Scan barcode
serinalovesreading's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Racism, Abortion, Murder, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Confinement, Rape, Sexual violence, Death of parent, and War
pages_with_panda's review against another edition
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!
Check content warnings!
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!
Check content warnings!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, and War
lisabrune's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Abortion, and Sexual harassment
sarahbythebook's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
If you like the forbidden romance in fleabag but are more of a fade-to-black romance person, this might be the horror book for you!
I loved The Hacienda. It took me a couple of days to read the whole thing, but the last half nearly kept me up overnight and had me captivated in a race to the end.
The only complaint I have about this book is the amount of questions that it leaves unanswered. There's an unaddressed question about whether one of the characters is unaware of a murder or complicit in its covering up, and as a reader, we never get to know. There are also a few decisions made by characters that are never made clear, and that's the kind of thing that will frustrate me to no end as a reader.
However, this haunted house story set in 1820s Mexico is beautiful, atmospheric, and chilling. I would highly recommend it!
I loved The Hacienda. It took me a couple of days to read the whole thing, but the last half nearly kept me up overnight and had me captivated in a race to the end.
The only complaint I have about this book is the amount of questions that it leaves unanswered. There's an unaddressed question about whether one of the characters is unaware of a murder or complicit in its covering up, and as a reader, we never get to know. There are also a few decisions made by characters that are never made clear, and that's the kind of thing that will frustrate me to no end as a reader.
However, this haunted house story set in 1820s Mexico is beautiful, atmospheric, and chilling. I would highly recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood
Moderate: Death, Religious bigotry, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape, Abortion, and Pregnancy
jackyinreadingland'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
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Abortion, Death of parent, and War
hillysreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Murder
hayy6747's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual violence, and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
xangemtheelibrarian's review against another edition
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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Colonisation, War, and Classism
Moderate: Blood and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, and Alcohol
allie847's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Death
Minor: Rape