Tag: Historical Fiction

☆☆ALC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

SMG delivers YET again with The Bewitching, a truly spooky/bone-chilling multigenerational horror set between 1900’s Mexico, and 1930’s/1990’s Massachusetts. We follow three women in their timelines as they find themselves in mysterious circumstances. Nana Alba in 1900’s Mexico is a young woman whose family has seen many a misfortune that leads her to believe they have been cursed by a witch. Nana Alba made sure to pass these stories down to her great-granddaughter Minerva who in turn, is now a graduate student focusing her research on horror literature and the life of Beatrice Tremblay. The author Tremblay wrote macabre tales and a novel titled “The Vanishing” that was inspired by a true story. Beatrice was attending the same university as Minerva in 1930’s Massachusetts when her roommate disappeared without a trace and under very mysterious circumstances. We see Minerva begin to find the thread that connects her to Nana Alba and Beatrice Tremblay. She begins to feel as if those same entities that Nana Alba spoke about and Beatrice based her novel on, may now be stalking her and they mean her harm.

What better way to start spooky season than with a brand new SMG?!?! This one matched the energy Mexican Gothic left me craving even with it admittedly being much slower paced. You just can’t rush masterful storytelling, the atmospheric writing was 10/10! Set in Massachusetts , this is NOT your average tale of Salem witches. Instead we get Witches and their origins in Mexico but bring it to Massachusetts, I’ll tell you one thing! These witches scared the hell outta me and made me keep the lights on as I read. Frankly I got anxiety anytime Minerva had to perform her campus duties of making sure all was good in the dorms at night carrying nothing but a flashlight and a clipboard SMH. The Bewitching is cinematic, haunting, atmospheric, eerie and at times gory. Each timeline has a healthy dose of mystery and paranormal encounters blending the folklore of Mexican witches with that of the New England witchcraft lore. The reason for this story unfolding at a much slower rate makes all the sense once you know why these women are being hunted by blood thirsty witches. Alba, Beatrice, and Minerva have some things in common that make them prime targets. Ranking The Bewitching as my #2 favorite of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and HIGHLY encouraging book lovers add this one to their September Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month TBR’s.

★彡 “𝙱𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗, 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚊 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜. 𝚃𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝙽𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝙰𝚕𝚋𝚊 𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚑𝚎 𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚍 𝙼𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚊 𝚋𝚎𝚍𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜; 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚊 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜.” 彡★

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Spoiler Free Review: The Seventh Veil Of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: The Seventh Veil Of Salome

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pub. Date: August 6th 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance/Latinx

Format: eARC

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 336

☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

The Seventh Veil Of Salome is a dual timeline/multi-perspective Historical Fiction set during 1950’s Hollywood and Biblical times (with background appearances of Jesus who at the time is performing miracles on the townspeople.) We follow three women as their stories unfold: Vera Larios – an unknown Mexican ingenue who is cast in the lead role of Salome; Nancy Hartley – an actress whose career has run dry and is starving for a lead role that will grant her access to a life of fame and fortune; Princess Salome – in love with a prophet who has angered many of the higher officials looking to silence him but not before he speaks on the misfortune that is to come onto Salome’s stepfather.

We meet Vera Larios who’s just been cast in a swords-and-sandals biblical movie that is being directed by a notoriously difficult to work with director. Vera has no acting experience whatsoever but she caught his eye as the only ideal fit to play the role of the beautiful Salome. In the bible, Salome is known for the beheading of John the Baptist. Vera who has spent most of her life being overlooked or dismissed by her mother for her darker complexion saw this as an opportunity to step into the limelight and a chance to breakaway from the toxicity at home. On the film set and in the media she encounters misogyny and racism from men and women. The men objectify her, the women see her as stealing their roles with her “exotic” features, while the media portrays hers as an explosive unpredictable Latina. As the movie begins to film, we get an inside look at Hollywood during this time as the cast of Salome parties and gives the media the tea for their headlines. Nancy Hartley on the other hand is desperately trying to secure a lead role by any means necessary, Vera being a Mexican woman fuels her ire. We see an unhinged woman’s downward spiral powered by hate and racism. The cunning Salome has suitors lined up but she’s set her eyes on the one man she absolutely can’t have and whose days are numbered. will she choose love or power?

