THANK YOU about Vampires of El Norte. People have been railing against that book for not being what they wanted it to be and it's been making me seethe.
Two Mari videos in one week?!? We are blessed. So happy to see you power through all these books. Have you read Gabi, a Girl in Pieces? That's one I would be curious to hear your thoughts on. It's YA from an Independent publishing house and I think it could be a good Latine History Month read or really an anytime Latine read.
Only just started the video and just had to comment on how very much I relate to your description of recovering from "the mortifying ordeal of being perceived so much". I just feel that in my bones.
Had very similar thoughts to Sun and the Void. I read it after reading open veins of latin america and before the tik tok reviews so I was very confused by the critiques cause it felt so obvious to me what she was critiquing. That said it was still a debut I wish had been edited more 😅
yay for the reading vlog! these longer videos are my favorites. glad to see you had a pretty decent reading month! i’ve no shortage of books i want to read but i’ve been struggling to find something that i want to start and actually FINISH. oh and congrats on the new job! looking for one myself lol
I'm excited to read Vampires of El Norte since it's not horror. It sounds so good! I've also downloaded The Sun and the Void. Thank you for the reviews.
Charles Bingley is so cute. Budgeting is hell, poverty is just one "accident" away. 🙃 Edit: this is a great reading vlog, I love the vibes and the books, you picked.
I totally agree about Vampires of El Norte! I enjoyed the level of vampire in the book. I feel like it gets into bigger picture on the real vampires of the land, and the bigger story of romance. Which in my opinion is clear from the back of the book. The vampires just help set the vibes/atmosphere
Exactly how I felt! And I loved the vibes, honestly. It wasn't scary, but it was rich and eerie and that paired so well with the angst and the romance.
I really enjoyed The Hacienda, but wasn't planning on reading Vampires of El Norte because I just don't like vampire stories. But knowing that it is more of a metaphor and not a full on vampire book, actually makes me excited to read it.
I felt very similarly about Silver Nitrate and also You Had me at Hola! I did rate Vampires of El Norte 2 stars, like... I went in expecting a romance and I was fine with that, and I think the vampire element worked and was very well incorporated. But the romance was waaaaay too angsty for me! In The Hacienda (which was a 5 star read!), I felt like the romance was subversive, because Andres was very soft and romantic and Beatriz was pragmatic and sarcastic and so it really worked for me. But the dynamic in Vampires felt 'been there, done that'. I do want to keep reading Canas though :D excited for the next one, whatever it is :) glad to see you more often on youtube and your super thoughtful analysis
I actually forget a lot of the details about The Hacienda, to be honest, but that tracks for me for it being like a 3 star read. I think overall, Vampires will be more memorable to me, but then, I loved Nestor and Nena, even when the level of angst was trying my patience!
So glad you found a new job!! 🎉 I also read Silver Nitrate & Vampires of El Norte and felt very similarly. Thankfully I heard that Vampires wasn't really horror before I read it, so I didn't go in expecting that.
Thaaank you. I always feel so bad at them because I forget to take footage lmao. I got around it this time by just extending the vlog until I felt I got enough.
Nice vlog! I enjoyed Silver Nitrate and Family Lore quite a lot but had heard pretty mixed things this summer from many reviewers. It was great hear your thoughts on the new Angie Cruz book as I really appreciated Dominicana, and I am also more interested in The Sun and the Void. Unfortunately I feel like the quality of editing in general has been pretty low this year and especially for hyped debut authors. I really wish publishing would take more of their marketing money and invest that in areas that actually impact the quality of the releases
I've heard super mixed things about Family Lore at this point! I enjoyed the beginning when I read it, so I'll have to get back to it and see what I think about the end. I haven't read Dominicana yet, but I probably will now, knowing how much I enjoyed How Not to Drown. And YES. I feel like, in general, publishing is doing so much less editing, and you can absolutely feel it in what we're getting these days. Because I'm such a writing focused reader, it's really been a struggle for me!
