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apple_atcha_reading's review against another edition
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Gun violence, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, Colonisation, and War
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
cannibaldear's review against another edition
5.0
LOVE A VAMPIRE AS A METAPHOR FOR WHITE GREED AND TURNING GOVERNMENTS/ENVIRONMENTS AGAINST THEIR PEOPLE!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
shubka's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Blood, Murder, and War
ali_k0's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- 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
The Vampires of El Norte is a Romantic Historical Thriller perfect for anyone looking to get into Romance, History, or Thrillers.
As the Anglo army matches South into Mexico, childhood friends Nestor and Nena are thrown back together after years apart. Nena yearns to prove herself vital to her home and avoid being married off, Nestor yearns to prove himself worth marrying her and to be seen as more than a "lowly" vaquero.
Isabel Cañas mixes horrors of the imagination and the real horrors of history, reinventing vampires and weaving them into the long history of the Rio Grande Valley. Along the way, she pairs it with a love so bright it burns away all darkness.
Keep one hand on your heart and the other in a bag of salt as you journey back in time to 1840's Mexico-America to fight the Vampires of El Norte, but remember, the true monsters aren't always the ones who lurk in the night.
As the Anglo army matches South into Mexico, childhood friends Nestor and Nena are thrown back together after years apart. Nena yearns to prove herself vital to her home and avoid being married off, Nestor yearns to prove himself worth marrying her and to be seen as more than a "lowly" vaquero.
Isabel Cañas mixes horrors of the imagination and the real horrors of history, reinventing vampires and weaving them into the long history of the Rio Grande Valley. Along the way, she pairs it with a love so bright it burns away all darkness.
Keep one hand on your heart and the other in a bag of salt as you journey back in time to 1840's Mexico-America to fight the Vampires of El Norte, but remember, the true monsters aren't always the ones who lurk in the night.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cursing and Fire/Fire injury
agirlsnightbookbash's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It's marketed as horror. This is not horror
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and War
boomwormbrittany's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Vampires of El Norte follows Nena who is the daughter of a wealthy rancher in Mexico in the 1840's. When a mysterious illness starts to leave the men of the ranch sick, she races to try to find out what is causing the illnesses. But when war breaks out and an old friend, Néstor, returns to the ranch, they both find themselves tangled in a mystery bigger than them.
I really wanted to love this book because the premise really interested me but this didn't quite live up to what I was expecting. This book is labelled as a horror but felt more like a romance book with a touch of horror in it. If you were to take the horror out, it would be more of a romance which is not what I was expecting.
I thought the author did an amazing job with the romance and developing this friendship again after an event happens in the beginning of this book. I thought the strength was really in the characters and the way this book transported you to 1840's' Mexico. I really felt like I was there when I was reading this.
However, I just didn't feel the horror elements held up. The descriptions of the monsters in this was interesting to read about but it didn't really give horror to me. I think the strength in this is the historical elements and the romance elements which is what I wished was focused on this book more than trying to make the horror elements work.
Overall, if you want to try this book please do. I think that there will be those who like this but thsi wasn't my favorite.
I really wanted to love this book because the premise really interested me but this didn't quite live up to what I was expecting. This book is labelled as a horror but felt more like a romance book with a touch of horror in it. If you were to take the horror out, it would be more of a romance which is not what I was expecting.
I thought the author did an amazing job with the romance and developing this friendship again after an event happens in the beginning of this book. I thought the strength was really in the characters and the way this book transported you to 1840's' Mexico. I really felt like I was there when I was reading this.
However, I just didn't feel the horror elements held up. The descriptions of the monsters in this was interesting to read about but it didn't really give horror to me. I think the strength in this is the historical elements and the romance elements which is what I wished was focused on this book more than trying to make the horror elements work.
Overall, if you want to try this book please do. I think that there will be those who like this but thsi wasn't my favorite.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Murder, and War
caidyn's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.25
Damn, this was so good. I think I liked it even better than The Hacienda! I can't wait to see what this author publishes next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
yarisbooksandbevs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
5.0
I loved this book. It was well-written and kept me interested the whole way through.
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.Nestor’s love for Nena is heartbreakingly beautiful and I wanted to cry for him when the patron banished him and Nena said nothing . I really appreciated that there’s very little miscommunication. The characters pretty quickly tell each other their sides of the story and even if they are angry, they communicate. Beto was also a very loveable character. I thought the depictions of the vampires were creative and very well-written. The way she writes about the colonization and draws the parallels to real life is so well done.
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Grief, Murder, Abandonment, and Alcohol
Minor: Child death
yourbookishbff's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Violence, Stalking, Murder, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood