Reviews with content warning for Injury/Injury detail - Vampires of El Norte

Childhood sweethearts Nena, a rancher’s daughter and curandera, and Néstor, a vaquero and soldier, torn apart by class and by a terrible incident, must reunite to fight for their land and their lives in an 1840s Mexico invaded not only by colonizing Yankees, but vampires as well in this genre-defying work of historical fiction, horror, and romance. I do wish the balance was more horror over romance, however I deeply enjoyed the historical setting!

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tigger89's review

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emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

After enjoying The Hacienda, it was a no-brainer for me to put Vampires of El Norte on hold as soon as I saw it in the library catalog. While I was hoping for more of the same, that's not quite what I found, though I wasn't upset by any means. While The Hacienda had a supernatural plot with a side of romance, Vampires was definitely a historical romance with a side of supernatural. While they were well-written, I didn't find the vampires to be scary at all. If I was frightened by anything in this story, it was the humans — Mexican and American alike — who acted like monsters.

I don't know how accurate it was, but much like The Hacienda, I thought the history and setting in this book was very well written from a vibes standpoint. Spanish is sprinkled throughout, and while I could figure out most of what I didn't already know from context, I did have to look up a few words. But I didn't mind, because this use of language contributed to a very strong sense of place. There's light themes of feminism and classism woven through the narrative, as Nena and Néstor struggle against a system that's constructed to keep them apart.

This might come as a shock to those who read my reviews, but I actually didn't mind the romance. I will say that it makes heavy use of failure-to-communicate tropes, which I know is a dealbreaker for some people. But I found it to be believable rather than contrived, given the fact that the two of them are relatively young and have so much complicated history. Nena being too stubbornly angry to hear Néstor out is a very believable character flaw! So yes, while they could have avoided a whole runaround by sitting down and having a conversation around page 90, at the same time they kind of had to take the long way for the sake of character growth and to re-establish trust.

In the end, it wasn't the spooky halloween read I'd been hoping for. But I'm not mad at it by any means. In fact, I'd recommend it to people who want to get in on the spooky season but have a low tolerance for horror, especially if they enjoy being immersed in history.

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vixenreader's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A historical Mexican romance mixed with effective body horror, this novel is anchored by its central characters chemistry and journey towards harnessing their potential, despite their circumstances.

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mlovesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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yourbookishbff's review

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dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

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