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plumreads__s's review against another edition
5.0
*4.5
You know what makes this novel so beautiful? You can feel the hope running throughout. You can feel the connection to Maria's culture. You can feel the loss and the pain that Maria struggles through. You get a detailed explanation of other characters also, including the Keepers, with detailed back stories enough to feel their pain, their struggles, and what they have also overcome on their journeys that led them to becoming Keepers.
You embrace the journey and it's a ride you don't want to get off. I pretty much read this in one sitting. It made a 3.25 hour long flight feel like less than 1. it's constantly moving with the action kicking in from the start. I was really hoping for a certain storyline to come about and when it did I was soo happy!
This book made me:
Smile
Cry (in public) - I don’t actually think this was the intention, I just did.
Angry
Happy
Excited
Ughhhh to ending on a bit of a cliff-hanger! I am on tenterhooks!
I am so excited to see what is going to happen next with Maria and the rest of the Keepers!
You know what makes this novel so beautiful? You can feel the hope running throughout. You can feel the connection to Maria's culture. You can feel the loss and the pain that Maria struggles through. You get a detailed explanation of other characters also, including the Keepers, with detailed back stories enough to feel their pain, their struggles, and what they have also overcome on their journeys that led them to becoming Keepers.
You embrace the journey and it's a ride you don't want to get off. I pretty much read this in one sitting. It made a 3.25 hour long flight feel like less than 1. it's constantly moving with the action kicking in from the start. I was really hoping for a certain storyline to come about and when it did I was soo happy!
This book made me:
Smile
Cry (in public) - I don’t actually think this was the intention, I just did.
Angry
Happy
Excited
Ughhhh to ending on a bit of a cliff-hanger! I am on tenterhooks!
I am so excited to see what is going to happen next with Maria and the rest of the Keepers!
teamredmon's review against another edition
5.0
Maria the Wanted was my choice for the #ladiesfirst20 challenge by Ladies of Horror Fiction. It's not the first book that I've finished this year, but it was the first that I started. Sadly, I had to read the first 100 pages in starts and stops because of other obligations and deadlines, but when I picked it back up yesterday, I didn't put it down until I finished. It was one of those classic situations where I was telling myself just one more chapter, ok, just one more, really this time only one more, until I finished. Maria is not a technically perfect book; I noticed some errors, and the cover is off-centered, which will both some people. They bothered me at first. But as I got into Maria's story, I didn't care.
Maria is a badass heroine in one of the most original vampire stories I've read. Based on the cover, I expected the Latina version of Blade or Buffy, but what I got was much more than that. There's plenty of action throughout the book, but the events and themes explored in this story are much grander than those movies/shows. This book is not a slash em up bite em up adventure, but a story told on a grand scale over decades. There is so much in here that I didn't expect, including some phenomenal music references (I need a link to the playlist!). The ending is quite the cliffhanger, and I legitimately want to read more in this world with these characters and will be anxiously awaiting The Keepers #2.
There are some stumbles and some flaws, but based on the strength of the character and story, I just let go and rode the ride that V. Castro wrote. It's a beautiful story of revenge, justice, family and friends, good and evil, compassion, violence, sex, gore, and death, all centered around the wonderful character of Maria. This book is definitely worth your time!
Maria is a badass heroine in one of the most original vampire stories I've read. Based on the cover, I expected the Latina version of Blade or Buffy, but what I got was much more than that. There's plenty of action throughout the book, but the events and themes explored in this story are much grander than those movies/shows. This book is not a slash em up bite em up adventure, but a story told on a grand scale over decades. There is so much in here that I didn't expect, including some phenomenal music references (I need a link to the playlist!). The ending is quite the cliffhanger, and I legitimately want to read more in this world with these characters and will be anxiously awaiting The Keepers #2.
There are some stumbles and some flaws, but based on the strength of the character and story, I just let go and rode the ride that V. Castro wrote. It's a beautiful story of revenge, justice, family and friends, good and evil, compassion, violence, sex, gore, and death, all centered around the wonderful character of Maria. This book is definitely worth your time!
brennanlafaro's review against another edition
4.0
I’ve made it no secret that the indie horror community has changed the way I read. That said, I still tend to avoid vampire books most of the time. The ones I’ve read in the past tend to go one of two ways. Vampires are either romanticized, making them feel dated even in more recently written books, or vampires are brutal, mindless killing machines, more like zombies, but usually controlled by a master who is romanticized.
After reading Hairspray and Switchblades by V Castro, I didn’t know exactly what to expect from a vampire novel, but I knew it wouldn’t be the same. The vampire mythos here has more in common with Marvel’s Blade series than most vampire literature. We ditch some of the more well-known tropes in order to establish a unique mythos. The titular character is layered, but at heart she’s a kick-ass female heroine. While the story’s focus is on Maria, the characters that surround her are lovingly crafted to be just as deep and interesting. I would happily read more stories that centered around just Vlad and Jorge.
