A review by cashlyn
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I started out LOVING this book, and was really interested in the characters and seeing how they would change and grow. However. The characters did not grow, and what plot growth they did have
being Andres “darkness” getting let out of his box
we didn’t even get to actually SEE. It was mainly just lightly referred to instead of us seeing any real difference in his character. I do still love Andres but I wish we had been allowed to get to know him better. 
As for Beatriz…didn’t really like her in the end. She starts out as
what we hope will be a strong female character in a difficult position (ie being a woman with nothing to her name except a misogynistic husband and a house that hates her). She’s the daughter of a general, and despite her being “just a girl”, at first she feels strong and capable enough to change the house and make it her own. But, by the end she gives up and we actually see that she was just kinda weak and lame this whole time and she runs off with her tail tucked between her legs back to her mommy. The book started out with some great suspense and dread which I really loved, but by the end none of it seemed earned. Catalina, who was the big bad wolf the entire time, gets defeated within one page after all that?? 

Overall, I thought the romance was interesting (if underdeveloped and under explored) and would have liked to see that more in the book instead of the same old hauntings that just end up whipping itself into a frenzy for…nada. The plot was also a *vibe* and I would be interested in reading more like it bc I loved the setting and theme, just with some more actual stakes and consequences (also we got scared of the Inquisition and Padre Vicente for nothing…?) 
Cañas has a really pretty writing style especially for settings and vibes which made it enjoyable to read and at first she set up the dread very nicely (couldn’t put the book down until about 3/4 of the way through). 
Anyway, that all seemed scathing but I overall liked the book okay, it just needs many improvements. 

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