I didn't realize that I never reviewed this book.
I loved this book so much that I bought my own personal copy. The writing for this book is wonderful, which is something I have really been missing from the recent fantasy YA books I have read. Other than the writing itself, I loved the twist and turns it offered. The characters were so interesting, that I think they could each have their very own story and book. The concept of this book was great-and the author didn't miss the mark.
I can't wait to read more from Zoraida Cordova.
The idea that this book spans decades, and even continents was intriguing. It is full of culture, love, loss and gain. It explores multiple different relationships that I haven't seen artistically done in a while.
I love how strong the women in this book were. So often, the main character is a stereotypical girl. If you are looking for a story that breaks stereotypes, this one is for you.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
Genre: Sci Fi & Fantasy
Pub Date: 7 Sept 2021
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐞: Orquídea Divina is dying and invites all of her descendants to her funeral to collect their inheritance, where they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed by her magic and fear into a ceiba tree, launching a family mystery with impending death for all at the center if it is not solved.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐨𝐨𝐝: I loved the multiple time lines in which the full history of this family was revealed and, of course, all of the brilliant and spiritual magic that transports the reader to wild and wonderful places.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐚𝐝: I didn’t want it to end! The kind of book you carry around the house with you while you are brewing another cup of tea so you can stay up and keep reading!

Read if you:
🏡Love magic in all its glorious imagery
🏡Want to take a trip to Ecuador from your couch
🏡Commune with Nature and your ancestors
🏡Are a fan of Alice Hoffman and Isabel Allende

Thank you to @NetGalley and @Atria for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

#NetGalley #books #bookstagram #bookclubreads #bookclub #booklover #reading #ilovebooks #currentlyreading #bookreview #book #bookstagrammer #audiobook #historicalfiction #magic #fantasy #bookblogger

Beautiful magical realism, the likes of which I haven't read in quite some time.

Orquídea Divina Montoya is a strong and fierce woman, mysterious to all who know her, but perhaps especially so to her family. As she feels that her end is drawing near, she calls all of her family together to claim what she has worked so hard to be able to leave them. While some will appreciate and honor her gift, for others it is so far beyond what they expected that they'll never see it for what it is, see Orquídea for who she is -- a woman who has had to claw her way to claiming what is hers, but who always treasured her family above all.

"How do you fight a thing that believes it owns you? How do you fight the past? With gold leaves and salt? With silence? With new earth beneath your feet? With the bodies, the hearts of others? With hearts that are tender and bloodied but have thorns of their own. With the family that chooses you."

Marimar is just a young teenager growing into herself, longing to know why she lost both of her parents so young, why she never got to know her father at all, what life had in store for her. When her grandmother, Orquídea, dies and leaves the house in Four Rivers to her instead of her uncle, Marimar knows there is more to the uncover on that land than her family has ever believed, that her family is embedded in those very roots and soil.

From river monsters to living stars, elders growing into trees and flowers springing to life from the belly buttons of newborns, the magical elements of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina seem at once both fantastical and natural. Every family has its quirks and its secrets, the Montoyas just perhaps have a little more of both than is typical.

With prose that is beautiful but not-over-the-top, and snippets of Orquídea's life briefly interspersed with her family's quest to learn about it, and just enough hooks to give each chapter a healthy dose of the unexpected, Córdova has really delivered something special here. Easily one of the top five books I've read this year.

My sincere appreciate to NetGalley and Atria Books for the review copy.

The first fourth of this book was just sheer magic and had the best feel to it of anything I have read in quite some time.. I felt that it was such a unique read because it was such a blend of genres and did such a great job illuminating the characters. Something really goes out of the story after this point when it breaks off into characters and the plot seems to just drag for a while and it loses that magic tone that was so enveloping. I think this author has such an amazing gift for writing and has still created something completely original and daring with this book. I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author in the future. Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley..

This book was super out of my comfort zone. I almost gave up with it but glad I pushed through. I enjoyed the characters and overall the storyline was great.

This had such a captivating narrative. I loved the character development and family dynamics. I enjoyed the quieter moments and the themes of death, abuse, loss of a child, and grief that were explored.

After reading this book, I came to the realization that I like Córdova’s fantasy a lot better than magical realism. This book was fine, but it didn’t manage to make me feel attached to any of the characters. I definitely liked the concept, but I didn’t feel very invested in what was happening.

Why did it take me this long to write a review? I’m not sure. I liked the story, but it was also something I didn’t expect. The synopsis left a tremendous amount of space to wander off and fill in the blanks about the story. While reading, I didn’t know if I would go on a journey of finding the route of the family curse or a history of how Orquidea became Orquidea. I even thought I was going to see magical possessions travel down the family tree. In a way, Cordova did explain all of these mini-plots, but it didn’t turn out as fulfilling as I liked it to be. So what happened?

I did like finding how and why Orquidea turned out the way she did. She lived a hell of a life, even though she was plagued with fear a regret. I think her previous decisions led her to be this solid matriarchal tree that she is now. I know Cordova wanted to add a huge family dynamic in the book, but so many names that had nothing to do with the story took away from the wonder.

