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caseythereader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
kate_arts's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I really enjoyed the Hacienda, but this book fell a little flat for me. I don’t think it’s a horror book at all and if that’s you’re reasoning for picking this book up then I don’t think you will enjoy it. I really enjoyed the parallels Cañas drew between the vampires and the yanquis. I also enjoyed pro working class, the wealth should be held by the people who do the work vibe the story took. I wish both of these themes were a bit more developed, but the foundation was definitely there. Cañas is a great writer overall and can turn a beautiful phrase.
I really didn’t like how obsessed with Nena Néstor was and I really didn’t like how Nena was very hot and cold with Néstor. Overall I think their relationship is very toxic and lacks substance beyond “well they are the perfect person in the world for me” or being possessive of the other person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Abandonment, and Colonisation
nrogers_1030's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Really great spin on a vampire story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, and Classism
Moderate: War
bessadams's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, War, and Classism
americattt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
“‘In case God forbid…’ He let the sentence trail off. God had nothing to do with it. Any belief in God that hid in Nestor’s breast was a fragile, translucent thing, a cloth so weak and worn that if you held it up to the sun, light would shine through it. The events of the day had all but shredded it.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: War and Injury/Injury detail
eujenia_m's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Violence, and War
vicktoreaux's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Classism
emily_journals's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
5.0
Full disclosure on this book, the horror elements are not the main aspect of this story. Although this book is categorized as a horror novel, I would categorize it more as a historical romance with horror elements woven in.
That being said, I really loved this book. I got recommended this book, so I already knew that this was more of a romance than a horror and was fully prepared for that, which I think is what most people didn't love about it. This romance is so good. The yearning and the pining is done so perfectly and the introduction really builds a good foundation for this friendship to become more. I also think the horror elements were woven in really well. The horror elements in this book are really used to mirror the colonialism of Mexico and I thought the way the horror was used to amplify and mirror those themes was really expertly done.
I don't think this book will be perfect for everyone, but it was perfect for me and hit the perfect level of every element to make me eat it up. I'm immediately going to go read this author's other works.
That being said, I really loved this book. I got recommended this book, so I already knew that this was more of a romance than a horror and was fully prepared for that, which I think is what most people didn't love about it. This romance is so good. The yearning and the pining is done so perfectly and the introduction really builds a good foundation for this friendship to become more. I also think the horror elements were woven in really well. The horror elements in this book are really used to mirror the colonialism of Mexico and I thought the way the horror was used to amplify and mirror those themes was really expertly done.
I don't think this book will be perfect for everyone, but it was perfect for me and hit the perfect level of every element to make me eat it up. I'm immediately going to go read this author's other works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Medical content, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
janeadventures's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kaiyakaiyo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
first read of the year! I marked this as started in Dec just to immediately put it down in favor of some Palestine readings so this truly does count!
The romance was sweet, if a bit fade to black, but the true shine in this book was Nena (super badass), and the folklore. I am a slut for tales and creatures tied to a specific land or people. This delivered that many times over!
I am also a slut for supernatural creatures as metaphors for how white settlers destroyed and warped the land they stole. this book delivered that quite well. colonialism and environmental devastation are not unrelated; we’re seeing that right now with the species disappearing in hawaii, so I like when authors don’t shy away from it in historical fiction.
all in all a fun and surprisingly quick read! I didn’t mind the POV switches for once, as it made the Feelings more juicy. will def read more by this author if I can!
The romance was sweet, if a bit fade to black, but the true shine in this book was Nena (super badass), and the folklore. I am a slut for tales and creatures tied to a specific land or people. This delivered that many times over!
I am also a slut for supernatural creatures as metaphors for how white settlers destroyed and warped the land they stole. this book delivered that quite well. colonialism and environmental devastation are not unrelated; we’re seeing that right now with the species disappearing in hawaii, so I like when authors don’t shy away from it in historical fiction.
all in all a fun and surprisingly quick read! I didn’t mind the POV switches for once, as it made the Feelings more juicy. will def read more by this author if I can!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Misogyny, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Death