Name: Kendall Lobdell's review of The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
Item: The Hacienda
Rating: 5
Author: Kendall Lobdell

Isabel Cañas

Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches... 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 help 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 battle the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda. Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz’s doom.

The Hacienda

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca in this debut supernatural suspense novel, set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches... In the overthrow of the Mexican government, Beatriz's father is 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 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 its 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 help 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 battle the malevolent presence haunting the hacienda. Far from a refuge, San Isidro may be Beatriz's doom.

Kendall Lobdell

Lara Engle

The Hacienda is a gorgeous Gothic tale that addresses concerns of colonialism, class systems, domestic control, sexism, and of course, horror. It's beautifully and lushly written, soulfully inhabiting its characters and places. It gives vibes of The Haunting of Hill House and Rebecca in the most wonderful way. Those are two of my favorite books of all time and I imagine this book may join that list.

It had its ups and downs, but I liked the writing and fast pace of the story. 

Jovana Gjekanovikj 

It was an okay read nothing really stood out I think more might've been able to be done especially with the time period in which the book took place, it feels like there was ample opportunity to incorporate more of that than the author did. But it was a nice way to pass time and I loved the aspect of a house/hacienda holding the energy of past generations.

Lizeth Garcia

Kristen Claiborn

I strayed from my usual habits prior to reading this one. I had no idea what I was getting into and for whatever reason, I decided I needed to arm myself with knowledge before I started reading. So many of my trusted book people compared this one to Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, which piqued my interest greatly. I had procrastinated reading that one, but when I finally did it blew my mind. When my trusted book people determined that The Hacienda had a similar vibe, I was all-in. 
	I didn’t love that the entire premise was based on a damsel-in-distress situation, but it was set in a time where women were completely dependent on men for their well-being. Beatriz agreed to marry a man she didn’t know simply because she needed to make sure she was taken care of. She then moved into his family home to discover it is haunted by something nefarious. The haunting periods were intense and I loved them. I frequently find myself disappointed with supernatural novels simply because it’s hard to describe a haunting using words. This book does a superb job describing the feelings Beatriz experienced. 
	I didn’t necessarily love the end, but I can’t explain why without spoiling the entire book, so I’m just going to leave it at that. This book is definitely worth reading…possibly even more than once.

This is a strong debut novel, full of atmosphere and lush prose. It satisfied my expectation for a gothic historical fiction leaning into horror. The author develops good characters and tackles themes of colonialism, colorism, racism, religion. It does not go below the surface with any of those ideas, though. Both of the main characters have trauma. The haunted house is sick with rage from a specific ghost. There is a bit of a mystery element, but it is not surprising by the time the details are revealed. The author does not play coy about supernatural elements, but the human monsters in this book are also scary and dangerous. The build up was delicious, but I did hope for something a bit less predictable than the ending. All in all, an enjoyable read. I am not sure how long it will linger in my memory. It may dissipate as quickly as the cleansing smoke of the copal incense.

Cheryl Hedlund

This was an incredibly gripping thriller! I couldn't put it down and finished about 90% of it in one night! There were a few aspects that were a little predictable but the storytelling was so good, I didn't mind. 

Ashlei Cottom-Moran

This was an incredibly gripping thriller! I couldn't put it down and finished about 90% of it in one night! There were a few aspects that were a little predictable but the storytelling was so good, I didn't mind. 



Caterina P.

Content Warning(s): Violence, colorism, mentions of SA, mentions of abuse (domestic, physical), murder, discussions of war and colonization, and mild gore. 

“San Isidro was supposed to be my victory. My future. My Home. Now all I could do was hope it would not be my tomb.”

I immediately wanted to read The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas when I saw that it was described as Rebecca by Daphne due Maurier meets Mexican Gothic by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia; but after reading The Hacienda I don't think that billing does it justice. The Hacienda possesses beautiful atmospheric writing; but it combines so much of what I adore from Gothic literature in one novel and far exceeded my expectations. It possesses the horror of Crimson Peak (dir. Guillermo del Toro), the suspense of Rebecca, and the feminist twist and Mexican setting of Mexican Gothic. 

At it’s core, The Hacienda is a story about Beatriz, a woman left disgraced and penniless after the Mexican War of Independence (1820’s), to save herself she marries the recently widowed Rodolfo. Beatriz got exactly what she wanted: his name, his title, and his land; but they weren’t all what they seamed. From the moment Beatriz steps foot on the property of Hacienda San Isidro it is clear that Rodolfo has been hiding things from her. The house in neglect and disarray and a sister he conveniently forgot to mention. San Isidro is a large white house, looming over the property ready to swallow anyone who enters whole and Beatriz is no exception. The suffocating darkness won’t relent. 

