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The Hacienda Kindle Edition
During the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz’s father was executed and her home destroyed. When handsome Don Rodolfo Solórzano proposes, Beatriz ignores the rumors surrounding his first wife’s sudden demise, choosing instead to seize the security that his estate in the countryside provides. She will have her own home again, no matter the cost.
But Hacienda San Isidro is not the sanctuary she imagined.
When Rodolfo returns to work in the capital, visions and voices invade Beatriz’s sleep. The weight of invisible eyes follows her every move. Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, scoffs at Beatriz’s fears—but why does she refuse to enter the house at night? Why does the cook burn copal incense at the edge of the kitchen and mark the doorway with strange symbols? What really happened to the first Doña Solórzano?
Beatriz only knows two things for certain: Something is wrong with the hacienda. And no one there will save her.
Desperate for help, she clings to the young priest, Padre Andrés, as an ally. No ordinary priest, Andrés will have to rely on his skills as a witch to fight off the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda and protect the woman for whom he feels a powerful, forbidden attraction. But even he might not be enough to battle the darkness.
Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBerkley
- Publication dateMay 3, 2022
- File size6574 KB
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From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
—The New York Times
“[R]omantic, frightening, claustrophobic, and entirely satisfying.”
—Vulture
“A tale of romance, dread, and supernatural menace."
—Harper’s Bazaar
“[A] gothic tale of doomed love and vengeful spirits."
—The Washington Post
“[A] chilling Mexican gothic horror, full of suspense that will have you tethered to each page.”
—NPR
“This Gothic thriller is *impossible* to put down.”
—Cosmopolitan
“Looking for supernatural suspense, forbidden love and a history lesson set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence? Pick up The Hacienda."
—Parade
“Don't read this gothic horror right before bedtime, especially if you're prone to nightmares."
—Good Housekeeping
"[A] dazzling debut….Yeah, this one will keep you up at night, muttering 'one last page."
—E! News
"A deliciously haunting novel that slithers into your mind and keeps you dreaming of it."
—Buzzfeed
"After you read and enjoy Mexican Gothic, pick up this beautifully unsettling tale. Set in post-Independence War Mexico, this chilling suspense novel will leave you with chills as you follow the terrifying haunting at Hacienda San Isidro."
—Glamour
“Pretty much the perfect Gothic novel… meaning it reads like a brilliant piece of historical fiction and a, ‘Okay, I’m gonna need to sleep with the lights on now,’ horror novel.”
—Jezebel
“Masterfully written. Perfect for a cozy night with a blanket and some hot chocolate.”
—WBEZ Chicago
“The scary, atmospheric, gorgeous Gothic of my dreams.”
—Rachel Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife Upstairs
“Gothic terror at its best, layered with tension: class, religious, and sexual. You will be so immersed in its skillful storytelling that the hours will vanish.”
—Simone St. James, New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel
"A haunted history, a gory gothic, a forbidden romance. This book kept me up at night, and it was worth every second of lost sleep."
—Alix E. Harrow, New York Times bestselling author of The Once and Future Witches
“A hypnotic, sinister tale that is equal parts terrifying and luxurious. Cañas’s debut is a nightmare lined with velvet.”
—Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves
“The Hacienda is a perfect gothic and Cañas is not afraid to pull in the horror element. An impressive debut.”
—Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author of Lightning in a Mirror
“A haunting gorgeous tale of doomed love, vengeful spirits, and tortured faith that I could not put down.”
—S.A. Chakraborty, bestselling author of The Empire of Gold
"Lush, sinister, and darkly romantic. The Hacienda is a haunting and brilliant debut."
—Alexis Henderson, author of The Year of the Witching
“Absolutely enthralling—I read it in one sitting because its vivid prose and spectacular twists and turns made it impossible to put down.”
—Genevieve Gornichec, bestselling author of The Witch’s Heart
“As romantic as it is terrifying, The Hacienda is a lush, atmospheric read that never pulls any punches. Horror fans, fantasy fans, and romance fans will all find something to love here.”
