All the praise this book is getting is 100% deserved. It is a beautiful book with amazing imagery and detail. I loved reading this story and found myself completely sucked in. The writing is solid and the characters developed and interesting. The end felt a little drawn out but otherwise a truly awesome book to read that I would highly recommend everyone read. I will definitely be purchasing a copy when it’s released.

This book is magical. I couldn't put it down once I started reading it. This is the sort of book you revisit every few years. It leaves you thinking. The writing is phenomenal. The magic is amazing. It's an easy 5 stars.

An Atmospheric, lush, and unforgettable novel full of magic, and myth. Equal parts strange and stunning — this book reels you in, and keeps you hooked, page after page. This book kept surprising me - and reading it was the epitome of fun! This book made me laugh out loud, it made me tear up, it made me rage, and it made me believe in magic.

I loved the dynamics and the exploration of family - the messiness, the pain, the love, the strange traditions, and the lengths we go to protect the ones we love.

This story was many stories in one - and I soaked up every word like a sponge, it was just so compelling. There is nothing i would change about this book, except I wish it was longer. I loved learning Orquídea’s story, and this was the perfect pairing of magical realism, and family drama. This book was a joy to read - and a reminder of the magic of a word, after a word, after a word.

I can’t wait for more people to love this strange, wonderful story. 🌷

For fans of: Chloe Benjamin’s The Immortalists, & V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

Coming soon…September 2021

“The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina”
By Zoraida Cordova

With prognosticators in agreement that the planetary convergences over Guayaquil, Ecuador, on the two days of Orquidea Montoya’s birth (she determinedly kicked part-way out before midnight, May 14th; then with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, she was fully delivered minutes later on May 15th), her life would be filled with adversity and misfortune—the devil's own luck, if any luck at all.

“…Orquídea Montoya was untethered to the world by fate. The two most important moments of her life had been predetermined by the stars. First, her birth. And second, the day she stole her fortune.”
“The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” by Zoraida Cordova

Isabela Montoya, the baby’s mother, primarily blamed her own sins for creating bad luck surrounding Orquidea.

“…Though she lived a stone’s throw from her childhood home (Isabella), the Montoyas didn’t want anything to do with the unwed mother and unlucky girl. A bxxxxxd daughter was never to inherit land, titles, her father’s surname, or even love, which would have been free, had that strain of the Montoya clan been in possession of it…” "The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” by Zoraida Cordova

Astrological Signs, Planets and Stars could be second in creating her daughter’s unpredictable future her mother reasoned. Little did Isabella Montoya know that she was right on both counts.

“…Orquídea had…Bad luck woven into the birthmarks that dotted her shoulders and chest like constellations. Bad luck that felt like the petty vengeance of a long-forgotten god…”
“The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” by Zoraida Cordova

At an early age, Orquidea developed survivalist skills and independence. She was fierce and could gut a fish in three-seconds. As Orquidea matured, her budding radiance drew attention, but not admiration nor love at home.

Her urge for greater autonomy and travel grew. These wishes were granted when a touring circus, The Londoño Spectacular Spectacular, performed in Orquidea’s home town. With her filled backpack, she pleaded with the circus owner, Bolívar Londoño III, for a job. Her request was well-received.

…”He loved everything about her. The shape of her legs, the burnt sienna of her skin, the way her innocent smile made him want to stop breathing. So enchanted was he by Orquídea Montoya, that he smuggled her on the ship to Paris, and figured out a way to procure her documents…”
“The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” by Zoraida Cordova

The unloved little daughter was determined to rewrite her fate. She would get on the boat with Bolívar Londoño III, sail to Europe with the Circus and begin a new life—as Orquidea Divina! She would curse the stars and luck—anyone and anything that stood in her way.

Little did Orquidea realize then that one man who wished for her with all of his brittle and unfaithful heart, as well as a true living, radiant lucky star—who would bestow on her temporary magical power, luck and good fortune—would both later vengefully haunt her existence through generations into the future.

…”Someone out there was searching for her. She felt it only for a moment, but she doubled the protection charms on the house, the candles on her altar, the salt in the grain. There would come a time when her past caught up to her and Orquídea’s debt to the universe would be collected. But first, she had a long life to live…” “The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” by Zoraida Cordova.

One day all of Orquidea’s progeny receive mysterious, simultaneous invitations for her funeral, stating they are to come to receive their inheritances--although she's still alive. When the family members converge in the small community of Four Rivers, chaos reins. Orquidea isn't the same; they are being stalked by a shimmering deadly presence; and Orquidea's house feels unsafe..

“…But from what? From whom? Who could possibly want this curse?...”
“The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” by Zoraida Cordova.

