Vampires of El Norte

I had been waiting months to read Vampires of El Norte and I certainly wasn’t disappointed. Although I had hoped for more supernatural horror-as is my preference-I still found the story to be engrossing and the characters to be engaging. Both Nena and Néstor had depth and vibrancy and as a reader, I was rooting for them to resolve their differences from the very beginning. The seeds of love planted during their childhood were abruptly buried due to unforeseen events, but eventually grew and bloomed amidst strife and misunderstandings. 

It was enthralling to read and although the arguments could be a little much at times, was ultimately worth the arduous path the characters were placed upon. Class divisions, gender roles and trauma play large roles in both Nena and Néstor’s lives, how they develop from children to adults and how they come to relate to one another following their lengthy separation. The historical aspects of the novel were both fascinating and distressing, as it is a period that I personally did not know very much about but could emphasize with regarding the pain caused by potentially losing one’s home and family. 

The secondary characters were also interesting; Néstor’s friend Beto, both Nena and Néstor’s grandmothers, Nena’s difficult parents and her brother Felix. They either enriched the novel or also served as necessary antagonists as the plot required. The vampires were also a unique take upon a popular creature and a far cry from the sanitized and sometimes swoon-worthy versions that are often popular.

These creatures were feral and horrifying beasts and while I wish we had seen more of them-they did an excellent job at adding to the tension in their scenes. Given their eventual fates, it was almost easy to pity them, as the true villains of the novel utilized them to try to fulfill their selfish goals. 

Above all else, Vampires of El Norte is a love story; one that is slow-burning and ultimately fulfilling.