Horror Aficionados discussion
Group Reads
>
February 2024 Group Read #2 - Vampires of El Norte
Mod
If you are interested in this, I've found a guide to Vampires of El Norte with questions about the book but know that some questions may be slight spoilers if you have yet to read it: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...
WendyB wrote: "
Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas has been chosen as a Group Read.Remember to use spoiler tags where necessary.
Have a good time."
When does this one start? And is Audible reading OK?
Mod
It's a February Group Read so it runs Feb 1 - 29, though you can start whenever you like, just remember to use spoiler tags as appropriate.
And whatever format you use to consume the book is still considered reading.
I have put the book on my state library's Hold list. I will participate if I obtain a copy.
Mod
Another one of my reading groups has this book scheduled for March, so WIN!
oh! i just finished this one! curious to see what others think :3
Alan wrote: "Ann wrote: "When does this one start? And is Audible reading OK?..."It's a February Group Read so it runs Feb 1 - 29, though you can start whenever you like, just remember to use spoiler tags as ..."
Great! It's been in my Audible library for a bit, & I'd love the chance to listen with others.
Awesome to see that this won. My real life book club is also reading it in February so I'll join here as well. Win win!
Sinking my teeth into this one next. Looking forward to joining the discussion with you all 😁
started reading today, reached up to chp 5 and oh! what beautiful and evocative writing! cañas builds such a picture in my mind with her words. in particular, i loved this quote: "Moonlight filtered through the laurel trees that curved over the water...They looked like curving, skeletal fingers gripping the edges of the pool and the stream that led south."
so many metaphors, similes, etc. i wish i could tab, but i'm reading a borrowed one from the library.
i recently watched the hbo miniseries the outsider, which also features el cuco as the main monster, so when i read that in the book, i went
i'm curious to know if el cuco targets the anglos too or just the native populace.
Mod
A minor thing about the title page, it shows a faint image of saguaro cactus. They aren't found in Texas, only in the Sonoran desert in AZ and a bit in western Mexico. Just a teeny tiny FYI from someone who lives on the desert. :)
read up to chp 8 , ugh, if only they had email! the nine yrs wasted! but glad that nena + nestor are now reunited. i learned a few yrs back the term buckaroo came from the word vaquero.
and i wasn't aware of the specifics of the timeline, so i googled. the spanish left mexico in 1821, so 20 yrs later, in our book, the independent mexico is fighting the yanquis on their own. i don't think even if the spanish still had a foothold in mexico at that time, they could've beat back the yanquis, as the spanish empire was on the decline back then too. man, humans can be so brutal.
to answer book club question #3, it shows racial division is not only blight on society, but class discrimination too. how thru no fault of the children, being born to different households can separate them and invite judgement from others, ie. vaqueros not permitted to set foot in la casa mayor or the challenges of cross-class marriages. only when there is actual mortal danger (colonial invasion, vampire), does the community realize all this division is manmade.
Mod
A minor thing about the title page, it shows a faint image of saguaro cactus. They aren't found in Texas, only in the Sonor..."
Those inconsistencies do bother me when I'm able to catch them. I plan on reading this one after I finish VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (cover/mood read).
Mod
I'm only a few pages in but the book is showing the promise of being an interesting story. It's also making me focus on trying to get right the Spanish pronunciation of certain names and words. :)
Good to see some of the positive thoughts on this one! My library loan came in today so I'll be able to finally start in the next day or two.
Mod
I'm only a few pages in but the b..."
I should be starting by Thursday or Friday!
Just read those two introductory chapters today that contain everything you need to know about this story moving forward. A great job of foreshadowing. Canas did something similar in THE HACIENDA and it works even better here.
WendyB wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "Those inconsistencies do bother me when I'm able to catch them. I plan on reading this one after I finish VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED (cover/mood read)"I'm only a few pages in but the b..."
I've just started listening to the Audible version, & I am not a Spanish speaker -- so some of the words are a bit confusing to me, so far. But it's being done really well, & this is how I enjoyed The Hacienda.
Now at page 150. After a slow beginning with a few foreshadowing moments things are picking up.I am enjoying the imagery that Isabel Canas creates . . . .
Page 109: "Sleep fitted mockingly over the crown of Nena's head, close enough that she could almost touch it. It would remain there, both close and maddeningly distant so long as thoughts circled her mind like a yearling in a training corral, hooves packing the dirt harder and harder."
Page 110: "She turned abruptly onto her stomach, casting thoughts aside like a too-heavy blanket. She shut her eyes . . . . . Sleep eventually took her. Its embrace was ill-fitting, itchy as wool, never settling with ease."
I’m just getting ready to start this book.