What exactly is the inheritance of Orquidea Divina? How did she become divine? How did she steal her luck? What is pursuing her family members and why?

“…“The bargain Orquídea made. It’s coming back for us...” “The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina”
by Zoraida Cordova.

Travel the vivid portraiture, lyrical prose and unforgettable worlds seen in the magical realism of “The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina” by Zoraida Cordova. This is is a literary masterwork that is a fast read because you just can’t turn the pages fast enough.


=======
The Book Maven’s Journal—Reviews for Word Connoisseurs

REVIEWER: J.Hunt
STAR RATING ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Sincere Appreciation to NetGalley, Author Zoraida Cordova, Atria Books and Simon & Schuster, Inc., for Providing an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) for Review.


Book Reviews
by TheBookMavenJoy
are also on Goodreads.

There is so much happening in this book! The stories alternate. At first, I thought it may be distracting to be in a different character’s head during different timelines. It wasn’t. Orquídea is a strong character. We don’t become privy to what gives her this strength until she tells us her story. When I read Orquídea’s history, it didn’t feel like a flashback really. It was like I was transported back in time to witness what happened in her life.

In the present, Marimar and her family all have reasons for not wanting to go back to Four Rivers. The family doesn’t really believe in their magic, but Orquídea blesses a select few as she passes. Most of the Montoyas retreat back into their lives. Marimar and Rey stay in Four Rivers, and after a while, Rey moves back to New York. Seven years later the family comes back together for safety. Marimar and her cousins try to learn more about the threat and eventually confront it.

The main characters are well-rounded. The glimpse of the family helps make Marimar, Rey, Rhiannon, Tatinelly, and Orquídea step off the page. The description is colorful. I’ve never been to Ecuador, but I feel I could recognize the city of Guayaquil by the monument of Guayas and Quil.

I don’t know if there’s any mythology in the story that is specifically from Ecuador. I want to find out more about the River Monster. The idea of a living star isn’t new, but his story was new to me and I did enjoy it.

Personal Note:
I love researching mythologies. This isn’t a story of witches. Orquídea finds the River Monster before she is blessed with magic. What else is in Ecuador’s history that I don’t know about? I will have to learn more. I see Zoraida Cordova has more books and will definitely be looking at the Brooklyn Brujas series.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

I will be adding this review to my website EveHallows.com.

#TheInheritanceofOrquideaDivina #ZoraidaCordova #NetGalley #SciFi #Fantasy #Ecuador

Absolutely adored this long-awaited work by Zoraida Cordova! This tale of family ties, the search for answers, and a power that seeks to destroy an entire family line did not disappoint, and kept me riveted to my seat till the very end.

The writing was beautiful and flowed wonderfully, the pacing was perfect, and I just can't gush enough about how much I loved it!

OMG. I am so thankful to have gotten the chance to read this amazing book!

The characters practically glittered, so real and dimensional.
The story was amazing, and it really drew me in! Be prepared to drop everything to finish this, it's really that good!

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova .

5/5 stars

Are you a fan of magical realism? You know, stories that have a real take on life but something is a little off and not quite plausible? Some magical element that drives the story forward? Are you an Alice Hoffman or Gabriel García Márquez fan? Even if you’re not - I’m going to recommend this beautiful story of family, love, and magic to you. 

The Inheritance was a completely unexpected ride for me as the summary does not do the story justice.  At first glance, one may think this book has a “Knives Out” kind of feel to it, almost like a who-done-it movie.  In reality, this is so SO much more than that and I loved every moment of it.  Ms. Córdova takes us on a beautiful journey of love, loss, and magic when we meet the cast of characters in the Montoya family.  Orquídea Divina has sent each one of her children and grand-children an ominous letter, nay an invitation, proclaiming she is dying and thus they must come to her home to claim their inheritance.  When the Montoya family finally arrive, Orquídea sits calmly in her favorite chair sipping on a drink, her feet turning into tree trunks and her hands sprouting flowers and leaves.   What will this inheritance of hers entail? What darker secrets fill the history of their home and Orquídea Divina’s past that will shatter and affect the entire Montoya family forever?

For this revelation, you must desperately await AND pre-order this book before September 7th. 

Thanks to @simonandschuster and Netgalley for this eARC for review. ❤

#prerelease #bookreview #bookstagram #magicalrealism #zoraidacordova #Theinheritanceoforquideadivina #newbooks #bibliophile #book #books #family #booksaboutfamily #latinx #latinxlit @zoraidasolo

Orquídea Divina Montoya is the Matriarch of the Montoyas, and she summons her family to her magical home in Four Rivers for their inheritance when she can feel herself dying. Instead, she transforms and leaves her entire family with more questions than answers, as they are used to. However, when years later, someone is killing off their family, Marimar, Rey, Tatinelly, and Rhiannon travel to Ecuador to try to determine the truth behind the inheritance they had received.

