The Possession of Alba Díaz

By Isabel Cañas

Book Overview

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 Ca as.

In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fianc , 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.

El as, 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 El as become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other... not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0593641078
• ISBN13: 9780593641071
• Release Date: August 2025
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful and creepy

The writing, the writing, the writing. The story. It’s all so good creepy and lovely.

Haunting and heartbreaking

Well, this is a great book to get you into the spirit of Halloween and horror! It has it all with the creepy mines where you can hear a baby cry, the dangers of mercury poisoning that takes your mind in the end and oh yeah, a bit of demonic possession! The prose is haunting and vivid and by the end, quite gory. It paints a dark picture of the small town attached to the silver mine where it all started and I could see it all! Tied with the demonic possession of Alba, is also a message of her desire for freedom of her own body and to choose her future. It is a great foil against the story as, although she chose who her fiancé would be (via blackmail), it was not for her happiness. and at almost every turn, someone kept trying to trap Alba into an ever shrinking world. I think that is what struck me the hardest and was so heartbreaking. From her parents, her fiancé Carlos, to the demon inside her and the priests brought in to quell the idolatry of the town and exorcise her. On the other hand there is Elías, also tormented by the heritage of his father, pressured by family who doesn't love him, and also being poisoned by the mercury he uses to keep the mine active. Both he and Alba deserve far better than what happens to them! I loved that together they could fight the demon and their families and I will admit, despite the horror of the end scene, I found I could not blame those two for their actions and felt it was the ending they all deserved for what they did to both Alba and Elías. Yes, it is a dark story but I really liked it, from the setting to the rich history of that time in Mexico with its mines, religion. and folklore. I am glad I got the chance to read this.