Beatriz is trapped in a haunted hacienda with no one who will believer her, that is until she meets Padre Andres. Padre Andres has a past that follows him to this day. He has trained to be a priest and for his entire life has been devoting himself to God in an attempt to shut out the darkness within him. Meeting Beatriz and going to San Isidro it becomes clear the he is the only priest for the job.

As a lover of Gothic Horror it was so refreshing to see a heroine with guts who wasn’t afraid to take action (even in terrifying situations). The dimensional characters, gorgeous prose, suspense, and poignant story kept me blazing through the book! I did not want to put this one down! If you want a story filled with sinister acts, dark corners, a house teaming with dark secrets, forbidden love, and that *chef’s kiss* Gothic suspense then this one is for you!

I would recommend this book to anyone who:

1. Loves Gothic Novels
2. Loves monster or haunted house books
3. Is looking for a historical fiction set in Mexico
4. Loves hot, haunted priests
5. Are fans of Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth or Crimson Peak)

Gisela Ayala 

Cheri McElroy

Haunted house? Check. Fascinating characters? Check. Gorgeous writing? Check. Read this book. It’s not as gross as Mexican Gothic and does have Rebecca vibes. I loved it.

Ashlyn

Some passages are poetic and strong, but the plot and character arcs leave much to be desired. I do like that a male witch is one of the central characters, but mostly this book is too sappy and leans too heavily on its spiritual predecessors (Rebecca, House of the Spirits, Mexican Gothic).

Celeste Richardson

Atmospheric, transportive, and often terrifying, The Hacienda was a captivatingly creepy place to visit. I’ve been looking forward to The Hacienda since before its publication. But, true to form for me, I kept putting it off once I had it in my hands, partly because I have such a plethora of books on my shelf calling my name that leads me to constant distraction, and partly due to a slight fear that I wouldn’t love it as much as so many other readers who had already read it and adored it with every fiber of my being. But the stars finally aligned, and a TikTok friend offered to buddy read it with me. While I didn’t adore it as much as some other readers, I did very much enjoy it. 

The Hacienda turned out to be far heavier on the horror elements than I was expecting. I came in expecting a gothic novel with touches of horror, but this was, in my opinion, a straight-up horror novel with a gothic setting. And it was a setting that I really loved. Cañas’ decision to set her story in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence made the story feel profoundly unique. Though that setting, we are shown how trauma and grief can not only be generational, but something we experience on a national level. It gave the haunting at the center of the story a unique depth, as the hacienda at its core could almost be representative of the haunted air of a nation recovering from a war.

Our story centers around Beatriz, second wife of Rodolfo and new mistress of Hacienda San Isidro, the mouldering estate at the heart of a prosperous business. Beatriz sees this as the ultimate opportunity for freedom, for both herself and her mother, after the political murder of her father’s murder. This is not a love match, at least on Beatriz’s end. But the hacienda in question is strangely agressive, and obviously terrifying to the young woman. She seeks the help of the Church and that help comes in the form of Padre Andrés, who once called the hacienda home. There is much more to Andrés than meets the eye, and the two partner together and embark on a journey to reclaim the hacienda from whatever, or whoever, has the estate in its thrall.

I thought Beatriz was a totally fine character. She was interesting, at least on the surface, but I never felt a true connection to her. But Andrés is an entirely different matter. I loved him almost immediately and found him a truly fascinating character. But with everything in the novel, from characterization to descriptions of events and locales to even the climax of the plot, I felt a slight disconnect. Everything felt like it stayed surface deep instead of digging deeper. Details felt ephemeral and tended to blur together. While I found this frustrating, it did one thing brilliantly; it caused the entire novel to feel like a gloriously gothic fever dream.

While The Hacienda isn’t a new favorite for me, it was a very atmospheric, enjoyable experience. The setting was lush, the writing was lovely, and the horror elements were incredibly strong. I completely agree with the comparisons to both Mexican Gothic and Rebecca, and would highly recommend The Hacienda to any lover of those novels, or anyone looking for something historical, with a touch of romance, that is heavy on the creep factor.

You can find  this review and more at Novel Notions.

jenn kause

4.5 stars (but rounding up) since it's been FOREVER to find a gothic novel that isn't classic literature. 

I love this book and the characters; it reminded me a bit of Rebecca but I LOVED the historical context of Mexico and the internal struggles that they faced. It added much more depth to a classic "ex-wife is dead and haunting the house" scenario, and I do sincerely hope that Andres and Beatriz will see each other again. <3

Rebecca meets Crimson Peak. Remarkable gothic horror that doesn’t shy away from hard topics of colonialism and racism in the wake of Mexico’s War of Independence. There’s also a hot priest.

Liz Griffin

Berkley books really doesn’t miss, huh? This one was a fast read, well-paced. Ft: self-loathing, haunting, Mexican revolutionary history (!!!!!), ~magic~, syncretism. Honestly? The way to my heart. 

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Reviews

Join the club

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Reviews

Join the club

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas