✨ Review ✨ Immortal Pleasures by V. Castro; Narrated by Raquel Beattie

Thanks to Ballantine / Del Rey, PRHAudio and #netgalley for the gifted advanced copy/ies of this book!

I was SOLD by this concept as soon as I saw it. La Malinche became a vampire, and know known as Malinalli roams the world repatriating treasures and other artifacts taken from her people. Bringing Hernan Cortes and Malinche together in past and present made this an exciting read. I loved how this book portrayed them across time.

This book also had a romance angle. La Malinche falls for a writer while in Ireland, and falls hard and fast. The instalove part of this didn't work for me as a romance and made the writing in these parts not jive for me.

As horror/fantasy and historical fiction this book nailed it for me, but as a romance, missed the mark a bit.

The surprises that come later in the book with new characters and the unraveling of the characters' plans were so exciting, and I couldn't put this one down. I loved how she adapted vampire tropes to consider colonization and exploitation. It might not be my favorite V. Castro book but I'll be thinking about this for a long time to come.

🎧 I alternated between the audio and physical book for this and enjoyed the audio but didn't have a strong preference here for listening vs. reading.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: horror, fantasy, romance, historical fiction
Setting: Aztec empire, Ireland, London - past and present
Length: 11 hours 1 minute
Reminds me of: The Haunting of Alejandra, Certain Dark Things
Pub Date: Apr 16 2024

Read this if you like:
⭕️ vampires and historical fiction
⭕️ themes of colonization and resistance
⭕️ feminist, anticolonial books
⭕️ retelling of Aztec/Mexican history & lore

This book started off strong with our main character, Malinalli, in the present, telling us the story of her life and how she became a vampire. At a young age, she was betrayed by her own mother and sold to a Spanish conquistador. She had a gift of learning languages quickly so she served as an interpreter to the Spanish as well as a wife/lover until she was no longer needed. Her people considered her a traitor for serving the Spanish but she had no choice. It was either serve the Spanish or die. Her transformation into a vampire is very symbolic as she is focused on revenge that she has earned as well as preventing the further slaughter of her people. In the present, she is a very successful business woman dealing in antiquities. Her focus is on getting back the relics of her people that were stolen by the Spanish.

If you know me, you know I have an obsession with vampires. I really loved the idea of an Aztec vampire looking for vengeance and love. I really loved all the intricate historical context behind Malinalli's past and her life in the present which made me feel connected to her. However, the rest of the book quickly fell short for me.

V. Castro is a very talented writer with a very unique voice and her prose can be very powerful and beautiful. The way she wrote the character of Malinalli helped me understand who she is, what she has been through, and why she makes the choices she makes. However, I still struggled with the insta love between her and the two male characters. Her character has always been closed up and not willing to be vulnerable so it doesn't make sense. She picks out a human at a bar named Colin, sleeps with him, and next thing she's wondering if he's her soulmate. No girl, he isn't. Colin has barely departed when she's already in love with a vampire named Alexander that she just met. I don't mind spice in my books when it makes sense and is well written but the spicy scenes were a little awkward. Also, I'm having trouble looking at butter. IYKYK. I also expected a bit more fight from a certain character but his defeat was somewhat lackluster and rushed. It feels like there was a lot more to explore that was left out.

Overall, I enjoyed parts of this book, but it did not meet my expectations and left me feeling unsatisfied with how things ended.

[2.5 out of 5] IMMORTAL PLEASURES is about an Aztec vampire named Malinalli who is reckoning with and reclaiming her painful past. Prior to becoming one of the undead, she lived through the Spanish conquest of her people in the 16th century. Sold early in life to another tribe by her own mother, Malinalli eventually finds herself surviving as a translator for Hernan Cortes. Now she spends her time searching for artifacts to reclaim them from the colonizers, her latest hunt being a set of 16th century skulls. Along the way she realizes she might finally be ready to open herself up to more than physical intimacy.

The premise of IMMORTAL PLEASURES is quite interesting and unique. Malinalli suffered immensely at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors. She watched them murder her people and other tribes, either through brute force or disease. To survive, she used her quick mind to learn different languages, eventually serving as Cortes's translator and mistress. This back story leaves a lot of emotion and experiences to unpack.

There's the guilt she has from working as the colonizers' translator, which she acknowledges. But she also sees it as the only thing that kept her alive. She also has to deal with past familial and sexual trauma, which made it extremely difficult for Malinalli to open herself up to anyone. Her mother essentially abandoned her and sold her into slavery. This signalled to Malinalli that she was unworthy, particularly in comparison to the new son her mother bore from a new husband. So, this throws in the not unexpected twist of a patriarchal society. Then she endures years of unwanted sexual advances from Cortes and one other Spanish conquistador. It was nearly inevitable for this to result in a couple of children to whom Malinalli feels little attachment due to her trauma.

