Vampires of El Norte

Vampires and vaqueros face off on the Texas-Mexico border in this supernatural western from the author of The Hacienda.

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.

These book club questions are from the publisher, Penguin Random House.

Book club questions for Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

At the start of this novel, Nena is resigned to the fate her parents choose for her, and Néstor is resigned to never coming back to Los Ojuelos. Discuss their growth over the course of the story. Did you think they had similar motivations?

In contrast, what do you think they were each lacking without the other?

What did you make of the decision to have Nena and Néstor come from different social classes? What did you think this was meant to tell us about community?

What are your thoughts on the portrayal of vampires in this story? Why do you think they were written this way?

Nena and Néstor butt heads a lot. Who did you relate to more?

Thinking about the previous question, do you think either Nena or Néstor had a point in their arguments? Who do you think benefitted most from their disagreements?

The story is set in the 1840s Mexico. Did you have any expectations of what this time period would be like? What did you learn from this novel?

Mamá and Papá were tough on both Nena and Néstor in the story. Did you understand their reasoning?

Did you see any parallels between the humans and the vampires of the story? Discuss.

What did you think of the ending? Do you think there is more of the story to be told?

Vampires of El Norte Book Club Questions PDF

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