Mod
WendyB wrote: "At page 100 and needs more vampire, less potential romance. 😴"i feel the same! i've read up to chp 23 and not much has changed since the beginning...hard to believe that Nestor + Nena got attacked by the vampires like 3 times already and have seen the creatures, and they seem almost unfazed and go back to their lover spats over who left who.
i would've thought they'd discuss how they can eradicate or at least defend others / how to warn others without seeming crazy LOL
me @ the plot:
WendyB wrote: "At page 100 and needs more vampire, less potential romance. 😴"Not quite that far - Ch. 9, I think, on Audible -- but I'm with you on the lack of supernatural vs. historical romance vibe. I seem to remember The Hacienda being a lot creepier a lot sooner. I'm just not getting the same Gothic feel to this one, though the writing is perfectly fine & I'm learning a lot about curanderas.
The horror scenes here are as creepy as they were in The Hacienda, although there are fewer of them. Still, the vampires are pretty menacing and horrific.
Mod
i feel the same! i've read up to chp 23 and not much has changed since the beginning...hard to believe that Nestor + N..."
I like the cartoon. LOL
The writing is ok but the story is taking far too long to get going.
I'm on page 145 and some interesting things are starting to happen... finally.
This reads more like historical fiction/romance with a horror backdrop, unlike The Hacienda where the presence/menace of the house intruded into every scene.I'm enjoying this, although I would recommend The Hacienda over The Vampires of El Norte to new readers curious about Canas.
Michael wrote: "This reads more like historical fiction/romance with a horror backdrop, unlike The Hacienda where the presence/menace of the house intruded into every scene.I'm enjoying this, although I would re..."
I'm also feeling the same Michael. I'm almost 100 pages in and I'm wanting way more horror/menace in this story.
I loved The Hacienda but this one doesn't have the same feel. I'm guessing it's because there's too much romance in this one. LOL!
Just finished.In the author's note, Canas features a quote from Cheno Cortina, a paramilitary leader who defended the Mexican border against white settlers during the Texas Revolution. He used the word "vampires" to describe the invading force, and that is when her idea for her next book started.
My main gripes with this book are:
1. Obviously the vampires are an allegory for the Yanquis. In (view spoiler) Especially the creature coming from Mexican folklore / holding cultural worth as part of traditional storytelling, why did Cañas choose to weaken them instead of wielding its power?
Circling back to (view spoiler). The allegory would stick better.
2. I'm not opposed to romance. However, there was too much repetition of their grievances with each other and too much filler. I counted once, it took 6 pages to explain a simple scene of Nestor teaching Nena how to shoot a gun. If the author wanted these lovers to bond, why not bond over defending their hometown? Hate to say it, but trauma bonds people sometimes, LOL. Instead, they seldom talked about the vampires, even after they were attacked. Like, "oh, we almost died by the hands of a mythical creature, oops, let's go back to arguing about the past instead".
edit: thought more, and it irks me that it was nestor that (view spoiler) just all sorts of writing choices that has me scratching my head.
The writing itself is very beautiful, which is why I thought it'd be a 5 star in the beginning. I quickly grew frustrated because of the plot.
2 stars.
Mod
In the author's note, Canas features a quote from Cheno Cortina, a paramilitary leader who defended the Mexican border against white settlers during the Texas Revolution. He used th..."
Could you please use spoiler tags when commenting on specifics in the book, as many of us have not finished/reached these points.
< spoiler > TEXT < / spoiler >
(Remove the spaces, insert your spoilers where it says text, and it will be hidden unless someone clicks on "view spoiler". Also, percentages/page numbers are helpful. Or mention that you finished.)
Mod
I just can't bring myself to care about these characters, the story is hard to figure out, and I want MORE horror (or at least some horror), that's not too much to ask, right?
I would still encourage anyone interested in the book to give it a try. My word on a book is certainly not the last word and many other readers have enjoyed the book. I just want to be honest with how I feel but l leave it up to you to decide what book is best for you.
I finished this morning. While I enjoyed this and don't regret reading it - - I was a bit disappointed.Here's my Three Star review . . . . .
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
WendyB wrote: "I hate to do this with a book I'm reading for our Group Read but... I'm DNF'ing this one.I just can't bring myself to care about these characters, the story is hard to figure out, and I want MORE ..."
Thanks for your honesty, WendyB. I am planning to finish my listen & see just how much horror appears later, but I think it's really important for folks to be respectfully honest during Group Reads -- & not be criticized for it. Good luck finding something more to your tastes -- you might try Mexican Gothic, if you haven't read it. That one delivers the chills.
