This is everything I want in a book. A lush, gothic romance with forbidden love and demons? Yes please! Isabel Cañas has done it again.

I love how the title for this book is doubly apt. It’s a representation of Alba becoming “possessed” by something, but also, she as a “possession” of someone else, and how her safety is tethered to being kept by others, in a way… I really found that intriguing.

Cañas writes such phenomenal historical fiction where her female characters are oppressed due to the time and antiquated ways, but they are always strong and SO capable. They rise up and overcome, but the path is always full of such obstacles. It’s powerful every time.

The supernatural elements really shine in this book, as does the forbidden romance. I highly recommend this one!

This is a fantastic novel set against the backdrop of an 18th century Mexican silver mine. Atmospheric and creepy, this story is a blend of horror, historical fiction, and forbidden love. Isabel has outdone herself with this book. Her ability to blend history, the supernatural and romantic longing is top notch. The Possession of Alba Diaz is about just that, possession. And where there is a possession, there is exorcism. Some of the scenes in this book rival the best I've seen on a screen or read in another book. Top notch, no notes, Isabel ate and left no crumbs. Thank you so much to Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC. You definitely need to pick this up when it publishes August 19, 2025!

isabel canas i love you!! the plot, the horror, the romance, the characters, the inner voices/demons, all of it was top tier thank you.

An incredible new novel by Canas with gorgeous atmosphere and excellent suspense. The new queen of horror and suspense!

Isabel Cañas's best novel yet. Dark and atmospheric, it's set in spooky mines in colonized Mexico during a plague. The book is about, well, Alba Díaz and her experience being possessed and later exorcised. But it's also about so much more! Following characters you'll (mostly) root for, Cañas condemns colonization and religious missionaries while championing bodily autonomy, particularly for women - all while spinning one of the best possession horror stories I've ever read.

And the ending! Perfection. Like 100%, could not have been any better level perfection.

“What a fun read”—not exactly the words I expected to say after reading a book about an 18th century exorcism. But Isabel Cañas has managed to blend historical fiction, romance, and demonic horror in a way that made the book hard to put down.

Her ability to speed up and slow down at the appropriate time is impressive. Moments with Spanish high society in the 1700s drip by languorously, while action scenes hit an exciting staccato pace. The romance is drawn out gracefully in a way that makes the horror that comes next that much more effective.

My only major gripe comes from the final tenth of the book. Something shifts in the tone dramatically to wedge in a neat happy ending with a bow on top. Cañas lists her partner in the acknowledgements as the person who influences her need to write happy endings. It’s a beautiful sentiment, but I thought this one felt a little forced. Not that the ending needed to be sad. Just that what we got was a big shift in tone.

All that being said, The Possession of Alba Diaz is something quite special. It’s a meditation on the past and female autonomy, a frightening horror show, and a tender romance.

It’s a fun read.

I received an ebook from the publishers of this book for review purposes. And while this in no way affected my opinion, I mention that here for transparency.

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 in 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.

I wasn't really crazy about this. It started off great—I really liked Alba's character and how she didn't want to be forced to live her life on someone else's terms. But then it just got long, drawn-out, and boring. I do feel that some of it could have been cut to make a tighter story.

I also would have been extremely frustrated without knowing some Spanish. Seriously, sometimes it's frustrating when authors use a foreign language and the meaning isn't clear from context.

Thank you to NetGalley for the review copy.

🌟🌟🌟🌟

The world that Cañas crafted was so vivid. I could picture the world/each moment so well and that made my experience even better.

This is my first Cañas book and I am so happy that I have her other books on my TBR!

We follow Alba who has been adopted by her very white parents(this plays a major role in her upbringing/self image) as they are escaping to another town. It is supposed to be a quick trip, but Alba starts dealing with hallucinations and sleep walking.

We are also following Elías who I adore as he also ends up in the same mining town as Alba. He has been an outcast from his family and his story line was so interesting to me.

We are watching these two unravel so many different things and while I wish I could tell you… alas… I cannot 😉

The romance is more of a subplot IMO which made it that more fun when our love birds had moments together.

LOVED THE ENDING.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the eArc!

