The Possession of Alba Díaz
by Isabel Cañas
A Perfect Combination of Horror & Romance (4/19/2025)
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.
