Mestiza Blood
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- £6.99
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- £6.99
Publisher Description
A short story collection of nightmares, dreams, desire and visions centered around the Chicana experience. The stunning, star-reviewed V. Castro weaves urban legend, folklore, life experience and heartache in this intimate anthology of modern horrors.
From the lauded author of The Queen of the Cicadas (which picked up starred reviews from PW, Kirkus and Booklist who called her "a dynamic and innovative voice") comes a short story collection of nightmares, dreams, desire and visions focused on the Chicana experience. V.Castro weaves urban legend, folklore, life experience and heartache in this personal journey beginning in south Texas: a bar where a devil dances the night away; a street fight in a neighborhood that may not have been a fight after all; a vengeful chola at the beginning of the apocalypse; mind swapping in the not so far future; satan who falls and finds herself in a brothel in Amsterdam; the keys to Mictlan given to a woman after she dies during a pandemic. The collection finishes with two longer tales: The Final Porn Star is a twist on the final girl trope and slasher, with a creature from Mexican folklore; and Truck Stop is an erotic horror romance with two hearts: a video store and a truck stop.
FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing Independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to full-length original fiction in the horror and suspense, science fiction & fantasy, and crime / mystery / thriller categories. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Women, mothers, scrappers, and orphans find their power in this slightly unbalanced collection exploring the Chicana experience in 14 horror shorts that confront monsters both supernatural and all-too human. Castro (Queen of the Cicadas) probes both the good and the bad, laying bare the fear of ICE and the heavy trauma of crossing the border, but also the thrills of human connection and the quiet pleasure of raising one's child into a better life. Human women take a stand against monsters in "Street Fighter" and "Nightmares & ICE," while "Dancehall Devil" and "Night of the Living Dead Chola" show the sympathetic side to monstrosity. Castro's talents shine brightest when she gives herself room to work: longer pieces like "The Cold Season" and "Truck Stop" show off impressive worldbuilding chops and a skillful hand at chronicling the passage of time. Unfortunately, shorter pieces are both less successful and more abundant: "Mal de Ojo," for example, fumbles to find its point, while "The Demon in My Eye" rushes its exploration of its rich world and characters. Despite the unevenness, there's plenty to recommend this female-centric collection on. Readers interested in speculative explorations of Mexican American culture and mythology—or those just looking for action-packed, cathartic narratives—should snap this up.
