Maria the Wanted

Castro (Immortal Pleasures) crafts a seductive but disjointed vampire tale about a woman seeking passion and purpose in a lonely world. Maria has a quiet but meaningful life: she’s happily married, pregnant with her first child, and working factory shifts to earn enough money to cross the Mexican border into America. When a mysterious trio of men attack the factory, she is the only one spared and turned into a vampire. Her subsequent miscarriage and loss of the life she knew sets her on a journey across Mexico, seeking her creator, a new purpose, and vengeance on those who do evil. Throughout the novel’s slow-burning first half, Maria grows ever closer to finding a new supernatural community. Indeed, when she finally reunites with her creator, Maria discovers that vampirekind is only a fraction of the magic that exists in the world and is thrown into a scheme that could mean the end of humanity itself. This narrative shift feels startlingly abrupt, and the novel’s second half adopts a breakneck pace that leaves little room for explanation or further character development. Still, Maria herself is a force to be reckoned with, and readers will gladly cheer her on her bloody way. (Feb.)