Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

In 1840s Mexico, there are lots of things going on that are confusing for Nena, the daughter of a rancher. The Yanquis are coming around, threatening her way of life. She's in love with Néstor, a common laborer. And then she's attacked by a strange creature. Néstor thinks she's dead and he runs away, working as a vaquero on different ranches. Nena thinks Néstor has abandoned her. Meanwhile, things with the Anglos are heating up and when Néstor comes back to Ranch Los Ojuelos and sees that Nena is alive, things heat up.

That is the premise of Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas. That creature that attacked Nena and left her for dead? It's a vampire. (It's not really a spoiler because it's in the title of the book.)

There's so much to like about this book. Nena and Néstor are interesting characters, although they're so young and there's a scene when she closes the door in his face instead of talking to him that felt real, but was so frustrating I nearly screamed.  The setting is absolutely fascinating. In a time when the border between Mexico and the US was in flux, the social hierarchy of Mexicans was also changing. 

I just found the supernatural elements of the vampires somehow lacking. I wanted MORE vampires. I wanted more lore. I wanted more of how knowledge of these creatures was being shared from ranch to ranch. I wanted something besides only Nena and Néstor know the answers.  

Eh. Beautiful, atmospheric writing. Not enough bloodsucking. 3.5/5 stars

Line of note:

If other men were charcoal sketches, he was drawn in fine ink. (page 229)

What a strange comparison!

Hat mentions:

I caught TWENTY hat mentions! Three were of the removed his hat variety, seven (!) were a brim of a hat, and five were a tip of the hat. The book was described as a supernatural western, so I guess I should have expected a lot.