I’ve made it no secret that the indie horror community has changed the way I read. That said, I still tend to avoid vampire books most of the time. The ones I’ve read in the past tend to go one of two ways. Vampires are either romanticized, making them feel dated even in more recently written books, or vampires are brutal, mindless killing machines, more like zombies, but usually controlled by a master who is romanticized.

After reading Hairspray and Switchblades by V Castro, I didn’t know exactly what to expect from a vampire novel, but I knew it wouldn’t be the same. The vampire mythos here has more in common with Marvel’s Blade series than most vampire literature. We ditch some of the more well-known tropes in order to establish a unique mythos. The titular character is layered, but at heart she’s a kick-ass female heroine. While the story’s focus is on Maria, the characters that surround her are lovingly crafted to be just as deep and interesting. I would happily read more stories that centered around just Vlad and Jorge.

A big part of Maria’s appeal is that despite the youth and the power bestowed on her when she became a vampire, she is a flawed character who deals with moral and ethical conundrums. It wouldn’t be a V Castro book without a healthy dose of sex, and Maria the Wanted has got it in spades. While one scene in particular made me glad I wasn’t reading the book in a public place, it doesn’t feel gratuitous. Rather it adds a strength and honesty to Maria’s character.

I enjoyed Castro’s inclusion of a soundtrack. As you read the book, you gain insight into characters by what they’re listening to or even band t-shirts they choose. It ends up being a pretty sizable variety of music and if a reader were so inclined, they might find that having a playlist while reading enhances the experience. 

There is a theme presented, revisited several times throughout the book, related to working for what you have and not taking handouts. It’s not hammered over the reader’s head, but it does catch your eye if you’re paying attention. It gives the story an almost autobiographical element, as the way it’s handled makes it seem as though this is a quality that the author values.

As of this writing there is no release date or plan for book two in the Keepers series, but Violet Castro has set up a story, or series of stories, with globe-hopping, time-spanning potential, and I’ll eagerly pick up whatever comes next in the world of Maria.