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emily_journals'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
5.0
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.
Graphic: Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Sexism, War, and Violence
Moderate: Gun violence, Medical content, Abandonment, and Animal death
Minor: Sexual content
kaiyakaiyo'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
5.0
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!
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, War, Racism, Blood, Colonisation, Gun violence, and Violence
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Classism, Cursing, Gore, Medical content, and Misogyny
Minor: Death
aryelee'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
5.0
The portrayal of vampires is also so interesting. I don't think I've read another book featuring vampires that uses them in this way. Paired with the background of the Mexican-American war... absolutely stunning. Easily one of my favorite historical fiction novels ever. Please read this book.
Graphic: Animal death, Death, and War
Moderate: Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Stalking
rochelleisreading's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Gore, War, Death, Medical trauma, and Violence
Moderate: Cursing and Animal death
Minor: Sexual content
spookytaco's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Blood, Animal death, Classism, Emotional abuse, War, and Colonisation
Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Medical trauma
torturedreadersdept'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: Alcohol, Animal death, Toxic relationship, War, Abandonment, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Blood, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Sexism, and Violence
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
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.gaby_readsss'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
4.5
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!!
Graphic: Blood, Colonisation, Gore, War, Classism, and Animal death
caitlin_bookchats's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence and Death
Moderate: Blood
Minor: War, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Death, War, Violence