A review by mrtvavrana
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

 

I have read this book as a part of The StoryGraph Reads The World 2024 Challenge. 

 

When I was trying to find a book for my entry for Chile, I read some reviews, and most of them called this book a mix of The Mexican Gothic and Rebecca. I loved both of those books, and I love history and gothic horror, so I immediately got the book. 

 

I really enjoyed how descriptive this book was. The writing in general was so beautiful, and the story told was so captivating. I couldn’t put the book down. Some parts, I realised after finishing, have reminded me of a book I have read earlier this year—the Death of Jane Lawrence by Caitlin Starling. 

 

The books both deal with very similar topics—a marriage of convenience rather than love,

a dead first wife haunting the house, an attempt of exorcising the first wife from the house, and magic.

Plus, both books follow young and strong women who want to build lives for themselves and become at least a bit independent. 

 

I did like The Hacienda more than The Death of Jane Lawrence, mostly because of how well the story flowed. I think The Hacienda was much less choppy, and it was easier to understand what was going on in the later parts, when magic came into focus. 

 

I also liked this book more than I liked Mexican Gothic, but, sadly, it was not nearly as good as Rebecca. 

 

I have to admit the plot was predictable, and I was definitely not surprised by anything—

not the dead wife behind a wall, not the insane sister-in-law, definitely not the forbidden romance, and not even the (kind of) evil husband. The only somewhat surprising moment was the “big reveal” about the hacienda being a sentient being.

 

The ending was a letdown; I feel like the characters and story itself deserved better. I really wanted to see Beatriz and Padre Andres happy. They both deserved it after everything they had to go through. 

 

I liked both Beatriz and Andres from the very beginning. I also kind of liked Juana, and I hoped that we would see more of her and Maria Catalina. 

 

I definitely did not expect this book to be as fantasy-like as it was. I think introducing magic was a bit too much; I don't think there was enough space to introduce and show it properly. I also think I would have enjoyed The Hacienda more if it was a classic horror tale.