Beautifully written fantasy with elements of magical realism, identify, and family. An August Book of the Month! Fast paced page turner that's enjoyable from start to finish.

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina
By Zoraida Cordova

This book is out-of-this-world!!

This book is almost too good to be true. It's fun and fast-paced and rich and immersive, and it has amazing roots and context. It’s a must-read!!

It is tough to describe the feeling you're going to get when you pick this book up. It will feel familiar yet ethereal. It's an incredible fusion of 3-D and 5-D world concepts. It will feel at some points like you're reading a steamy and diverse version of THE NIGHT CIRCUS. And At other times, it feels like you're reading the script for an episode of AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAK SHOW mixed with WHEN A MONSTER CALLS.

The writing is enigmatic. There were magical creatures and even more magical characters with beautiful, tarot-card-like personalities, including The Star, Three of Swords, and Temperance. There is a lot of word-candy with juicy sentences and dialogue in passages that elicit emotions with sticky words like:
transmutation
mestizo
machete
ennui
sinew
lycanthrope

This is more than just your everyday average good book. It's more of an experience!
So get your hands on it!

10/10 recommend
All the STARS!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria Books for this advanced readers copy!

Author and writing-wise, I love the way Cordova writes her stories. The imagery she uses brought the book to life and character details made the story easy to imagine. It was a great mix of magic, mystery, and the bonds between family. The ending was a bit anti-climatic but overall it was a great read that I am sure will get the recognition it deserves upon release!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I've been a fan of Zoraida Córdova for years and her books are an insta-buy for me.

A lot is going on here in <i>The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina: A Novel</i>. Deep down it's a family mystery that only family can understand. There aren't too many characters outside of the Montoya family so it keeps everything in that group. Any mysteries that are solved will be solved by a Montoya. I could relate to this with my own family and how some events can only be fully understood by those involved.

A big part of the novel is about grandmothers having secrets and grandchildren not understanding that the abuelas can't say anything because who would understand. And because of that you can understand why the characters get frustrated with all the secrets.

I found this book to be a joy to read and it reminds me an Adult version of an Anna-Marie McLemore novel.

I felt like this fell just a little short of great. I wish the author had just focused on Orquidea's life instead of having so much of the story be about her many descendants. I would describe it as Practical Magic + Like Water for Chocolate. I will purchase the book and recommend it for fans of magical realism.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book! After seeing The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina as a Book of the Month pick for this month, I decided that I had to bump this up and read it sooner than I planned.

While I can't say that I enjoyed this story, I can see how it could be appealing to others who perhaps don't need the magic systems in their fantasy stories to be super in depth. For me personally, I would have liked MORE magic and more of a backstory. While I thought the conclusion wrapped it up nicely for the most part, I found myself wanting and expecting MORE from this family and their magical powers. I just never felt thoroughly satisfied with what I was being given. I don't think that there was enough exploration into the capabilities and seeing these cousins use the powers that they had been given and as a result, I just couldn't fully immerse myself in this book. Even now, I am having a hard time putting into words what I want, I just know that the writing was truly beautiful, but I just needed MORE.

Also, super petty and definitely doesn't take anything from this story, but I HATED hearing about the "pull" from behind the belly button over and over. You know that cliche "breath I didn't know I was holding" line found in most books that readers like to say makes them physically cringe? Well the pull, or pain, or feeling in their stomachs or whatever it was, that was mentioned over and over was that for me in this book.

What I will say I liked though was the character growth and development. I can find myself appreciating family drama that centers around angst and misunderstanding but for all of the best reasons and ultimately seeing this family reunite. It was truly the best part of this book for me.

All in all, I definitely appreciate the chance to get to read this early and I think that I may pick up more from this author because I did rather enjoy the writing style even if this particular book wasn't exactly my taste.

