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rorikae's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Nena and Néstor grew up together on Nena’s family’s ranch. Thick as thieves, they fell in love with each other at a young age and believed that they would be in each other’s lives forever. But when they sneak out one night and encounter a fearsome creature, their paths diverge for 9 years. When they finally come back together, their lives are vastly different, not only because of the threat of English settlers but also because of what Nena’s parents expect from her. Will the two rekindle their childhood love or have they grown too far apart?
This book is perfectly paced. Cañas does an exceptional job of making each piece of the plot and character moment feel natural. This is in part due to how strong Nena and Néstor are as characters. They feel fully fleshed out while also full of faults. In romances, I find that misunderstandings between the main couple often feel a little silly or immature but Cañas did a great job of making their miscommunication and issues with one another feel real. The addition of vampires in the story are a great supernatural point while remaining a part of the subplot. Cañas does a lot with the monstrosity of men vs the supposed monsters that live out in the wild. I did find that the ending and relationship resolution was a bit quick, especially in comparison to how well paced the rest of the story was. All in all, an excellent historical romance with a dash of the speculative.
Graphic: Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Misogyny and Colonisation
spookytaco's review
- 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
Moderate: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Minor: Violence, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
torturedreadersdept'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: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, War, and Injury/Injury detail
dwdillydally'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
4.0
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Abandonment, and Colonisation
Minor: Death and Sexual content
meganpbell'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: Violence, Blood, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Death, Sexism, Medical content, Grief, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Sexual content
yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved both Nena and Nestor’s characterizations. I fell in love with both of them and was rooting for them. Her writing is so visceral it makes your heart skip a beat or ache for these characters.
There are quite a few Spanish words throughout the book but it’s not hard to look up any unknown words. I will also note that I think the book is romance first with the vampire plot being a sub-plot but still very significant. Overall I really enjoyed this read.
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death
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.yourbookishbff'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: Misogyny, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
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