sandro_reads's profile picture

sandro_reads 's review for:

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
3.75
adventurous dark emotional tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

The title, Vampires of El Norte, does the book an injustice. It is really a mash up of genres: part romance, part historical fiction and part horror - though the horror is not as prominent as the title suggests. 

The main focus is Nestor and Nena, childhood sweethearts separated for 8 years by a misunderstanding and who can’t ever seem to say what they want, against the backdrop of early 1800s American colonization of Mexico. 

An engrossing read but the pacing is a bit off with the first half of the novel moving slowly then picking up when the forlorn lovers encounter the animalistic depiction of vampires only to rush the ending.