The Hacienda

De: Isabel Cañas

Narrado por: Victoria Villarreal, Lee Osorio

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 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.

©2022 Isabel Cañas (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

“A thing of uncanny, chilling beauty. Hauntings, exorcisms, incantations, forbidden love — The Hacienda transports one to a world where love triumphs over demons.”
—The New York Times

“[R]omantic, frightening, claustrophobic, and entirely satisfying.” —Vulture

“A tale of romance, dread, and supernatural menace." —Harper’s Bazaar

Latine Gothic Horror

It's been a long time since I loved a book this much! The Hacienda was written in a voice so classically gothic, it could have been written by Shirley Jackson, and yet it was so authentically Latin American. The way the characters reacted to the supernatural, the symbiosis of Catholicism & brujeria, reminded me of the stories my Cuban mother would tell me. I could not stop listening! More of a discomforting story that will give you goosebumps, than a modern jump scare gore-fest, The Hacienda is my favorite kind of horror novel. It's clear Isabel Canas has a deep respect for the classics, but is not afraid to add her own spin. I cannot wait for her next book.

Really well written and narrated

This novel hooks you right away and the creepy haunting is very well done. Love this heroine and her conflict. Excellent narration.

Brilliantly crafted

The Hacienda is chilling, and much to my shock oddly romantic.
Thé duel narration was preformed well, and if I had to guess, made up for the fact that the writing style is not my preference. But that is neither here nor there.
The story is great. I expected it to be darker, but I am not sorry to have read it. I look forward to more from the author.

A savory story, rich in culture-

I have so many feelings about this book that I want to give spoilers and dissect them. Alas, I will not. If this story were a meal, it would be a serving that was not too spicy, too much, or too well done. This story leaves the reader satisfied, yet anxious to try the next dish created by this talented chef.

Thrilling!

I loved it. It's exactly what you look for in a Gothic novel. Dark, suspenseful, captivating...it had my heart yearning one minute and pounding the next. The narrators were wonderful. I highly recommend!

The Haunting

The ghost was the most interesting character in the novel. This was not what I expected, would not read again.

Great Read/Listen

This book was so entertaining that it had me gasping once the story was set. The characters were described so well that I could picture them so well in my mind. The story flowed so great it was repetitive and it did not drag on situations. Honestly, I was scared while listening to this book. The ending left me with a little smirk. I will definitely read more books by this author.

Edge of your seat book!

The whole book kept me wondering who had killed the first wife of Rodolfo and why. I was certainly shocked when I found out the why and how. Talk about unexpected.

Overall I found this book interesting, especially the ending.

Put me in the house

This book has such a dark air and you feel like you’re in that old rustic beautiful house with the rest of the characters. The way the author explains sentiments of the leftovers that the war brought, and makes that just as important as the haunting. Great book! Narration was amazing and scary

Narration made all the difference

I had the Kindle version of this and had trouble getting into it. I wound up getting the audio version and that made all the difference! It was dual narrated and very well done. The spoken Spanish dialect really brought out the authenticity of the story that I was unable to grasp in the written form. There were aspects of the novel that I really enjoyed, but ultimately was still a little underwhelmed. It’s fairly predictable and the ending was quite far fetched. There is a lack of information regarding Rodolfo and Beatriz’s relationship and he plays a very small role in the novel, only appearing twice. Juana is another underdeveloped character considering her ridiculous “last act”. It seems the novel would’ve preferred to have been geared more toward the romance aspect exclusively. However, I wouldn’t say it was very “romantic”. It wasn’t a total dud, but only because I opted for the audio.