

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 invades 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.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Grave, classical in form, earnest and resolved.
- gravecomic
- classical in formformally daring
- earnestironic
- resolvedopen-ended
- cooloverwhelming
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
About the book
- Author
- Isabel Cañas
- First published
- 2023
- Publisher
- Penguin Publishing Group
- Editions
- 2
- Language
- English
- ISBN
- 9780593436738
Where to read
Libraries first: a card gets you most books for nothing. Each opens that service’s page for this title.
On Open Library, 1 have read it and 18 want to.
Mexican-American speculative fiction writer
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
The Nightingale 200084% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz 201881% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
One Dark Window 202281% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
Half a King 201480% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
Galatea 201379% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
Captive Prince 201379% alikeBoth classical in form, grave, earnest.
House of Salt and Sorrows 201979% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
The Phantom of the Opera 199479% alikeBoth grave, classical in form, earnest.
A Thousand Blows 202584% alikeTelevision · Both grave, classical in form, earnest.
1992 202483% alikeFilm · Both grave, classical in form, earnest.