Review; Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas
Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.
As the daughter of a rancher in 1840s Mexico, Nena knows a thing or two about monsters—her home has long been threatened by tensions with Anglo settlers from the north. But something more sinister lurks near the ranch at night, something that drains men of their blood and leaves them for dead.
Something that once attacked Nena nine years ago.
Believing Nena dead, Néstor has been on the run from his grief ever since, moving from ranch to ranch working as a vaquero. But no amount of drink can dispel the night terrors of sharp teeth; no woman can erase his childhood sweetheart from his mind.
When the United States attacks Mexico in 1846, the two are brought abruptly together on the road to war: Nena as a curandera, a healer striving to prove her worth to her father so that he does not marry her off to a stranger, and Néstor as a member of the auxiliary cavalry of ranchers and vaqueros. But the shock of their reunion—and Nena’s rage at Néstor for seemingly abandoning her long ago—is quickly overshadowed by the appearance of a nightmare made flesh.
And unless Nena and Néstor work through their past and face the future together, neither will survive to see the dawn.
My Thoughts on the Book
Due to the author's writing style, the book sucks you in immediately, which is always a good thing in my opinion. The character development(s) for Nena and Néstor are shown, and the romance between them are slow-burn for sure. The plot and the story though - while there's both main plot and sub-plot(s), I personally felt that the war and the vampires weren't quite fleshed out enough. If the author had sticked to one of the two and given it enough attention, it would have worked out better.
I'm not saying it's a bad book though, as I found it an enjoyable read, but some elements could have been fleshed out a bit more.
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