I loved the way this story alternated between Orquídea's past and the present from Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly's perspectives. There are things that every family does not talk about, and this was explored within the Montoyas both from Orquídea's experience growing up and from the viewpoint of her descendants, who are understandably frustrated with all that Orquídea refused to talk about. I also liked the commentary about how you choose your family, even within your blood family.

I loved this look at connecting to your family's roots - both in the family gathering at Four Rivers (all!! that!! food!!) and in the journey to Ecuador in search of answers to Orquídea's past.

And the magic!! I loved this aspect of magical realism where even the family members that had magic were a bit skeptical that they had it for the majority of the book, except for Rhiannon, who was a younger kid and still believes in magic. I also loved the commentary on using magic to create "something from nothing" and the sorts of prices you'd have to pay in order to accomplish such a thing. The origins of Orquídea deciding to take on magic and then use that magic to change her luck and put down roots before passing it on to her descendants were beautifully done.

I do wish that there was more of Orquídea's pre-Four Rivers life was showcased in the book - given the circumstances of Orquídea's life that we did learn about, it felt weird that the only part of that followed Orquídea was up until she left her first husband, especially since the book also brought us moments from when Orquídea first settled in Four Rivers. It felt like there definitely should have been events that happened in between the final event we see of Orquídea's life pre-Four Rivers and that first moment in Four Rivers that had ramifications towards Orquídea's lineage, at the very least.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

This book just proves that Zoraida Cordova deserves to be praised more within the genre she writes in truly.

When it comes to books with multiple POV's it can be a mess, add bouncing from the past to the present and it can be a nightmare to read and keep up with, that was not the case with this multigenerational tale wrapped masterfully in magical realism. I LOVED every character presented, the realism of what it's like with so many personalities gather for a funeral and how issues can remain relatively unsolved because people are flawed beings. I loved it. I loved this book.

The plot moved as it needed to, not too fast and certainly not too slow. The characters we spend time with are purposeful, real and well-rounded with unique voices. The prose was exactly what it needed to be (meaning we don't get any weird points of overly flowery language just because). The prose is a match to whichever character we are with and THAT is something I didn't know I needed personally. The mystery of everything unfolds like a flower (see what I did there, you will in September).

Highly recommend everyone pick this up.

Be warned! Once you start this book you won’t want to put it down! Make sure your dishes/laundry are done because they won’t be important once you dive into this wonderfully magic world! Those with big families will especially relate even if those family members live far from you. The author managed to keep me totally engrossed in wanting to uncover the family’s history right until the very end and I can tell this is going to be one of those tales that stick with you. Maybe it is the Appalachian girl within me who relates to family legends or it is the nerd in me who needs magic to be a part of this world. Either way the author does an amazing job weaving this story and fans of magical realism/strong women will adore!

A million stars for this book, which is a beautiful and original story of family and women's resilience in a classic Latinx magical realist tradition. Matriarch Orquidea summons her relatives as she begins to make a very different kind of end-of-life transition from that of most people, and leaves granddaughter Marimar with a quest that involves staying home and creating a home far more than adventuring to strange places. This is a delicious book perfect for reading while listening to the sea or relaxing in a hammock or eating cupcakes with sprinkles and rejoicing in the wonder of a good imagination and the written word.

Exquisite. Beautiful. Magical and so much more. Easily one of my top reads this year. I could not put this one down.

Zoraida has done it again! Such a powerful, intriguing, rich and exquisite read! I could NOT put this book down! I want everyone to read it!

I’d read Zoraida Córdova’s Labyrinth Lost to middling enjoyment a few years back, but didn’t realize til a few chapters in that I’d also read the short story this novel originated as, Divine are the Stars, in the 2018 anthology Toil & Trouble: Fifteen tales of Women and Witchcraft. I loved that short story (and the whole anthology) so my already palpable excitement for The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina skyrocketed when I put two and two together, and it did not disappoint. This is one of my favorite covers of the year and after reading, I can honestly say the inside is as beautiful as the outside. The imagery and atmosphere of this novel, combined with the alternating timelines and the incorporation of myth in an organic yet still whimsical manner, there’s truly no better way to describe it other than magical. The pacing in particular, I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, with flashbacks to Orquídea’s backstory, as well as the (not exactly) time jump towards the beginning, but I personally found it dreamy and unique. I can’t wait to see where Córdova goes next as far as books aimed at an adult audience.
Thank you to Atria Books and Netgalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

I have been curious about this book ever since seeing it’s gorgeous cover. I’m a sucker. This author has written YA books and a couple I have read which were good but I was wondering if her Adult book would click with me more and it sure did! That actually surprised me as magical realism can be harder for me to get into but the writing is beautiful and the characters are unforgettable.