A big part of Maria’s appeal is that despite the youth and the power bestowed on her when she became a vampire, she is a flawed character who deals with moral and ethical conundrums. It wouldn’t be a V Castro book without a healthy dose of sex, and Maria the Wanted has got it in spades. While one scene in particular made me glad I wasn’t reading the book in a public place, it doesn’t feel gratuitous. Rather it adds a strength and honesty to Maria’s character.
I enjoyed Castro’s inclusion of a soundtrack. As you read the book, you gain insight into characters by what they’re listening to or even band t-shirts they choose. It ends up being a pretty sizable variety of music and if a reader were so inclined, they might find that having a playlist while reading enhances the experience.
There is a theme presented, revisited several times throughout the book, related to working for what you have and not taking handouts. It’s not hammered over the reader’s head, but it does catch your eye if you’re paying attention. It gives the story an almost autobiographical element, as the way it’s handled makes it seem as though this is a quality that the author values.
As of this writing there is no release date or plan for book two in the Keepers series, but Violet Castro has set up a story, or series of stories, with globe-hopping, time-spanning potential, and I’ll eagerly pick up whatever comes next in the world of Maria.
After reading Hairspray and Switchblades by V Castro, I didn’t know exactly what to expect from a vampire novel, but I knew it wouldn’t be the same. The vampire mythos here has more in common with Marvel’s Blade series than most vampire literature. We ditch some of the more well-known tropes in order to establish a unique mythos. The titular character is layered, but at heart she’s a kick-ass female heroine. While the story’s focus is on Maria, the characters that surround her are lovingly crafted to be just as deep and interesting. I would happily read more stories that centered around just Vlad and Jorge.
A big part of Maria’s appeal is that despite the youth and the power bestowed on her when she became a vampire, she is a flawed character who deals with moral and ethical conundrums. It wouldn’t be a V Castro book without a healthy dose of sex, and Maria the Wanted has got it in spades. While one scene in particular made me glad I wasn’t reading the book in a public place, it doesn’t feel gratuitous. Rather it adds a strength and honesty to Maria’s character.
I enjoyed Castro’s inclusion of a soundtrack. As you read the book, you gain insight into characters by what they’re listening to or even band t-shirts they choose. It ends up being a pretty sizable variety of music and if a reader were so inclined, they might find that having a playlist while reading enhances the experience.
There is a theme presented, revisited several times throughout the book, related to working for what you have and not taking handouts. It’s not hammered over the reader’s head, but it does catch your eye if you’re paying attention. It gives the story an almost autobiographical element, as the way it’s handled makes it seem as though this is a quality that the author values.
As of this writing there is no release date or plan for book two in the Keepers series, but Violet Castro has set up a story, or series of stories, with globe-hopping, time-spanning potential, and I’ll eagerly pick up whatever comes next in the world of Maria.
whatmeworry's review against another edition
4.0
My first read of 2020 was this entertaining vampire novel from Latina author V Castro. It’s a wild ride, with a globe-trotting plot spanning multiple time periods, a kick ass heroine and a refreshing take on vampire lore. It’s great fun from first page to last, with effective scenes of horror, enough sex to raise the pulse rate a little and a great sense of melodrama. Best of all, it champions the underprivileged, with heroine Maria fighting oppression as well as demons.
lilyn_g's review
Note: V is a member of the Sci-Fi & Scary crew, so I will not be posting a full rating/review of Maria the Wanted simply because of potential bias.
I do want to say though that I liked Maria and the fact that she tried her best do and be better as much as possible. I would not have been as good of a person as she was in the same situation. She really is a heroine you can root for.
I do want to say though that I liked Maria and the fact that she tried her best do and be better as much as possible. I would not have been as good of a person as she was in the same situation. She really is a heroine you can root for.
bookswithscrump's review
4.0
4 stars to this fantastic vampire novel by one of my new favourite horror authors. It’s a vampire novel that weaves history, religion, current events and some horror in a really fun way!
What I loved most about this book were the characters-especially Maria. They were well rounded and made me root for (or against) them. There is a thread of hope that runs through it, and it really resonated with me. I loved the twist on the typical vampire tale it took and the way it wove in aspects of Mexican history.
Let’s talk steam for a minute-this book has got a couple of steamier scenes and they are great. Castro knows how to write sexier scenes and they do not disappoint. I like that she throws some sex into her horror books without making it seem out of place!
I hope there are more Maria books in the works because I want to spend more time in this universe, with these characters and I have some questions I need answered :)
What I loved most about this book were the characters-especially Maria. They were well rounded and made me root for (or against) them. There is a thread of hope that runs through it, and it really resonated with me. I loved the twist on the typical vampire tale it took and the way it wove in aspects of Mexican history.
Let’s talk steam for a minute-this book has got a couple of steamier scenes and they are great. Castro knows how to write sexier scenes and they do not disappoint. I like that she throws some sex into her horror books without making it seem out of place!
I hope there are more Maria books in the works because I want to spend more time in this universe, with these characters and I have some questions I need answered :)
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