The Hacienda

I was looking forward to this book quite a bit, based on the setting (1823 Mexico) and the description of Rebecca + spooky horror. Thus my disappointment that it just doesn't work for me is huge.

To start, the additional marketing line that The Hacienda is at all similar to Mexican Gothic is just that - and laughable, too. They're both haunted house stories set in Mexico, but that's about it. I found Mexican Gothic much more sinister, and thrilling, and more pointed in its treatment of colonialism, religion, and the other usual Gothic themes.


The Hacienda has some very good, evocative sections but mostly falls flat for me. I quit when on page 110, we get this paragraph:

“I will be safe, Doña Beatriz.”

But I wouldn’t be. If I knew

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anything about how the house felt—and lately I was beginning to worry I knew altogether too much—I knew that it resented people like him and me. People with plans and ideas. Dread drummed a militant beat in my chest at the thought of going back to my room and sitting in the dark, all the while aware he was poking and prodding around the house’s entrails. He didn’t understand what this house was. He couldn’t.

Up to this point, there has been no indication that the house resents Beatriz because of her plans for it. In fact, we know that the housekeeper and Beatriz's husband's sister do as much as they can to avoid being in the house, but not that they have any plans for it. Though it's not stated outright, it's suggested that they are also harmed by the house - in fact, the housekeeper doesn't spend time in the kitchen without spells of protection.

So where is this coming from, that the house resents people with plans for it? Does Beatriz completely ignore everyone else in San Isidro who says the house is bad news? She certainly seems to have a lot of disdain for absolutely everyone she meets, without much textual reason why. The paragraph above isn't much different from chapter 2, which I had to read three times before I could spot in the text indications that Beatriz was hungry to be in charge, and assumed she was hated by the residents of San Isidro for being the new patróness. (It was just so... mild, I didn't pick up on the grasping greed at all!)

Most of the writing style is the same breathless short sentences for emotional emphasis, but it generally feels flat for me, without any real stakes behind them, thus far. Beatriz doesn't need to be a likable character, but I do want to care about what happens to her. Unfortunately, I don't. Juana, the patrón's older sister now displaced from her position in charge, is far more interesting to me than the bland new wife who doesn't seem to care about anything but shoving her new position into her aunt's face.

This book could have been so interesting and compelling, but it has no real stakes and treats the more interesting secondary characters as not interesting, actually. (At least, as of page 110.)

Such a pity. show less

Perfect for fans of Mexican Gothic. Chilly, atmospheric and spooky, this book will send shivers down your spine.

Beatriz's father was executed for his part in the Mexican War of Independence, so Beatriz and her mother are forced to live with relatives who don't really want them. When handsome, wealthy widower Rodrigo proposes to her after meeting her at a ball, Beatriz sees her chance to finally have a home of her own again. Hacienda San Islo, Rodrigo's country retreat, is supposed to be her salvation, but it quickly turns into her nightmare.

Spooky things start happening as soon as Beatriz crosses the threshhold, and the intensity only increases after Rodrigo returns to the capital. After Rodrigo's sister and some of the staff confess show more to being spooked by the house, Beatriz reaches out to the local priests to bless it. Only Padre Andres seems willing to listen to her. The same secrets that might get Padre Andres executed by the Inquisition mean that he's the only person who may be able help Beatriz: native magic runs in his veins. Beatriz is a fighter, and she's not about to let her dreams be taken from her without a fight. As she and Andres grow closer, boundaries get crossed and emotions run high. Beatriz also finds evidence that Rodrigo may not be the man she thinks he is, and that the story of his first wife's death might be more complicated than she'd like to believe.

Then Rodrigo returns, bringing everything to its tipping point.

