Thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for this ARC of V Castro's 'Immortal Pleasures.'

Castro's 'Queen of the Cicadas' is one of my favorite books of the past few years and I loved 'The Haunting of Alejandra' as well but I'm afraid 'Immortal Pleasures' comes nowhere near the level of those two novels. It's almost like it's written by a different person to the extent that if this was my first V Castro book to read, I likely wouldn't go back for another one.

All of the right elements are there that I've come to love about her books - strong female characters, a deep connection with Mexican history and folklore, and the lustily portrayed erotica and the fact that this is a vampire novel should've been made it a slam dunk but those elements are not coming together in any impressive way.

Real historical figures - Malinalli, Cortez, John Hawkins, among others - are all vampires and the driving action is Malinalli's desire for revenge over Cortez for his abuse of her and her country and people and his desire to continue being a bad man. There's an Irish author who, in the space of seconds, realizes his lover and decides he's fine with that, no biggie. The action moves between Dublin, London, and Mexico and between the 16th and 21st centuries.

The erotica was kind of over the top and very clunky and didn't add much to the characters or the story in a way that she's done well in her other books, especially her short story collection Mestiza Blood.

Like I said, all the bits are there but the writing (usually so good from this author) is just not capable of pulling it all together in any engaging way. Disappointing.

I did not finish the book. I was really looking forward to reading Immortal Pleasures based on the premise however, I was not a fan of the writing or the plot. I wasn't able to connect with the characters. I've heard amazing things about this author so I would love to read her other works but I don't think I am the audience for this one.

interesting but the main motivation is a hair inconsistent. still, gorgeous prose and a really interesting person. thanks for the arc.

I just don't think I'm the target audience for this one 😭

Listen, I was so excited to dive into this book because I heard such great things about the author. When I stumbled upon this book on Netgalley, I didn't even hesitate to request. I was so ready! The concept alone was so interesting--vampires, historical figures, the concept of love and desire through an immortal lens... I was hooked! However, once I started reading, I was left with so much confusion

I'm still unsure what the plot even entailed. Our heroine Malinalli was set on retrieving two skulls from the time she was turned into a vampire. Then that was disregarded for her brief human affair. Then she was ready to leave this poor human man out in the dust and remembered she had skulls to retrieve. Then we meet Alexander, another vampire (and to keep this review spoiler free... his real identity had me thinking "what is going on here?"). And then we have Hernán in the back stalking her and wanting to kill her, and it was personal with him. And apparently he had a vampire skincare line?

So many things happened, and I kept wondering if certain scenes were even necessary. I also did not understand a few flashbacks, specifically with Catherine. Unless this is meant to be like a hint at a future installment? Either way, I'm just left so confused.

At the end of the day, I realized I simply wasn't the target audience. The concept sounded so good, but the execution wasn't for me. But I know this book will resonate with those it's meant for.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Gave me quite a bit of history I wasn’t aware of. I felt like the romance with Colin was more fleshed out and believable than the one with Alexander. It would’ve been nice to see it be the opposite.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

Immortal Pleasures is a story about womanhood, colonialism, and revenge. It is also a story about a woman trying to find her purpose and her joy. Mali is a vampire who has experienced a myriad of terrible things as a result of the Spanish invasion of Mexico. In the centuries since her human death she has begun working to take back the artifacts of her people. She travels to Europe, present day, for the first time in search of a pair of skulls that are particularly meaningful to her.

V. Castro has created a sensual, dark tale that explores themes of trauma and personal growth. This is not my favorite of her books but it is definitely a great read.

A modern yet unexpected twist on a classic idea of what it means to be a vampire. It had a slow beginning but once I got into it was quite enjoyable. I would definitely recommend people to give this author a try.

Unfortunately, I did end up DNF’ing this book at about the 45% mark. I personally was just not vibing with the style of writing. It felt a bit jumpy in terms of the dual timeline. Some things from the past I felt could be clumped together more towards the beginning of the book so that we understand more of Mali’s background from the beginning. And then having Cortes’ POV thrown in there as well was just throwing me off. No hate to V. Castro, as I’m absolutely open to reading a different book this author has written, I was just not motivated to read or finish this particular book.

Thank you NetGalley and V. Castro for the eARC!

This book was different from what I normally read. This may be a reason why it took a while for me to get into the story. The beginning chapters were just a bit of information dumped, and her getting involved with a random guy, which I don’t see how he was supposed to fit into the story. It made more sense for Alexander’s character to be involved and help Mali to understand and accept each other choices and position in the modern world. Reading about the history of the conquests was okay but at times confused me because it just jumps between the past and present.

Honestly, I was expecting a bit more from it but it was an interesting read. I would still recommend this to people who enjoy a spicier-than-plot type of book.

This was a quick easy read, kept my attention and was interesting. I would say it's worth a read if you're looking for some spice and something easy and quick.

