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A review by carlyoc
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
Another fresh take on vampires. Adding to the ranks of recen Mexican vampire stories like Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Certain Dark Things, this book has some notable differences. The vampires are semi-sentient beasts rather than humanistic love interests and the story has a historical setting during the Mexican-American war.
Nena is thr daughter of a ranchero in Northern Mexico. She and her childhood friend Nestor are in love, but he is the son of a vaquero, a ranch worker and of a lower social class. But before that issue can come to a head, they encounter a creature that attacks Nena and leaves Nestor thinking she is dead. In his grief, he runs away to become an independent vaquero. He returns nine years later to help defend the ranch from the invading Yankees and only then discovers that Nena is alive. Together, they learn that the Yankees are using the vampires as weapons and how to defeat them. But will anyone at the ranch listen to them given their forbidden relationship?
Nena is thr daughter of a ranchero in Northern Mexico. She and her childhood friend Nestor are in love, but he is the son of a vaquero, a ranch worker and of a lower social class. But before that issue can come to a head, they encounter a creature that attacks Nena and leaves Nestor thinking she is dead. In his grief, he runs away to become an independent vaquero. He returns nine years later to help defend the ranch from the invading Yankees and only then discovers that Nena is alive. Together, they learn that the Yankees are using the vampires as weapons and how to defeat them. But will anyone at the ranch listen to them given their forbidden relationship?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore, Blood, Grief, and War