It wouldn’t be a SMG novel if it followed the same style of writing with each story she delivered. The Seventh Veil Of Salome is part documentary told through the lens of multiple characters reflecting on what transpired on the set of Salome. While also traveling back to the biblical times of Salome and John the Baptiste. Each of these ambitious women deliver such a captivating story that as much as I was enjoying the perspective I was in, I was also thinking of the other women’s situations. Whether you’re new to SMG or an avid reader of her books, the atmospheric writing alone will guarantee a rich reading experience. I’m not sure what is in SMG’s pen but no matter the time period/plot, the ease with which you are transported make all of their books a must read.

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Spoiler Free Review: The Warm Hands Of Ghosts by Katherine Arden

Title: The Warm Hands Of Ghosts

Author: Katherine Arden

Pub. Date: February 13th 2024

Genre: Historical Fiction/Speculative Fiction

Format: eARC

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 325

☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

It’s 1918, Laura Iven has been honorably discharged from the Medical Corps as a highly decorated field nurse. Wounded while on the field, Laura returns to Canada where she receives word of her brother Freddie’s presumed death in combat. A box is delivered to her with his personal effects, Freddy is presumed to be dead because his body was never recovered. How then, have his belongings made it to her doorstep? Laura decides she must go back to active duty in Belgium if only to be closer to the front lines and get answers/certain proof of Freddie’s demise. What she isn’t anticipating is to be met with an alternate possibility. A man who has deserted the battlefield and is caught is then executed by the military. Did Freddy leave the battlefield? or could he still be alive? and is his fate worse than if he had been killed in the field?

Told in dual point of view and past/present timelines between 1917 and 1918, we get Freddy’s account as he is trapped in a ditch created by one of the many explosives dropped. In this ditch is also a German soldier who has been severely wounded. Hans Winter should be his enemy but in these presumed final hours, he is a comfort. Together they help each other get out of that hole but are unsure of which way to go once out. They both can’t fathom the thought of returning to their respective front lines. In the chaos of raining shells and gunfire they meet a mysterious man who owns a hotel and has a penchant for creating music. The type of tunes that can make you forget the misery that surrounds you. An escape from the violence and senseless killings they’ve witnessed. For some soldiers the escapism being offered was too good to pass up.

This was not the book I thought we’d get next from one of my favorite authors and yet this story will remain with me for years to come. Full transparency, I am never the one to pick up books set during WWI or WWII. That being said, it’s Katherine Arden! she can write the hell of a story and creates characters who leave their mark. If you love books with a speculative touch then this one is for you! it is slow paced within reason, every time I opened this book I felt instantly transported to the front lines and it terrified me. Heavily researched (notes and photos included in the Barnes & Noble special edition) and delivered by a skilled pen, it is haunting and feels like a story that needed to be told. In her author’s note Arden speaks of the juxtaposition of nurses in corsets while wearing gas masks while cavalry charged at tanks. It really doesn’t get any more real than that. It was the author’s note and photos of the graves she visited that hit hard and make for a powerful read. It’s a story about times of war but also hope where there’s none to be found. Grief and trauma as well as remembrance. There are feelings of repressed rage we see play out in characters like the mysterious hotel owner. The same rage Arden says can be felt to this day while walking alongside the final resting place of many French and German. A powerful read for fans of Arden who were patiently waiting for her next spellbinding tale.

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Spoiler Free Review: Full Moon Over Freedom by Angelina M. Lopez

Title: Full Moon Over Freedom (Milagro Street #2)

Author: Angelina M. Lopez

Pub. Date: September 5th 2023

Genre: Romance/Latinx

Format: eARC

Publisher: Harlequin Feature

Pages: 400

☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

Full Moon Over Freedom is the second book in the Milagro Street series following a Mexican-American family trying to breathe life back into a Kansas city street, home to many hard working class immigrants. This time we’re following Gillian Armstead-Bancroft, one of the Torres sisters who is returning to Freedom Kansas with her two children and in the middle of an ugly divorce/custody battle. To friends and family, Gillian has always been a do-gooder who did everything “right” and more than ever, wants to be good at being bad. Running into her childhood bestfriend Nicky Mendoza poses an opportunity to let go and go with the flow. Nicky was the one she entrusted to help her lose her virginity the summer before leaving for college, he represents home and safety. For Nicky, the return of the girl he loves comes with a ton of mixed emotions including abandonment. Nevertheless, they throw caution to the wind and ignite what they’ve never been able to forget.