—Hannah Whitten, New York Times bestselling author of For the Wolf
“A stunning, spellbinding debut. The Hacienda is bone-chilling and gloriously gothic. Absolutely unmissable.”
—Rachel Harrison, author of The Return
"The Hacienda is a ghost story that also earns its place as literature. Cañas is a name to watch."
—Daniel Abraham, co-author of The Expanse series
“[A] spooky Gothic story full of supernatural flourishes."
—PopSugar
"Cañas clearly knows the genre, alternately deploying and subverting haunted house tropes. The result is a brilliant contribution to the new wave of postcolonial Gothics. Readers won’t want to miss this."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Lush, beautiful, and completely deserving of the comparisons to Rebecca, The Hacienda is essential reading in the gothic revival.”
—CrimeReads
"[A] blend of horror and mystery with a gothic heart, complete with a heroine on the brink of madness, running into the night in fear. This chilling read exposes the rotting soul of colonialism and manages to be wildly entertaining while doing so."
—Shelf Awareness
“Debut gothic thrills appropriately billed for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic and Oyinkan Braithwaite’s My Sister, the Serial Killer."
—Library Journal
"If you love the Gothic Horror genre but are keen to see a heroine with more agency and a story with plenty of bite, The Hacienda just might be what you've been looking for."
—Mystery & Suspense
"If you like gothic horror (creepy manors and the like), then you'll love this highly anticipated thriller that takes place at a haunted hacienda."
—Betches
"Reminiscent of both Jane Eyre and Carol Goodman’s The Widow’s House (2017), this can be offered to fans of Gothic suspense."
—Booklist
“As much a historical novel with an underlying political commentary as it is a thriller with a good mystery at its core."
—Book Riot
"[A] remarkable blend of suspense, horror, romance and supernatural gothic....[A] magical combination, not only of genres and vivid character and story arcs, but of ideas - explorations of racism, oppression, power, resilience and resistance. It'll also scare the pants off you, its lush, hypnotic prose causing you to stare into the shadows."
—Booktrib
"This gothic novel will pull you in with vivid language and drop you into a sinister world. Reminiscent of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier in its setup, this story is infused with a much darker horror....Cañas has created engaging characters in Beatriz, Andrés, and, yes, the house, but beware of blood and supernatural violence. The pages turn quickly to a faultless, satisfying ending."
—Historical Novel Society
"[T]his haunted and haunting novel is just the terrifying gothic debut you want to read tonight."
—Ms. Magazine
"It is quietly hopeful - a satisfying tone to end on for what is otherwise a tense and electrifying story - and marks her as a serious writer to watch."
—The Harvard Crimson
“The Hacienda has roots in other novels of the gothic genre, like Rebecca and The Castle of Otranto, but goes further than its predecessors with its explicitly feminist message.”
—Her Campus
About the Author
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
1
AndrÉs
Hacienda San Isidro
Noviembre 1823
The low sweep of the southern horizon was a perfect line, unmarred by even the smudge of horses tossing their heads in the distance. The road yawned empty.
The carriage was gone.
I stood with my back to the gates of Hacienda San Isidro. Behind me, high white stucco walls rose like the bones of a long-dead beast jutting from dark, cracked earth. Beyond the walls, beyond the main house and the freshly dug graves behind the capilla, the tlachiqueros took their machetes to the sharp fields of maguey. Wandering the fields as a boy taught me agave flesh does not give like man's; the tlachiqueros lift their machetes and bring them down again, and again, each dull thud seeking the heart's sweet sap, each man becoming more intimately acquainted with the give of meat beneath metal, with the harvesting of hearts.
A breeze snaked into the valley from the dark hills, its dry chill stinging my cheeks and the wet in my eyes. It was time to turn back. To return to my life as it was. Yet the idea of turning, of gazing up at San Isidro's heavy wooden doors alone, slicked my palms with sweat.
There was a reason I had once set my jaw and crossed San Isidro's threshold, a reason why I passed through its gates like a reckless youth from legends of journeys to the underworlds.
