The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas

TL;DR: A book in halves for me. Half I loved, half I didn’t.
Source: NetGalley, thank you so much to the publisher!

Plot: Alba tricks her way into an engagement and then finds herself possessed at a mine.
Characters: I really enjoyed everyone here.
Setting: A lovely setting but I kind of wish we had more IN the mine.
Horror: This didn’t kick off till over half way through the book but it was fun when it did!

Thoughts:

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family’s isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong.

Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family’s legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin’s betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can’t help but notice her every time she enters a room or the growing tension between them… and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon’s thirst for blood grows stronger.

Thoughts:

Isabel Cañas horror novels always give a unique spin on old tropes in the space. Everything is based on historical settings, with cultural spins we don’t normally see in publishing and they’re always a delight. The Possession of Alba Díaz looks at mine workers, classism, and the impact of religion on small populations. And while I enjoyed this one it wasn’t her strongest for me.

The first half of this was by far the most boring I’ve found all of Isabel Cañas’s works, which was a big disappointment. I felt little connection to the characters and actually read half the book and set it down for over two weeks I cared so little. However, after 50% when the horror really started to kick in I barreled through this story.

The possession while not not scary, felt horrific and twisted and wild. And while I saw the actual story twists that came, the path of the story itself was unique and had me surprised. The ending does wrap-up in a nice little bow so if that’s not your favorite thing, know that. But overall the last portion of this was great.

A mixed bag for me, but I ultimately will continue to pick up and read this author as there was a lot of it I enjoyed. As long as you go in knowing the first portion is a bit dull, you can push through to some unique and spooky horror.