetheless.

What happens when a lonely young drifter joins forces with a gang of Aztec blood-drinking vampires? That’s the premise at the heart of Certain Dark Things. It’s fast-paced, it’s fantastical, and it’s ultra-violent—particularly since there’s a rival gang gunning for the lead vampire's head—which may or may not resonate depending on your tastes. Those who love it agree that it’s a fresh, modern take on the vampire trope that brings their kind into the 21st century.

Released in July 2026, The Intrigue is the newest addition to Moreno-Garcia’s catalog, but already, readers are eating up the seductive noir plot about a handsome con artist named Ulises who teams up with his next target’s niece to cheat her out of her fortune. Unbeknownst to the two of them, Aunt Perla has a few tricks of her own, making for a super psychologically thrilling read. There’s no horror or fantastical elements here, but it works quite well just as it is.

Take it from Kelly Ripa: This one’s “sublime horror for your summer reading.” The talk show host loved this ultra-suspenseful tale so much, she wanted to turn it into a TV show (something Moreno-Garcia has said will “hopefully” happen someday). It’s about a glamorous debutante named Noemí who receives a mysterious letter from her cousin begging to free her from her newlywed fate. Noemí's not at all prepared for what she finds at her cousin's new estate, however—and might need a rescuer of her own. It’s eerie, it’s unsettling, and it’s right up there at the top of the must-read list for Moreno-Garcia readers. Said the writer: “I wanted my heroine screaming for the last 30 percent of the book, and the readers screaming with her.”

This one’s reminiscent of Pride & Prejudice...if, say, Elizabeth Bennet had telekinetic powers. The heroine here, Nina, is attempting to join the elite ranks of Loisail society, but struggling to conceal her mind-moving powers. Everything changes when a handsome stranger arrives in town who seems to share her gift, but he’s not quite what he appears to be. The love Moreno Garcia’s fans have for this pick—called “delightful,” “cozy,” and "messy"—is very real.

Fans have Moreno-Garcia’s great-grandmother to thank for the book that is widely cited as the author’s best. “My great-grandmother had been a young woman in the 1920s, and I realized that what the story needed was to be set in the Jazz Age,” the writer told Lightspeed.

Her late relative also inspired the protagonist, young maid Casiopea Tun, who accidentally frees the Mayan god of death from the wooden box he’s been entrapped in and is enlisted to aid him in recovering his throne. “[Her] favorite movie character was La India María, who was this comedic maid character. Because she was a bit like her," Moreno-Garcia said of her relative. "She was a maid, she was humble, and she got to have zany adventures. So I wrote a character who she could identify with and who she would have liked.”

With myths, magic, and a whole lot of heart, Gods of Jade and Shadow truly epitomizes what Moreno-Garcia does best.