That reason was gone.
And still I stood in the center of the dirt road that led away from San Isidro, away from Apan, my eyes fixed on the horizon with the fervor of a sinner before their saint. As if the force of my grief alone could transcend the will of God and return that carriage. Return the woman who had been taken from me. The echo of retreating hoofbeats and the clouds of dust they left curled in the air like copal incense, mocking me.
It is said that mortal life is empty without the love of God. That the ache of loneliness's wounds is assuaged by obedience to Him, for in serving God we encounter perfect love and are made whole.
But if God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, if He is three in one in the Trinity, then God knows nothing of loneliness.
God knows nothing of standing with his back to a gray morning, of dropping to his knees in the dust. Of his shoulders slumping beneath the new weight of knowing what it meant not to be alone, and an acute awareness of his chest's own emptiness.
God knows nothing of loneliness, because God has never tasted companionship as mortals do: clinging to one another in darkness so complete and sharp it scrapes flesh from bone, trusting one another even as the Devil's breath blooms hot on their napes.
Sharp pebbles dug into my kneecaps through my worn trousers as I knelt, my breathing labored, too exhausted to sob. I knew what the maguey felt. I knew the whine of the machete. I knew how my chest gave beneath the weight of its fall. I knew how it felt to have my heart harvested, sweet aguamiel carving winding wet tracks down my hollowed chest. My wounds sinful stigmata, flinching and festering in the sun.
God knows nothing of being alone.
Alone is kneeling in dust, gazing at an empty horizon.
In the end, it was not the ink-slick shadows and echoing, dissonant laughter of San Isidro that broke me. It was not fear that carved my chest open.
It was losing her.
2
Beatriz
Septiembre 1823
Two months earlier
The carriage door creaked as Rodolfo opened it. I blinked, adjusting to the light that spilled across my skirts and face, and took the hand Rodolfo offered me as gracefully as I could. Hours of imprisonment in the carriage over rough country roads left me wanting to claw my way out of that stuffy box and suck in a lungful of fresh air, but I restrained myself. I knew my role as delicate, docile wife. Playing that role had already swept me away from the capital, far from the torment of my uncle's house, into the valley of Apan.
It brought me here and left me standing before a high dark wooden door set deep in white stucco walls, squinting under the blinding sweep of azure September skies, the broad shoulders and steady hands of Don Rodolfo Eligio Sol—rzano at my side.
In the sunlight his loose curls gleamed bronze, and his eyes were almost as light as the sky beyond. "This is San Isidro," he said.
Hacienda San Isidro. I let my eyes drag over the heavy door, its wrought-iron accents, the high dark spikes on the front of the walls, the wilting bougainvillea that wound through them, blossoms and thorns alike drained of color and dying.
It was not quite what I expected, having been raised in the verdant, lush gardens of an hacienda in Cuernavaca, but it was my new conquest. My salvation.
Mine.
When I first met Rodolfo, dancing at a ball to celebrate the founding of the Republic, he told me his family had owned an hacienda that produced pulque for nearly two hundred years.
Ah, I thought, watching the sharp panes of his clean-shaven face flirt with the shadows of the candlelit ballroom. So that was how your family kept its money throughout the war. Industry will rise and fall, men will scorch the earth and slaughter one another for emperors or republics, but they will always want drink.
We danced the next round, and the next. He watched me with an intensity I knew then was a priceless tool.
"Tell me about the hacienda," I had said.
It was a big house, he replied, sprawling over the low hills north of Apan, overlooking sharp-pointed fields of maguey. Generations of his family had lived there before the war of independence from Spain, cultivating the agave and producing pulque, its sour beer, to be shipped to the capital's thirsty markets. There were gardens filled with birds of paradise, the air thick with swallows, he said, and broad, bustling kitchens to feed all the tlachiqueros and the servants and family. They celebrated feast days in a capilla on the property, a chapel adorned with paintings of saints and an altar carved by the scion of the family in the seventeenth century and gilded by later, wealthier generations.
