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dwdillydally's review against another edition
- 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: Blood and Violence
Moderate: Abandonment, Colonisation, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual content and Death
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: Gun violence, Colonisation, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Classism, Death, and War
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Grief, Blood, Gore, and Murder
Minor: Child death
tigger89's review against another edition
- 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: Gun violence, Violence, Abandonment, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and War
Moderate: Alcohol, Grief, and Sexism
Minor: Infidelity
vixenreader's review against another edition
- 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: Grief, Gore, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Body horror, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Violence, and Abandonment
Moderate: Sexual content, War, Racism, Alcohol, Hate crime, and Xenophobia
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.elizabeth_lepore's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Colonisation, Death, War, and Violence
Moderate: Gore, Gun violence, and Grief
erinwolf1997's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Blood, War, Violence, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, Grief, and Abandonment
trollmila's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation, War, Stalking, Gore, Grief, Classism, Abandonment, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gore, Child death, Death, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
swilson16's review against another edition
- 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: Sexism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Classism, Death, Violence, War, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Blood
imstephtacular's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.0
Graphic: War, Sexism, Medical content, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Xenophobia, Murder, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Racism, Misogyny, Body horror, and Death
Minor: Animal death, Sexual content, and Fire/Fire injury
soniajoy98's review against another edition
- 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
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Colonisation, Cursing, Gun violence, War, Abandonment, Body horror, Classism, and Sexism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Gore, Grief, and Medical content
Minor: Physical abuse, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, and Emotional abuse