After several hundred years, Malinalli finally feels more or less ready to look for more meaningful attachment. She decides to do so while on a business trip to collect two ancient skulls from her past. But what she doesn't quite anticipate is the danger that pops up along the way in the shape of an abominable figure from her past. This encounter literally and symbolically serves as the culmination of retribution and vengeance for her.

While I found the concept promising, unfortunately the delivery left me wanting. It reminded me a little of Interview With A Vampire in that Malinalli narrates her life akin to that of Louis de Pointe du Lac. It jumps from the present to various points in the past, which is easy enough to follow. However, it is not as polished and is incredibly on the nose. It felt like reading a diary used as a draft of a book. There was little finesse with the writing style, just a very matter-of-fact style of story telling. As a result, I found it difficult to become too invested in Malinalli. Several times I thought about not finishing it, but carried on because it's not a very long book.

Another major sticking point for me was that there was almost no plot. Something starts to develop more after about two-thirds of the way through. But at that point I was just trying to finish the book. Moreover, a big reveal about a vampire's identity just felt so unnecessary and out of place, probably because the build up and reveal were so even keeled. And, given the title, a reader might expect some sexual content. I can confirm it is present. However, the descriptions and anticipation left something to be desired. Some of the sexual metaphors used were, frankly, just odd and out of place, in my opinion.

Unfortunately, IMMORTAL PLEASURES didn't really live up to its potential for me. The synopsis sounded so promising, but ultimately fell flat. It lacks the mystique many might expect from a vampire book as well as a a storytelling style that sinks its teeth into the reader. However, I do appreciate the unique perspective from an Aztec vampire when so many other vampire stories that permeate literature are from White Western culture.

Having read many other books by V Castro it is no surprise that we have a strong female character. This book has all my favorite elements that she's known for such as strong Mexican Folklore/ history, empowering minority women, strong sexual presence (this book more than the usual amount of sexual depictions from her previous books). The story is a slow build as we get some back story about the main character Malinalli and her life before transitioning into a vampire. This was done very nicely and is important to understand the history between Malinalli and our villian who is out to get her. There is one character is introduced and we get some their backstory but that seemed to be unnecessary as i dont believe it did much for the story over all. Also, some of the sexual scenes seemed a little too detailed and way too many that it took focus away from the main story. I would say this is erotic horror for sure but with a great story to tell, the ending felt a little rushed I was left wanting more vampire fighting. Overall, V Castro is one of my favorite writers and I will continue to recommend and read her books.

Thanks to Del Rey for an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!!

I am sad to say I did not like this book. It was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and could not deliver. The writing style was not what I expected from V. Castro after reading "The Haunting of Alejandra," but wanted to give this a chance before calling it quits. It did not improve for me. There were too many metaphors! I grew tired of Castro's attempts of being poetic. Her writing was strongest when giving flashbacks to Malinalli's past. I felt Mali's anger, grief, and terror as Cortès' translator. The horrifying amount of sexual violence she experienced with being tossed around between Cortès and other Spanish men. Her journey to healing and finding self love after being turned into a vampire. V. Castro had brought Malinalli to life by giving readers her story.

I was surprised by the amount of graphic sexual content present. Malinalli wants to find love as well as revenge, which I support, but the male love interests were quite boring. The first male love interest was only there for Malinalli to practically waste time from her true mission: retrieving two skulls. The second male love interest quickly fell in love with Malinalli and vice versa, which made it hard for me to believe they were in love. The sexual attraction was strong, but I could not understand where the romantic attraction was. Also, the sex scenes were cringey at best and weird at worst. I will never forget the butter scene.

The revenge plot took longer than it should have. The pacing between this plot and Malinalli finding true love was not well balanced. I found many scenes too long and other too short. I grew bored from reading and wanted to DNF so many times, but pushed through because I wanted to know how it would end.

Overall, this was a big miss for me. I will try V. Castro's backlog and might dip my toes to whatever she writes in the future...with caution.

Content warnings: sexual violence, sexual content, genocide, slavery, gore, murder, blood, misogyny

I really enjoyed this book! It is a reimagining type story as well as the exploration of immortality from the perspective of La Malinche… a women from Aztec history seen as a traitor to her people. We do get flashback chapters which give a lot of history of who she was and the role she played and a current time line of what she is doing with her immortality. I enjoyed both time lines and was very entertained throughout the book. I think the reimagining done in the format was very unique, and the vampireness was very unique and well explained as well. I highly recommend this!

(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.