"Do you miss it?" I asked.
He did not answer, not directly. Instead, he described the way the sun set in the valley of Apan: first rich golden, deepening to amber, and then, with a swift, sure strike, night overtook the sun like the extinguishing of a candle. The darkness in the valley was so deep it was almost blue, and when thunderstorms slinked over steep hills into the valley, lightning spilled like mercury across the fields of maguey, silvering the plants' sharp tips like the peaked helmets of conquistadors.
It will be mine, I thought then. A flash of intuition that swept me with the strong, trusting arm of a lover into the next steps of the dance.
And mine it became.
For the first time since March, a house was mine.
So why didn't I feel safe when the enormous door of Hacienda San Isidro groaned open and Rodolfo and I walked into the first courtyard of the estate?
A delicate tremor, the tremble of a monarch's wings, fluttered at the back of my throat as I took in the hacienda.
Its buildings were muscular and ungainly, the awkwardly splayed limbs of a beast frozen halfway into adolescence. The rainy season was ending; the garden should have been shades of emerald at this point in September, but what scarce vegetation grew in the outer courtyard was as brown as the earth. Wild magueys scattered weed-like and drooping on either side of a grayed capilla-it must have once been white-and dotted the lawn that led up to the house. Rotting birds of paradise crowded in scattered beds, their heads submissively bowed before us as our boots crunched up the gravel path. The air felt heavier inside San Isidro's walls, thicker, as if I had stepped into a strange, soundless dream where the stucco swallowed even the songs of the birds.
Outside of the chapel, we passed into an inner courtyard. Here, Rodolfo gestured to two rows of servants who stood at attention in front of their quarters and kitchen, waiting to greet us. Before they dipped their heads, a dozen pairs of black shining eyes swept over me, cool and assessing.
After explaining that the tlachiqueros were in the fields until dusk, Rodolfo made introductions: JosŽ Mendoza, once the right-hand man to the dismissed foreman Esteban Villalobos, had acted as record keeper for over a decade. He was the chief authority when Rodolfo was in the capital. Mendoza removed his weather-stained hat and placed it on his chest; his hands were gnarled with age and work. He looked old enough to be my grandfather.
Ana Luisa, the head of household, was a woman of about fifty, her steel-gray hair parted severely in the center, her plaits wound tightly around her head in a solemn crown. Her daughter, Paloma-Ana Luisa's double with raven black hair and rounder cheeks-stood at her side. Other names rolled over me like water; I heard them but remembered none, for a figure caught my eye at an arched doorway at the far entrance to the servants' courtyard.
A woman strode toward us, tall as a soldier and possessing all the same swagger. She wore a faded blue skirt that was short enough to reveal leather riding boots, stained with sweat; a wide-brimmed hat hung down her back by a cord around her neck, but if her complexion was any indication, she rarely wore it. Her skin was bronze and her hair streaked gold from long hours in the sun.
Stay out of the sun or you'll never get a husband, T’a Fernanda once whispered snidely, pinching the skin on the back of my hand. Though she had never met my father, and my mother refused to reveal any information about how mixed his heritage was, it didn't matter to T’a Fernanda: my hair and face gave her enough ammunition to find me undesirable. To refuse to let me stand next to her cream-pale daughters at the ball where I had met Rodolfo.
In the end, Fernanda's behavior meant that I had a golden husband, and her daughters did not. Fate had been unkind to me, but sometimes, its pettiness worked in my favor.
The woman stopped directly in front of me. Her pale eyes were the mirror of Rodolfo's, and her hair was the same color, sun-gilded and windswept. She gave me a swift, frank look from polished black shoes-quickly gathering dust-to my gloves and hat.
"You're early," she announced. "Is this my new sister?"
My lips parted in surprise. Who? Rodolfo had only ever mentioned a sister once in passing. She was called Juana; he said she was a few years younger than his own twenty-eight years, an age that led me to assume she was married. Never once had he mentioned her in the same breath as San Isidro.
