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BookshorrorThe Hacienda
Cover of The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

The Hacienda,

by Isabel Cañas

Ask AI
Rating3.9/ 5
Ratings124
Pages352
Reading Hours7h
Published2022
LanguageEnglish

§Synopsis

01

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.

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§Genres
horror2mystery1
§Content Warnings
§Moods
adventurous1dark1emotional1lighthearted1mysterious1reflective1sad1
§Tags
#diverse characters1#loveable characters1#not diverse characters1#plot driven1#strong character development1

§About the Author

Isabel Cañas

1 books in catalog

Combining atmospheric historical horror with gothic suspense, speculative fiction set in historical Latin America offers fresh perspectives on classic genre tropes. Isabel Cañas established her presence in the field with her debut novel The Hacienda, a supernatural haunted house narrative set during the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence.

Career & Background

Isabel Cañas is a Mexican-American speculative fiction writer who spent nine years of her youth living in Orange County, California. She has lived in a variety of places around the world, including Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, Turkey, and New York City, before making her home in the Pacific Northwest. She earned a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, where her academic research focused on medieval Islamic literature. Her deep background in historical research directly informs her fiction, grounding her supernatural stories in rich cultural context and historic detail. Her work has received recognition within the horror genre, including a nomination for the Bram Stoker Award.

Writing Style & Themes

Cañas approaches her fiction at the intersection of historical fiction, horror, and romance. Her stories frequently examine themes of feminism, religious faith, folk magic, and long-buried family secrets. By placing supernatural phenomena alongside actual historic conflicts, such as the social and political instability following the Mexican War of Independence, she challenges historical perspectives traditionally told through an Anglo-Saxon lens. Beyond her long-form novels, her short fiction has been published in major genre anthologies, including The Best American Science Fiction & Fantasy and The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror.

Major Works

  • The Hacienda — Published in May 2022, this Bram Stoker Award-nominated debut novel is a historical gothic horror story set in Mexico during the aftermath of the War of Independence. It follows Beatriz, a young woman who marries a wealthy widower to rebuild her family's fortunes, only to discover that his estate is tormented by malicious supernatural forces and deeply rooted secrets involving religion and folk magic.
  • Vampires of El Norte — A historical horror novel blending supernatural terror with romance, set against the backdrop of conflict along the Mexican borderlands.
  • The Possession of Alba Díaz — A historical novel exploring themes of possession, romance, and horror while continuing Cañas's tradition of grounding supernatural tension within historic settings.
§Genres
horror2mystery1
§Content Warnings
§Moods
adventurous1dark1emotional1lighthearted1mysterious1reflective1sad1
§Tags
#diverse characters1#loveable characters1#not diverse characters1#plot driven1#strong character development1

Metadata

ISBN-139781837860807
ISBN-101837860807

Editions and availability

Find The Hacienda Isabel Cañas in PDF, EPUB, ebook, audiobook, print, or library editions.

Bookshop.orgGoogle Play BooksBarnes & NobleOpen Library

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