(3.25)

In this book we follow the story of a woman known as La Malinche. She was known for having translated for Hernan Cortes during the Spanish conquest of the Aztec empire. When you ask people from Mexico about her, most will say she was a traitor. What if there was more to her story?

I believe that maybe her story is more complicated than people realize. I loved that this book sought to reimagine her story. Obviously, this book delves more into fantasy with the vampire aspect, but I appreciate the author bringing attention to the story of La Malinche.

First, I have to say that while I enjoyed the novel, I think it had some issues.

The biggest issue I had with this book was that it wasn't long enough. I feel like this story needed to be expanded. For example, the flashbacks were interesting and could have told us more about who Malinalli was. Instead, we're told who she is. We're told and not shown for a big part of the story. One of my favorite flashback scenes was her transformation. We get a highlight reel of important moments from her past life, I just wish we had gotten more.

The two romantic interests in the book were also something I wanted to be more developed. I understand why things happened the way they did with Colin and why things happened so fast. The second relationship definitely needed more development. I liked that the identity of the second love interest is a bit of a mystery. I think the idea of who he was in the past was really intriguing. If Malinalli had had to investigate to find out the truth, I feel it would have been more impactful.

Some of the dialogue and wording seemed a bit awkward or disjointed, I'm not sure how to describe it. The ending felt a bit rushed, too.

Overall, I still enjoyed the book. I just wanted it to be 500 pages of Malinalli's life. Seeing her heal herself rather than being told she healed from her past trauma. As enjoyable as it was, I don't think I'll ever look at butter the same way again. I'll let readers discover that scene for themselves.

If you enjoy vampires, historical fiction, and prefer or don't mind a little spice in your books, I'd say give this a try. I'd also recommend looking up the history of La Malinche. I found it fascinating and sad.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the ARC for review. (I also purchased a copy.)

Immortal Pleasures is lush, sexy and evocative. The story is incredibly well written and kept me engaged throughout. V. Castro creates such a lush environment that I wanted to stay in. They did a fantastic job of mixing the historical, with the horror, and romance all mixed in. This book will be on the top of my list of 2024 books.

I am terribly disappointed. An ancient vampire from Mexico fighting to reclaim her cultural artifacts from around the world? The premise of this book felt so promising. Yet, the characters felt very childish. The writing felt like I was reading about teenagers hooking up and thinking about each other constantly. There was no depth. On top of that, the world building was tell all instead of simply showing us. It was a bunch of info dumping that really took me out of the story. I needed more depth, more character development, more world building, more prose, more everything. Still really love V Castro and her other works, but this vampire story is a no from me.

Thank you NetGalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I am a huge fan of dark fantasy and horror and the blend of fantastical elements and horrifying imagery is executed expertly by V. Castro in this book. Overall there were elements of the story that I couldn't get behind, but that is most likely just personal preference. Despite not enjoying parts of the story I found this reading experience to be top tier and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I had a great time immersing myself in V. Castro's "Goddess of Filth" and "The Haunting of Alejandra", and hoped this would be a similar experience. Unfortunately, overall, this ended up being a bit of a miss for me, albeit one that I wish I'd enjoyed more. Malinalli, once known as La Malinche, has been immortal for over 500 years. For many of those years, she's sought simplicity and an escape from the horrors she knew as a human, especially at the hands of the Spanish conquerors, and returns relics from her culture from the far off places they've been stolen to. Recently, though, she finds herself hungering for more than simple pleasures and yearns to find a deep connection with someone else who will understand her. While seeking two skulls from her past, Malinalli encounters two men who will teach her to love in different ways and another man who will seek to destroy her.

As far as vampire stories go, this one has many aspects that work. While most vampire fiction is Euro-centric or focuses on the love between a human and vampire (from the human POV), Malinalli's Aztec background and internal focus drives the character and the plot. The horrors she faced at the side of Hernan Cortes and throughout her life are integral to her journey. What readers learn of her background helps round the character in interesting ways. I was invested in her hopes of finding something more than what her life has been, and moving forward. The switch between past and present was at times rough, but I kept reading. The relationship between Malinalli and Chantico was one of my favorites, and felt soothing compared to the violence and sex of the others.