"You look displeased," Juana said after Rodolfo introduced me, a hint of amusement in her voice. It was not warm. "Did Rodolfo not warn you about me?" Her lips were dry, and thinner than was considered attractive. They disappeared entirely when she smiled; her teeth were almost too bright, even and ivory as a set of piano keys. "Don't worry, I keep to myself. I won't even be underfoot-I live over there." She jutted her sharp chin over the line of servants, to a set of low buildings between the house and the capilla.
Not in the family's house? "Why?" I blurted out.
Juana's face shifted, resettled. "The house is terribly drafty this time of year," she said lightly. "Isn't it, Rodolfo?"
Rodolfo's face looked a bit strained as he agreed and returned her smile. He was embarrassed by her, I realized with a start. Why? She was unusual, to be sure, but there was a frankness to her that reminded me of Pap‡'s no-nonsense manner. A simple, easy kind of authority, one that drew the attention of all the servants to her.
I could almost feel the air shift around me, toward her and her undeniable gravity. Rodolfo was not the master of this house.
Juana was.
A breathless fear uncurled in my chest; in response, I adjusted my posture, drawing my shoulders back as my father used to. There was nothing to be afraid of. This hacienda was mine. I married its patr—n, and Juana chose to live among the servants. I ought to be glad Juana was so embarrassing to Rodolfo that he barely spoke of her. She was no threat to me. Let her stay in this middle courtyard, in the servants' quarters. The main house would be mine to rule. My domain.
Those thoughts quieted the unsettled lurch of my gut as we chatted with Juana for another moment longer, and then left the servants to their work and walked through the arched doorway into the innermost courtyard.
Rodolfo had asked me twice if I wanted to stay in the capital, in his family's old Baroque apartment, but I refused. I wanted the house. I wanted to steal Mam‡ away from T’a Fernanda, bring her here and show it to her. I wanted to prove to Mam‡ that marrying Rodolfo was right. That my choice would open a door into a new life for us.
And now, as I at last faced the house, the slant of its gap-toothed roof, its dark windows and age-weathered white stucco walls, a feral feeling seized me.
Get back.
My spine stiffened. I wanted to fling myself back from the courtyard as if I had been burned.
But I refused to let myself falter. I tightened my grip on Rodolfo's hand and banished the feeling. It was foolish. I was taken aback by Juana, but that was no reason to flee. Not when I had won so much.
Not when I had nothing to run to.
The air was thick and silent, our footsteps the only sound as we reached a set of low, broad steps leading up to the front door. I stepped onto the first, then froze, a gasp stealing the breath from my lips.
A dead rat splayed across the third step, its head tilted back at a broken angle, its stiff tongue jutting through yellowed teeth. Perhaps it had fallen from the roof, but its skull had split open as if it had been flung from a height with incredible force. Shining brains spilled onto the stone step, a splatter of rotten pink covered with crawling black flies.
Product details
- ASIN : B09CD81MFZ
- Publisher : Berkley (May 3, 2022)
- Publication date : May 3, 2022
- Language : English
- File size : 6574 KB
- Text-to-Speech : Enabled
- Screen Reader : Supported
- Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
- X-Ray : Enabled
- Word Wise : Enabled
- Print length : 352 pages
- Best Sellers Rank: #211,674 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #1,672 in Gothic Fiction
- #1,986 in Paranormal Suspense
- #2,507 in Historical Thrillers (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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Customers find the storyline interesting and thought-provoking. They describe the book as an enjoyable, captivating read with beautiful prose and vivid language that captures the haunting setting. Readers praise the engaging characters with complex emotions. The pacing is described as fast and the action begins immediately. Overall, customers find the book to be a great page-turner that treats familiar gothic tropes in a new way.
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Customers find the gothic storyline interesting and thought-provoking. They describe it as a perfect mix of horror, romance, and supernatural elements. The book masterfully intertwines folklore with personal narratives. Readers appreciate the magic realism, historical fiction, and Gothic tradition in the story. While some parts drag out, the mystery keeps them engaged and the book is well-rounded.