I initially rated this book 4-stars, but after a few weeks of pondering and trying to put pen to pad, I think 3.5-star is a better fit. I really did enjoy the story; it just didn’t turn out the way I thought it would.

3.5 Stars

I’ll admit. I picked up this book because of the beautiful cover. But as soon as I started reading it I was hooked. There’s an ease in the author’s writing style that sucks you in. Full of imagination and vivid characters.

This is a multi-generational drama set in Ecuador and USA. The Montoya family comes to the deathbed of Orquidea, the grandmother of the family, to collect their inheritance. From here the story goes back and forth in time as we see their current day situation surrounding that event, and alternating with Orquidea’s past.

I’m going to be honest here, my absolute favorite character was Orquidea. I was always looking forward to reading the chapters that would give us more glimpses into her amazing life. Her joining the circus, and facing some harsh situations but overcoming. I just liked her! The current day events felt a bit muddled and I didn’t connect as strongly with the characters.

The pace of the story was a bit slow and inconsistent for me. At times I was really invested in everything that was going on. And other times I would lose that. The magical realism element of this story was obviously my favorite part and I think that was also the missing part. It wasn’t as consistent a thread throughout the story as I would’ve liked. And overall in the end, the big bad was a bit of a disappointment.

This is the perfect story if you’re looking for something unique and compelling with a touch of Cinderella.

The Montoya family are used to their mysterious matriarch’s ways, but when they all receive invitations to her death day and to receive their inheritances, they reluctantly reassemble and confront Orquídea–but she has few answers to provide. Seven years after her transformation, a strange force begins attacking the Montoyas one by one, and it’s up to three of Orquídea’s kin to figure out why—and to do that they must go back to Orquídea’s roots in Ecuador before it’s too late.

Orquídea didn’t like it because she knew she wasn’t a flower, delicate and pretty and waiting to be plucked. For what? To be smelled? To sit in a glass of water until she withered? She was more than that. She wanted to be rooted so deep into the earth that nothing, no human, no force of nature, save an act of the heavens themselves, could rip her out.

This was incredible!

I absolutely, utterly loved it. It felt like a modern day retelling of Stardust, with the lush writing and magic of The Night Circus and its own, beautiful self spreading its limbs out in all directions.

There’s not a whole lot I really want to talk about without spoiling anything, but the story is very much about family history: what is told, what isn’t told, what changes in the telling and why. And how the tip-lipped nature of the family matriarch and keeper of the history can make or break the rest of the family in her attempt to keep everyone safe from her past.

“Orquídea’s favourite colour was the blue of twilight – just light enough that the sky no longer appeared black, but before pinks and purples bled into it. She thought that colour captured the moment the world held it’s breath, and she’d been holding hers for a long time.”

Right from the get-go, I was in love with the writing. The prose is just so magical without delving into purple obnoxiousness, and I was in awe at Córdova’s writing, because while I’ve enjoyed her previous YA entries, I really, really feel like she has found her home in adult fantasy. The plot unfolded with delicious slowness, with past and present flashbacks that kept me guessing and trying to figure out just what Orquídea was hiding from, and did I mention that writing? I cannot get over how beautiful it was.

“But here, in her family’s home, she was river and salt and that same sea found her. She was the mouth of an ancient god who would swallow the world. She was an ocean of stories, memories, thousands of little moments that made up her whole being.”

This is very much a family saga, with a focus on family. The fights, the tension, what’s said and not said, what’s owed to one’s children and to one’s past—and it’s also about being Latine in the United States, throughout its history and today. What it means to move through a world with brown skin when the false-norm is white skin. How to bloom and settle into what’s meant to be and your purpose when the rest of the world either wants to tokenize or reject you.

Ugh. This book is just so good. It’s definitely going to be going on my top books of 2021 list!

We don’t talk. None of us. Why don’t we ever talk? Silence is a language of its own in this family. A curse of our own making. That’s the inheritance my daughter got from me, and I am very sorry.”

I received an ARC for an honest review, but ended up waiting until I could get the audiobook from my library—take my advice, and listen to the audiobook. It’s divine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for approving my request. What a magical story. Loved reading Orquidea's story. Will recommend

Something about this book was off for me. I think it was the pacing and the writing style. I wasn’t really sure what the main plot was until about 3/4 through the book, and the progression of the plot was bewildering at times. I enjoyed the premise, it just could have been executed a bit better. The visuals described and the world built are interesting and breathtaking, I just wish I cared about the characters, or even knew them better. I would still recommend this book if you’re interested, it’s just nothing to write home about.

CWs: references to racism/xenophobia; mentions of anxiety attacks; death and death of a grandparent; estranged parents; brief references to past child abuse; infidelity; descriptions of disease; and some graphic sexual content

Zoraida Córdova is one of those authors who I feel like gets better and better with every book of hers that I read, and this, I think, is undoubtedly one of her best. This inter-generational saga is ambitious, magical, whimsical, thoughtful, and it just hits all the right notes to make an utterly unforgettable story.

I've said before that it feels like this book could be our generation’s "The House of the Spirits," and I stand by that, because it embraces all the traditional hallmarks of Latine magical realism, but also creates something fresh and new by filtering the story through the lens of modern-day millennials. There's such a beautiful and effortless blend of the historical and the contemporary, that honors and almost replicates multigenerational family structures—especially those found in Latine communities—in a way that I find extremely compelling.

