Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

33 reviews

samanthaleereads's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Gun violence

Minor: Cursing

cheye13's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I think expectations are absolutely key to enjoying this story. It is a dramatic historical romance with some speculative horror atmosphere. I found this to be a beautiful and nearly perfect story. The setting is so skillfully portrayed that it's seemlessly immersive. The emotions of the leads are nearly tangible. Within a single chapter, my heart ached for these two as if I knew them. And while there is technically a typical romance third-act conflict, it was so well executed, I nearly didn't notice it. An absolutely beautiful story.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Classism

Moderate: Racism and Sexism

Minor: Sexual content

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.  

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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

v_neptune's review

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Abandonment, Alcohol, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail

mckaylaboyd's review against another edition

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

2.75

2.75 stars.

Honestly, I am pretty disappointed. I loved The Hacienda. It was spooky, atmospheric, with the hint of a romance. I figured this book would be just the same, substituting the ghosts for vampires. But this book is not a horror novel, I'm not sure it's even a thriller. It is a historical romance with a hint of hte supernatural. 

At about 50% of the way, I was thinking, "Wow this is super slow, I wonder when the story is going to start." Only to realize, this was the story. Only two vampires had ever shown up at this point in the novel. Every chapter is about Nena and Nestor's relationship. This is friends to lovers, with a vampire that pops up here and there. Even when the vampires do pop up, they were not scary. They are device for metaphor, to ensure we learn the lesson from the story. Now, I'm happy for a metaphor, but not when it seems like a superfluous one. 

How in the world did Nestor not know that Nena was alive? In all the letters he sent his Abeula- who was literally training Nena as an apprentice- she never once mentioned Nena's name, not even in passing? I could not suspend my disbelief from this.

This book was not all bad. The author uses beautiful imagery and there is a very satisfying amount of parallelism at the end. This makes it satisfying. In fact, I probably would've have really liked it if it had been marketed as a romance. Because this was not the spooky-season book I was craving.

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Content Warnings

Minor: Sexism

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

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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

sydapel's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.75

It really pains me to say it, but this absolutely did not work for me. Based on other reviews I had seen, I was anticipating something much more fantasy based, rather than historical fiction with a touch of paranormal. The writing style also felt overly descriptive for what I think what meant to feel like a fast paced thrilling adventure, and personally I did not find either main character worth rooting for. If a spooky historical fiction and the childhood friends to long lost lovers trope works for you, then absolutely pick this up, but a miss from me. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism

Moderate: Violence and War

Minor: Sexual content

janey_bones's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

Isabel Cañas' 'Vampires of El Norte' pleasantly surprised me with its captivating blend of romance, historical fiction, and socio-political commentary. While initially expecting a horror narrative akin to 'The Hacienda,' I found myself immersed in a richly detailed world where the metaphorical 'blood-sucking colonizers' take center stage. Cañas' exquisite prose effortlessly transports readers to a vividly depicted time and place, evoking a sense of nostalgia and intrigue. While not a conventional horror tale, 'Vampires of El Norte' excels in its unique exploration of themes and its ability to keep readers engaged until the very end.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, and War

Minor: Animal death, Death, Blood, Grief, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

beccaand's review

adventurous dark 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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Sexual content

tea_at_mole_end's review against another edition

medium-paced

• Loveable characters? No

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Sexism, and Classism

Moderate: War