"...might not sound like a compliment, it surely is as this is a well rounded story...." Read more
"...I loved the descriptions of Hacienda San Isidro and all the darkness that lived inside and around it...." Read more
"...The setting is fascinating and the characters, for the most part, are well-crafted...." Read more
"...I found that this is not a horror story simply because of the spirit of the previous doña and I do not think I can do justice to the complexities of..." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's readability. They find it engaging and a page-turner with an interesting storyline. The world is described as transportive and filling the reader's senses without becoming tedious.
"...If you are a fan of Gothic stories then this read is worth it." Read more
"...At the end of the day, I have to say The Hacienda is enjoyable and well worth reading, though its flaws are a bit too prominent for it to become the..." Read more
"...There is so many themes and undertones throughout this story that suck the reader in...." Read more
"...It was hard to stop reading. San Isidro is a character all its own. Talk about a haunted house. There is nothing subtle about the scares...." Read more
Customers enjoy the writing style. They find the prose beautiful, with words chosen skillfully to reveal setting, characters, and emotions. The vivid language enchants them, capturing the haunting setting and themes of loss and resilience. Readers describe the book as easy to read and a work of art.
"...And the style of writing, along with the deep examination of the characters' feelings and emotions, made me feel how oppressive and terrifying the..." Read more
"Oh, this book was gorgeous and incredibly spooky!..." Read more
"...Truly a work of art that this author should hold much pride in!" Read more
"...It's not that these chapters are poorly written (though they do occasionally seem a smidge overwritten, but that's a minor complaint)...." Read more
Customers enjoy the engaging characters and complex emotions of the main character. They praise the superb characterization and imagery.
"...And the style of writing, along with the deep examination of the characters' feelings and emotions, made me feel how oppressive and terrifying the..." Read more
"...I also loved how complicated the characters were...." Read more
"...The setting and atmosphere are all great but the characters really give it something extra...." Read more
"...The characters are wonderfully written, with much more depth than typical Gothic characters, who often come across as archetypes rather than full-..." Read more
Customers find the book engaging and easy to read. They appreciate the familiar gothic tropes handled in a new way. The story is described as atmospheric and romantic, with an interesting tale of Mexico after the war of independence.
"...with the things I liked, I think the novel does a great job of treating familiar gothic tropes in such a way that the reader is surprised by many of..." Read more
"...There is so many themes and undertones throughout this story that suck the reader in...." Read more
"A deliciously atmospheric novel of Mexico just after its war of independence...." Read more
"...If you want to be drawn away this book will take you there. Enticing, romantic and creepy!" Read more
Customers find the book's pace engaging. They say the plot moves along at a solid pace, with action beginning immediately. Readers mention it keeps them engaged and the writing style flows well without unnecessary information dumps.
"...It is set in a time of transition, shortly after the end of the Mexican War of Independence...." Read more
"...I really enjoyed the writing style; it flowed well, without unnecessary info dumps, excess repetitions (those really annoy me), and moved along at a..." Read more
"...seems short because it starts like a rollercoaster ride- the action begins immediately...." Read more
"...fill the reader's senses without becoming tedious and the plot is fast paced enough to keep you wanting more...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's atmosphere. They find it terrifying and romantic, as well as amazing and everything they could want in a haunted place.
"The atmosphere was amazing and everything I could want in a haunted place...." Read more
"I enjoyed this book; it was atmospheric and suspenseful." Read more
"Atmospheric, terrifying and beautifully romantic..." Read more
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History,Mystery and Terror in a Decrepit Hacienda
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2022Our heroine Beatriz finds herself newly married and alone in a new home, Hacienda San Isidro. When the house, and the spirit within, begins to torment her, she finds a friend and savior in Padre Andres.
This book checks almost all the boxes of a Gothic horror story. And while that might not sound like a compliment, it surely is as this is a well rounded story. It is set in a time of transition, shortly after the end of the Mexican War of Independence. There are themes of isolation, religion and superstitions. And, Beatriz ultimately begins to question her sanity and if she'll make it out of the house alive. One twist and turn at a time brings Beatriz closer to the truth of the horrors the house holds.