I actually really enjoyed this book. it's definitely more of a romance than a horror book. I am very bias due to the story taking place in and around The Valley" in Southern Texas. That's where I was born and spent a lot of time in. Cañas beautifully describes it to the point that it brought me back to those warm, starry nights laying on the soft, dusty ground with the scent of the near by mesquite trees. It's probably what helped make the slower parts of the book more enjoyable.The history in the story wasn't painfully described turning into a slog like it tends to be for historical stories. It was focused on history related directly to the story. The locations and local/spanish references were top-notch.
it's very much a love story with horror and tense scenes sprinkled towards the middle and end of the book. That appears to be a major turn-off for some folks.
I like that the vampires were more animalistic and wild at the start than other vampire stories. my biggest complaint is that they weren't as fleshed out and didn't take up enough of the story. The book is one of my favorite romantic reads in a while. Just wish it was an actual horror book.
Mod
I've read Mexican Gothic and thought it was pretty good. Looking forward to reading more by that author.
I look for books set in the southwest or dealing with western themes so I was drawn to Vampires of El Norte. I admit I wasn't sure how well it fit the February theme of "ripping your heart out" but it seemed close enough. I guess the so-called love story could fit but, IMHO, it needs far more darkness, more chills to really be a horror story.
Ricky wrote: "I actually really enjoyed this book. it's definitely more of a romance than a horror book. I am very bias due to the story taking place in and around The Valley" in Southern Texas. That's where I w..."Thanks for vetting the history & landscapes for us! I figured they'd be accurate, but good to hear from someone who knows the locale & the past of it.
no problem! It was definitely a blast from the past. It tugged on my heart strings a little bit.
Just finished reading - it was definitely not what I expected but enjoyed it. I also liked the more animalistic take on the vampires and went into a Wikipedia freefall into a lot of the folklore mentioned in this. I agree with many of you in that while I didn't mind the romance I would have loved to see the vampires, both creature and the Anglos, flushed out just a little bit more. There were a few books mentioned at the end that Canas was talking about mentioned in her PhD thesis that I plan on reading as well regarding the Shamanistic practices.
I haven't ordered this book yet (this is my first day in the group), and might not get to it in time, but find this discussion really helpful, not just about the story and the vampires, but what you all like and want as readers of horror. This is something I keep asking myself about what readers expect to encounter in the way of horror (monsters, unsettling moments, haunts, etc). I find this discussion super helpful. I just saw on Twitter that Stephen Graham Jones (my prof at my MFA program) just finished writing his first vampire novel. Sounds like the two books would make a great pairing. I also saw the title "Hacienda" mentioned here and plan on researching that too, since you all seem to be recommending it. I'm looking forward studying some horror from you all and learning from all this wisdom.
Nicholas wrote: "I haven't ordered this book yet (this is my first day in the group), and might not get to it in time, but find this discussion really helpful, not just about the story and the vampires, but what yo..."Not trying to discourage you from reading it, but VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE is historical fiction/romance that depends on the presence of vampires for the storyline, but doesn't contain enough scenes of vampires to satisfy "aficionados" like our group. Still worth a reading. I liked it. However, I would recommend THE HACIENDA (same author, haunted estate) over this.
Thanks Michael. I looked up THE HACIENDA. Looks good.
I just started this one today and I’ve made it about 30% through!
had a hard time getting into this, but once I realised this is not a Vampire/western horror and got into the romance of the 2 main characters this isn't so bad.
good writing and character work in that aspect.
Nicholas wrote: "Thanks Michael. I looked up THE HACIENDA. Looks good."It's a very traditional Gothic novel (as I recall that sub-genre from a few decades back) with an intriguing historical setting. Young woman trapped in big creepy mansion by her marriage to a mysterious man, check. Unexplained deaths/disappearances & rumors of same, check. Increasing evidence of something actually supernatural going on, check . . . .
I started this (audiobook) yesterday and finished this morning. While I enjoyed the two narrator's, the story just wasn't holding my attention. It came across as a YA romance with a casual sprinkling of light horror here and there. Overall, this just wasn't for me and I gave it 2 stars.A more thorough explanation with spoilers: (view spoiler)
Jason wrote: "had a hard time getting into this, but once I realised this is not a Vampire/western horror and got into the romance of the 2 main characters this isn't so bad."Unfortunately, I'm finding it impossible to really get into the romance aspects of this. I'm fascinated by the vampires -- or whatever their proper name is -- but I'm just not dealing well with the relationship. Nena in particular is just somewhat annoying.
Hey all! I ended up finishing this one a day or two ago, and I had most of the same issues as others in this group.Too much romance and little amount of vampires. I really wanted to get more (view spoiler) Alas, that wasn't the case.
I also struggled with (view spoiler)
Other then that, I'm glad that I still read this. I would suggest that if you're not a fan of this one, try The Hacienda.
A lot more horror, menace and evil in that one. This one, not so much. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Horror Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hacienda (other topics)Vampires of El Norte (other topics)
Vampires of El Norte (other topics)
Remember to use spoiler tags where necessary.
Have a good time.