Reviews with content warning for Racism - The Hacienda

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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pages_with_panda's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? No

4.0

✅ Finished Nov 18, ‘22

After the Mexican War of Independence, Beatriz has lost her father and her home. Desperately trying to regain some stability, she marries Don Rodolfo Solórzano despite the rumors around his first wife’s death.

But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.

After Rodolfo leaves for work at the capital, Beatriz finds herself alone in a house none of the servants want to enter and with no one willing to share why. She only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will help her.

I really loved this book. Can't say I've read any other Mexican Gothic books so I can't for sure how well this fit that genre; but the creepy story, the mystery, the characters were all amazing. Sad I couldn't read this before Halloween season ended! Not horror per se, but definitely a suspenseful, mysterious book with creepy scenes. The author did well to set up the scenes and give the house its personality.

Andres was amazing as well, and I liked how well he and Beatriz worked together. I actually liked the back and forth between the past and the present as well, it set up the mystery nicely.

I borrowed this from the library but will be getting my own copy; I enjoyed it so much!

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camelliagwerm's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

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varo's review against another edition

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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

3.5

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jackyinreadingland's review against another edition

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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

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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Really great for the haunted house/afraid of what lurks in the dark vibes. The overall story for me was quite slow to get through until towards the end.
It is multiple POV.
The reason the house is haunted was interesting, but it felt pretty slow to get to that point. I loved all the creepiness of it though. It was nice reading a gothic horror that wasn't set against an all white cast. The author also touches on class/classism and colorism/racism a little bit.

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toriwatson's review against another edition

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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

4.5

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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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