What I didn’t love? I struggled warming up to Gillian, but that may just be my preference for lead characters who go against the grain and are a bit more bold in life choices. Gillian is trying to find her footing after having her idea of success and happiness completely changed and her life turned upside down. We get a healthy dose both Gillian and Nicky independently however, their romance in present time felt a bit unbalanced. As in, Nicky was definitely pouring into Gillian’s cup but she was wrapped up in a lot of unresolved issues. The friends to lovers trope set the foundation for this connection but its also what carried this story arc.

What I loved? returning to Freedom Kansas, seeing familiar faces, and the progress being made to open business in this long forgotten street. There’s discussion of opportunities and business plans being drawn up to help women of color gain financial independence through ownership. We also see our MC’s dig through historical documents that paint a better picture of how women of color contributed to this street in decades past. One a more personal level, Gillian is navigating being a new single mom to her kids. One of which has autism; Gillian’s very real concerns and fears of being in a toxic co-parenting situation and how it affects her child. There are heavy themes explored such as drug addiction, emotional abuse, and death of a loved one. This series also has a touch of magical realism, we come across La Llorona who is a ghost from Mexican Folklore as well as a wolf entity that follow our main characters down their paths independently. I love when my romance books are meaty and complex like the Milagro Street books are, my interest in reading about the youngest Torres sister next is definitely piqued!

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Spoiler Free Review: Silver Nitrate by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: Silver Nitrate

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pub. Date: July 18th 2023

Genre: Horror/Historical Fiction

Format: DRC

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 323

☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

I’ll be the first to admit I was unsure I’d be reading Silver Nitrate when we got wind of the premise. SMG is and will always be one of my top favorite authors and if there’s anyone who can get me to read a book based on horror films, it could only be Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Character driven and slower paced than some of her other books, Silver Nitrate is a blend of Horror and Historical Fiction set in Mexico City during the 90’s with references to the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema. Our main characters Montserrat is a sound editor who is stuck at a bad paying job where all the projects worth having are given to the owners favorites. Montserrat stays for the love of what she does but doesn’t do so silently, she’s tough and isn’t one to keep quiet at the inequality of it all. Her best friend Tristán who she’s been in love with since childhood, is a soap opera actor whose career is rapidly fading. After a break-up Tristán packs up and moves into a building and discovers his upstairs neighbor is the legendary cult horror director Abel Urueta. Montserrat and Urueta hit it off when he senses her real passion for horror films and so he tells them of the curse he believes is responsible for ending his career overnight. Urueta tells them of his involvement in a cult led by a Nazi occultist and how silver nitrate stock was being used in an effort to dispel magic through the screen. This of course backfired and cast a spell on all those working on the film, Urueta is one of the very few to have made it out alive.

We really get to know Montserrat & Tristán once they decide to get involved with helping Urueta and start living through the repercussions. For Tristán it’s the ghost of his dead girlfriend and for Montserrat its the feeling that she’s being followed by a dark presence. It was around the 60% mark that I started feeling as if I couldn’t put the book down, I was engrossed in the paranormal happenings at this point. Our MC’s who are an odd pairing to say the least are also deeply connected to one another, there’s real care and concern coming off the page. Tristán is freaked out and would much rather close the door on all of this while Montserrat can’t turn away, it’s just not in her nature. She’s always had to play the tough role as someone who’s disabled and was bullied at a young age but never backed down. The contrast of personalities worked really well in getting me to care for these characters which in turn got me to get invested in the horror/historical elements that play center stage. SMG is a phenomenal writer! it was easy to reimagine Mexico City in the 90’s through her pen similar to the magic of Velvet Was The Night. Whether the muse behind this book was my jam or not doesn’t take away from the fact that this author continues to deliver quality story telling. Silvia Moreno-Garcia continues to prove that she cannot be boxed into any one genre and I’m here to read anything she writes!

