The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

e-ALC, 11:35:06
Narrated by: Carolina Hoyos & Anthony Rey Perez
Release Date: August 19, 2025
Published by: Hachette Audio
Read from: July 28-31, 2025
Stand-alone
Source: Berkley (I received a free e-ALC from the publisher & their app. This did nothing to influence my review.) 
Content Warning: Blood, Death, Violence, Confinement, Misogyny, Sexism, Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, Death of a Parent
For Readers Interested In:  Adult, Audio, Historical Fiction, Horror, Sparkly Covers, Most Anticipated, Racial/Ethnic Diversity (Latinx-Mexican), Religious Diversity (Exorcism), Romance

      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 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.

*MY THOUGHTS*

This was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. I haven’t read very many books that were blatantly about a possession, so this went wayyyy to the top of my TBR as soon as I heard about it. And sure enough, this was everything I needed it to be.

OK so this is a gothic horror so it’s not jump scare scary, just bad vibes and bad juju scary. So much of this was chilling and terrifying. I don’t want to give too much away, but my goodness, this was the creepy. This is the first gothic novel that actually creeped out in a long time. This one really lived up to the hype and I was so glad.

Besides the creep factor, I had such a good time with the characters. Elías had a troubled past with his family and his life, but he still came to the place where he found his cousin who actually hates him. And he finds out there’s someone else that his father never said much about. And then there was Alba who was just trying to outrun a plague and marry someone that would let her live her full life. But somehow this whole thing brings the two of them together, and let me just say, I was so confused. I would have been too damn scared to focus on any of that lol

Ok so this entire book I was like ok, this is ok. Not too scary. But THE ENDING? As a Catholic this really resonated with me. I was on pins and needles. Nothing was really shocking. (I may not have read a lot of possessions, but I’ve watched enough of them.) Until the end tho. Omg I wasn’t prepared. The religion, the way he weilded it, and the villains that are unearthed. Lordt I bit all of my nails off. This was so good. I don’t know who or what else to say about this book that will make you read it without spoilers.

Gah I have deleted so much from this review because I didn’t want to spoil it for y’all. But my goodness, this was so good. Just know, it lived up to the hype for me. The little foreshadowing of what was happening to Alba, and all the suprises that Elías came upon was nuts. I loved it. It’s been a long time since I had to read something with the lights on.

Overall, I give this