A review by readwithbells
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

3.0

Unfortunately, marketing a good book as a cross between Rebecca and Mexican Gothic, two of the greats, only makes me want to reread those books. This book was fine. It wasn’t twisty, the plot was exactly as you expected it to be and there’s nothing wrong with that. I missed a gothic atmosphere; it felt like the whole thing was written as “Beatriz goes here and something happens now Beatriz goes here and something happens” which is a little tedious and cuts the pacing and the stakes to shreds. It didn’t feel unsettling or scary or even nerve-wracking, I liked the characters enough to finish but this was decidedly underwhelming. I’d have to recommend reading either of its namesakes instead. 

Edit to add:
I think the issue with this book is that the dual perspective takes us out of any oppressive atmosphere the author may be preparing for us. Without sitting in one woman’s experience of the house in every single moment, we miss out on what gothics try to accomplish. And to try and accomplish the same thing, she gives us a lot of visual cues and tells us how to feel - that’s just unsatisfying for me. I wish she had leaned more into the witchcraft and less into a pseudo-gothic structure because those were the most interesting aspects of the piece. 

If you are stimulated by visual scares instead of atmospheric ones, you’ll probably find this book pretty creepy! But it’s not a gothic so much as a haunted house story. 
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