Reviews with content warning for Confinement - The Hacienda

Reviews tagging 'Confinement'

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

33 reviews

bandysbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense slow-paced

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? Yes

4.0

This book first came to my attention when it was selected as a BOTM book. I kept hearing it compared to Mexican Gothic and Rebecca, which one one hand sounded intriguing, but on the other hand made it seem like it might not be all that original. I actually didn’t get it the month it was picked. I got it months later as an add-on after hearing a few good reviews. I’m so glad I did!

This book is no knock off. While I understand the comparisons, I don’t feel they really do It justice. This is gothic horror set in Post-Independence Mexico. Even though it’s about a long past time, it feels so fresh and in some ways relatable.

One of the biggest strengths is the way this book is so deeply anchored in the time and place. The mentions of cultural beliefs, foods, and traditions really help make this feel deeply set in Mexico. The mentions of the people living through colonialism, the colorism, sexism, misogyny, etc. are all things that were common to that era. There are just so many details that really bring the story to life.

The main two characters, Beatriz, the young, naïve wife of a Ascendado and Andrés, a local priest with unusual powers are both so interesting. Usually, for me, one POV is stronger, but in this case I found both of them enjoyable.

I did find myself wishing that the ending was slightly different. I was able to predict a few key parts of it, but not enough to ruin the story. I think it mostly made sense.

All in all, if you are into gothic horror, you’ll like this book. It has all of the elements for a good spooky read!

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kellyofcali's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense 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

3.5

So, I read this in two chunks (library issues), which may have affected my enjoyment a bit as I think given the horror genre you probably don't want to stop and break the tension...but overall a fun spooky read! I enjoyed the setting and the author does a great job with the horror aspects, I just sometimes felt like characters and their stories fell in and out quickly.

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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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tigger89's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I found this book to be the perfect type of spooky, the kind that gives you chills while you're reading but that doesn't linger once you've put the book down. I particularly loved the way the classic "catholic exorcism" trope was twisted by having the exorcist be not just a catholic priest, but also a witch. The atmosphere was also gorgeous, both outside and inside the hacienda. I felt that sunlight, and those chills!

Something I didn't like was that the female characters weren't as strong as I'd expected. They were all either very passive or they were under heavy aid from(or motivated by) male characters, particularly Padre Andres. It's not that I feel he was a bad character, but for a novel which contained themes centering around patriarchal control and violence, it was disappointing to see the female characters essentially led around by a male lead, even one who was respectful and good. This is especially jarring in comparison to Mexican Gothic, which I felt handled the partnership of the female lead with a male companion much better.

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xangemthelibrarian's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective 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

This debut book is absolutely incredible! I found the story to be believable and it was so easy to listen to as an audiobook. I adore Beatriz, Andrés, and Paloma. All three of them deserve the world.

There's so much that I want to say about the haunted hacienda. About Rudolfo and Juana and Ana Luisa and the first Doña. The complicated relationships and the tragedies that happened in that house. And how the caste system played into so much of what happened in the book! I want to talk about it and how incredible reading this book was but I don't want to give away any potential spoilers!!

Just. Read it. It's amazing. And if Cañas writes anything else, I'm reading that too.

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honeywine's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

This book is definitely vibes, though I struggled to get into it until around the halfway mart. The historical part of the historical fiction was pretty neat and enjoyable.

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