Reviews with content warning for Death - Vampires of El Norte

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

58 reviews

jillaay_h's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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adancewithbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced

4.0

Thank you to Solaris and Netgalley for the review coy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.

Vampires of El Norte is an interesting romance novel, that is mostly interesting because of the backdrop of historical Mexico at war with the United States and the addition of vampires.

We meet Nena and Nestor as kids. Nena is the ranchors daughter while Nestor is son to indentured workers. In search of the hidden treasure, they are attacked by a monster. Something that they can't quite name. Thinking that Nena is dead, he runs away. When they find each other years later, not only their old feelings resurface but also the monsters.

I found it really interesting to see the historical setting in Mexico. The rancher life, the social hierarchy and the way the woman are treated, learning about vaquero. A lot of it we kind of know but it is different to see it in text like this. How Nena's fathers word is law and how she was treated by her mother after Nestor saved her. How dare she be in danger and be saved by a vaquero which meant she was alone with him. The author manages to add in a real atmosphere of that time period, added in with a bit of terror because of the vampires.

The vampires itself aren't on the page that much. I found the idea of them interesting. No face. And the bond at the end. There was no humanizing of them and I think that is also something we need within the vampire fiction. There was some dehumanzing of the united states, but hey, they kind of deserved that.

As for our characters, Nena was a bit of a wild child but after her attack she became the perfect ranchors daughter. But she wants so much more. Not a marriage for convenience but to become a true asset to the ranch, to people. She is the type of person that would care about those working beneath her if her parents had allowed that more. There wasn't much room for that though.

Nestor on the other hand remained a wild child. He has become a succesful freeelance vaquero. He does what he wants, for the most part. But he is working towards a goal. Saving money to buy his own ranch. They compliment each other nicely.

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crystalisreading's review

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adventurous emotional hopeful informative

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

This was great. As good as that GORGEOUS cover. I'm a baby about horror, but I didn't find it really scary, just very atmospheric. Excellent audio narration. Creative vampires. Great treatment of violent colonizers and examination of unfair labor practices, done so smoothly it was a part of the the story, not a distraction. Has me thinking about the Mexican-American war now. A book to enjoy but also digest later. Recommended.

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v_neptune's review

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

extremely strong start, but from the middle onward it was narratively kind of weak. still enjoyed it though

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apple_atcha_reading's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful tense slow-paced

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? It's complicated

4.0

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kirstenw13's review

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

An absolute 5 star read for me. Both story and language were beautifully written. The characters were lovable, their conflicts felt real and raw. The mystical element of vampires set against the love story set against the mexican american war. Wow. 10/10 would read again. I want to have it on my bookshelf.

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yvo_about_books's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

5.0

Finished reading: June 28th 2024

“Don't you always. He did. Porque así fue la suerte. Nothing worth wanting came easy; nothing worth wanting was ever given to men of dust and sweat.”

I'm honestly still speechless. It's no secret that I'm usually allergic to vampire stories, but after being blown away by The Hacienda I decided to take a gamble and add Vampires Of El Norte to my TBR anyway. I absolutely loved Isabel Cañas' writing style in her debut, and I had high hopes that this alone would be enough to help me forget about my aversion towards fanged creatures. Not only did this happen, but this might actually be the first time I end up giving a vampire story the full five stars. What an absolutely stunning and simply glorious read! Vampires Of El Norte is part historical fiction, part romance and part supernatural horror, with a war and family drama thrown in to add even more dept. The historical Mexican setting is sublimely done, and it truly transports you to the 1840s and a turbulent time in Mexico. The writing itself is vivid and stunning, and I basically knew this book was going to get the highest rating after just a couple chapters. This also has a lot to do with both main characters Nena and Néstor, who were able to win over my heart almost immediately. Vampires Of El Norte uses a dual POV structure, switching between Nena and Néstor to give us a better idea what happens both when they are apart and together. The supernatural horror element is also extremely well done, and I loved how the curandera healing was incorporated into the plot. I'm honestly a bit lost for words as it is SO hard to write a review that does this story justice... If you enjoy well written historical fiction with a supernatural twist as well as a dose of romance and don't mind things getting dark and twisted, I cannot recommend Vampires Of El Norte enough.

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