5/5

With the state of things, now more than ever I want to read about blood soaked women, the women who fight tooth and claw (wink wink) for their futures in a world set to dually possess and demonize them. With that resounding desire in mind, The Possession of Alba Díaz found its way into my hands. Isabel Cañas’ latest novel is an atmospheric gothic bloodbath involving the Inquisition, patriarchy, and autonomy, furthering plots far more violent than a mere possession. Alba Díaz, a young woman facing down a loveless marriage, flees various monsters real and mythic in a desperate attempt to seize control of a future that was never hers to own. From the moment I read the lines, “Alba plotted to sin again,” I knew I was in the hands of a master and Cañas spends this entire novel proving that to be true. Where the greatest fear is standing strong in the face of those who seek to demean and control, The Possession of Alba Díaz leads its protagonist down a path where she aligns with the demon within. It's a haunting tale retold that begs the question if we can ever achieve control of our own narratives or if autonomy can only be gained through giving into our own demonization.

My full review is published now on my blog!

The Possession of Alba Diaz is a horror story about the possession of a young women in Mexico.
We are following Alba as she leaves a small village to escape an illness that’s in the city. As Alba begins to show signs of posession she also becomes romantically involved with the mysterious cousin of her fiancé.

If you like reading amazing details about the settings this book is exactly that. This book was really immersive as you were able to really feel like you were in the 18th Century with Alba.
This book also had body horror due to the possession and did creep me out quite a bit.

If you enjoyed Mexican gothic for the vibes this book gives the same vibes.

🌒 Gothic Horror | 💀 Possession | 🇲🇽 Historical Fiction

Set in 18th century Mexico, this eerie, atmospheric tale follows Alba Díaz, a fiercely independent young woman who seeks peace in a remote mining village—only to find herself at the mercy of something unnatural. What begins as a refuge quickly becomes a haunted battleground with Alba caught between familial duty, social expectations, and her own terrifying transformation.

This is a rich, immersive world. Beautifully drawn, but maybe a bit too much of a good thing—like the setting didn’t know when to step back: from the clinking of silver to the scent of simmering stews, you can practically hear the creak of old floorboards and the whisper of something waiting in the shadows. 🌫️

The horror is equal parts grotesque and gripping. Think: twisted limbs, gaping mouths, and the slow, creeping dread of losing control. I liked the theme, but sometimes it felt a little too obvious. 🩸📚

The pacing was hard for me. There’s a lot of silver talk and the alchemy subplot wasn’t fully explored. You’ll need some patience to get to the exorcisms with this one. 🐢

If you love horror with a historical edge, detailed settings, and themes of autonomy and entrapment, you may fair better with this one than I did. Just prepare for a slow burn and additional explanation and background information as it unfolds.

I sat with this for a few days before gathering my thoughts, and just know it pains me to write this. As my most anticipated read, I’m not sure if I set myself up because my expectations were too high, or…what?

We follow two POVs in 1765. Alba and her family stay at her fiancé’s family’s mine, where she begins sleepwalking and getting these strange feelings. Elías is the cousin of her fiancé, who just wants to mind his business, get his fortune and escape his family. But their paths continue to cross and he notices the changes overtaking Alba.

Unfortunately I didn’t connect with the characters the way I had in Cañas previous two books. The switch between POVs also felt a little choppy to me and took me out of the story. I had a hard time with the pacing, but this book still had moments that shined, like how eerie and atmospheric it was. The Mexican history and culture is also so wonderfully written and is one of my favorite aspects about Cañas’ books! The romance was also a highlight, though it fell a little short for me. What romantic tension we do get left me hungry and yearning for more! The horror elements were also well done and this felt like a classic possession story.

I also liked how this book used the theme of possession as a take on bodily autonomy, but I wish that had been expanded more. A big portion of this book felt like set up and I even found myself questioning at the 60% mark when was this all going to click for me? It makes me so sad to say that it didn’t. Cañas is one of my favorite authors and I’m coming to terms with the fact that this just wasn’t my favorite and it’s okay that this didn’t work for me!

IC has a way of writing historical gothic horror like no other. I love how she intertwines Mexican culture and history with these vibrant stories of emotion and triumph.

This book follows in the same vein as her previous books with a slow burn of a horror story and an underlying romance that drives a lot of the tension in the book. Unlike the previous books, this is more directly a possession story and there is some great body horror moments, and more direct horror.

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. 

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

Alba is such a great character who feels real, as she struggles with her toxic 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.

Well, I didn’t see that ending coming! But I loved it. No spoilers but what a wonderful story. I really loved the characters, especially Alba, Elías, and Victoriana. Even the mercury seemed like a character and while I know it was named Mercury for its alchemical association to the planet, Mercury, the element is definitely a woman.

