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kate_arts's review
adventurous
mysterious
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
I really enjoyed the Hacienda, but this book fell a little flat for me. I don’t think it’s a horror book at all and if that’s you’re reasoning for picking this book up then I don’t think you will enjoy it. I really enjoyed the parallels Cañas drew between the vampires and the yanquis. I also enjoyed pro working class, the wealth should be held by the people who do the work vibe the story took. I wish both of these themes were a bit more developed, but the foundation was definitely there. Cañas is a great writer overall and can turn a beautiful phrase.
I really didn’t like how obsessed with Nena Néstor was and I really didn’t like how Nena was very hot and cold with Néstor. Overall I think their relationship is very toxic and lacks substance beyond “well they are the perfect person in the world for me” or being possessive of the other person.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Blood, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Gun violence, Abandonment, and Colonisation
americattt's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.25
“‘In case God forbid…’ He let the sentence trail off. God had nothing to do with it. Any belief in God that hid in Nestor’s breast was a fragile, translucent thing, a cloth so weak and worn that if you held it up to the sun, light would shine through it. The events of the day had all but shredded it.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Colonisation, and Classism
Moderate: War and Injury/Injury detail
vicktoreaux's review
adventurous
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
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Colonisation, War, and Classism
danaaliyalevinson's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
A fascinating take on the Vampire legend set against the backdrop of the Mexican American War. Like all good vampire novels in which the vampire is a metaphor, here they were a metaphor for the loss of a way of life and American expansionist violence.
I will say, I wanted to like this one more than I did. I definitely liked it but I wanted to love it. It suffered from my biggest pet peeve: when most of the conflict arises from two characters seemingly deliberately refusing to communicate.
And this frustration was compounded by the fact that the book switched POVs between the two main characters who were deliberately not communicating so we were constantly getting inner monologue about said miscommunication from both sides. And for me I also found myself frustrated by the constant switching of POV when it was most often switching between the POV of two characters in a scene together. So it felt a bit unnecessary. There was nothing being revealed plot wise for the most part that the reader needed to see a different POV to understand. It could’ve just been written from an omniscient 3rd person or third person multiple which it basically already is, without distinguishing between POVs.
And this frustration was compounded by the fact that the book switched POVs between the two main characters who were deliberately not communicating so we were constantly getting inner monologue about said miscommunication from both sides. And for me I also found myself frustrated by the constant switching of POV when it was most often switching between the POV of two characters in a scene together. So it felt a bit unnecessary. There was nothing being revealed plot wise for the most part that the reader needed to see a different POV to understand. It could’ve just been written from an omniscient 3rd person or third person multiple which it basically already is, without distinguishing between POVs.
These frustrations did ease by the second half, and I'll say that the final act really saved the book for me. It was exquisite. The very very end was a bit too 'easy’ in my opinion, but generally the climax was incredibly well done.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
bcollent's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
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? No
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. I usually don't like the miscommunication trope, but this was so well done. I loved the dual pov and the romance. The way the author describes the scenery makes me yearn for a place I can never visit.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Racism and Colonisation
emily_journals's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
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
Full disclosure on this book, the horror elements are not the main aspect of this story. Although this book is categorized as a horror novel, I would categorize it more as a historical romance with horror elements woven in.
That being said, I really loved this book. I got recommended this book, so I already knew that this was more of a romance than a horror and was fully prepared for that, which I think is what most people didn't love about it. This romance is so good. The yearning and the pining is done so perfectly and the introduction really builds a good foundation for this friendship to become more. I also think the horror elements were woven in really well. The horror elements in this book are really used to mirror the colonialism of Mexico and I thought the way the horror was used to amplify and mirror those themes was really expertly done.
I don't think this book will be perfect for everyone, but it was perfect for me and hit the perfect level of every element to make me eat it up. I'm immediately going to go read this author's other works.
That being said, I really loved this book. I got recommended this book, so I already knew that this was more of a romance than a horror and was fully prepared for that, which I think is what most people didn't love about it. This romance is so good. The yearning and the pining is done so perfectly and the introduction really builds a good foundation for this friendship to become more. I also think the horror elements were woven in really well. The horror elements in this book are really used to mirror the colonialism of Mexico and I thought the way the horror was used to amplify and mirror those themes was really expertly done.
I don't think this book will be perfect for everyone, but it was perfect for me and hit the perfect level of every element to make me eat it up. I'm immediately going to go read this author's other works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Animal death, Gun violence, Medical content, and Abandonment
Minor: Sexual content
h4ppycupcake's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
An adventurous romance with lots of tension and thrills. I didn’t find the characters’ journey in overcoming their personal conflict very believable; I wasn’t convinced that their childhood feelings would translate to adulthood after such a long time. In a lot of ways this felt like fan fiction of characters that exist already and unfortunately I as the reader don’t have access to their extensive character history.
About the ending:She saves the vampires??????? What the hell is that about??????????? Come on, no way, that’s the dumbest way to end this
About the ending:
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, War, and Injury/Injury detail
janeadventures's review
adventurous
emotional
informative
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
Content Warnings
Moderate: Colonisation, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
kaiyakaiyo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
first read of the year! I marked this as started in Dec just to immediately put it down in favor of some Palestine readings so this truly does count!
The romance was sweet, if a bit fade to black, but the true shine in this book was Nena (super badass), and the folklore. I am a slut for tales and creatures tied to a specific land or people. This delivered that many times over!
I am also a slut for supernatural creatures as metaphors for how white settlers destroyed and warped the land they stole. this book delivered that quite well. colonialism and environmental devastation are not unrelated; we’re seeing that right now with the species disappearing in hawaii, so I like when authors don’t shy away from it in historical fiction.
all in all a fun and surprisingly quick read! I didn’t mind the POV switches for once, as it made the Feelings more juicy. will def read more by this author if I can!
The romance was sweet, if a bit fade to black, but the true shine in this book was Nena (super badass), and the folklore. I am a slut for tales and creatures tied to a specific land or people. This delivered that many times over!
I am also a slut for supernatural creatures as metaphors for how white settlers destroyed and warped the land they stole. this book delivered that quite well. colonialism and environmental devastation are not unrelated; we’re seeing that right now with the species disappearing in hawaii, so I like when authors don’t shy away from it in historical fiction.
all in all a fun and surprisingly quick read! I didn’t mind the POV switches for once, as it made the Feelings more juicy. will def read more by this author if I can!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, Blood, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Misogyny, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Minor: Death
kattyenn's review
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Colonisation
Moderate: Death and War
Minor: Animal cruelty and Child abuse