I enjoyed The Hacienda so I'm looking forward to Vampires of El Norte and Silvia Moreno Garcia is hit and miss for me but I still always give her books a shot since I loved Mexican Gothic so much, I'm hoping Silver Nitrate might land for me.
Correct lol. LIke I get not wanting to read about that AT ALL but the way the reviews were positioning it, you would think this was advocating for cousin kissing...
I feel like I haven’t heard anyone talk about How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water. I read it late last year and thought it was fantastic as well. I also think the audiobook is the way to go. I looked back at my GR review and I mentioned that I almost turned off the audiobook after the first few minutes because the mouth noises were triggering my misophonia, but it felt like they toned it down or I was able to tune it out. Edited to add: I also read Vampires of El Norte in September and really enjoyed it. It only gets a 4/5 from me because I thought there were moments where it got a little repetitive. There were a couple scenes where we’d get the whole scene from one perspective, then jump back and get it again from the other perspective, and I don’t know that the book really needed it. 🤷🏼♀️ But I still loved the story and need to go back and finally read The Hacienda.
New job adjustments, it always takes me a minute. Love your dog! Ok, im really glad to hear your thoughts on The Sun and The Void. I have it but haven't read it yet, I kept hesitating. Now I won't hesitate but i will block out time to concentrate on it with no distractions (probably short blocks bcs i have strong reactions to characters with no to little agency, thks for warning). I probably won't read Vampires od El Norte now. Not because its so angsty, which for me is bad enough but I'm not interested in a romance. When heard the title i was ready for a Mexican revenge story. Like a vaqueros who are vampires with an evil genius plotting vs cowboys kind of story, not an angst eidden romance. Sigh. I also have Silver Nitrate and haven't listened to it but will now. And i think I'd like to read Drowned In A Glass of Water but the homophobia trigger warnings do apply to me so I'm torn. Putting it in my maybe list. I always appreciate your insightful perceptions. Happy Fall!
The Sun and the Void was so interesting because it felt like a big swing. It wasn't totally a miss for me either, but I think it had some debut stumbles. Good luck if you decide to read it! I love a romance, so Vampires of El Norte was exactly my jam. But at least now you know! 😂 Thank you for watching! I'm glad this was helpful in navigating the million books out there to read. Happy fall!
Silver Nitrate was so slow moving with so much information it was a struggle for me to get through… I didn’t dislike it though and I imagine people that actually have an interest in film history would appreciate it more but I could never fault the amount of research and history she adds into every book
I'm sorry but what I was expecting this to be was a story about American's invading and attacking Mexicans, along with the horror of vampires. And Nena having to grapple with all of these things in order to save her home. In reality, what this is, it's a badly written romance with lots and lots of miscommunication, and, almost, everyone being mean and/or abusive towards the hero. Like this is not angst, this is abuse towards the hero. He deserved better and I don't understand what he saw in her, he deserves better. And the fact that it's literally tagged as "horror" when it's not, it's mis-marketed. Unresolved Sexual Tension TH-cam did a great ~2hour video on why this book does not work and how it could've been done better. Also, the fact that you're comparing this book to The Beautiful Ones is honestly blasphemous.
The fact that your dog is called Charles Bingley is hilarious to me 😂 its a perfect dogs name
THANK YOU about Vampires of El Norte. People have been railing against that book for not being what they wanted it to be and it's been making me seethe.
I love your laugh, it’s the cutest
Two Mari videos in one week?!? We are blessed.
So happy to see you power through all these books. Have you read Gabi, a Girl in Pieces? That's one I would be curious to hear your thoughts on. It's YA from an Independent publishing house and I think it could be a good Latine History Month read or really an anytime Latine read.
Only just started the video and just had to comment on how very much I relate to your description of recovering from "the mortifying ordeal of being perceived so much". I just feel that in my bones.