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Spoiler Free Review: The Haunting Of Alejandra by V. Castro

Title: The Haunting Of Alejandra

Author: V. Castro

Pub. Date: April 18th 2023

Genre: Historical Fiction/Horror/Retelling

Format: DRC

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 272 / 10hrs + 13 min 🎧

☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

When we meet Alejandra she is a wife and a mother living her days feeling invisible, under appreciated and unloved. She’s in a dark place and any moment of solace she comes across allows her the introspection that otherwise she doesn’t have time for. Mother to three children, Alejandra struggles with the feelings she’s having towards motherhood as a whole. Her third child was unexpected after a tubal ligation didn’t prevent her pregnancy. She’s not exactly in a loving marriage, her husband dismisses her cries for help and feels she should be satisfied in the life he has provided her with. Her adoptive parents (father) were just as dismissive of her struggles with mental health while growing up, as her husband is now. No one seems to really understand or want to acknowledge that Alejandra is not ok and is struggling daily with some dark thoughts. Soon enough she starts seeing a woman crying in ragged white gown, always catching glimpses as she leaves or enters a room. When her daughter mentions having seen the woman in white to a teacher, Alejandra is called in to discuss these dreams her child is having. This gives Alejandra the push she needs to seek therapy for herself.

In what feels like kismet, her therapist is also a Mexican Curandera and she knows all about the legend of La Llorona. As she begins to delve deeper into her family history, track down her biological mother and get in touch with her roots and spirituality, Alejandra discovers some truths. She is not alone in her struggles, the women in her lineage have all been haunted by La Llorona who is an angry vengeful mother who killed her own children. La Llorona has appeared to all of the women in her family and pushed them into dark places in an attempt to take them with her. This is one generational curse Alejandra will need help with breaking before she too has a tragic ending.

This was an audiobook read although I was also very lucky to have been granted a DRC from Del Rey. Immediately when I heard Alejandra’s voice narrated my first thoughts were this woman is tired. This woman is haunted. The bathtub scene in the first few pages where she’s just trying to get a few more minutes alone but her very young children need her and her husband is not trying to help was tough. Readers should really take care to look into content warnings, suicide ideation is prominent as is depression. This story is told in alternate timelines between present day Alejandra’s POV and one of her ancestors. Personally, I did find myself wanting to spend more time in the chapters told by her ancestor who was waging her own war against the patriarchy and reclaiming her body. These chapters have a different tone overall and gave me the break I needed from being in Alejandra’s main story line.

I appreciated how learning of her ancestors gave Alejandra the motivation to take the reigns in her own life. The road to this discovery however is heavy with the thoughts of a woman who is close to losing her mind. It was interesting to see the way V. Castro wove in themes of body autonomy or lack thereof for all of the women being haunted by La Llorona. I was expecting this story to lean in a bit more into the horror vibes tied to the Mexican folklore of La Llorona. We still get a healthy dose of the legendary woman in white but it’s definitely taken up a notch towards the end of the book. This could just be me since I do not watch horror movies AT ALL but do enjoy reading the genre, so I was surprised when I didn’t really find myself spooked whenever I was reading this story. I’d recommend The Haunting Of Alejandra to readers who enjoy psychological horror, motherhood explored, folklore, spirituality, and stories of breaking generational curses.

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Spoiler Free Review: Lone Women by Victor Lavalle

Title: Lone Women

Author: Victor Lavalle

Pub. Date: March 28th 2023

Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal

Format: eARC

Publisher: Random House/One World

Pages: 285

☆☆ARC PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW☆☆

This is turning out to be my year of reading dark atmospheric books in the Summer and so far I’m loving it. Victor Lavalle’s feminist tale of a woman traveling to Montana with nothing but an old steam trunk builds the tension and mystery from the very first page. We meet Adelaide Henry minutes before setting her house on fire with her parents in it. Immediately I’m thinking will she prove to be an unreliable narrator orrrrr did this really just happen? and what could possibly motivate her to do this?

The year is 1915 and the United States is offering homesteading opportunities to groups otherwise denied a chance to own home/land in order to develop the frontier. Adelaide finds and advertisement with an offer and begins her travels which lead her to an area in Montana with other single women. She was looking to keep a low profile after leaving her burning childhood home but what she found was others like her looking to keep their secrets buried. Adelaide’s steamer trunk is padlocked, we don’t know what’s in it. We just know that Adelaide is attached to whatever is in it and that if it were to get out, it would most likely spell trouble for whoever is around it. The mystery of the trunk paired with the opening pages make it hard to put this story down for too long.

WHAT’S IN THE TRUNK ADELAIDE?

