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crystalisreading's review
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Sexual content
kaneebli's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse and Sexual content
ttorisaurus's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and War
Minor: Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
bkwrm1317's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
5.0
Absolutely loved the descriptions of the landscapes of what is now south Texas.
A unique take on the vampire as beast/creature, rather than human beings turned to vampires as the more common take. The vampires of this novel are used and abused by the Texas Rangers in their pursuit of what is today South Texas/Northern Mexico.
Some minor/general novel arc spoilers below, so read with that in mind:
Nena and Néstor's struggles to overcome their own fear and shame in order to let their love flourish felt extremely real and well-executed by the author. I loved reading their story, as well as Nena's arc of finding her voice, getting out from under the thumb of her emotionally abusive father and manipulative mother, who are more about appearances and keeping up with the Joneses than their eldest daughter's needs or happiness.
Néstor realizing Nena is stronger when he supports her/that with his support she can face down literal monsters and can match him for bravery in that way is such a powerful moment in their character arcs.
I just really loved this one - it's another of those novels that felt like it was written just for me.
A unique take on the vampire as beast/creature, rather than human beings turned to vampires as the more common take. The vampires of this novel are used and abused by the Texas Rangers in their pursuit of what is today South Texas/Northern Mexico.
Some minor/general novel arc spoilers below, so read with that in mind:
Nena and Néstor's struggles to overcome their own fear and shame in order to let their love flourish felt extremely real and well-executed by the author. I loved reading their story, as well as Nena's arc of finding her voice, getting out from under the thumb of her emotionally abusive father and manipulative mother, who are more about appearances and keeping up with the Joneses than their eldest daughter's needs or happiness.
Néstor realizing Nena is stronger when he supports her/that with his support she can face down literal monsters and can match him for bravery in that way is such a powerful moment in their character arcs.
I just really loved this one - it's another of those novels that felt like it was written just for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, War, and Classism
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Gore, Blood, and Gaslighting
spookytaco's review
adventurous
dark
tense
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
imstephtacular's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Medical content, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Xenophobia, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
soniajoy98's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Cursing, Gun violence, Sexism, Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Medical content, Grief, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Sexual content
bookishmillennial's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. Most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book.I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all.
Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not.
Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
This is a blend of historical fiction, horror, and romance, but it was very heavy on the slow-burn, childhood-friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance! Nena and Nestor fight their feelings for each other so hard, and I wanted to sit them each down and talk some sense into them! However, I sympathized with their hesitations and fears, as they spent so long apart, and are getting to know each other all over again.
I enjoyed Nena's arc specifically, -probably due to my bias as a woman- as she tries to prove her worth to her father so she is not married off at 22. Her curandera practice was very intriguing to follow, and I was rooting for her to finally take a stand against her parents' sexist ideals that they expected her to live up to. She's called spineless at one point, and like..... no lies detected. (This changes though!) My bias of also not feeling fully seen or respected by my family comes into play here HAHA (it's not funny, but you gotta laugh, or you may cry). Anyway, props to Nena's brother for being such an ally and for trying his best to back her up in conversations with their parents whenever he was present. I wish I was joking, but it was almost comical how she would say, "Tell them!," then he would, and THEN the parents would be like, "Okay, you're right, your brother makes a good point" hahahaha I could NOT deal with the misogynistic undertones, yet it was so real!
Nestor's journey really devastated me, because for nine years (and at SUCH A YOUNG AGE?!), he thought his friend was dead! It it a staggering shock to reality when he finds out Nena is alive and well. I liked the dynamics of classism and societal biases when it came to his job as a vaquero being highlighted. Nena's family was so concerned with what people would say about Nena spending time with a vaquero, and as if it was scandalous or would ruin their family name. I felt for Nestor, because he already got this from the rest of society, and receiving this messaging from the love of his life's family? Not ideal!
The setting was of course sublime - Isabel continued her atmospheric, lush writing in describing 1840's Mexico; it chalk full of details surrounding the social zeitgeist of the time! She cleverly used vampires to portray the Anglo settlers ~*~sucking the land away~*~ from local Rancheros/communities. The way she described the vampires was beyond creepy too: hairless, eyeless, grey-skinned, almost like Midnight Mass (Netflix tv show) or Priest (2011 film).
Overall, I still think The Hacienda is my personal favorite, but I enjoyed this one too! Jose Nateras and Krysta Gonzales did a fantastic job with narration in the audiobook - I listened via ALC from Libro.FM and am providing this review voluntarily!
Favorite quotation:
Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not.
Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
This is a blend of historical fiction, horror, and romance, but it was very heavy on the slow-burn, childhood-friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance! Nena and Nestor fight their feelings for each other so hard, and I wanted to sit them each down and talk some sense into them! However, I sympathized with their hesitations and fears, as they spent so long apart, and are getting to know each other all over again.
I enjoyed Nena's arc specifically, -probably due to my bias as a woman- as she tries to prove her worth to her father so she is not married off at 22. Her curandera practice was very intriguing to follow, and I was rooting for her to finally take a stand against her parents' sexist ideals that they expected her to live up to. She's called spineless at one point, and like..... no lies detected. (This changes though!) My bias of also not feeling fully seen or respected by my family comes into play here HAHA (it's not funny, but you gotta laugh, or you may cry). Anyway, props to Nena's brother for being such an ally and for trying his best to back her up in conversations with their parents whenever he was present. I wish I was joking, but it was almost comical how she would say, "Tell them!," then he would, and THEN the parents would be like, "Okay, you're right, your brother makes a good point" hahahaha I could NOT deal with the misogynistic undertones, yet it was so real!
Nestor's journey really devastated me, because for nine years (and at SUCH A YOUNG AGE?!), he thought his friend was dead! It it a staggering shock to reality when he finds out Nena is alive and well. I liked the dynamics of classism and societal biases when it came to his job as a vaquero being highlighted. Nena's family was so concerned with what people would say about Nena spending time with a vaquero, and as if it was scandalous or would ruin their family name. I felt for Nestor, because he already got this from the rest of society, and receiving this messaging from the love of his life's family? Not ideal!
The setting was of course sublime - Isabel continued her atmospheric, lush writing in describing 1840's Mexico; it chalk full of details surrounding the social zeitgeist of the time! She cleverly used vampires to portray the Anglo settlers ~*~sucking the land away~*~ from local Rancheros/communities. The way she described the vampires was beyond creepy too: hairless, eyeless, grey-skinned, almost like Midnight Mass (Netflix tv show) or Priest (2011 film).
Overall, I still think The Hacienda is my personal favorite, but I enjoyed this one too! Jose Nateras and Krysta Gonzales did a fantastic job with narration in the audiobook - I listened via ALC from Libro.FM and am providing this review voluntarily!
Favorite quotation:
“If life had taught her anything it was that nothing could wound as swiftly as the truth.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
dybbuk's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gore, Sexism, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
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