Book Summary and Reviews of The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

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Linda_S3

I really enjoyed The Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas!
Although speculative fiction is not my usual jam, there seemed to be something for everyone here - mystery, suspense, romance, religion, history, and horror - with several themes to make the book attractive to book clubs. I was especially interested in the details about silver mining, as well as Alba's desire, nay passion, to keep control over her body, something certainly not common for a woman in 1765, the time in which the novel takes place.

The novel's structure, a back and forth between the two main characters, was well done; the atmosphere was spooky; the characters were well drawn and likable (well, most of them anyway). A solid 5-star read!

Stephanie H. (Graham, NC)

Thrilling read
I loved this book. It kept me on my toes and held my interest even though this isn't my go-to genre. It was a thoroughly enjoyable book. Highly recommend.

Kevin H. (Littleton, CO)

A Very Interesting Kind of Gothic Horror
The Possession of Alba Diaz is not the kind of book I would normally select.

But I'm glad I did.

It contains an interesting plot with surprises that held all the way until the very end. As a bonus, I learned quite a bit of new stuff in regards to history, chemistry, and geography. I spent a lot of time looking things up as I read only to discover things that I never knew before and were presented with accuracy as key plot elements.

The story is presented as a back and forth point of view between the two protagonists, and the author's use of this technique was quite effective.

I look forward to reading other stories by this author. She has me hooked!

Linda_Monaco

The Possession of Alba Diaz
This book is a riveting, atmospheric blend of Mexican gothic, horror, and historical fiction. Alba Diaz wants to have control of her body and person during the mid 18th Century, a time period when women didn't have much control over anything in their lives. Instead she finds herself fleeing an outbreak of the plague, lost is a silver mine, possessed by a demon and subjected to an exorcism courtesy of the Catholic Inquisition.

This book is filled with tension, dread and even a bit of gothic romance thrown in for good measure. It's also a lesson in the use of mercury for the amalgamation of silver and the deleterious effects of mercury on the human body. This book was my first introduction to the writings of Isabel Canas. I will be sure to read her other novels.

The Possession of Alba Diaz will keep you on the edge of your chair reading long past your bedtime. It's a unique gem.

Rachel

A Perfect Combination of Horror & Romance
Thanks to BookBrowse & Penguin Random House/Berkley for the digital ARC copy!

I loved Isabel Cañas's other two books, The Hacienda and The Vampires of El Norte, but The Possession of Alba Díaz just became my favorite of the three. The story follows Alba and her family as they move to an isolated mine, where something dark latches onto Alba and won't let go. 

"The was a war of wills, and her body was the battlefield."

Alba is such a great character who feels real. She feels trapped by her family and the suffocating patriarchy of the 1700s. And then there's Elías. I didn't go into this book expecting such a lovely romance, but Alba and Elías are truly perfect.

"He was a ship lost at sea. Sextant overboard, no wind in his sails, and only her star, her brilliant star, guiding him through the dark."

The Possession of Alba Díaz is a perfect combination of romance and horror, with all of the gore and terror one expects from a demonic possession story. And the book absolutely nails the ending. While there are probably some criticisms to be made, I can't think of anything negative to say about this book at the moment. 5 stars.

Trisha T. (Auburn, WA)

a fun dark gothic haunting
A young woman, defined by her status of family and financial standing. Rather than be bartered off to a duke or some other man looking for financial status of gain, she chooses to tie herself to a close childhood friend and force her parents to accept her choice. But a plague sickness hits her town and they must flee to the mountains to try to avoid the death its passing around.

There our main character, Alba, meets Elias. What follows is a haunting Alba knew nothing about, a possession all must face and fight, and a reckoning on what it means to be a woman with few choices in this time. Trading one cage for another - if they are all a cage, does it matter whether you chose it?

While I did find the haunting and possession creepy and I loved the descriptions of the smoke, the eyes, and the chanting - I found a few spots with the story really got lost in the silver and mercury details. It's a slow burn, especially to start, and it took me a few chapters to really get into it. The ending pulled it all together nicely, though. A fun dark, gothic story.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.