However, for everything I enjoyed about the book, I struggled more than I should have. The beginning was tough to get into, partially because I enjoy a bit more romance before my sex scenes (but to each their own). The pacing of the novel, especially the romances, felt a little too quick for me in the present and too slow in the past. Many of the metaphors and similes pulled me out of the action. While I did enjoy how many of the vampires were historic figures, I felt it was imbalanced compared to those who aren't noteworthy. So, while the characters and the story itself was enjoyable, the way it was put to the page didn't feel like it did that justice.

I would recommend this book to fan's of erotic horror or V. Castro. Vampire fans will find familiar and new aspects to bite into here. While I didn't fully enjoy the read, I'm sure there will be others who will.

Thank you to Del Rey and NetGalley for the advanced copy for my honest review.

As this was not a book I loved, I will not be posting a full-length review, but hope others will form their own opinions after reading - even if they differ from mine. I'm giving it 3 stars because I can see the brilliant potential this had, even if it wasn't realized for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review. I had to DNF this book. The premise was very good and had a lot of potential but unfortunately, this book could not hold my attention. I am still looking forward to the future work of V. Castro.

Having read several really good books by Latinx authors set in Mexico in the last year (Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Vampires of El Norte by Isabel Cañas, and Sun of Blood and Ruin, by Mariely Lares, among others), I’ve begun actively looking for and looking forward to reading more in this vein. So I was pleased to sink my teeth into Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro, about an ancient Nahua (from what’s now Mexico) vampire roaming the modern world. Some elements of the book weren’t to my taste, but it was fairly interesting and entertaining.

I tend to prefer books written in third person past tense to first person present, but that’s a matter of taste, and sometimes there are very good structural reasons for it. Here, Castro sets current scenes in present tense and flashbacks in past tense, which makes a lot of sense and helps to distinguish between them.

What I liked best about the book was its focus on righting some of the wrongs of the past. The protagonist, Malinalli, was known as La Malinche, the slave who interpreted for the Spanish conquistador, Hernán Cortés. In this narration, as a living woman she had little reason for loyalty to the people who had sold her off, and rather than being the betrayer and temptress of legend, she was simply doing her best to survive in a hostile world. In the present, she focuses on tracking down looted antiquities and donating them to museums of their former people. Unlike the hero of Wole Talibi’s Shigidi and the Brass Head of Obalufon, she buys them rather than breaking into museums, so it’s a while before there are any action sequences in this book.

“Money is power because it is also freedom. Power is changing your own circumstances so you can change the circumstances of others. And freedom is the power to choose, to say no, to beat the tyrants at their own game.”

At the start, Malinalli is trying to track down a couple of skull artifacts. However, she is delayed when she falls in love/obsession with a horror writer she meets in Ireland. Lots and lots of graphic sex ensues – too much for my preference although others may well enjoy it. When she eventually returns to her quest, she finds out that the situation is much more complicated than she had expected.

Some of the plot elements bothered me, at least initially. Some of them were resolved a bit too easily, and others left me shaking my head. It seemed inevitable that Malinalli would come up against an ancient exploiter who had somehow become a vampire himself, but someone else from history also popped up who had me thinking, “Oh come ON. Really?!?” And yet, for plot reasons I won’t spoil, the woman known as La Malinche or “the twisted grass” turned out to have some good reasons to find a bond of sympathy with this man.

I also kept being bothered by little inconsistencies in the text. For instance, Malinalli says that during the 1960s, “I learned to stay away from anyone very out of it on drugs,” yet two paragraphs later, at Woodstock, “I took small nips of blood here and there of people too high to notice me” and her vision is blurry as she tries to focus on tarot cards. I wasn’t sure whether these bits were carelessnesses by the author or whether Malinalli was so fractured by her ancient traumas and by the vastness of time that she’s a somewhat unreliable narrator in small matters such as these. However, there’s also a moment where someone states an objective fact happened that was not related in the scene referred to, which definitely feels like sloppiness rather than manipulative withholding of facts for reasons of craft.

I can’t whole-heartedly recommend this book. However, the plot is interesting, and some readers will probably find a lot of enjoyment in following Malinalli through her adventures. It [was] published on April 16.

This book has a fantastic premise. La Malinche is a fascinating historical figure, and I love the V Castro reimagined her as Malinalli, a vampire on a journey to reclaim her agency and power. There were two subplots, each one with its own merits, but that were somewhat disconnected. One revolves around Malinalli searching for love and a way to reclaim agency over her body through physical pleasures. She finds herself in a love triangle (of sorts?) and while this was a great opportunity I found her relationships lackluster. I could not understand what attracted her to either of her love interests, the chemistry was simply not there. There are very explicit, very over-the-top sex scenes but that did not bother me, if anything I appreciated the creativity!

