A review by miak2
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

 
San Isidro was supposed to be my victory. My future. My home.
Now all I could do was hope that it wouldn't be my tomb. p.170


This was the perfect, spooky read for the start of fall. I'm a bit of a weenie when it comes to horror, but The Hacienda has me wanting to seek out more. The atmosphere was so eerie and tense, and I could picture the scenes playing out as if they were in a movie. In fact, the horror elements were some of my favorite parts of this book; Cañas was so imaginative and descriptive. It was truly unsettling at times, and it was even better that I knew that the dangers from the house were real, and not just in Beatriz's head.

I haven't read a ton of horror/thrillers because usually I find the main character frustrating to follow. They make stupid decisions. They don't trust the evidence that's in front of them. It's even more frustrating that it's usually women, as if a dumb male lead wouldn't be believable. But that's a rant for a different day. Beatriz was the exact opposite. She was smart and level-headed. She ran when she was in danger. She trusted her instincts. Hey, it turns out that a book like this can work with an intelligent lead. And that made it all the more compelling. I wanted Beatriz to be okay. I was rooting for her, and for Andrés. They were rational, capable individuals who weren't immune to fear, but who acted like I would in the same circumstances (or, at least, how I'd like to think I would act).

What bothered me, though, was that for all of Beatriz's intelligence, she was slow to come to conclusions. And it absolutely felt deliberately done by Cañas in order to keep the reader from putting the puzzle pieces together quicker. But I don't buy it, based on what I've said already about Beatriz being quite sharp. I don't necessarily know a way that this could've been done better, but it was a bit out of character, in my opinion.

The other thing that frustrated me was Cañas' tendency to explain relevant things more than once. For example, early on we get a flashback chapter explaining Beatriz' situation and how she came to end up at San Isidro. And then the next chapter, we hear the story in full again as she explains it to somebody else. The unnecessary repetitions made the book drag at times, especially when the action would be ramping up and we'd stop for more exposition.

That said, I did really enjoy the main plot of this book. I thought it was well thought-out and intriguing. I'm always guessing what the twists will be, and while there wasn't anything here that had me jumping out of my seat in shock, I couldn't accurately predict where the book would go at any given point. The climax of the book made sense with the information we'd already been given (a lot of thriller books/shows tend to hinge on 'gotcha's' that don't fit with the story narratively). I also loved the context of it being set after the Mexican War of Independence, and we got a harrowing glimpse of class dynamics in 1800s Mexico. Overall, a really well-done and thought-provoking horror book. And I'll for sure be reading whatever Cañas comes out with next! 
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