Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Hacienda

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

44 reviews

blissofalife's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

The inspirations for this book

Rebecca, Shirley Jackson novels

are obvious throughout but told through a fresh lens and seamlessly combined. The build-up was superb, the climax felt a little too fast. Would still recommend it!

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bootsmom3's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

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meredith_williams_'s review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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garciaga's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

This book started pretty interesting. I took it without really knowing what it was about, so I was surprised to see it was a kind of gothic horror story. The first chapters were very intriguing, knowing that our main character was a woman ready to do anything to survive, meeting new characters full of secrets, and the setting was pretty eerie. However, I don't feel the story manage to pay off these expectations. By the end, the characters felt flat, the pace was way too slow and I was just skimming to get to the end.
Overall, I think it was a fine enough read.

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volunteerpyromancer's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

There were parts that could be predictable. But my god. It was a solidly entertaining ghost story. And consider me a Padre Andres fan.

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miak2's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
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

San Isidro was supposed to be my victory. My future. My home.
Now all I could do was hope that it wouldn't be my tomb. p.170

This was the perfect, spooky read for the start of fall. I'm a bit of a weenie when it comes to horror, but The Hacienda has me wanting to seek out more. The atmosphere was so eerie and tense, and I could picture the scenes playing out as if they were in a movie. In fact, the horror elements were some of my favorite parts of this book; Cañas was so imaginative and descriptive. It was truly unsettling at times, and it was even better that I knew that the dangers from the house were real, and not just in Beatriz's head.

I haven't read a ton of horror/thrillers because usually I find the main character frustrating to follow. They make stupid decisions. They don't trust the evidence that's in front of them. It's even more frustrating that it's usually women, as if a dumb male lead wouldn't be believable. But that's a rant for a different day. Beatriz was the exact opposite. She was smart and level-headed. She ran when she was in danger. She trusted her instincts. Hey, it turns out that a book like this can work with an intelligent lead. And that made it all the more compelling. I wanted Beatriz to be okay. I was rooting for her, and for Andrés. They were rational, capable individuals who weren't immune to fear, but who acted like I would in the same circumstances (or, at least, how I'd like to think I would act).

What bothered me, though, was that for all of Beatriz's intelligence, she was slow to come to conclusions. And it absolutely felt deliberately done by Cañas in order to keep the reader from putting the puzzle pieces together quicker. But I don't buy it, based on what I've said already about Beatriz being quite sharp. I don't necessarily know a way that this could've been done better, but it was a bit out of character, in my opinion.

The other thing that frustrated me was Cañas' tendency to explain relevant things more than once. For example, early on we get a flashback chapter explaining Beatriz' situation and how she came to end up at San Isidro. And then the next chapter, we hear the story in full again as she explains it to somebody else. The unnecessary repetitions made the book drag at times, especially when the action would be ramping up and we'd stop for more exposition.

That said, I did really enjoy the main plot of this book. I thought it was well thought-out and intriguing. I'm always guessing what the twists will be, and while there wasn't anything here that had me jumping out of my seat in shock, I couldn't accurately predict where the book would go at any given point. The climax of the book made sense with the information we'd already been given (a lot of thriller books/shows tend to hinge on 'gotcha's' that don't fit with the story narratively). I also loved the context of it being set after the Mexican War of Independence, and we got a harrowing glimpse of class dynamics in 1800s Mexico. Overall, a really well-done and thought-provoking horror book. And I'll for sure be reading whatever Cañas comes out with next!

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fictionwitch's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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blackcatkai's review against another edition

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dark hopeful tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

CW: rape (mentioned), casual ableism, blood, war/colonialism, colourism/racism, violence, death, classism, gaslighting

this is a slow historical gothic horror with romance sprinkled within, dual perspective, and a few flashbacks. overall I really enjoyed it! slow historical isn't usually part of any genre I usually read, but im really glad I gave this one a try. gorgeous writing, creepy atmosphere, supernatural and spooky, I was hooked. can't wait to read more from cañas in the future!

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rhiannonafternoon's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

If you’re looking for a classic haunted house story, complete with vengeful spirits, hallucinations, and exorcisms, this is it. Within a rich setting at Hacienda San Isidro you’ll get to know two characters who are shunned by their communities for things out of their control, and how they work together to help rid the house of the evil that lurks within.

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aklovekorn's review against another edition

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dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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