"Books" Archive

Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas

A book review by Mina Nguyen

I’ve never read a book similar to this plot, and I loved every second of it. Nena is a daughter of a rancher in Mexico during the 1840s, and her home is constantly threatened by Anglo settlers from up north. However, there is something else that hides near the ranch: a vampire. Nena was attacked nine years ago, which prompts Nestor’s run from the ranch,
which he moves ranch-to-ranch to forget about Nena’s death. When the U.S. attacked Mexico in 1846, they crossed paths, Nena as a healer and Nestor as a vaquero.

This has definitely become one of my top books for 2025. I loved how nuanced the characters were. They were constantly making mistakes. I feel like a lot of books have this issue with miscommunication, and it typically is very one-sided, but this book embraces that both sides made mistakes, and it’s up to both characters to see if they can move on together. I also found that even though this book, under my impression, was geared a little more romance heavy, the world-building was done magnificently. I fell in love with the way the descriptions were done, and this book was so much more than a romance. It involves family through various generations and how people’s decisions are impacted by the future of the family, making their love story much more involved for the audience. It involves culture and what home is. I did find that the vampires weren’t as creepy as I thought they would be. I also thought they would be a bigger plot of the book. I would say that the book is balanced and that I wouldn’t call this a character-driven book, but I definitely wouldn’t call it a vampire-heavy book. It’s not as gory as I was expecting, but I don’t find horror as a reading genre I enjoyed. I was immediately drawn from the first chapter, and I finished this book within one sitting. The chemistry between Nestor and Nena was so well done. It was really easy for me to believe that they truly did love and respect each other, and that their relationship was worth fighting for. This book is dark, atmospheric, and romantic, and I would recommend this to anyone. I would find it hard for someone not to enjoy reading this!

Put Vampires of El Norte on hold here.

Books similar to Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Canas

● Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
● Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
● The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova

1984 by George Orwell

A book review by Mina Nguyen

Big Brother is always watching. In a totalitarian future society, everyone must be careful
of the way they act. They must fully dedicate themselves to the revolution under Big Brother.
Winston Smith’s job is to rewrite history, but he doesn’t necessarily dedicate himself to the
cause. He strays further away after meeting Julia, who changes his perception. In an attempt to
rebel, Winston further puts his identity up for risk, making him and Julia a bigger liability to Big
Brother and others also dedicated to the cause.
I am not a person who opts for a classic. I typically find the language to be dated, and it
takes me a while to get into. I have attempted at least twice to get into 1984, but I always end up
falling asleep within the first twenty pages, but I decided to give it one last attempt, and I
definitely enjoyed it way more. I did enjoy Animal Farm when it was a required read in high
school, but I’ve never reached for a George Orwell novel besides 1984. I will say that reading
1984 now more than when I was younger made me enjoy it more because I’ve had more
experiences in forming my own thoughts and opinions outside of my peers and family. I found
the writing to be very addictive. Orwell writes from a narrative that is extremely detached. You
want to feel empathy for the characters, but Orwell is so meticulous in the way he writes that you
feel no sympathy for any of what the characters are going through. It reads like a statement or
fact. Additionally, I like that 1984 is extremely predictable. When reading this, the inevitable will
happen. It sheds light on how certain events are predictable in reading but are not as clear-cut in
real life. It is extremely fascinating to see how society is so aware of certain events and how it’s
portrayed through reading but will sometimes be oblivious to current events, which is why it’s
extremely important to be reading books like this. Books like this force readers to challenge what
they’ve thought growing up and allow them to reflect on their character and their belief system.
While I wouldn’t necessarily pick this book up for a second read, I would definitely recommend
it as a book everyone should read once in their life. Some books are only meant to be read once,
and 1984 is one of them!
Books similar to 1984:
● Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
● 12 Angry Men by Reginald rose
● Lord of the Flies by William Golding
● We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

Put 1984 on hold today