The Possession of Alba Díaz
When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn’t trust…from bestselling author Isabel Cañas.
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 the growing tension between them every time she enters the room…and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon’s thirst for blood gets stronger.
In the fight for her life, Alba and Elías become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other… not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom.
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 the growing tension between them every time she enters the room…and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon’s thirst for blood gets stronger.
In the fight for her life, Alba and Elías become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other… not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom.
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Community Reviews
The Possession of Alba Díaz had all the ingredients I normally love: historical horror, a creepy mine, demonic possession, and forbidden yearning. And yet somehow, it managed to turn all of that into a very long, very moody stare into the middle distance.
Set in 1765 during a plague (because why choose just one crisis?), Alba flees with her wealthy family and fiancé to an isolated silver mine. Naturally, this is where an ancient demon decides to wake up, crawl inside her body, and ruin everyone’s vibes. Alba starts hallucinating, convulsing, sleepwalking, and generally being possessed in the most gothic way possible. Unfortunately, after the tenth scene of “Alba feels cold… something is wrong… something watches her,” I was also possessed… by boredom.
Enter Elías, the brooding, tormented man she absolutely should not trust and therefore immediately develops intense chemistry with. He notices her a lot. Like, a lot. The tension is supposed to be delicious, but it mostly felt like two people dramatically circling each other while the demon patiently waits for the plot to move forward.
The atmosphere is rich, the historical setting is well-researched, and the writing is undeniably lush. But lush can only carry a story so far when the pacing moves at the speed of a cursed mule. The horror rarely escalates, the possession feels repetitive rather than terrifying, and the emotional beats linger so long they start to feel embalmed.
The concept is excellent and the vibes are immaculate, but vibes alone cannot sustain a novel. I wanted more fear, more urgency, and significantly less slow-burning longing while a literal demon is hanging out underground like, “Hello?? I’m still here.”
Recommended only if you enjoy your horror extremely atmospheric, extremely introspective, and extremely committed to taking its sweet, cursed time.
Set in 1765 during a plague (because why choose just one crisis?), Alba flees with her wealthy family and fiancé to an isolated silver mine. Naturally, this is where an ancient demon decides to wake up, crawl inside her body, and ruin everyone’s vibes. Alba starts hallucinating, convulsing, sleepwalking, and generally being possessed in the most gothic way possible. Unfortunately, after the tenth scene of “Alba feels cold… something is wrong… something watches her,” I was also possessed… by boredom.
Enter Elías, the brooding, tormented man she absolutely should not trust and therefore immediately develops intense chemistry with. He notices her a lot. Like, a lot. The tension is supposed to be delicious, but it mostly felt like two people dramatically circling each other while the demon patiently waits for the plot to move forward.
The atmosphere is rich, the historical setting is well-researched, and the writing is undeniably lush. But lush can only carry a story so far when the pacing moves at the speed of a cursed mule. The horror rarely escalates, the possession feels repetitive rather than terrifying, and the emotional beats linger so long they start to feel embalmed.
The concept is excellent and the vibes are immaculate, but vibes alone cannot sustain a novel. I wanted more fear, more urgency, and significantly less slow-burning longing while a literal demon is hanging out underground like, “Hello?? I’m still here.”
Recommended only if you enjoy your horror extremely atmospheric, extremely introspective, and extremely committed to taking its sweet, cursed time.
I liked it. I enjoyed the characters and there was a romance but it was secondary to the possession aspect. I'd consider this more horror with romance.
I want to start a petition to convince Guillermo del Toro to adapt this fantastic piece of gory gothic romance into a film because I couldn't stop thinking about how much it would suit his style. Anyways, this book is amazing and feels like it was written for me, as it has everything I ever want in a story: gothic, historical setting, interesting culture, determined heroine, yearning romance, a flawed hero who loves her no matter what (and the "no matter what" is pretty big in this book), blood and danger, and some deliciously avenging commentary on religion, money, and what makes us truly good and evil. I loved every single page.
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