Spooktober: The Possession of Alba Diaz – Exorcise Your Fate

Secrets, lies, alchemy, and demons. For our latest entry in October spooky books, I present The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Cañas. The book follows the titular Alba, a young woman looking to escape the clutches of arranged marriage through a partnership of her own making, and Elias, an alchemist haunted by a troubled past just trying to make his money and move on. When a demonic presence awakens within the Mexican Silver mine that both of their families have a vested interest in, they find they must work together before bodies begin to pile up.

I found myself easily invested in this book. This is my third read by Cañas and I was really excited to jump into one of her worlds again. On the surface, this is a book about a demonic possession, but digging deeper, it’s much more about autonomy and the lengths someone would go to protect their own. Alba isn’t only at the risk of being “possessed” by the demon. She’s possessed by her family, possessed by her duties, and possessed by the church. Elias is possessed by his familial obligations. Bartholome is possessed by his fanaticism. This is as much a story about breaking free from your chains as it is freeing yourself from a demon. 

That said, I fully support women’s rights…and women’s wrongs. This story was delightfully scary, had major creepy vibes, and a satisfying ending. 7/10 Spookies.