Victor Lavalle’s books have always been on my radar so when the DRC widget showed up in my inbox, I was hyped up. That being said, I took some time to gather my thoughts for a review simply because I wanted to make sure I got the vibe right. Slow paced and atmospheric this tale will have you sitting in your thoughts and doubting whether you can trust our MC. I found myself going back and forth on Adelaide’s motives and just plain theorizing. I also had a chuckle or two over her desire to be left alone but also quietly enjoying the small group of women that like it or not are all in her business…this would 100% be me! c’mon cold Montana with its natural challenges couldn’t have been easy, it makes sense they’d want to look out for one another. That the group also included another black woman who helped her with her hair was truly a heartwarming moment. The importance of community specifically between women is a theme we see woven throughout. Our MC had that in her small childhood community amongst other black families, the sense of loss and disconnect is deeply conveyed.

Recommended for:

📜 Book Lovers who crave a Historical Fiction with horror in the mix

⚒️ Slow paced reads

📜 Character driven stories

⚒️ Atmosphere over plot

📜 Lastly, bad ass women holding it down and staking their claim on the land

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Spoiler Free Review: Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese

Title: Hester

Author:Laurie Lico Albanese

Pub. Date: October 4th 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction/Feminist Retelling

Format: eARC

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Pages: 336

☆☆ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review☆☆╮

╰☆☆ “𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀 𝐢𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐝,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲. “𝐑𝐞𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞?” 𝐇𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤. “𝐍𝐨,” 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐲. “𝐀 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫.” ☆☆╮

The last book I read in October was less of a retelling and more of an origin story for Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter. A slow paced Historical Fiction set in Salem right after the Salem Witch Trials, this one is more character driven and atmospheric. We follow Isobel Gamble, a young seamstress who leaves Scotland due to her husband Edward succumbing to Opium. Edward is an Apothecary who has indebted them to the point of disgrace so much so that setting sail for Salem could be their only hope of rebuilding. Shortly after arriving in Salem, Edward joins another sailing ship and leaves Isobel without any money to fend for herself. With her needle & stitch work, Isobel begins to grow a customer base. Her stitch work is different and instantly garners the attention of all the women in town and abroad. Different in Salem ALWAYS spells trouble. Different gets you accused of witchcraft. Different can get you hung for your sins. Isobel quickly learns that being a woman makes you susceptible to accusations by the townsfolk, especially a woman whose husband trails a bad reputation and has just left her alone. Not all townsfolk are eager to ostracize her, Isobel finds good people who impart wise advice. Isobel inadvertently discovers the very beginnings of the Underground Railroad and becomes an ally when things hit close to home.

This was a hybrid read for me once I found out that the audiobook narrator really had given a stellar performance. I found the audiobook highly enjoyable, our main character has a brogue accent to represent her Scottish origins. This in and of itself plays an important role in the story, Isobel is met with prejudice as soon as she arrives in Salem due to her accent. She’s a woman with a lot of secrets and she’s come to live in a place where any personality quirks can get you accused of witchcraft. Isobel happens to hear and read words in colors, a secret passed on down the line of women in her family. During the time this book is set in the 1800’s, there wasn’t a name for what Isobel and her family could do. The author does give some info at the beginning of the story on Synesthesia, a blending of the senses or better described as experiencing one of your senses through another. I’d recommend Hester to anyone who has read The Scarlet Letter or readers who enjoy Historical Fiction set in Salem during the 1800’s. Character driven and atmospheric, this is one Feminist “re-telling” perfect for this time of year!

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Spoiler Free Review: The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: The Daughter Of Doctor Moreau

Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Pub. Date: July 19th 2022

Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy/Historical Fiction

Format: eARC

Publisher: Del Rey

Pages: 320

☆☆ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review☆☆╮

Characters: 10/10 Atmosphere: 10/10 Writing Style: 10/10 Plot: 8/10 Intrigue: 9/10 Logic/Relationships: 10/10 Enjoyment: 10/10