This book is told from multiple perspectives as the foundation of this book revolves around Orquídea Divina but also her family who must come together for her funeral and uncover the secrets of the past that still haunt them. Each perspective is unique to that character and it shows that they have all taken different paths when it came to life. It hasn’t always been easy for them to stay connected and there has been arguments too. It’s a typical family with issues but they are also dealing with some type of magic too.

My favorite perspective is none other than Orquídea Divina herself. She has lived a very fulfilling and secretive life. It was cool to get chapters about her past that help piece together the past with the present. Everything is connected somehow even when you don’t realize it until a couple chapters later. It’s such a mysterious book that kept me turning the pages as quickly as I could.

There is only one thing that was underwhelming to me and that was the big finale. It felt anti-climatic and took up such a small part in the grand scheme of things. It just had that too easy feeling which turns me off but I do at least appreciate the bonding of the family through it.

Overall, this is a very surprising but enjoyable read! I loved the family bonds, learning about the secrets, and the magical writing. It’s a book that will stick with me and one that I can see myself reading again farther down the road

A huge thanks to NetGalley for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

AH! So, let me begin by saying how HAPPY I was to receive this book. Zoraida Cordova is one of the few YA/New Adult Latinx authors I have encountered. It is always amazing as a POC to see diversity on the cover; and even more to find them within the pages, especially when they are complexities and layers beneath them.

I am a big fan of Zoraida Cordova, so I already had high expectations of what I was about to delve into. The magic systems she has applied to her other amazing books have always enticed me, and "The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina" delivered something very unique and awesome with its use of magical realism. The very journey to Ecuador the characters take in order to discover more of their grandmother showcases exactly that uniqueness -- in it's all strange, dark, and mysterious.

Cordova knows how to write well-rounded, complex characters. Orquidea herself is exactly that, with actions and choices that seem shady or morally grey, but upon discovering her past, the reader gets a sense of understanding as to why Orquidea did what she did. Personally, I live for characters like that because they seem so much more human than the perfect hero/heroine.

My only concern about this book is its timeline. If you are planning to read this -- which I truly hope you do, you're in for a great journey! -- just be aware that we delve into the past and present within this book.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. I loved the magical realism in this book but it was a little hard for me to connect to the characters. Overall though I really enjoyed reading this book.

I love the magical realism aspect of this book and the non-linear timeline. Many of my students loved Zoraida Córdova’s YA books and as they are getting older, I believe that they will enjoy this one as well!

What a wonderful story, it's a little dark with drama, family secrets and magic.

Orquídea is dying, she was a difficult mother and grandmother, it's a mystery even for her own family, they do not know anything about her past. Before she dies she wants to gather them all in Four Rivers and give them something. Her children and grandchildren will travel to meet her again, but the inheritance is peculiar and very strange, they were magical gifts.

The Characters and the Timeline: The time is not linear, chapters are divided between the past and the present. In the present the narrators are Marimar, Rey and Tatinelly; the past is narrated by Orquídea before she reaches Four Rivers.

It has been 7 years since Orquídea assemble them. Rey and Tatinelly have rebuilt their life, now Tatinelly is Rhiannon's mother (she was born just in time to receive a gift from Orquídea). While Marimar stayed at Four Rivers. They will meet again when a shadow begins following them and other family members turn up dead.
It's now when the cousins will try to discover the mystery that Orquidea is, who she was and what her legacy is. Therefore, they will travel to Ecuador, such an interesting journey, full of mystery and danger, they will discover a facet of the grandmother that they did not know.


I love the characters, they are so complex and different, specially Orquídea, she is a moral gray character. Her life was uneasy, the stars were not in her favor at the time of her birth and she is condemned to a life bad luck. She makes deals and alliances with magical creatures and in the end will have to pay the price for her actions. Rey and Marimar just want to belong somewhere and be accepted, at the beginning of the story they lived in NY, neither felt completely integrated. Marimar feels more comfortable in Four Rivers although something is missing and Rey returned to the city looking for something but does not know what it is. Instead, Tatinelly is happy with her life; she just wants a "simple life" a loving husband and children to care for and love.

I think, my favorites parts are Orquídea's chapters, she had a fascinating life, she wants to make her own path. And the circus! Always one of my favorite settings.

Ecuador was enchanting, love to see more latin american representation.

Overall, was so good, page turner, great mystery, love the descriptions was very atmospheric, you became part of the family.

Thanks for the ARC, I had never read the author, now I want to read her previous series, thanks for the opportunity