Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

49 reviews

kshertz's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad 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

4.25

I saw a review that this is mexican gothic and Rebecca and I feel like that’s spot on. It’s creepy and you can’t trust anyone. Is it paranormal? Is it a real person haunting everyone? Who is behind all of this? Plus a love story that was realistic. I loved it. Highly recommend 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Gaslighting, Violence, Blood, Body horror, and Death

rachelunabridged'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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Blood, Gaslighting, Classism, Colonisation, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Racism

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Infidelity

Minor: Abortion, Rape, and Sexual content

ishouldreadthat's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

A fantastic Gothic horror story set just after the Mexican War for Independence. Incredible characters, proper spooky plot, and a satisfying ending. Would highly recommend.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Classism, Blood, and Murder

Moderate: Gaslighting

Minor: War and Sexual violence

tigger89's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Colonisation, Abortion, Murder, Classism, and Racism

Minor: Alcoholism, War, Sexual violence, Rape, Confinement, and Death of parent

aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Abandonment, Abortion, Blood, Classism, Death, Death of parent, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, Colonisation, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Racism, Xenophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Rape

cassielaj's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

The Gothic and magical realism elements of this book were impressively immersive — I didn’t ever want to stop reading! I also appreciated the context of the Mexican War of Independence: the insurgents, the casta system, the religious Inquisition. Cañas’ author’s note was a great way to end the book; I enjoyed reading about her intentionality regarding those aspects. 
I wanted a bit more character development for the main character at times, but I really enjoyed the supporting characters. 
TLDR: definitely worth the read!! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Violence, Murder, Blood, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Abortion, Sexual violence, Gaslighting, and Pregnancy

abbiemarie's review against another edition

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
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexism, Murder, and Racism

Moderate: Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Abortion

Minor: Rape

lauramparis's review against another edition

dark emotional 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? N/A

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Death

Moderate: Gaslighting, Blood, Classism, Alcohol, Colonisation, Confinement, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Rape, Abortion, Murder, Physical abuse, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Pregnancy, and Vomit

blackcatkai's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Death, and Gaslighting

Moderate: War, Classism, Racism, Ableism, and Colonisation

Minor: Rape and Sexual assault

aklovekorn's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Blood, Classism, Gaslighting, Murder, Racism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Grief