In some ways, one might think that "magical realism in the twenty-first century" is an oxymoron, but it actually really works because that unremarked magic mimics the way that the world itself is so strange, unknowable, malleable, and mysterious. The implementation of that genre in a modern-day setting also really speaks to the evolution of tradition, and how ideas can change over time without negating the roots of where they've come from. One of the really special things about magical realism is that it positions magic itself as expected and commonplace, and this story is no different in that respect. The magic in this story is so deeply tied to culture, family, and history, that it just makes sense. It feels deeply personal, and like a natural extension of the inexplicable ways the world works, in a way that's very satisfying to read.

And above everything else, it’s such a powerful exploration of family curses—not only the importance of recognizing and naming family curses for what they are, but also the importance of coming together to break those curses. I love how the story plays with the idea of inheritance, because we don’t just inherit the good things we want. We inherit trauma, we inherit family history, we inherit burdens, we inherit pain and loss. The story really understands that there is power and there is joy to be found in family, and how we can gain strength and grow from our connection to family, but also how there’s an equal chance we can be destroyed by it.

This is a story that shows how there is literal power in knowing where you come from, remembering where you come from, embracing where you come from, and also understanding how that power can be a strength just as easily as it can be a weakness. I think it’s also a great reflection on just how much you’d be willing to sacrifice in order to be free, and also how the impact of one person’s choices can still be felt throughout generations.

Ultimately this story is a quest where these modern-day characters are trying to excavate their grandmother’s secrets, to uncover firsthand all the things no one ever told them, so that they can create their own relationship with their history, and with that understanding hopefully break their curse. It’s a stunning story where the historical and present-day counterparts shine equally, and it imparts a strong message about the power of family and protecting your magic. This is far and away one of the best and most memorable stories I've read all year, and I cannot recommend it enough!

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
By: Zoraida Cordava

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟/5

Quote: “There were not enough words that could be spoken. They were entangled deeper than roots and always would be, and that was enough. Sometimes silence said enough.”

First Thank you NetGalley and Atria Books for e-arc in a exchange for a honest review

I really wanted to love this books, but truth is the book just felt flat. The premise is that Orquídea Montoya is dying so she calls all her descendants to come and pick up their inheritance. Meanwhile an unknown person threatens the whole family they decided to stick together.

The story is dual timeline and they are so many characters that was hard to keep up. Being in the past with Orquidea was more interesting than any other thing in the book. That’s what kept me going. The descendants wanted to know what really happened to Orquídea. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a slow book and I’m definitely confused to what really happened there. 

I enjoy parts of the books here and there but the book as whole is another story.

I struggled with starting this review because I still just don’t know. In reading the synopsis, I was excited by the prospect of a magical realism book. It gave me Silvia Moreno-Garcia or Alice Hoffman vibes and in a way it kind of held true. But what this story lacked was a sense of direction and purpose.

I really enjoyed the back story of Orquidea Divina. As a person and her life story were fascinating and made me want to know more. When the story turned to her descendants and their inheritance…that’s where the author lost me. Their importance to the story left me confused. Everything didn’t come together into a cohesive story.

3 Stars

Unfortunately this book didn’t really do it for me. The setting and magical touches and writing style really pulled me in, but there just wasn’t enough plot. So much time was spent detailing things and focusing on each character before then switching to the next in a long line of characters, and I can’t say I had any interest in any of the characters. There was nothing to make me care. I wish this had lived up to my expectations but it unfortunately didn’t.

At first I wasn't sure I was enjoying this, but as the story develops I was increasingly drawn in by the magic and family ties between the characters. Orquidea Divina is not an easy woman to love, but eventually every reader will fall for her and her complicated, sprawling family. An heir to One Hundred Years of Solitude.

Received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina brings the Montoya family back under one roof to collect what is theirs, as the matriarch of the family, Orquídea, is dying. Filled with magic, mystery, heartbreak and hope - this book somehow perfectly moves at such a quick pace to cover an ensemble of characters, as well as answering the riddle that has always been Orquídea's childhood. This book is a must-read for fans of The Umbrella Academy, adult readers of House in the Cerulean Sea, lovers of all things Isabel Allende, and followers of the Practical Magic book series by Alice Hoffman!

Yes, yes, yes! Magical Realism at its best!

"Alternating between Orquídea’s past and her descendants’ present, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a “spellbinding tale, both timeless and fresh, that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Prepare to fall in love” (Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author)."

What Kim Liggett said. Exactly that.

I can't deny that this book is unique - it has mulitple main characters, all descendants from Orquidea Divinia talking about how she means to her, and also gives a backstory into Orquidea's life and upbringing. It also really blends the Latinx culture well, and I appreciate that Zoraida Cordova put in the research and work to write, at its core, a beautiful novel. But, I felt pulled from one character to the next, feeling really confused as to how the story progressed. At one part its in the past then the next sentence its the present, I think I would've loved if it was more distinct, that would've helped me a lot in keeping up with the story.