Aristotle wrote that Daedalus made a wooden statue of Aphrodite move by pouring quicksilver in its interior; definitely a better name for mercury would have been Aphrodite or some version of its Greek name, hydrargyrum, meaning water silver. I digress but Cañas writes so lyrically about mercury, and the water silver and the metal, silver, are so much a part of the book that they become nearly anthropomorphized.

And then, of course, there is a demon and possession and a goddess and love and death. And did I say there is a great ending? I highly recommend!

When I heard about the new Isabel Cañas novel “The Possession of Alba Diaz,” I was very excited. The description sounded amazing, and she is one of my favourite authors. The story starts with a guy, Elias, who finds a book of spells in a book bazaar. He has studied alchemy so he’s into magic. He gets a letter saying his father has returned and that he has to go back to Spain. Elias's grandfather has used some trickery to get him back here, and says that Elias can help solve a huge problem with a mine, owing to his knowledge of alchemy. Elias is, to put it mildly, less than enthused.

And then we get into the viewpoint of the titular Alba. She has her own family problems as well. She comes from a wealthy family, but is treated like a mestiza of mixed race because while most people in the region where is are fair-haired and light-eyed, she has dark hair and eyes. She also has to deal with a bunch of older dudes who have been trying to ensnare her in a marriage she doesn’t want. Her connection to the silver mine that Elias has to worry about is revealed soon. Meanwhile, she discovers more family secrets. Her ticket out of this place (she thinks, and she hopes) is a guy, Carlos, who she has known since childhood. They're engaged to be married so that both of them can get out of dodge when they get the first chance. And then, the story becomes so much more. I will always say that it's difficult to do religious horror, especially involving demonic possession, in a way that feels fresh or gives readers a reason to root for the characters impacted, and this novel more than delivers on that.

The gothic opulence of this novel drips with so much tension and atmosphere -- the immersive text, the mysteries, and the heat of it all, will make readers lose themselves between the pages. It is an absolute must-read that you’ll be racing toward the end of going “It can’t end like this!" and savouring each page with the hope of something good for Elias and Alba. If you loved “The Vampires of El Norte,” this book is even more brimming with that amazing energy.

Vampires of El Norte was my favorite book of 2023, and remains one of my favorite books ever, so it should come to no surprise that I begged Berkley for an ARC of Isabel Cañas’s new book, and let me tell you, The Possession of Alba Díaz did not disappoint.

The story follows Alba as she and her family flee from a plagued Zacatecas and seek refuge at a silver mine belonging to her fiancé’s family. What is meant to be an escape quickly becomes the opposite as Alba is hit with hallucinations, violent convulsions and bouts of sleepwalking.
Isabel Cañas has a way of crafting such a rich and tangible environment, especially when it comes to the history of Mexico. The novel was atmospheric, gothic, and eerie. Like with her previous novels the theme in this felt very relevant. The novel explores bodily autonomy, patriarchy, religion (the Catholic Church), and colonialism.

Alba is a woman in a society that has expectations of her and so she takes matters into her own hands to secure herself a future that she knows she can be in control of. The idea of control and choice are central to the plot and I loved the way it was explored through Alba’s possession. Chapter 21 has a juicy scene on this, so please look forward to that!

Like the synopsis reveals, Alba ends up confiding in someone she shouldn’t—her fiancé’s cousin, Elías. Although the romance is a subplot and far less prominent when compared to her last novel, Isabel Cañas creates such a compelling romance between the characters that literally had me giddy in anticipation for the next crumb of tension between Alba and Elías. I could write an essay on how I absolutely devour the romance in her novels. Both characters have their own internal struggle that they’re working through and yet come together to fight their demons (literally and figuratively), and are better for it.

With the ability to create beautiful stories with depictions of Mexico’s history and folklore, along with captivating characters and themes, Isabel Cañas has solidified herself as a favorite author of mine. Do yourself a favor and pick up The Possession of Alba Díaz when it’s out August 19th!

I have read all of this author's books, and think this is my favorite so far. I really enjoy the specificity and detail of the historical setting, combined with the more off the wall supernatural elements. The setting really helps ground the story in a way that I think is kind of unique and makes for a very fun read! The ending in particular gets pretty twisty and definitely kept me on my toes. I think her books keep getting better and will read whatever she writes next as well.