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hunkydory's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
Graphic: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Domestic abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Classism, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Physical abuse
Minor: Sexual assault, Rape, Pregnancy, War, Sexual violence, Sexual content, and Death of parent
markieh's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
It never felt slow to me. It's been a long time since I stayed up all night to finish a book because I wanted to, and not because I had nothing else to do during ADHD insomnia.
Beatriz thinks she has made a practical choice to keep herself comfortable. That she can settle for contentment if it means safety and stability, but from the minute she enters the hacienda at San Isidro, something is wrong. It starts to slowly unfold. Maybe she imagined that. Maybe it was the wind. Maybe that was a cat, but we along with Beatriz know something is wrong.
The author did a great job mixing the prejudices of the time period with the horror element, adding to the tension when she's dismissed by the local priest.
Actually my only complaint about the book is that I wish Padres Andres had a better back story revelation. I feel like we missed a very key piece of who he was and had to sort of put it together in pieces, and not in a fun discovery way. At first I thought it had been a typo or something.
Still, this book was everything. A haunted house murder mystery with some forbidden love against the backdrop of a post war uneasy peace and racial divide. I can't wait for the next one.
Moderate: Blood, Alcoholism, Murder, and Rape
Minor: Violence, Abortion, and War
alisonvh's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Racism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Colonisation, Abandonment, Xenophobia, Confinement, Blood, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Gaslighting
Minor: War
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
5.0
“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?
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Misogyny, Death of parent, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Blood, Classism, Abortion, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Rape, Violence, Body horror, Colonisation, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, War, Xenophobia, Grief, and Murder
enf87's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Moderate: Violence, Gore, Body horror, Murder, and Racism
Minor: Rape
jebrollier's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Murder, Violence, and Death
Minor: Abortion and Rape
cassie7e's review
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Violence, Murder, and Colonisation
Minor: Death, Rape, Pregnancy, Sexual content, and Death of parent
leweylibrary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.25
Quotes:
- Our relationship was founded on one thing and one thing only: my world was a dark, windowless room, and he was a door. (29)
- Roldolfo's message was plain: if San Isidro does not agree with you, come to the capital.
And do what? Wait on the generals who ordered my house to be burned and killed my father? Simper and smile with their obedient wives?
No. San Isidro was freedom. San Isidro was mine.
But San Isidro was also trying to break me, and I did not doubt the force of its will. (92) - A historical novel is more than the dates of its battles and politicians jockeying for power in affluent capitals. It is the sum of a thousand strokes of a mad artist's brush: it is droughts and floods, new inheritance laws, fabrics and building materials becoming cheap or too expensive, taxes imposed to be paid or ignored, the privilege of one language over another. It is the rhythms of daily life and towns that are silenced, the spirits that move in the shadows cast by the conquerors' history books. (340)
- Reading historical fiction can teach us about world's long gone, but in doing so, It must also inspire reflections on the present. As a historian, a Mexican-American woman, and a fellow reader, I hope the novel inspires the courage, anger, and compassion. We all need to face the ghosts of colonialism that linger today. (342)
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Violence, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abortion and Rape
Minor: Death of parent and War
lorriss's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.0
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Religious bigotry, Racism, Physical abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Classism, Colonisation, Violence, Sexism, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Sexual harassment, Police brutality, and Gore
Moderate: Cursing, Vomit, Toxic friendship, Stalking, Pandemic/Epidemic, Alcohol, Death of parent, Medical content, Grief, War, Rape, Abortion, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Gaslighting, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Child abuse, Child death, Sexual content, Gun violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Animal death, Pregnancy, and Forced institutionalization
rojo25's review against another edition
- 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
Moderate: Death, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Violence