The other part of the plots involves a power struggle story with another historical figure turned vampire. He’s out to get Malinalli and she’s looking to take revenge on him. This storyline was wacky, turning into something like a sci-fi thriller, but I really enjoyed it. I felt like it also complimented Castro’s dramatic writing style. I wish the book struck a better balance between the romance and action aspects of the story, but overall I very much appreciated the author’s approach to telling a wildly original story.

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro was an engaging read that I very much enjoyed reading.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House, Ballantine & Del Rey for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

DNF this book. I have tried to pick it up many times but haven’t moved much past the first few chapters. I love culture being discussed, and love to learn more about other cultures, but it was off putting how it was written in the first chapter, especially. Lots of finger pointing that felt icky to me.

The sex scene I got to was cringy. Oh, he gave her his shirt to wipe up his cum…and she thinks, “What a gentleman.” Like girl, come on. Looked at other reviews, it doesn’t seem to get better.

It completely lost me when historical figures are written as vampires who own a skincare business.

I really really wanted to love this as I loved the author’s other book, “Goddess of Filth,” but if I keep trying with this one, I will go into a ready slump. I HATE to give up on a book, but I am forced to with this one. I might try and pick it back up eventually as I said I LOVED the author’s novella.

Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro was one of my most-anticipated reads this year. The examination of the complex historical figure La Malinche: the Nahua woman who translated for the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés and her eventual transformation into the ancient vampire Malinalli who seeks to reclaim stolen artifacts and return them to their homelands is an intriguing concept.

The details of Malinalli’s early life-from being sold multiple times before adulthood to the brutality of her time spent with Cortés and her forced role in translating for him to the detriment of her people are both gripping and heart-wrenching. Lacking any form of agency, her desire to survive an existence that is only permitted based upon her exploitation is incredibly sympathetic.

Even when she is eventually granted the power of an immortal vampire, her thoughts are not solely focused upon the revenge that she has earned, but rather preventing further unnecessary bloodshed against her people. It is fascinating to delve into Malinalli’s past and her time spent trying to understand herself and the shape of a life truly within her own hands. I also appreciated the relationships she has with the different women in her life following her vampiric transformation and how they encouraged and supported her.

It is when the story returns to the present and her search for true love that novel suffers slightly. While Malinalli’s yearning for lasting affection and a genuine connection are relatable, the two characters who become her love interests seem somewhat superficial. Malinalli’s unrepentant enjoyment of physical pleasure is also a positive trait, however some of the unusual phrasing present within the sexual scenes early in the novel render them more awkward than titillating.

Nevertheless, I was captivated by Immortal Pleasures despite my initial expectations not being met. The identity of certain characters and the end goals of the antagonists were unexpected and most of the writing was engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Del Rey and V. Castro for giving me access to this ebook. All opinions expressed are solely my own.

Just finished this book from a NetGalley copy and loved it. The main character La Malinche is one that is perfect for this book. I found myself drawn into this world and the characters where I would get up in the middle of the night to just read to see what was going to happen next. The histories given are so perfectly worded and explained where it does not take too much from the story and it gives you enough to understand the characters. Highly recommended.

I unfortunately decided to DNF this book at 15%. While I appreciate the premise of an Aztec vampire traveling the world to reclaim stolen relics, the writing was just not for me. The backstory for the central character was dropped in dry infodumps, and in a manner that felt like the author was trying to make sure that every thought she'd had about the character's origins and motivations was put to paper. That might not have been bad if it had been spread out over the course of the story, but instead it is frontloaded in the opening chapters. As a result, the book had very little atmosphere and did nothing to make me intrigued about the vampire character or where the story was going.

Thank you so much to Del Rey for the ARC and the chance to review this book.

Review posted to StoryGraph and Goodreads on 4/13/24. Review will be posted to amazon on release day.

