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

The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas

The Possession of Alba Díaz

by Isabel Cañas

  • Readers' Rating (6):
  • Publishes:
  • Aug 19, 2025, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

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.

In the fight for her life, Alba and Elías become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and one another… not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Cañas' latest gothic thriller combines an exploration of history, greed, toxic silver mining techniques, forbidden knowledge, and the dichotomies of wealth, family, class, faith, and good versus evil into a compelling, horrifying tale of possession that will only expand her growing audience." —Booklist (starred review)

"Chilling.... the richly layered narrative offers much to hold readers' interest as it probes themes of colonialism, patriarchy, and autonomy. Cañas's fans will not be disappointed." —Publishers Weekly

"Cañas's vivid and detailed descriptions of the novel's setting in 18th-century Mexico add to the experience of reading this atmospheric and original take on the possession story." —Library Journal

This information about The Possession of Alba Díaz was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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More Information

Isabel Cañas is a Mexican American speculative fiction writer. After having lived in Mexico, Scotland, Egypt, Turkey, and New York City, among other places, she has settled in the Pacific Northwest. She holds a doctorate in Near Eastern languages and civilizations and writes fiction inspired by her research and her heritage.

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