Rating: 67/9.6 = ☆☆ 5 Stars☆☆╮

Rating system created by The Book Roast

The genre blending Silvia Moreno-Garcia is back with another hit and this one has managed to dethrone Mexican Gothic for me! didn’t think it was possible, foolish me. This time we’re transported to 19th century Mexico in a reimagining of H.G. Wells The Island of Doctor Moreau. Carlota Moreau is growing up in a lavish estate alongside her father who’s genius mind pushes boundaries and defies ethics, a madman who was exiled from his birth country in Europe. Moreau’s work is centered on creating human-animal hybrids, his experiments have led to the creation of many that are deformed and suffering from the pain of their limbs/bone structure. The benefactor of the estate is beginning to apply pressure on results and has threatened to cut off funding. The Hybrids come to life, some with endearing personalities and others with a whole lot of heart and desire for something more than a life in hiding. Some have heard the rumors of a Mayan rebel leader who is fighting back against colonization out in the Yucatan Peninsula. They dream of escaping by joining his rebel groups and want Carlota to leave with them. When the benefactor’s son Eduardo Lizalde arrives at the Hacienda, it’s love at first sight and Carlota’s dad who is desperate for continued funding is overjoyed with their romance. The only person who stands in their way is the new Mayordomo in the Hacienda, Montgomery Laughton.

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Friends, to say that I hated Eduardo is an understatement. A sleaze ball who sees Carlota more as a trophy he must win. In the other corner we have Montgomery Laughton who is the second POV we get in this story. Yes, he does have a LOT of demons and Yes I still ended up enjoying his broody drunk character. There’s an age gap between him and Carlota but he isn’t pressed to try and win her over even though he acknowledges the fact that he loves her. SMG gives us Gothic vibes in a historical backdrop where we have themes of colonization, human exploitation/experimentation and the ethics bound to it, racism towards the Mayans, abuse of power, and a feminist MC who could EASILY have become a better scientist than her father if she weren’t expected to conform to societal expectations. That being said, seeing Carolta’s evolution was satisfying on a whole other level! This is one not to be missed especially if you were on the fence over Mexican Gothic. I’d say give this one a go but be prepared to see yourself become over protective of Cachito, my favorite of the hybrids! ❤

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Spoiler Free Review: The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas

Title: The Hacienda

Author: Isabel Cañas

Pub. Date: May 3rd 2022

Genre: Paranormal/Historical Fiction

Format: eARC

Publisher: Berkley

Pages: 352

☆☆ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review☆☆╮

Characters: 7/10 Atmosphere: 7/10 Writing Style: 8/10 Plot: 6/10 Intrigue: 7/10 Logic/Relationships: 7/10 Enjoyment: 6/10

Rating: 48/6.8 = ☆☆ 3 Stars☆☆╮

Rating system created by The Book Roast

Isabel Canas’ Gothic Historical Fiction set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence has been compared to the likes of Mexican Gothic & Rebecca. The story starts off with Beatriz whose father has been killed as a rebel and their home destroyed, leaving her and her mother in poverty. Begrudgingly taken in by her mother’s Criollo side of the family, Beatriz is constantly reminded of her Mestizo blood and slightly darker complexion. She’s delegated to the kitchen in an effort to avoid having to recognize her as being a part of their family up until she gets noticed by wealthy widower/Hacendado Rodolfo. Seeing no way out of her situation, she takes his marriage proposal even though it goes against everything her father fought for. It also means being disowned by her mother as she leaves for San Isidro to live in the Hacienda. A home she believed to make her own, a home that has a soul of it’s own and is haunted by the horrors that have taken place there. The Hacienda doesn’t accept Beatriz as it’s new Dueña and makes sure she knows this. With her husband away from home on business, Beatriz seeks help from the local priest Andres for a home spiritual cleansing. What she didn’t expect was to learn her husbands dark secrets or to fall for the mysterious priest with secrets of his own.

Atmospheric and dark, It was easy to get sucked in and get spooked right along with our Main character as she unraveled the mystery at the core of this story. This had exorcist vibes all along, and I’ll admit that because of this I was much more interested in our priests POV than Beatriz. There’s teasing of a forbidden romance but that’s just what it remains all throughout the book. We also don’t see much interaction between Beatriz & her new husband. I would say this was more of an exploration of the Casta system and the tension/animosity between Criollos and Mestizos. There’s social commentary with regards to the Hacendados vs. the families who’ve worked the lands, and who then really has rights to the land. As I was reading I kept telling myself this was really well researched which makes sense seeing as Cañas has a doctorate in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. I enjoyed the writing but ultimately felt something was missing and I couldn’t pinpoint what that was. I’m a lover of character driven stories and that may very well be where I felt the disconnect. I’m open to reading more from this author seeing as they cover themes I’m very interested in. This debut novel covers themes of racism, religion, war, colonialism, colorism, bodily autonomy, and the Casta system.

CW: mention of rape and murder, colorism, racism

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