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A review by gretchenplz
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
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
3.5
I did like this book. Especially the last 100 pages.
But, honestly, I’m a bit let down by this book. Maybe I just need to admit that horror isn’t my genre and move on, because I’m not sure I’ve read a horror that I’ve actually liked.
The writing screams debut novel: Great ideas, but not executed quite rightand lost in the details.
The first 200 pages of this book felt more like a history lesson than a horror. The details describing Mexico, the culture, the clothing, the location, etc. are so thorough, but the details that I actually wanted, aka the haunting, the witchcraft, etc., are so lacking.
There are some points in the plot where, if I hadn’t been reading deliberately, I might have skimmed over it completely. It was disappointing to have so much detail about what it meant to live in this time, both as a woman. a mixed race man, a servant, a haciendado, etc., but not have that same level of detail applied to key plot points.
I was also waiting for a big twist at the end that we just really didn’t get. The murder mystery was ok, but I totally expected something crazy to happen at the end. Like, give me the FMC showing back up in the house as a ghost because she died on the road or something idk. I was half expecting her to have been dead the whole time, idk??? The way it ended was just more fantasy than horror!!
That all being said, I would definitely read another novel by this author! I liked the writing and the perspective, but could have just used a slight edit.
And I’ll be patiently waiting for a sequel (which I’m sure will never happen) because I want my bbs Andres y Beatriz to end up together sooooo much :(
But, honestly, I’m a bit let down by this book. Maybe I just need to admit that horror isn’t my genre and move on, because I’m not sure I’ve read a horror that I’ve actually liked.
The writing screams debut novel: Great ideas, but not executed quite rightand lost in the details.
The first 200 pages of this book felt more like a history lesson than a horror. The details describing Mexico, the culture, the clothing, the location, etc. are so thorough, but the details that I actually wanted, aka the haunting, the witchcraft, etc., are so lacking.
There are some points in the plot where, if I hadn’t been reading deliberately, I might have skimmed over it completely. It was disappointing to have so much detail about what it meant to live in this time, both as a woman. a mixed race man, a servant, a haciendado, etc., but not have that same level of detail applied to key plot points.
I was also waiting for a big twist at the end that we just really didn’t get. The murder mystery was ok, but I totally expected something crazy to happen at the end. Like, give me
That all being said, I would definitely read another novel by this author! I liked the writing and the perspective, but could have just used a slight edit.
And I’ll be patiently waiting for a sequel (which I’m sure will never happen) because I want my bbs Andres y Beatriz to end up together sooooo much :(
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Racism, and Rape
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, and War