Scan barcode
gaby_readsss's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.5
From the first time I saw its title, Vampires Of El Norte caught my attention and I knew I wanted to read it.
I thought it was so cool how the author unapologetically used “Spanglish”throughout her book. That’s something I personally enjoyed since Spanish is my first language and it feels so natural to read it on paper.
Besides that, there were many other aspects of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of them was how Cañas was able to create a tale of vampires that felt fresh and original around urban legends that are well known in Hispanic culture, such as “El Cuco”.
This was a thrilling read that had a great balance between different genres. It was a blend of historical/western romance, and a little bit of horror.
Another aspect I loved was how reading this book kind of felt like watching a telenovela. The plot was giving “she’s the daughter of a ranch owner and he’s a simple worker but they’re in love since they were children, even though nobody approves, but there’s also vampires and she died nine years ago”. Like… this was such a good plot. I loved it!
On top of the romance there are also many other important topics in this book such as patriarchy, classism, colorism, and colonialism.
I highly recommend this book!!
I thought it was so cool how the author unapologetically used “Spanglish”throughout her book. That’s something I personally enjoyed since Spanish is my first language and it feels so natural to read it on paper.
Besides that, there were many other aspects of the story that I thoroughly enjoyed. One of them was how Cañas was able to create a tale of vampires that felt fresh and original around urban legends that are well known in Hispanic culture, such as “El Cuco”.
This was a thrilling read that had a great balance between different genres. It was a blend of historical/western romance, and a little bit of horror.
Another aspect I loved was how reading this book kind of felt like watching a telenovela. The plot was giving “she’s the daughter of a ranch owner and he’s a simple worker but they’re in love since they were children, even though nobody approves, but there’s also vampires and she died nine years ago”. Like… this was such a good plot. I loved it!
On top of the romance there are also many other important topics in this book such as patriarchy, classism, colorism, and colonialism.
I highly recommend this book!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Gore, War, Classism, and Animal death
swilson16's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Abandonment, Classism, Death, Violence, War, Colonisation, Domestic abuse, and Blood
caramiaculpa's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.75
It’s a fairly by the book historical romance that happens to have vicious monsters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Blood, Violence, Body horror, and Classism
what_karla_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Classism, and Violence
Moderate: War and Death
soniajoy98's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
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
3.5
Content Warnings
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
catsandbookstacks's review
3.75
*Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the eARC.*
Vampires of El Norte is a multi-genre story set in historical Mexico filled with longing and familial obligations. I'd describe this book as gothic historical romance with paranormal horror elements. The novel is an angsty and slow burn dual POV, where the two are reunited nine years after Nena's almost death and Nestor's leaving the rancho. Nena hopes to stay at the rancho as their curandera instead of being married off for strengthening political bonds. Nestor returns after receiving a letter summons and is shocked to see Nena is alive.
Isabel Cañas sets the mood in a beautiful, barren and hostile environment where survival is already a struggle without worrying about the blood-sucking creatures that lurk in the darkness. The reader will also question who the villains actually are amidst land disputes and colonization. Cañas' historical knowledge of 1840s Mexico is showcased and I look forward to reading her debut novel, The Hacienda.
The romance does take a front seat to the novel and uses familiar tropes of forbidden love, childhood friends to lovers and second chances. While I was rooting for Nena and Nestor, I found the pining/longing from both sides became repetitive to the point of skimming when the pacing slowed. There is a fade to black scene and some descriptions of intimacy. The vampires are monstrous and twisted, which I appreciated and allowed for a high stakes plot. While I wasn't expecting romance to be at the forefront, I did enjoy the characters and the story.
CW: body horror, blood, violence, death, murder, sexism, classism, colonization, war, animal death
Vampires of El Norte is a multi-genre story set in historical Mexico filled with longing and familial obligations. I'd describe this book as gothic historical romance with paranormal horror elements. The novel is an angsty and slow burn dual POV, where the two are reunited nine years after Nena's almost death and Nestor's leaving the rancho. Nena hopes to stay at the rancho as their curandera instead of being married off for strengthening political bonds. Nestor returns after receiving a letter summons and is shocked to see Nena is alive.
Isabel Cañas sets the mood in a beautiful, barren and hostile environment where survival is already a struggle without worrying about the blood-sucking creatures that lurk in the darkness. The reader will also question who the villains actually are amidst land disputes and colonization. Cañas' historical knowledge of 1840s Mexico is showcased and I look forward to reading her debut novel, The Hacienda.
The romance does take a front seat to the novel and uses familiar tropes of forbidden love, childhood friends to lovers and second chances. While I was rooting for Nena and Nestor, I found the pining/longing from both sides became repetitive to the point of skimming when the pacing slowed. There is a fade to black scene and some descriptions of intimacy. The vampires are monstrous and twisted, which I appreciated and allowed for a high stakes plot. While I wasn't expecting romance to be at the forefront, I did enjoy the characters and the story.
