Young Adult Mexican Gothic Horror
The House of Gardenias
Teen & Young Adult Ghost Stories, Teen & Young Adult Fantasy
Dutton Books for Young Readers
September 29, 2026
Ebook, Hardcover, Audiobook
288
A stunning young adult debut from gothic master Isabel Cañas, bestselling author of The Hacienda, Vampires of El Norte, and The Possession of Alba Díaz.
Growing up in a city wracked by political violence and a home where she’s more likely to receive a beating than a meal, Minerva Treviño’s cowardice has kept her alive for sixteen years. But even she has a limit. Hungry and desperate, she musters enough courage to run away and take a job as lady’s maid to a wealthy widow who supports the deposed viceroy.
Minerva is happy serving Encarnación del Valle. She has food in her belly and the safety of a warm house lit by magical chispa. Why should she care who runs the country or how her employer affords the magic?
When the viceroy sweeps back into power, Minerva retreats with her gleeful employer to the family’s mountainside stronghold to wait out the inevitable rebel slaughter. At la Casa de las Gardenias, Minerva faces new threats in the haughty servants and cruel, scheming del Valles.
But the living residents of the house are the least of her worries. As Minerva quickly discovers, the ancient estate is home to forces far older and more bloodthirsty than anything she could have imagined.
An eerie young adult gothic horror story with a touch of dark magic
The House of Gardenias by Isabel Cañas is a young adult gothic horror novel set in colonial Mexico. The city is experiencing political unrest, and the FMC, Minerva, flees an abusive, impoverished home to work for Señora Encarnación, a relation of the viceroy. She was one of my favorite characters in this story. This tough-as-nails, bitter aristocrat, who survived the overthrow of her family, takes Minerva under her employ as a maid because no one else will work for her. They develop an unlikely kinship when the president is overthrown and the de Valles once again climb to the top of the city’s political ladder. In the midst of the civil unrest, Señora Encarnación and Minerva are taken to the de Valle mansion, the House of Gardenias, for their safety.
Cañas does an excellent job developing a palpable, eerie gothic atmosphere within the house. This is a house where the shadows have teeth and echoes of footsteps haunt your movements. As Cañas is a new author to me—and gothic horror is generally an unexplored genre for me—I really enjoyed how satisfyingly creepy the writing made me feel. Minerva, as the main character, also plays an unexpected role in this horror story. She is most certainly not a victim and actually finds a kinship with the shadows of the house. It was unexpected, and at first I wasn’t sure what to think of this angle, but it really grew on me.
The ending is completely satisfying—a bit gory, a bit vengeful, and, surprisingly, a bit heartbreaking. It truly is a unique take on a gothic horror story.
The House of Gardenias is a great young adult gothic horror read that I believe adult readers will enjoy as well. I’d recommend it!
Celeste is a woman who is unwavering about certain things in life; three of those being books, cats, and cold brew coffee. If she can enjoy all three at the same time, it’s going to be a good day. Her favorite genres are fantasy or sci-fi romance, historical romance, and historical fiction but every few books she likes to mix it up with contemporary fiction, a good psychological thriller, or an inspiring memoir. She has a busy schedule working full-time for an online university but she makes sure to unwind each day with stories, either by reading to her elementary school-aged daughter or tucking herself in bed with her Kindle or the latest book she picked up at a local book store.