Holy smokes. I have not been as obsessed with a vampire book since I stumbled across Interview With A Vampire at 12. V Castro has done it again. Malinalli is on a journey that she’s wanted to take for hundreds of year—a journey to Europe to see where the conquers came from and to take back artifacts that were stolen from her people. During the course of her journey in Europe she allows herself to be open to the idea of love for the first time in her life. But her trip couldn’t just run smoothly so an evil from her past returns to try to finally take her out.
This book was sexy and emotional and raw. I loved how Castro took a historical figure like Malinalli (La Malinache) and allowed her to reclaim her power that was robbed from her in life. As a vampire she is allowed to heal and grow and recognize her strength. I loved Malinalli getting to take her revenge. I enjoyed the pacing of the book and would read more journeys of these vampires righting the historical wrongs that they survived.

I don't know if V. Castro has invented a new genre or if it already existed (think Anne Rice-type sensualism), but this is definitely NOT for the faint of heart. And is definitely more erotic than anticipated. A darkly delicious historical fantasy feminist novel that tackles colonialism and is a beautiful story about retribution... this is a quiet type of horror rooted in realism, but is no less haunting. The Spanish conquest of Mexico and its impact is well portrayed and not sensationalized. An Aztec vampire gets revenge and finds love? Yes, please.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and DelRey for this e-arc.*

A lush tale of enduring pain and finding purpose, spanning centuries and continents and written from a unique perspective. The way V. Castro mixes literary horror and eroticism is intriguing.

Immortal Pleasures is a fantastical take on what might have happened to one of history’s most divisive and mysterious figures: La Malinche, the Nahua woman who rode and stood at Hernan Cortez’ side as he conquered Mexico. She grew up a trafficked girl in the Tabasco region but had an aptitude for languages, so she ended up with Cortez to serve as an interpreter. To this day opinions are mixed as to whether or not she was a traitor to her own people, but her ability to speak multiple languages and a penchant for diplomacy helped save lives on both sides of the conquest. Mysteriously, no one knows what happened to La Malinche when all was said and done. Immortal Pleasures offers a visceral, titillating, dark, romantic, and angry scenario in which La Malinche (now known as Malinalli) is turned into a vampire a few years later after Cortez has sent her away to live in Spain.

I have to say I’m feeling absolutely spoiled with the horromance lately! Isabel Canas (Vampires of El Norte) has been going on and on about how Horror Romance absolutely needs to be its own genre, just like Fantasy Romance, and I couldn’t agree more. Immortal Pleasures is a prime example of horror romance: Heck, it even has a HEA. The blurb for this book seems to be trying to sell us a love triangle, but that’s really wishy-washy. There’s no triangle to speak of.

What this book does so well–what Castro does so well–is world building. Her research is extensive and her knowledge is vast and she puts it to work so exquisitely to craft these impeccable horror novels based in Mesoamerican mythology. I loved the repatriation of ancient artifacts aspect of the story and I loved how the villains just found new and more miserable ways to exploit people (proving that slavers and colonizers truly have no conscience whatsoever).

It was absolutely wonderful. This lush, decadent, and immersive novel is going to stick with me.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Dark Fantasy/Historical Fantasy/Horror Romance/Horromance/Urban Fantasy/Vampire Fiction

I was more interested in this for the historical and vampire aspects, and sadly that was a bit lacking for me. The focus here is on the spicy relationship she finds herself in. While I don’t consider myself a prude, this was pretty heavy and took me out of the story. That said, it was a fast read and I am sure others will enjoy it.

Note: arc provided by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for honest review

While this book had all of the elements of being something that I would really enjoy (romance, Latin American history, vampires, and mystery) it ended up being too unfocused and confusing. La Malinche AND Hernan Cortez becoming vampires and existing in modern times should have been engaging enough but it got convoluted in adding in other historical figures and motivations. There was also a disconnect in jumping between very sexual chapters (which, good for her exploring her sexual desires) and the chapters actually focused on the conflict and action of the book. I did enjoy the connections to the original historical events of the colonization and conquering of Mexico but I wanted more of that same detail to be given to the other half of the book that is in modern times.

Overall I would say I enjoyed reading it enough to finish and be interested in what was happening but the end result didn't feel like a completed story that satisfied me. 5 star concept with 2 star execution.

I unfortunately had to DNf this book at 76%. While I loved both dual timelines I felt that the past timeline was more cohesive than the present. SInce the book was mainly in the present that is what took me out of the story. I also was not able to connect with the main character as much as I wanted to. However, I did learn a lot from this book in regard to the culture that was discussed. Although I could not finish I would recommend this to readers.