Just want to say how much I love your channel! Hope you settle in quickly to the job and need less naps 😊
Had very similar thoughts to Sun and the Void. I read it after reading open veins of latin america and before the tik tok reviews so I was very confused by the critiques cause it felt so obvious to me what she was critiquing. That said it was still a debut I wish had been edited more 😅
Yep! It was ambitious and it could’ve been amazing.
Congrats on the new job! Makes me happy you appreciated Silver Nitrate :-) Always such a pleasure to see a new vid of yours!
Thank you for watching!
I love every one of your videos
Thank you so much 😭😭❤️
nothing like a new routine to make me sleeeeeepy. interesting books!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed this vlog, cause i greatly enjoyed watching it! congrats on the new job and settling somewhat into it!
yay for the reading vlog! these longer videos are my favorites. glad to see you had a pretty decent reading month! i’ve no shortage of books i want to read but i’ve been struggling to find something that i want to start and actually FINISH. oh and congrats on the new job! looking for one myself lol
I'm excited to read Vampires of El Norte since it's not horror. It sounds so good! I've also downloaded The Sun and the Void. Thank you for the reviews.
Charles Bingley is so cute. Budgeting is hell, poverty is just one "accident" away.
🙃
Edit: this is a great reading vlog, I love the vibes and the books, you picked.
I totally agree about Vampires of El Norte! I enjoyed the level of vampire in the book. I feel like it gets into bigger picture on the real vampires of the land, and the bigger story of romance. Which in my opinion is clear from the back of the book. The vampires just help set the vibes/atmosphere
Exactly how I felt! And I loved the vibes, honestly. It wasn't scary, but it was rich and eerie and that paired so well with the angst and the romance.
I really enjoyed The Hacienda, but wasn't planning on reading Vampires of El Norte because I just don't like vampire stories. But knowing that it is more of a metaphor and not a full on vampire book, actually makes me excited to read it.
i love ur vids so much i love how you review books idk exactly why but i do 🫶🏽
I felt very similarly about Silver Nitrate and also You Had me at Hola! I did rate Vampires of El Norte 2 stars, like... I went in expecting a romance and I was fine with that, and I think the vampire element worked and was very well incorporated. But the romance was waaaaay too angsty for me! In The Hacienda (which was a 5 star read!), I felt like the romance was subversive, because Andres was very soft and romantic and Beatriz was pragmatic and sarcastic and so it really worked for me. But the dynamic in Vampires felt 'been there, done that'. I do want to keep reading Canas though :D excited for the next one, whatever it is :) glad to see you more often on youtube and your super thoughtful analysis
I actually forget a lot of the details about The Hacienda, to be honest, but that tracks for me for it being like a 3 star read. I think overall, Vampires will be more memorable to me, but then, I loved Nestor and Nena, even when the level of angst was trying my patience!
So glad you found a new job!! 🎉 I also read Silver Nitrate & Vampires of El Norte and felt very similarly. Thankfully I heard that Vampires wasn't really horror before I read it, so I didn't go in expecting that.
Thankfully for me, A BIG CHICKEN, it was only horror adjacent 😅
I cried budgeting for the month too. Reading is one of the few activities left that I can afford 😢
Bless praise the library and ARCs for me, honestly.
❤❤ so happy you have a good time.
Thanks for watching!
I love your reading vlogs.
Thaaank you. I always feel so bad at them because I forget to take footage lmao. I got around it this time by just extending the vlog until I felt I got enough.
Nice vlog! I enjoyed Silver Nitrate and Family Lore quite a lot but had heard pretty mixed things this summer from many reviewers. It was great hear your thoughts on the new Angie Cruz book as I really appreciated Dominicana, and I am also more interested in The Sun and the Void. Unfortunately I feel like the quality of editing in general has been pretty low this year and especially for hyped debut authors. I really wish publishing would take more of their marketing money and invest that in areas that actually impact the quality of the releases
I've heard super mixed things about Family Lore at this point! I enjoyed the beginning when I read it, so I'll have to get back to it and see what I think about the end. I haven't read Dominicana yet, but I probably will now, knowing how much I enjoyed How Not to Drown.
