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blacksphinx's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Physical abuse, Rape, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Abortion, and Death of parent
gretchenplz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.5
I did like this book. Especially the last 100 pages.
But, honestly, I’m a bit let down by this book. Maybe I just need to admit that horror isn’t my genre and move on, because I’m not sure I’ve read a horror that I’ve actually liked.
The writing screams debut novel: Great ideas, but not executed quite rightand lost in the details.
The first 200 pages of this book felt more like a history lesson than a horror. The details describing Mexico, the culture, the clothing, the location, etc. are so thorough, but the details that I actually wanted, aka the haunting, the witchcraft, etc., are so lacking.
There are some points in the plot where, if I hadn’t been reading deliberately, I might have skimmed over it completely. It was disappointing to have so much detail about what it meant to live in this time, both as a woman. a mixed race man, a servant, a haciendado, etc., but not have that same level of detail applied to key plot points.
I was also waiting for a big twist at the end that we just really didn’t get. The murder mystery was ok, but I totally expected something crazy to happen at the end. Like, give me the FMC showing back up in the house as a ghost because she died on the road or something idk. I was half expecting her to have been dead the whole time, idk??? The way it ended was just more fantasy than horror!!
That all being said, I would definitely read another novel by this author! I liked the writing and the perspective, but could have just used a slight edit.
And I’ll be patiently waiting for a sequel (which I’m sure will never happen) because I want my bbs Andres y Beatriz to end up together sooooo much :(
But, honestly, I’m a bit let down by this book. Maybe I just need to admit that horror isn’t my genre and move on, because I’m not sure I’ve read a horror that I’ve actually liked.
The writing screams debut novel: Great ideas, but not executed quite rightand lost in the details.
The first 200 pages of this book felt more like a history lesson than a horror. The details describing Mexico, the culture, the clothing, the location, etc. are so thorough, but the details that I actually wanted, aka the haunting, the witchcraft, etc., are so lacking.
There are some points in the plot where, if I hadn’t been reading deliberately, I might have skimmed over it completely. It was disappointing to have so much detail about what it meant to live in this time, both as a woman. a mixed race man, a servant, a haciendado, etc., but not have that same level of detail applied to key plot points.
I was also waiting for a big twist at the end that we just really didn’t get. The murder mystery was ok, but I totally expected something crazy to happen at the end. Like, give me
That all being said, I would definitely read another novel by this author! I liked the writing and the perspective, but could have just used a slight edit.
And I’ll be patiently waiting for a sequel (which I’m sure will never happen) because I want my bbs Andres y Beatriz to end up together sooooo much :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Rape, and Murder
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, and War
eyin1986's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
4.0
This book felt true to the horror/thriller genre and the author does a great job bringing the words to life to visualize. For the first time in a while, I didn’t want to put a book down. I don’t know if I will ever reread this book, but it will definitely stick with me and I will be recommending it to as many readers as I can.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual violence, Violence, Xenophobia, and Murder
vaguely_pink's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Racism, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Violence, Alcohol, War, and Classism
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Cursing, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual content, Vomit, Police brutality, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abortion, Death of parent, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
jessmarticorena's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
One of my new favorite books. My ideal gothic tail with a haunted house, a priest that's a witch, romantic tension, and a writing style that I tempted me to read it again as soon as I turned the final page.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Abortion
jordan_uhden's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: War
Minor: Alcoholism, Rape, and Alcohol
caseyleigh1024's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Violence
leahkarge's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Racism, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Classism
Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
trishah05's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Rape and Abortion
namielle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
While there were some things I took minor issue with, this book was quite enjoyable, and I was eagerly turning pages to see what would happen next.
Beatriz moves to San Isidro, the hacienda owned by her new husband, Don Rodolfo Solórzano. She is his second wife, and she does her best to ignore the swirling rumors about the death of his first wife, Doña María Catalina. Soon after moving in, Beatriz begins to experience strange phenomena. With the help of Padre Andrés, Beatriz must unravel the secrets of the hacienda and fight of the evil presence within.
I really enjoyed Beatriz as the protagonist; she’s strong-willed and unafraid to ask for help with all of the spooky stuff she’s dealing with. Padre Andrés is also pretty likable, though I guess I didn’t get some of the angst over his abilities to fight against the evil. I mean, I guess part of it is that he didn’t want to be burned as a witch or whatever, but like, this was a life or death situation! I say bring on all the witch powers.
This wasn’t the scariest book that I’ve ever read, but things were very tense and caused me some anxiety. I was on the edge of my seat a couple of times because I was sure that surely really awful things were going to happen to the characters.
Beatriz moves to San Isidro, the hacienda owned by her new husband, Don Rodolfo Solórzano. She is his second wife, and she does her best to ignore the swirling rumors about the death of his first wife, Doña María Catalina. Soon after moving in, Beatriz begins to experience strange phenomena. With the help of Padre Andrés, Beatriz must unravel the secrets of the hacienda and fight of the evil presence within.
I really enjoyed Beatriz as the protagonist; she’s strong-willed and unafraid to ask for help with all of the spooky stuff she’s dealing with. Padre Andrés is also pretty likable, though I guess I didn’t get some of the angst over his abilities to fight against the evil. I mean, I guess part of it is that he didn’t want to be burned as a witch or whatever, but like, this was a life or death situation! I say bring on all the witch powers.
This wasn’t the scariest book that I’ve ever read, but things were very tense and caused me some anxiety. I was on the edge of my seat a couple of times because I was sure that surely really awful things were going to happen to the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Rape, Violence, and Classism
Minor: Death of parent and War