The Synopsis
Vampires of El Norte is a historical vampire horror with a large focus on the romance between our leads: the strong-willed Nena and her estranged best friend Néstor. Set on the Texas-Mexico border, Vampires of El Norte follows our main characters as they head to battle rinches seeking to possess their land, only to find that there are other monsters lying in wait.
Our story begins with a case of youthful exploration as Nena and Néstor head off to a spot rumored to contain hidden treasure. The pair of friends find more than what they bargain for when a strange monster attacks Nena, leaving her comatose with a case of susto. Believing he caused her death, Néstor flees into the night.
Nine years later, the duo is reunited when the Anglos once again threatened the safety of everyone. Néstor is called back to Los Ojuelos to join in the battle and finally lays eyes on the girl he long thought dead. Reuniting isn’t smooth for the pair, as Nena harbors resentment for being left behind. Soon, Nena and Néstor are thrown together and must learn to rely on one another for survival.
Review
I originally received this book as an eARC from NetGalley and struggled to get through the book. Similar to The Hacienda, this book contains a fair amount of romance that takes up the central focus of the book. Unlike The Hacienda, the romance outweighs the horror significantly. Eventually, I DNFed this book only to return to it recently after receiving a physical copy.
Going into Vampires of El Norte as a romance with horror elements versus a horror with romance elements was a far more pleasurable experience for me. The book starts off with the horror elements while Néstor fights off the strange monsters in the night, but quickly shifts to emotional pining while setting up their reunion. We switch over to Néstor’s point of view in chapter two as he recollects what happened that night.
Meanwhile, Nena is honing her skills as a curandera as she heads to care for yet another vaquero who has succumbed to the susto. The scenes are set up to make the reader a bit anxious- as Nena heads to the jacal she feels as though she is being watched. As she cares for the vaquero she recalls how many others have fallen into the mysterious illness. This story is, ultimately, a slow burn in both the horror and the romance.
While I appreciate that Cañas was creating a buildup to discovering the monsters, it often felt a bit too slow. The supernatural elements have very little to do with the majority of the story, as our focus is primarily on the battle to fight off the Anglos and keep hold of their land. The ‘monster’ of the story is colonialism more than anything, which readers may feel is misleading when we consider the title of the book.
There are scenes that begin to build the tension, including further attacks on vaqueros, animals drained of blood, and even further sightings of the vampires. These were all great, however, some editing down of the book so that they were more of a central focus would’ve been appreciated.
Between the attacks, Nena has QUITE a few bones to pick with Néstor. As we experience both of their perspectives, it is easy to see that they’ve both spent the past years pining for one another. This book contains a few romance tropes: miscommunication, forbidden romance (she is the daughter of a patron and he is a simple vaquero), mutual pining, and forced proximity included.
It all made her want to shed her skin like the witch in Abuela’s story, let everything that made her a woman fall to the ground to be salted and ruined as she flew into the night, her bones bare and cold in the starlight.
Isabel Cañas, Vampires of El Norte
Nena can be frustrating at times as she often makes it very clear that her status matters. This is juxtaposed with her intense desire to both meet and break free from her parents’ expectations. She loves Néstor, but is she willing to risk everything to be with him? The book spends many pages on Nena’s anguish over her situation in life. She wants nothing more than to be her own person and make her own decisions, but she fears her father and worries that she will disappoint her mother.
For many readers who appreciate a slow burn romance, this book will probably be one to read. Even more so for those seeking to read a little horror or want something to read for Halloween. Néstor’s love for Nena bleeds from the pages as the progression of their romance will likely satisfy many.
Meanwhile, the horror is building quietly in the background.
There are plenty of things to enjoy about Vampires of El Norte. Rich with culture, the book can be incredibly immersive at times. Seeing Mexican lore combined with vampires is a delight, but I wish desperately we would’ve spent more time with them. Ultimately, we don’t learn a whole lot about the creatures other than the fact that they’re able to be controlled and sentient enough to communicate with. The answers of how and why are never given to us and that feels like a let down.
I would’ve loved for Cañas to create more of a background for these creatures. Where did they come from? How did they go so long without notice? What do they want?
The final showdown of this book was surprisingly heartwarming, but I won’t give it away here. But it did lead to more questions about the vampires. There are confrontations with the creatures that are entertaining to read about, especially as a bit of dread is instilled in us as we prepare for the big confrontation.
Ultimately, I think that this book may leave horror fans disappointed and romance fans delighted! I adored the balance of horror and romance in The Hacienda, which seems to be a trademark for Cañas. While this book wasn’t my favorite of the two, it was still a solid read for the fall season.
Ready to check it out? Use the affiliate link below to grab a copy from Bookshop.org!
Leave a Reply