Thabk you.for the oppprtunity to read this book...

Unfortunately, this book is not for me to the point where I do not even want to rate it. I will not post to any outlets to prevent an opportunity for improvememt prior to publishing.. I think the premise is wonderful and the idea behind the plot is good. However, the execution fails. The narrator doesn't seem wise after having lived such a long life. Instead she comes off as childish at times and narcissistic at others. The constant "I" statements really pull the story down. The obvious avoidance of cliched language makes for some weird description as well. I'm all for originality but calling a dick an eel and your butthole an anemone is weird..and I like Orc porn so?? Maybe just not suitable for me.

Additionally, there's massive repetition. I am unsure of the point of this. Is it to belabor a point or does the writer believe her readers aren't intelligent enough to recall details previously given? Again, it made the main character seem as if she was harping so much.

I wanted to see the relics returned, Cortes demolished, and her find love.. but all the extra weight of unnecessary and poorly crafted story made it impossible. In the end, I wanted it over just to be done. The writer has talent but needs a jeavy-handed editor who isn't against trimming this down a lot. This could be half as long, and that would make it twice as good.

A beautifully haunting, feminist masterpiece that speaks to the injustices faced by native people during colonialism and haunts the reader to their core. This is a different type of horror novel, one filled with terrifying nightmares faced by enslaved people throughout history. This work of fiction had me overcome with emotion by the events covered by a mysterious vengeance seeking vampire named Malinalli. She works to take her country back through centuries of antiquities dealings and vicious attacks while also seeking true love. This is one that will be talked about for a long time to come. Well done.

"Immortal Pleasures" by V. Castro is a dark fantasy novel that blends ancient history with the supernatural. The story centers around Malinalli, an ancient Aztec vampire who once served as a translator for the conquistador Cortés, known historically as La Malinche. In her new immortal existence, she seeks vengeance and love while traveling the world to reclaim stolen artifacts and return them to their rightful places.

Malinalli's quest brings her to Dublin, where she searches for a pair of Aztec skulls that hold a deep connection to her own dark past. Along the way, she encounters two men who fulfill different aspects of her desires. One is a mortal man, a horror novelist, who is intrigued rather than repelled by her condition. The other is an immortal, sharing the darkness within her.

The novel explores themes of vengeance, love, and the complexities of desire as Malinalli navigates her own immortal existence. With a unique blend of history, fantasy, and romance, "Immortal Pleasures" promises a seductive and captivating journey.

La Malinche is a historical figure shrouded in controversy - Malinalli was a Nahua woman who served as a translator and intermediary for Hernan Cortes during his conquest of the Aztec empire. After Hernan had used her both for her translation and advice and as a bedmate, he married her off to another Spaniard.

She is seen by many as someone who betrayed her people by working for the conquistadors - others claim she was doing whatever she could to keep herself alive. In V Castro's story, she is a vampire in modern day society, working to return Indigenous artifacts to their proper homelands instead of being in museums around the world. When someone from her past and someone else from the historical record appears, she must once again figure out her allegiances and plan to stay alive.

I am so THANKFUL to Del Rey Books, V. Castro, and Netgalley for sending me digital and physical access to Immortal Pleasures before this baby hits shelves on April 16, 2024. I devoured The Haunting of Alejandra, and while this one wasn't entirely my favorite, I still am rounding up my rating to 3.75 stars because the historical fiction aspect was so rich and profound that I wanted more historical significance and less smut. Still, I do believe all my spice-loving readers are going to EAT THIS ONE UP.

La Malinche was encaptured as a slave to the Spanish conquistadors, Hernan Cortés being one of them. After watching one indigenous group after another get pillaged and eradicated, she fights back to reclaim her body. She becomes a vampire, where she's reborn as Malinalli, seeking Immortal Pleasures (TITLE DROP, OOP!)

In her new immortal timeline, she seeks to reclaim and hunt down artifacts stolen from indigenous peoples centuries ago and restore them to their rightful owners. Along the way, she finds her pleasures in human men that she lusts and feeds upon, with their consent of course. While sleeping with a literary god of a man, Colin, women in Ireland are dropping dead left and right, and Malinalli grows suspicious of these likely supernatural killings.

Who other to be the oppressor in these cases than Hernan himself, also born again as a vampire, but with malicious intent, to harvest the venom and blood of vampires for capitalist and evil ventures. It's up to Malinalli to put a stop to his attempts and protect those she loves along the way.