Reviews tagging 'Death'

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

149 reviews

alisonvh's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional 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? It's complicated

4.0

I took half a star off my rating for ending on a sort of cliff hanger, but the book is very good and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

amaranth_wytch's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cheesepuppy's review

Go to review page

3.5


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

5.0

 Finished reading: July 10th 2023


“When a man makes a promise, he makes it on his honor. When a witch makes a promise, they feel it in their bones.”

Ever come across a book that you just know you are going to love, but somehow it takes you ages to pick it up anyway? This is exactly what happened with The Hacienda for me. The blurb gave me Mexican Gothic vibes, which had me immediately intrigued. It is being compared to the classic Rebecca as well, which I confess I still have to read myself... But I'm definitely going to remedy that after finishing The Hacienda. Why? Let's just say that this debut blew me away completely, and I loved every single minute with this historical fiction/gothic horror/paranormal read. The pace in The Hacienda is actually quite a lot slower than I would usually like, but somehow it really worked for this story. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that the writing itself is fantastic; I fell in love with the way this story was written from the very beginning, and the gothic vibe is done is a sublime way. The building up of the tension, the uncertainty about what is really going on, the doubts about if the main character is just imagining things or something a lot more sinister (and supernatural) is going on... It was just all done in such a natural way, and the result was glorious. Add the historical fiction aspect with the 19th century Mexican setting, the religious aspect and the political/cultural issues, even the slowburn romance, and I couldn't give this debut anything less than the full 5 stars it deserved. Guess who will be reading a vampire book in the future even though she is usually allergic to any stories about vampires? 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

horizonous's review against another edition

Go to review page

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

4.25


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

deepcurvesahead's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark informative mysterious 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

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jebrollier's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

SO GOOD! I started this book at 2:30 pm and finished it at 11:15 pm the same day - just couldn't put it down. Beautifully written, suspenseful, and spooky. Captured the conplexity of Mexican folklore and spirituality, with the blend of traditional practices and Spanish colonial Catholicism. The characters were well-written and complex, and the "mystery" or suspense wasn't predictable. 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

cassie7e's review

Go to review page

dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Loveable characters? Yes

3.5

A reasonably enjoyable book, especially for a debut. Didn't really feel creeped out or drawn in for most of it but the storyline was fine. And what an illustration of how oppressive systems turn women against each other, hated for competing for what scraps of power it allows them to hold, when they could question why there's only one way out and they can't all have it.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

lorriss's review

Go to review page

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

rojo25's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings