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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
“When a man makes a promise, he makes it on his honor. When a witch makes a promise, they feel it in their bones.”
Ever come across a book that you just know you are going to love, but somehow it takes you ages to pick it up anyway? This is exactly what happened with The Hacienda for me. The blurb gave me Mexican Gothic vibes, which had me immediately intrigued. It is being compared to the classic Rebecca as well, which I confess I still have to read myself... But I'm definitely going to remedy that after finishing The Hacienda. Why? Let's just say that this debut blew me away completely, and I loved every single minute with this historical fiction/gothic horror/paranormal read. The pace in The Hacienda is actually quite a lot slower than I would usually like, but somehow it really worked for this story. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that the writing itself is fantastic; I fell in love with the way this story was written from the very beginning, and the gothic vibe is done is a sublime way. The building up of the tension, the uncertainty about what is really going on, the doubts about if the main character is just imagining things or something a lot more sinister (and supernatural) is going on... It was just all done in such a natural way, and the result was glorious. Add the historical fiction aspect with the 19th century Mexican setting, the religious aspect and the political/cultural issues, even the slowburn romance, and I couldn't give this debut anything less than the full 5 stars it deserved. Guess who will be reading a vampire book in the future even though she is usually allergic to any stories about vampires?
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, Death of parent, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Blood, Classism, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Rape, Violence, Body horror, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, War, Xenophobia, Grief, and Murder
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
arichey1988's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Minor: Alcoholism, Gore, Abortion, Classism, and Domestic abuse
mamawantsbooks'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
4.25
Graphic: Abortion, Rape, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Animal death, Confinement, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, and Death
leahkarge's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Gaslighting, Death, Racism, Blood, Domestic abuse, Religious bigotry, Classism, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Rape
on_your_raedar's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Some things I loved:
1. Love a good ghost story
2. In incorporation of a culture different than mine
3. The dual POV
4. A strong mother/daughter relationship (though this is is minimal at the beginning and end)
Some things I didn't enjoy:
1. The priest that made his flaws everyones problems
2. The dutiful marriage trope
3. Any level/ amount of DV
Overall, I would recommend. This is my first Gothic thriller/horror and I will be exploring more in this genre.
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Classism, Confinement, Alcoholism, and Death
Minor: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Abortion
tuesdaye's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Graphic: Blood and Classism
Moderate: Body horror and Religious bigotry
Minor: Classism, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Rape
hayy6747's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, and Violence
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Grief, and Sexual violence
Minor: Death of parent
honeywine's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Alcoholism, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, Confinement, Death of parent, Murder, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, and Abortion
Moderate: Rape, Abortion, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Pregnancy, Grief, and Domestic abuse
madelinekramer2021's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death, Alcoholism, Rape, Domestic abuse, Body horror, War, Dysphoria, Classism, Alcohol, and Abortion