Blog Tour Review - Maria the Wanted by V Castro

 Blog Tour Review - Maria the Wanted by V Castro

Newly-turned Mexican vampire, Maria, is not just out for blood, she wants answers.

Maria is a wanted woman. She’s wanted by an Aztec trafficker, a cartel boss, the people she fights for, and now the devil she can’t resist. A would-be immigrant turned vampire, Maria is forced to leave her home and family and embark on a journey across Mexico. She learns to fight, becoming an unlikely bad-ass enforcer of justice. Then an encounter with a violent, ruthless vampire boss leads her to find her creator. Drawn into a world of ancient vampires, deadly conspiracies and a dangerously seductive devil, Maria must find a way to fight for herself and all humankind.

A fierce and seductive horror thriller, pulsing with rage, fear and desire, that explores a vampire woman’s determination to find her place in the world.

Maria the Wanted is a very interesting supernatural horror story, and not really like anything else I've read before.

Despite the presence of a lot of vampires, it's pretty light on the horror. It's actually hard to classify just what it is. At first it feels like it's going to be a revenge story, but that thread, once pulled, is quite a short one. There are definite hints of romance and a few spicy sections, but I wouldn't say there was enough to class it as a romance. There are definite Western tropes, and sections of it are a kind of vigilante seeking justice for the mistreated people around them story. Then it shifts into a supernatural political conspiracy thriller, but just lightly. It feels like the political conspiracy stuff is alluded to more than being properly explored. It shifts and it changes almost from chapter to chapter, as Maria tries to find where she fits into the world after being turned.

Stylistically, too, the writing is very curious. There's a definite overblown, dramatic nature to it. People have opening conversations with strangers where they reveal all their hopes and dreams. Chance meetings quickly become best friends. The language throughout is written with a flourish and a love of the over the top metaphor. I feel like this is all a very deliberate choice. It never came across as clumsy or badly written, but perhaps paying homage to some of its inspirational material, whether pulp novels or telenovelas. It's melodramatic, seething with lust and vengeance and a need for blood. It makes it all a very fun read, if not particularly serious.

The story escalates rapidly, from local gangsters to cosmic evils. There are references to real historical figures and loosely veiled equivalents of modern political figures. It's a wild ride, as the apocalypse looms, but a highly enjoyable one too.

It's also a book written with a deep love of music. Again and again, particular songs and artists are referenced and I had a lot of fun playing the music while reading, giving me a very fitting soundtrack to the action on the page.

Maria the Wanted by V. Castro is published by Titan Books. It is out on 10th February 2026.

I was given a review copy by Black Crow PR in exchange for this honest review and participation in this blog tour.

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