CW: body horror, blood, violence, death, murder, sexism, classism, colonization, war, animal death
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Sexism, War, Colonisation, Animal death, and Classism
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer if you’ve read other reviews by me and are noticing a pattern: You’re correct that I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. Most often, I will only leave them if I vehemently despised a book.I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all.
Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not.
Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
This is a blend of historical fiction, horror, and romance, but it was very heavy on the slow-burn, childhood-friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance! Nena and Nestor fight their feelings for each other so hard, and I wanted to sit them each down and talk some sense into them! However, I sympathized with their hesitations and fears, as they spent so long apart, and are getting to know each other all over again.
I enjoyed Nena's arc specifically, -probably due to my bias as a woman- as she tries to prove her worth to her father so she is not married off at 22. Her curandera practice was very intriguing to follow, and I was rooting for her to finally take a stand against her parents' sexist ideals that they expected her to live up to. She's called spineless at one point, and like..... no lies detected. (This changes though!) My bias of also not feeling fully seen or respected by my family comes into play here HAHA (it's not funny, but you gotta laugh, or you may cry). Anyway, props to Nena's brother for being such an ally and for trying his best to back her up in conversations with their parents whenever he was present. I wish I was joking, but it was almost comical how she would say, "Tell them!," then he would, and THEN the parents would be like, "Okay, you're right, your brother makes a good point" hahahaha I could NOT deal with the misogynistic undertones, yet it was so real!
Nestor's journey really devastated me, because for nine years (and at SUCH A YOUNG AGE?!), he thought his friend was dead! It it a staggering shock to reality when he finds out Nena is alive and well. I liked the dynamics of classism and societal biases when it came to his job as a vaquero being highlighted. Nena's family was so concerned with what people would say about Nena spending time with a vaquero, and as if it was scandalous or would ruin their family name. I felt for Nestor, because he already got this from the rest of society, and receiving this messaging from the love of his life's family? Not ideal!
The setting was of course sublime - Isabel continued her atmospheric, lush writing in describing 1840's Mexico; it chalk full of details surrounding the social zeitgeist of the time! She cleverly used vampires to portray the Anglo settlers ~*~sucking the land away~*~ from local Rancheros/communities. The way she described the vampires was beyond creepy too: hairless, eyeless, grey-skinned, almost like Midnight Mass (Netflix tv show) or Priest (2011 film).
Overall, I still think The Hacienda is my personal favorite, but I enjoyed this one too! Jose Nateras and Krysta Gonzales did a fantastic job with narration in the audiobook - I listened via ALC from Libro.FM and am providing this review voluntarily!
Favorite quotation:
Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless if I add stars or not.
Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
This is a blend of historical fiction, horror, and romance, but it was very heavy on the slow-burn, childhood-friends-to-lovers, second-chance romance! Nena and Nestor fight their feelings for each other so hard, and I wanted to sit them each down and talk some sense into them! However, I sympathized with their hesitations and fears, as they spent so long apart, and are getting to know each other all over again.
I enjoyed Nena's arc specifically, -probably due to my bias as a woman- as she tries to prove her worth to her father so she is not married off at 22. Her curandera practice was very intriguing to follow, and I was rooting for her to finally take a stand against her parents' sexist ideals that they expected her to live up to. She's called spineless at one point, and like..... no lies detected. (This changes though!) My bias of also not feeling fully seen or respected by my family comes into play here HAHA (it's not funny, but you gotta laugh, or you may cry). Anyway, props to Nena's brother for being such an ally and for trying his best to back her up in conversations with their parents whenever he was present. I wish I was joking, but it was almost comical how she would say, "Tell them!," then he would, and THEN the parents would be like, "Okay, you're right, your brother makes a good point" hahahaha I could NOT deal with the misogynistic undertones, yet it was so real!
Nestor's journey really devastated me, because for nine years (and at SUCH A YOUNG AGE?!), he thought his friend was dead! It it a staggering shock to reality when he finds out Nena is alive and well. I liked the dynamics of classism and societal biases when it came to his job as a vaquero being highlighted. Nena's family was so concerned with what people would say about Nena spending time with a vaquero, and as if it was scandalous or would ruin their family name. I felt for Nestor, because he already got this from the rest of society, and receiving this messaging from the love of his life's family? Not ideal!
The setting was of course sublime - Isabel continued her atmospheric, lush writing in describing 1840's Mexico; it chalk full of details surrounding the social zeitgeist of the time! She cleverly used vampires to portray the Anglo settlers ~*~sucking the land away~*~ from local Rancheros/communities. The way she described the vampires was beyond creepy too: hairless, eyeless, grey-skinned, almost like Midnight Mass (Netflix tv show) or Priest (2011 film).
Overall, I still think The Hacienda is my personal favorite, but I enjoyed this one too! Jose Nateras and Krysta Gonzales did a fantastic job with narration in the audiobook - I listened via ALC from Libro.FM and am providing this review voluntarily!
Favorite quotation:
“If life had taught her anything it was that nothing could wound as swiftly as the truth.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Sexism, Classism, and War
dybbuk's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Gore, Colonisation, Murder, Sexism, and Emotional abuse
More...