I didn't mind the slow burn of Andres and Beatriz's romantic relationship. And the style of writing, along with the deep examination of the characters' feelings and emotions, made me feel how oppressive and terrifying the house and surroundings truly are.
If you are a fan of Gothic stories then this read is worth it.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2023Oh, this book was gorgeous and incredibly spooky! I’ve had The Hacienda on my TBR shelf for quite some time now, so I decided to read it as part of my spooky season/fall reads, and it was the perfect book for that!
The Hacienda is the story of Beatriz, a young woman who receives a marriage proposal from Don Rodolfo Solorzano, a rich landowner during the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence. After her father, a general, was executed and her mother was broken by her father’s death, Beatriz longed for a fresh start away from her demanding aunt, who she and her mother had been living with. She longed for a house of her own to bring her mother to, so she accepts Rodolfo’s proposal and moves to Hacienda San Isidro. But instead of finding pride and light in her new home, she encounters a darkness that grows worse after her husband returns to the city. It seems Hacienda San Isidro is haunted by something, and that spirit does not want Beatriz in its house. To make matters worse, Rodolfo’s sister, Juana, and the housekeeper, Ana Luisa, also aren’t big fans of Beatriz’s and won’t answer her questions about how Rodolfo’s first wife died. Beatriz is tortured nightly by the spirit in the house and sees disturbing things during the daylight that make her wonder if she’s going crazy. When Beatriz seeks the help of a young priest, Padre Andres, she begins to discover there is a cruel history to the hacienda, and Andres may be the only one who can help her escape the demon trapped within its walls.
I loved the descriptions of Hacienda San Isidro and all the darkness that lived inside and around it. I also loved how complicated the characters were. Ms. Canas explored the age-old theme of just how far people will go to keep power once they have it, and she did it so well. I don’t typically read many books with a supernatural element, at least not a scary supernatural element, so there were a couple parts of this story that bordered on too creepy for me, but I understood that was the point of the book. And the story was so good that even with those parts, I didn’t want to put it down. I’m not totally sure how I feel about the ending, but that could be because I’m simply too romantically minded. Overall, I really liked this book and I would highly recommend it to fans of gothic thriller and horror stories!
- Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2022There's a lot to like about this book. Historic gothic horror novel? Sign me up. Add that one of the main characters is a priest who dabbles in witchcraft? All the better. This book really has all the elements I want in this kind of a novel. And overall, I did enjoy it. However, that's not to say it's without its flaws.
Beginning with the things I liked, I think the novel does a great job of treating familiar gothic tropes in such a way that the reader is surprised by many of them even though we've seen them all before. The setting is fascinating and the characters, for the most part, are well-crafted. Right from the start, I found myself immersed in the novel and ready to find out what creepy things would happen next. And the book does build to an exciting and satisfying climax.
However, in between the creepy opening and the action-packed finish, it begins to drag just a bit. Some of the characters spend too much time in the background (particularly given that some of their actions are central to the climax), and other characters aren't explored quite as fully as I would have liked.
One of the main characters in particular, a priest named Andres who also practices a form of witchcraft or folk magic, is truly fascinating. Indeed, a fair portion of the novel's middle centers on his interactions with the main character. But what I really wanted to read about during these quieter moments in the novel were his struggles between two different religious traditions. It's not that The Hacienda never touches on those issues--it does--but rather that its treatment of the religious struggle is fairly superficial and related more to what other characters would think of things than what Padre Andres himself thinks of things. This externalization of the debate took a lot of the wind out of the sails of what otherwise could have been a fascinating character study.
That this occurs during slower portions of the novel is also unfortunate because it creates a run of a hundred pages or so in which the reader feels a bit like skipping ahead. It's not that these chapters are poorly written (though they do occasionally seem a smidge overwritten, but that's a minor complaint). Rather, we just find ourselves more interested in issues that are relegated to the sidelines and less interested in the ones dominating the book's attention.
