Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas — A Wonderfully Refreshing Vampire Novel

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas

We find ourselves in the 1840s during the Mexican-American War.

Isabel Canas takes us on a journey with vampires that breaks out of some of the tired cliches we have been used to. We follow Nena and Nestor, who have a long history and a bit of a complicated romance that follows throughout. That complicated romance, however, is well worth the wait for those of you who might be wondering.

We are taken through the narrative of a bloody historical battle that has seemingly drawn in two different bloodsuckers. The Yanquis and the stars of the show — vampires.

Vampires of El Norte also touches into the well of family dynamics — specifically that of parents and their daughters as well as role expectations for females in the Hispanic culture (that which I, too, identify with) at that time. Nena, of course, is the strong female lead that we need — she gloriously breaks out of expectations both naturally and supernaturally.

I will be honest — I was sceptical going into this novel. My enjoyment of vampire novels was overwhelmed and a bit burnt out by many of the books that are produced that feed the popular need for romance with the beast. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed many of them, but there weren't a whole lot of unique twists on the lore of vampires.

What intrigued me about reading this novel was reading more about the author Isabel Canas. I learned that Canas, who is a historian as well as a writer, was inspired by what she found in her research (this can be found in the author's note of the novel). She found some mentionings of vampires by the Spanish that predate Dracula and, even more so, some of the other popular historical mentionings of the creatures.

Not only did Isabel Canas use this information in a beautifully crafted way, but also in an original one that didn't just end with Nena falling in love with a vampire. Nor did it turn into a story where many victims are enslaved or are turned into vampires themselves. Rather, Nena forms a sort of bond with the vampires — a connection that allows the characters to conquer and overcome their battles in more ways than one.

As a Hispanic myself it was thoroughly enjoyable to read such a wonderfully put-together story that included the history and lore that I personally grew up around. Moreover, it was incredibly refreshing to read a vampire story that felt relatable in culture, family and history.

This book gets a solid 4.7/5

Would I recommend it?

I'm sure by reading my review, you can tell what the answer will be for this. 100% recommend this novel, especially for my fellow Hispanic/Latinx community. It's such a joy to see writers like Mariana Enriquez, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Isabel Canas rising up to the top.

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Have you read Vampires of El Norte? How would you rate it? Have you read any other vampire novels that break norms and cliches? Let me know in the comments below!

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