Welcome to La Casa de las Gardenias, haunted and cursed not only by the family living there, but ghosts buried within.

Starting from the slums with no food or familial love, Minerva Treviño takes a chance on becoming the maid for Encarnación del Valle, from the wealthy and infamous del Valle family known for its political power. Señora Encarnación teaches Minerva how to steel herself and shows her more love and care than her own father. When the president is overthrown and fighting shows on their doorstep, Minerva and Señora del Valle travel to the House of Gardenias, the family’s secluded mountain escape. Something lurks in the shadows of the house, tension heats and soldiers clash, armed with Señora’s teachings, Minerva will try to save her brother and ghosts long trapped inside.

Isabel Cañas’ writing is so rich in culture, this hardly feels like a YA novel, I loved everything from the setting to the characters. The atmosphere is gothic, old world Mexico on the brink of civil war and fight for control, danger and violence make the third act of the book powerful and bittersweet.

I enjoyed the pacing and the length of the book. However, the ending felt a little bit rushed. The overall mood of the story is gritty and dark, I liked the many brighter moments like sparks of the chisma magic mentioned throughout. I loved Minerva. The book has strong girl power vibes, even with all the obstacles in her way, she never backed down from doing what was right. The romance angle between her and Ygnacio was so reminiscent of earlier 2000s novels and it worked so well. There was tension and beauty in their connection, dark meeting light, it felt wonderful.

I think Cañas’ fans will like this book just as much as her adult ones.

Thank you to Penguin Teen / Dutton Books for Young Readers for the advance review copy.

Pub date: September 29, 2026

Title: The House of Gardenias
Author: Isabel Cañas
Genre: Gothic Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️