At the end of the day, I have to say The Hacienda is enjoyable and well worth reading, though its flaws are a bit too prominent for it to become the modern classic it very well might have been.
Top reviews from other countries
- Kindle CustomergReviewed in Canada on March 7, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved this book!
I never wanted to put this book down! Mexican gothic, touches on sexism and racism, and the priest is a witch!
- Teresa BretonReviewed in Mexico on October 15, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars Scary and amazing
This book is a great mix of Horror and reality. It starts with a woman trying to make herself at home after her father dies as she ignores several red flags regarding the house and her own husband. The house turns out to be haunted and the only one who will believe her and help her is padre Andrés who is a priest but also has some indigenous magic and some darker things within him. It was scary in the way that Tara can only be when it also talks about real things and help people can truly be scarier than ghosts.
- Daniela Diaz MedinaReviewed in Spain on April 15, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome!!
I loved it!! I definitely recommend it, it's spooky, beautifully written and well executed! Super atmospheric and great world building!
- Natalie HReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars A deliciously gothic horror with Latin roots
The Hacienda is Isabel Canas debut novel and I'm honestly in awe! I could not put this down. This book is described as Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca of which I loved both books and knew I had to read this. I'm so glad I did as its amazing!
Beatriz and her mother are left homeless after her father is taken and killed during the Mexican War of Independence. When Beatriz meets handsome Don Rodolfo Solorzano and he proposes to her she can't believe her good fortune. She can escape the home of her uncle and his wife and begin the ascent up the social ladder once more. Beatriz desperately wants her mother to come live with them at the Solorzano country estate but her mother won't talk to her or answer her letters. She saw Beatriz marriage to Rodolfo as a betrayal as it was his side of the war that took her husband - Beatriz’s father from them. But upon her arrival at the Hacienda San Isidro Beatriz is left with a strange feeling about the house, an unexpected sister in law she knew nothing about and after Rodolfo returns to the city, she discovers not only is the house haunted but it wants her gone. No one will take her seriously or help her until she meets a priest with a very different side to him - Andrea's. Not only does he believe her but he is familiar with the house and can sense the darkness churning within the walls. This book had me glancing around the room at any small sound, shadows and spooked the heck out of me but it's truly amazing! Gothic fiction meets horror with Latin roots and historical fiction combined. I can't wait to see what Isabel Canas writes next!
Natalie H
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2023
Beatriz and her mother are left homeless after her father is taken and killed during the Mexican War of Independence. When Beatriz meets handsome Don Rodolfo Solorzano and he proposes to her she can't believe her good fortune. She can escape the home of her uncle and his wife and begin the ascent up the social ladder once more. Beatriz desperately wants her mother to come live with them at the Solorzano country estate but her mother won't talk to her or answer her letters. She saw Beatriz marriage to Rodolfo as a betrayal as it was his side of the war that took her husband - Beatriz’s father from them. But upon her arrival at the Hacienda San Isidro Beatriz is left with a strange feeling about the house, an unexpected sister in law she knew nothing about and after Rodolfo returns to the city, she discovers not only is the house haunted but it wants her gone. No one will take her seriously or help her until she meets a priest with a very different side to him - Andrea's. Not only does he believe her but he is familiar with the house and can sense the darkness churning within the walls. This book had me glancing around the room at any small sound, shadows and spooked the heck out of me but it's truly amazing! Gothic fiction meets horror with Latin roots and historical fiction combined. I can't wait to see what Isabel Canas writes next!
Images in this review - SKReviewed in Germany on December 10, 2022
5.0 out of 5 stars A brilliant gothic novel
I ripped right through this brilliant read. It has great suspense throughout, an admirable flawed heroine and plenty of mystery to fuel the plot. It's hard to believe this book is a debut - the prose is beautiful and crisp and the characters are fully rounded and the somber atmosphere almost palpable. I can't wait to read more from this brilliant author.