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tigger89's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexism, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Infidelity
vixenreader's review
- 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
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Hate crime, Racism, Sexual content, Xenophobia, Alcohol, and War
Minor: Animal death
A lot of the racial tension is between the Mexican settlers and the American colonizers going South of the border to claim land, as well as the tension of abandoning someone you love over a huge misunderstanding.thenextbookdilemma's review
- 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
4.75
Graphic: War
Moderate: Sexism, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Blood
yilliun's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Being a non-Spanish speaker, there were a few terms I needed to look up to understand the story. I do think the mix of English and Spanish terms made the characters and their landscape more believable.
Graphic: Gun violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Misogyny, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
maregred's review
- 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
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Grief, and Death of parent
erinwolf1997's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Classism
trollmila's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
gaby_readsss's review
- 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
I thought it was so cool how the author unapologetically used “Spanglish”throughout her book. That’s something I personally enjoyed since Spanish is my first language and it feels so natural to read it on paper.
Besides that, there were many other aspects of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of them was how Cañas was able to create a tale of vampires that felt fresh and original around urban legends that are well known in Hispanic culture, such as “El Cuco”.
This was a thrilling read that had a great balance between different genres. It was a blend of historical/western romance, and a little bit of horror.
Another aspect I loved was how reading this book kind of felt like watching a telenovela. The plot was giving “she’s the daughter of a ranch owner and he’s a simple worker but they’re in love since they were children, even though nobody approves, but there’s also vampires and she died nine years ago”. Like… this was such a good plot. I loved it!
On top of the romance there are also many other important topics in this book such as patriarchy, classism, colorism, and colonialism.
I highly recommend this book!!
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Classism
swilson16's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
caramiaculpa's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Blood, War, and Classism