Orquidea Divina has sent letters to her family inviting them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance. The Montoyas hope to learn the secrets that Orquidea has held onto their whole lives. Instead Orquidea transforms, leaving them with more questions than answers.
This novel alternates between Orquideas past in Ecuador and her descendants present. It starts out very intriguing and as soon as i started reading I was captivated and interested in these characters. They are all unique and very magical in some way, especially our main characters Rey and Marimar.. oh and of course Orquidea Divina. Her mesmerizing and compelling character reminded me of Evelyn Hugo and not because of all the husbands she had.
The transformations, symbolism and family aspect of this novel was amazing. Everything was very well developed, giving us a very well explained ending. Sometimes many books throw in magical realism that confused a lot of readers but this author took the time to really go into depth with Orquidea's past and reveal why she did the things she did. I did not rate it a 5 but 4.5 because it had a compelling introduction and middle but expected more suspense towards the end.

Everyone pick up this book, gave me cottage witchy vibes. Looking forward in reading more of Zoraida Cordova's work!!

I can not express with words how much i loved this book! I couldn't put it down. This story is about a family who travels back to their roots in Ecuador.
I loved the characters and how the author brought them to life. I plan to reread this one

an interesting read with interesting imagery. i loved how the characters were developed! the writing definitely won me over. (rtc)

Wow. 4 wows to be exact, well, almost 5 wows. The writing style is gorgeously stunning, and the story is so original, fresh and magical that it will whisk you away to a unique world. It's rare to find a book that you can just keep reading, not worried about the time. I stumbled through the transitions of time and character but that was due to my personal taste and no fault of the author. The only quality that bugged me was my biggest pet peeve- too much description. Some settings and characters were detailed more than needed to set the scene. Overall, I'm very impressed with this author and excited to read her other work. Thank you to #NetGalley for offering this book.

I was so, so pleased to have gotten an ARC of this wonderful, magical and simply delightful new novel by Zoraida Córdova! It is my first foray into her work, though I've heard nothing but good stuff and I can guarantee it will not be my last.

Told in alternating timelines, following the titular Orquídea Divina in her youth, and three of her grand-children and one great-grandchild, Marimar, Rey, Tatinelly and her daughter, Rhiannon, this is a story of the strength of family (and how much they can annoy us!) and just what one will do to feel power when they are born powerless.

The mysterious Orquídea Divina showed up in Four Rivers with a house in her pocket and a determination to protect herself and her family from something she won't name. Five husbands later plus a plethora of children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild on the way, she calls he family home to claim their inheritance. Growing up in the magnificent house in Four Rivers, where the pantry never runs dry, the floors are scrubbed with a mixture of lemon, salt and herbs to keep evil out, and stories of fairies, Ecuadorian river monsters, and duendes are gospel truth, the Montoya's are used to the strange. What they find upon arrival, though, beggars belief, and sends them into a dangerous game of survival and truth.

I loved every second of this book. From the very first page I knew this was exactly my kind of book, and unless Cordova did something drastic, it wouldn't dip beneath a five star rating! I really enjoyed the dynamic of the large family (I've always wished to have a large family!), and how in the end, they come together to protect what's theirs despite their differences. This novel is certainly one of the most original takes on magic I've read in a long time, and while I kind of guessed the identity of the unnamed threat, it did nothing to diminish the exhilarating ride that was The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina!

This story was completely magical. I adored the writing and I lost myself constantly in these pages. I loved the characters and how the magic worked in this world.

What a wonderful story. The blurb let me know that I was in for a great ride, and it didn’t disappoint. Wonderful world building and character development.

i've always adored Cordova's works and this was no exception. i read it a while ago and i dont remember too much (my memory isnt the best when it comes to books) but i remember enjoying it.

This is my first Zoraida Córdova book, and after reading I have to say I’m a fan. This story was so delightfully weird and mystical, and it’s the first time in a while I haven’t been able to put a book down. I love stories that span multiple generations, and give multiple points of view from members of a unique and complex family. I can’t think of a better example of the term “magical realism” because while there are supernatural elements, they all felt strangely believable in the world we live in. The prose was lovely, the characters relatable, and the highs and lows gutwrenching. If you want an immersive story that grips you from the very start, this is it.

