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novellearts 's review for:
The Possession of Alba Díaz
by Isabel Cañas
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
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
I absolutely loved this book!
This book wasn't completely perfect, but the vibes certainly were. I'm deeply in love with Isabel's writing, it's so beautiful. Her writing was immersive and lyrical. I thought she did a fantastic job of transporting the readers back to the 1700s. The start of this book leaned heavily on family connections and issues. This story also leaned into the struggles of women within the patriarchy, classism, sexism, and religious bigotry. There was a bit of everything within this story, but I thought it was decently well-balanced.
I don't normally expect romance in possession story, but it worked here and didn't detract from the progression. This book honestly made me feel like I was watching a movie in my head.
To criticize, I do wish that the possession started earlier on within the book and combated the familial and social drama a bit more. I wish the split went something more like 1/3 of the book relating to the family/social drama and 2/3 relating to the possession. Instead, it felt more split halfway for both. It's a small criticism as I didn't mind it too much, but I still would've found that to be a better layout.
As I was reading, I was preparing myself to be unsatisfied with the ending. Isabel was putting me through some emotional turmoil but I actually ended up liking how the story concluded. I would love to see this turned into a movie. We are lacking in possession and exorcism movies lately and I feel like this would translate wonderfully into a film from paper.
I wish I had read this when autumn was already here, but I'm strongly considering a reread at some point during October. Overall, I really don't have many complaints. I can see how a some people might not like the slow, family building start, but I think the second half makes up for it.
I'm so relieved that one of my most anticipated reads of the year, did not disappoint me.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7612574659
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/651ac205-0f89-4a9c-92e0-d7d5a3deba41/share
This book wasn't completely perfect, but the vibes certainly were. I'm deeply in love with Isabel's writing, it's so beautiful. Her writing was immersive and lyrical. I thought she did a fantastic job of transporting the readers back to the 1700s. The start of this book leaned heavily on family connections and issues. This story also leaned into the struggles of women within the patriarchy, classism, sexism, and religious bigotry. There was a bit of everything within this story, but I thought it was decently well-balanced.
I don't normally expect romance in possession story, but it worked here and didn't detract from the progression. This book honestly made me feel like I was watching a movie in my head.
To criticize, I do wish that the possession started earlier on within the book and combated the familial and social drama a bit more. I wish the split went something more like 1/3 of the book relating to the family/social drama and 2/3 relating to the possession. Instead, it felt more split halfway for both. It's a small criticism as I didn't mind it too much, but I still would've found that to be a better layout.
As I was reading, I was preparing myself to be unsatisfied with the ending. Isabel was putting me through some emotional turmoil but I actually ended up liking how the story concluded. I would love to see this turned into a movie. We are lacking in possession and exorcism movies lately and I feel like this would translate wonderfully into a film from paper.
I wish I had read this when autumn was already here, but I'm strongly considering a reread at some point during October. Overall, I really don't have many complaints. I can see how a some people might not like the slow, family building start, but I think the second half makes up for it.
I'm so relieved that one of my most anticipated reads of the year, did not disappoint me.
Goodreads Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7612574659
Fable Review: https://fable.co/review/651ac205-0f89-4a9c-92e0-d7d5a3deba41/share
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Infertility, Abandonment