The Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Nena, the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, is no stranger to monsters. Her family home, the land, and all the people living on and around their ranch have long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north trying to invade their territory and take it for themselves. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.

Often the people of the ranch would speak of a magic that ran over the land. She knew magic wasn't real but as she felt an unease in the air, different than the usual calm, she suspected maybe there was some truth about the monsters her elders told the children to keep them close to home. Especially at night.

At 13, those old tales did not deter Nena from sneaking out with her childhood sweetheart and best friend Néstor as they did many nights before once the house was still. As they were getting older, her parents frowned upon her spending time with Néstor. What would people say? She was to marry one of the fellow ranch owner's sons when she was old enough to make their alliances stronger.

To see each other now, Nena and Néstor had to sneak out at night. On this night, however, they were unfortunate to face one of the creatures mentioned in the stories and it changes Nena’s life forever.

A flash of teeth in the darkness. Fear was sour in her sweat, in her breath, in the pale wordless ringing in her ears as teeth as sharp as knives, sank into her neck.

This story starts off with vampires, but that isn't the only monster her family and people at the ranch face. With the threat of invading outsiders trying to take their land, they all have to fight to keep what is theirs. Not only that, this tale faces a misunderstanding that over time, two people with shattered hearts reunite under grave circumstance. A war with vampires, with the monsters of men and of a love that was taken away leaving a huge emptiness in their lives.

Going into this story, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was a book club pick and I didn't read the synopsis and only knew it was about vampires in Mexico. I have never read a book that had Mexican ties and was curious how the story would play out. Many cultures have their own tales of wicked things, myths and old legends and I enjoy hearing them.

The only thing I struggled a little with were some of the Spanish words and phrases as no entiendo ni hablo español. I know very basic Spanish words that most know so that was the only issue I had with the story. The rest was great. The story was scary, sad, frustrating, and sweet.

The bulk of storyline is about two young people who battle with themselves and each other over lost time, understanding how each other feel, and what they will do for each other as they try to survive an attack on their homes by human and supernatural monsters, and her family about how feels about her life choices.
I thought it was fantastic and written well.

Vampires of El Norte - Likewise Book Reviews

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