Is this me giving a book with magical realism 5 stars?
I finally found my kind of magical realism and this book is it!!

So enchanting, so beautiful, and so heartbreaking at the same time.

I connected so much to this book on so many levels but the most to the Spanish influences and lore and old wives tales thrown in because while I may not be from Ecuador my family is Mexican and Spanish and I grew up listening to all the same little life lessons and hearing about moving wallpaper from aunties and river monsters and when I leave this existence I hope to be reincarnated as a tree.

If I can crawl in this book and live with these characters and their flawed but perfect selves I'd be so happy.

I wanna say more but I don't want to ruin the magic of this story.
Just know this is a slightly more mature book than most ya But if y'all can read sjm you will be alright.

For me this was a really enjoyable story. Like the way the point of view of the narrator changed but it still one fluid story and the flashbacks added to the stories and profiles of the characters was done really nicely. I loved the descriptions of the valley and the characters. You can feel the depths of their magic in the words. And also relatable family connections and stories of how the relate to each other and the world around them and the world outside of Four Rivers. Orquidea and her personality and magic and secrets will have you continually turning the page and to discover more about her and the magic and secrets of her bloodlines. As a girl from a big Afrolatinx family I really enjoyed everything this book had to offer. I was originally pulled in my the cover art and author and the story itself has become a new fave.

Thank you to Atri Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was pure MAGIC. I loved that we start off knowing absolutely nothing about Orquídea until we learn her entire life through flashbacks. I loved the magic system and the slow unveiling of all of Orquídea's secrets, and how fine with it most of her family is.

It started off a little strange, but I adjusted to the style of writing. I've read a few or Zoraida Córdova's short stories, but htis was my first full-length novel, and was it a good one! I will definitely be recommending this to people!

Amazing rep all around.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a fantasy book that follows two timelines:
1. Orquídea Divina's past upbringing and
2. Her descendants' future, after attending her funeral

The imagery in this book was BEAUTIFUL. Every page was like a movie playing out in my mind (and, in fact, I think this would make a fantastic movie!). Orquídea Divina was an incredibly likable character and I was rooting for her the whole time.

I was really intrigued by the concept, and enjoyed what I read, but was left feeling unsatisfied with the ending and the amount of detail in the story.

I was expecting something with a lot more action and mystery (a la "Knives Out", "The Inheritance Games", or something Agatha Christie), but I found it to be more like a character study. I never really felt like anyone was in danger or anything was at stake. I wish we had more background and depth for some of the supporting/antagonist characters - I found it hard to understand their motivations.

I also think that the large number of POVs made it difficult to feel attached to any given character (other than Orquídea Divina).

I also felt like all of the action was smooshed into the last few chapters, and I would have liked to have seen it more evenly spread throughout the book, especially in the present.

Overall, I enjoyed the read, but wish it was a bit longer or structured differently so we could go more in depth.

I think fans of Caraval and The Night Circus would enjoy this book!

Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for the gifted e-ARC!

Zoraida Córdova's prose is lush, and some of her metaphors seriously take my breath away. I typically hate the phrase "compulsively readable," but in this case, I think it fits; I can never put her books down! I loved her Brooklyn Brujas series, and was very happy to read an adult fiction novel.

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina is about family, secrets, trauma, and loss. "Family," in the novel, is not simply blood relatives, but instead those to whom you are related that you choose as family. The Montoyas are a large family, but not all of them act like family, including the titular character.

The novel has two timelines: Orquidea's life to her death intertwines with the events starting at her funeral. There are several narrators as the story unfolds, truly fleshing out the experiences of everyone involved. By the end, the family has finally healed and come together, recovering from years of loss and lies.

The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina is, of course, great for fans of Cordova's other work, as well as anyone who loves a story about family with a heavy dose of magic. Despite having "adult themes," it would be fine for older teens. I suspect/hope this novel will win a bunch of awards.