And YES. I feel like, in general, publishing is doing so much less editing, and you can absolutely feel it in what we're getting these days. Because I'm such a writing focused reader, it's really been a struggle for me!
I enjoyed The Hacienda so I'm looking forward to Vampires of El Norte and Silvia Moreno Garcia is hit and miss for me but I still always give her books a shot since I loved Mexican Gothic so much, I'm hoping Silver Nitrate might land for me.
Okay but that pasta looked DELICIOUS
🧡
That's less incest in the Sun and Void than in Star Wars 😂
Correct lol. LIke I get not wanting to read about that AT ALL but the way the reviews were positioning it, you would think this was advocating for cousin kissing...
I feel like I haven’t heard anyone talk about How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water. I read it late last year and thought it was fantastic as well. I also think the audiobook is the way to go. I looked back at my GR review and I mentioned that I almost turned off the audiobook after the first few minutes because the mouth noises were triggering my misophonia, but it felt like they toned it down or I was able to tune it out.
Edited to add: I also read Vampires of El Norte in September and really enjoyed it. It only gets a 4/5 from me because I thought there were moments where it got a little repetitive. There were a couple scenes where we’d get the whole scene from one perspective, then jump back and get it again from the other perspective, and I don’t know that the book really needed it. 🤷🏼♀️ But I still loved the story and need to go back and finally read The Hacienda.
New job adjustments, it always takes me a minute. Love your dog! Ok, im really glad to hear your thoughts on The Sun and The Void. I have it but haven't read it yet, I kept hesitating. Now I won't hesitate but i will block out time to concentrate on it with no distractions (probably short blocks bcs i have strong reactions to characters with no to little agency, thks for warning).
I probably won't read Vampires od El Norte now. Not because its so angsty, which for me is bad enough but I'm not interested in a romance. When heard the title i was ready for a Mexican revenge story. Like a vaqueros who are vampires with an evil genius plotting vs cowboys kind of story, not an angst eidden romance. Sigh.
I also have Silver Nitrate and haven't listened to it but will now. And i think I'd like to read Drowned In A Glass of Water but the homophobia trigger warnings do apply to me so I'm torn. Putting it in my maybe list.
I always appreciate your insightful perceptions. Happy Fall!
The Sun and the Void was so interesting because it felt like a big swing. It wasn't totally a miss for me either, but I think it had some debut stumbles. Good luck if you decide to read it!
I love a romance, so Vampires of El Norte was exactly my jam. But at least now you know! 😂
Thank you for watching! I'm glad this was helpful in navigating the million books out there to read. Happy fall!
Silver Nitrate was so slow moving with so much information it was a struggle for me to get through… I didn’t dislike it though and I imagine people that actually have an interest in film history would appreciate it more but I could never fault the amount of research and history she adds into every book
This is exactly how I felt! I also liked the characters too, which kept me interested, even when I was a little weighed down by all the information.
🩷🩷
There's no audio
I'm sorry but what I was expecting this to be was a story about American's invading and attacking Mexicans, along with the horror of vampires. And Nena having to grapple with all of these things in order to save her home.
In reality, what this is, it's a badly written romance with lots and lots of miscommunication, and, almost, everyone being mean and/or abusive towards the hero.
Like this is not angst, this is abuse towards the hero. He deserved better and I don't understand what he saw in her, he deserves better. And the fact that it's literally tagged as "horror" when it's not, it's mis-marketed.
Unresolved Sexual Tension TH-cam did a great ~2hour video on why this book does not work and how it could've been done better. Also, the fact that you're comparing this book to The Beautiful Ones is honestly blasphemous.
It’s a review. It’s my opinion. Thanks for sharing yours.