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leweylibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Quotes:
- Our relationship was founded on one thing and one thing only: my world was a dark, windowless room, and he was a door. (29)
- Roldolfo's message was plain: if San Isidro does not agree with you, come to the capital.
And do what? Wait on the generals who ordered my house to be burned and killed my father? Simper and smile with their obedient wives?
No. San Isidro was freedom. San Isidro was mine.
But San Isidro was also trying to break me, and I did not doubt the force of its will. (92) - A historical novel is more than the dates of its battles and politicians jockeying for power in affluent capitals. It is the sum of a thousand strokes of a mad artist's brush: it is droughts and floods, new inheritance laws, fabrics and building materials becoming cheap or too expensive, taxes imposed to be paid or ignored, the privilege of one language over another. It is the rhythms of daily life and towns that are silenced, the spirits that move in the shadows cast by the conquerors' history books. (340)
- Reading historical fiction can teach us about world's long gone, but in doing so, It must also inspire reflections on the present. As a historian, a Mexican-American woman, and a fellow reader, I hope the novel inspires the courage, anger, and compassion. We all need to face the ghosts of colonialism that linger today. (342)
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Violence, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abortion and Rape
Minor: Death of parent and War
lorriss's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, and Gore
Moderate: Cursing, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical content, Grief, War, Rape, Abortion, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal death, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization
huamulan93's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Moderate: Rape
redwolf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Moderate: Rape
fifteenthjessica's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It's a horror and historic fiction hybrid, and while I don't read the former much and can't say how well it holds up to others (it's the best of the few I've read), but the historic fiction aspects are excellent. Isabel Canas shows an expertise of the era of history she has set this in, and I think she gets around the issue of delivering exposition about the setting to readers less familiar with life in the era by making its presence related to some of the emotional wounds of her primary characters and really most of the cast. Canas demonstrates an excellent knowledge of how social issues like sexism, racism, colorism, and classism impact people/characters, and I find it hard to completely hate most of the antagonists.
The prose is gorgeous and at times macabre. I (and a few members of the book club I read this for) quickly learned that reading it at night is not a good idea as we were quite jumpy afterwards.
It's not a flawless debut. While the book focuses heavily on the casta class system in Mexico, the few members of the servant class that get development is almost entirely Andres and his family, which I think slightly undercuts the theme. Rodolfo also feels more like a plot device than a character, which I'm not sure how I feel about it. His decision to leave the hacienda in Beatriz and Juana's hands while he rubs elbows with politicians in the capital is necessary for character motivation, it leaves him underdeveloped, and readers are left on their own to reconcile the Rodolfo who his first wife adores and the one who (sexual abuse mention and a spoiler)
There is also something about the ending that left a bad taste in my mouth.
Graphic: Sexism, Blood, Classism, Colonisation, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Cursing, Gore, Murder, Violence, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Rape, Sexual content, Abortion, Alcohol, Vomit, and War
jamielikestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Rape
itsheyfay's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Death of parent, Classism, and Murder
Moderate: Grief, Rape, Abortion, Cursing, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Confinement
Minor: Physical abuse, War, and Torture
crrieandrsn26's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood and Violence
Minor: Rape
blacksphinx's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Death, Violence, Racism, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Physical abuse, Abortion, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Rape
ivy123's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Although i did like the lyrical writing style i did find this took away from some of the scares at times. Overall highly recomend to people looking for a haunted house story as the culture threaded theoughout makes this a stand out read.
Graphic: Colonisation and Racism
Moderate: Abortion and Death of parent
Minor: Rape and War