Beatriz's fighting spirit gives you a heroine to root for. Andres' kindness and care for the villagers makes him the perfect foil to the careless, cruel Rodrigo. This was a book that kept me tearing through its pages, wanting to see if Beatriz would prevail in the end and carve out a place to call home. show less

The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas is a gripping gothic horror novel set in a hauntingly atmospheric mansion. The story follows Beatriz, a new bride who moves into her husband’s estate, only to be met with chilling and unexplainable events. Initially, the suspense builds so subtly that I began to question whether the horrors were unfolding only in Beatriz’s mind. But as the plot progresses, it takes a sharp and thrilling turn, blurring the lines between the supernatural and reality. Cañas masterfully weaves terror, love, and betrayal into the narrative, keeping the reader on edge throughout. The eerie mansion becomes a character in itself, intensifying the sense of dread. The emotional depth of Beatriz's struggle, paired with the show more unraveling secrets of the house, creates an unforgettable reading experience. With a riveting and satisfying climax, The Hacienda delivers both scares and heart, making it a must-read for gothic horror lovers. show less

Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca really is the perfect description for this one. It's dark and gritty and is full of flawed but interesting characters. Beatriz was easy to like and identify with. She's recently married out of strategy and freedom, not for love as her parents did. She's entered a fancy estate with fields and house full of staff she doesn't know or have experience running. But right away, you know that it's not Beatriz inexperience that is keeping her worrying and up at night.

The house is a character all its own in the story. It watches, it whispers and it judges. When Beatriz seeks help from the local church and from the priests whithin, the house seethes. I loved the dark turns and the creepy nights. I don't know this era show more or region well, so I found that added part of the plot fascinating. The writing was well done, the pacing perfect to keep the tension high. Even the small love story was an addition and not a distraction. This was so well done, I look forward to more from this author. show less

The best gothic I've read in many years. Set in Mexico, right after the Mexican War for Independence, in the 1820s involving a bride, a mysterious house with a malevolent personality of its own, weird happenings, family secrets. The author states it's her homage to those mistresses of horror, Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier. A little Poe was thrown in; I'm thinking of "Cask of Amontillado." Chilling and kept me guessing as to outcome. Far, far better than the underwhelming and overhyped MEXICAN GOTHIC.

The Hacienda by Isabel Canas is a 2022 Berkley publication.

If you enjoy a good atmospheric tale of Gothic Horror, then you’ve come to the right place!

With a blurb like ‘Mexican Gothic meets Rebecca’ I was eagerly anticipating this one and I was not disappointed!!

After her father is executed during the Mexican War of Independence, and she loses her home, Beatriz grabs onto a golden opportunity by marrying Don Rodolpho Solórzano, a widower whose previous wife died under mysterious circumstances.

Determined to have a better life, and the security her marriage promises, Beatriz is eager to move onto Don’s countryside estate and begin making it her own. She is not met with warmth by Don’s sister, the staff….

Or the show more House….

When Beatriz begins to experience some frightening events, she realizes she needs help. To that end, she enlists a young priest named Padre Andres, who becomes her only trustworthy supporter. Beatriz comes to believe that if she and Padre are not successful in ridding the house of its evil she will die in the house, just as Don Rodolpho’s first wife did…
Wow! Paying homage to the Gothic Horror of old, while giving the genre a fresh spin, this story has everything you would want in a rip roaring fireside tale of horror, suspense, and forbidden love. I was riveted to the pages, gripped by the spine-tingling supernatural atmosphere, but was also drawn to the romance of the story, as well.

Some religious imagery and conflict were a little uncomfortable as the author mingles secular tendencies with the church, but it was an interesting representation of an internal conflict in all of us.

Overall, this is a superb representation of this genre. I’m duly impressed. I mainly read this book late at night and I must say that it gave me the shivers more than once and had me jumping at the slightest noise. If I have my information right, this is the first full length novel by this author, and she absolutely nailed it!! show less

Set in Mexico just after the war Beatriz marries for stability and moves into her husbands home. It's not long before things start going bump in the night.

I wanted to read this book as it was described as Mexican Gothic which I have read and thought was ok, and Rebecca which is my favourite book. I have to say I did enjoy the book more than I did with Meican Gothic.

This story certainly has gothic undertones and tries very hard to come across as a haunted house mystery. I enjoyed the storyline but again struggled to find the book scary, that is just me however. The story has got its creepy descriptions and at times I did think of The Haunting of Hill House.

The book was very easy to read, I felt it dragged on in places even though the show more story isn't overlong. I did enjoy reading the book overall. show less