Spice, violence and brown vampires nothing else is needed😍.
We go on an epic love journey filled with tragedy, stolen treasures, death and sex. The middle got a little slow but the ending brought it home. I feel one part might be looked at as controversial but I didn’t mind it, especially after you look into the history of certain aspects. Great read!

I received a copy from NetGalley for review.

First and foremost I struggle with how to rate this book. On one hand I struggled to put it down. The writing and the story kept me entertained for hours on end, but on the other hand it felt like it needed another round of editing to work through some of the pacing and story telling elements. I definitely enjoyed how the history of the conquests in the Aztec world were told and how that fueled the rage of Malinalli in the present day. I like that we get a story of lust and the start of a story that I'm confident will be of deeper love eventually. Though the Judas story was kind of our of left field, I did really appreciate that the author gave Mali a counterpart that could understand the choices that were made in the past and made to look like something else in the current times.

The author does a great job of showing how the past can be rectified with returning artifacts to their rightful locations and I hope we one day get to see more from this world that the author has created.

Two things honestly keep this from being five stars. 1. some of the pacing was a little slow and 2. butter being used as lube. Do with that information what you will, but I still recommend reading this story.

I’m honestly really confused by this. It’s unlike V Castro’s work in many ways. Her usual writing skills do not shine in this novel. The entire novel is written in show not tell and is truly a chore to read. I’ve never had such trouble reading a novel by Castro. Typically I devour them in a day or two.

There are a lot of comments that are anti-indigenous or perpetuate stereotypes like cannibalism. I am a mesoamericana archaeologist and the depiction of cannibalism and minimization of sacrifice was extremely disappointing. If she was going to mention this, there should’ve been the added context necessary to work against the stereotype that is NOT TRUE. I would’ve never expected that from someone like Castro, who usually writes against stereotypes. This one really missed the mark which saddens me. I was highly anticipating this one but unfortunately it left me feeling sad and my culture looked down upon.

A very special thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of V.Castro’s latest – Immortal Pleasures, to be published April 16th 2024.
“An ancient Aztec vampire roams the modern world in search of vengeance and love…”
I am a huge fan of Castro’s earlier work, particularly Goddess of Filth and The Haunting of Alejandra, and I was excited at the premise of her take on Vampire lore – particularly set against Latinx history and blending the real-life history of La Malinche. Unfortunately, this most recent entry fell flat for me. Immortal Pleasures very much felt like Castro’s take on Anne Rice’s erotica, and to some extent The Last Vampire series by Christopher Pike.
The story unfolds through two timelines – present day and the past, exploring the main character’s origin story. While I enjoyed the flashbacks and blend of historical fiction, the modern-day plot felt muddled and rushed. The biggest detraction for me is that Immortal Pleasures is heavy on the graphic sex scenes. While I am by no means a prude, I am certainly not the target audience for the erotic fiction displayed here. If you’re a fan of the (heterosexual) spicy, this book might be for you. You’ll never look at butter the same way again!

I was so excited for this book. The cover was amazing and the idea of an ancient Aztec female vampire roaming powerfully round modern time appealed so much to me.

Unfortunately I DNF this book after chapter 3. The first chapter felt to much like an information dump, instead of slowly building up the main character. Then in the 2nd chapter she jumps into having sex with a random guy. I really tired to pick this book back up but it took me forever to get through the first 3 chapters and I just didn't have any desire to keep reading. I feel like the story would have more potential if the character was more built up over a few chapters verse all in the first chapter.

thank you to net galley for the opportunity to read this Arc!

OH OKAY! This was a very interesting book.... I was not expecting any of what I just read.. I'm speechless,
I will recommend this book to the right audience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for the ARC of Immortal Pleasures.

The interesting cover and title drew me in, but, unfortunately, they were the only compelling things to me about this book. I had to DNF after struggling through a couple chapters. I wanted desperately to enjoy it as I love vampire lore and a darker romance plot, but the writing was not for me.

Thank you Netgalley and the author for the arc to review!
An interesting read and I love the strong and feminist FMC. I loved her story and the strength she carries throughout the book, despite being oppressed by men in her life. This book dives deep into colonialism and the effects it has on cultures. The way these vampires were written in this story was haunting and beautiful and I really liked reading about them throughout. All in all, a good story!

Sexy , throughly provoking and incredibly well written . This might be my favorite work from V Castro.
Thank you for the eArc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for the ARC of this book!

A modern vampire book with an ancient Aztec vampire who searches the world for ancient artifacts stolen from civilizations so she can return them. Everything about that seemed very much up my alley. Malinalli uses her immortal life to try and reverse-Indiana Jones artifacts and return them to the people that colonizers stole them from. I was so interested in the story until one part that took me so far out of the story, I haven't wanted to return back to the book. She starts a relationship with a human bookstore owner/horror author (seems like the perfect guy for her), and then the "butter lube" happens. I may return to the book one day, but it's going to be a DNF for me right now.