Malinalli is a historical fiction narrative that reimagines the love of Malinaxochilt. The author gives her power, perspective, and agency. She is not a victim but an active participant. She made the best out of the cards she was dealt with. She is strong, magical, and unapologetic in her determination to lead her people.

Malinalli by Veronica Chapa is a powerful, lyrical reimagining that blends history, myth, and identity. Rich in cultural depth and emotional resonance, this novel offers a compelling voice to a misunderstood figure—bold, poetic, and unforgettable.

This book didn't live up to how amazing it could have been, in my opinion.

The pacing was all over the place. It took a very long time for anything to happen. Then, whenever something that should be emotional or impactful happened, it's like the narrative pulled back from the MC and sped up.

The MC's goals, motivation, and logic were constantly swinging back and forth.

The magic system didn't make sense. Sometimes people couldn't use magic at all and sometimes they had brand new or vast powers pop up at random.

The ending felt rushed and like the story just kind of...stopped.

The culture and setting were described beautifully, but description alone can't hold a book together, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the ARC.

Interesting historical fiction with a fantasy undercurrent. Malinalli is a retelling of the life story of Malinche, who was a translator for Hernan Cortez when he came to pillage South America. she has been cast as a traitor to her people by history. this book is an attempt to redeem her.
I enjoyed the character of Malinalli and all of the folklore and magic of the story.
Towards the end of the story it became a little repetitive though so this is a rounded up 3.5 star rating.

Malinalli was marketed fantastical retelling of a historical figure, however I thought that the fantastical element felt like an afterthought that had no bearing on the actual story/outcomes. I enjoyed the initial lush descriptions and imagery, but they were unfortunately overshadowed by the flat characterization and confusing time jumps. I also felt that the only distinct character was Malinalli, but she was absolutely insufferable, which I felt further demonized her. The end of the book also featured a significant and disappointing tone shift without an accompanying character arc.

I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read an ARC provided by Atria Books, however this wound up being a DNF for me about 40% of the way through. I really wanted to enjoy this book, the gorgeous cover hooked me from the jump and the plot description sounded fascinating. I'd not heard of Malinalli prior to picking up this book so the thought of learning more about a period of history I don't know as much about as I'd like was promising. However, the pacing and writing style made for an odd combo and I was unfortunately never able to get into the story as did the more magical aspects of the story as the summary made this sound more like a historical fiction. I may wind up giving this another shot in the future and adjust my review accordingly because the plot is still intriguing but I may need to be in the mood for this specific type of writing.

If you enjoyed Cerces or Babylonia, this may be a great book for you to pick up.

Malinalli by Veronica Chapa - eBook ARC provied by #NetGalley

This is not your average historical fiction. Malinalli takes on the nearly mythic (and historically messy) figure known by many names—Malinalli, Malintzin, La Malinche, Doña Marina—and gives her a voice of her own. Once the Nahua interpreter for Hernán Cortés, she’s long been painted as either traitor or victim. Veronica Chapa’s retelling doesn’t try to simplify her—it leans into the nuance.

Malinalli’s story is a layered one: kidnapped as a child, sold into slavery, and later forced into the role of translator and cultural bridge for the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire. Yes, she made choices that harmed her people. But she was also surviving a world that constantly tried to strip her of power. This book doesn’t try to tell you how to feel—it lets you sit in the tension and wrestle with the uncomfortable truth that two things can be true at once.

Themes of sisterhood, survival, and just a whisper of magic thread through the narrative like a spell. The prose and structure are a bit unconventional—think more lyrical than linear—but once you settle into the rhythm, it begins to hum.

Malinalli is a thoughtful, empathetic reimagining of a woman who has been called everything from traitor to heroine. It’s not always an easy read, but it’s definitely a worthwhile one. I’m glad I picked it up—and even more glad to have seen her story from this new angle.

Thank you for the advanced copy. I really enjoyed this book. It makes me happy to have more stories around Mexican culture and people. Being able to relate to the characters and really envision the scenes that take place is a breath fresh air.

I loved how the author honored the ancestral practices, cultural traditions, and known truths about Malinalli. Those real-life elements were so thoughtfully woven in, and they grounded the story in a way that felt meaningful and rich. Where it lost me a bit was the fantasy aspect which felt like it only appeared when needed to move the plot along. Personally, I think her real story is powerful enough without the added magic. I think it would’ve been even more impactful if the story stayed rooted in historical fiction.

𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰 Veronica Chapa and NetGalley 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘪𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸. 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

Malinalli is the debut novel from Veronica Chapa - a historical, magic realism retelling of La Malinche.

Like other reviewers, I was quite excited for this book as I was intrigued by the plot description and the story of La Malinche. Unfortunately, the book didn’t fully meet my expectations. The pacing had inconsistencies, and the magic in the world felt awkward, perhaps confusing, at times. As with the plot, the character development and path of Malinalli also felt inconsistent. Of course, characters don’t have to, nor likely should, follow a clear linear path in their development and growth. However, I want to understand why regressions or quick changes happen in a character’s personality and motivations. I didn’t fully understand every change in Malinalli’s personality and her opinions on war, peace, and her relationship with the sorceress goddess throughout the book.

This was a fairly good debut novel, but it would have benefited from another round of editing to adjust the pacing.

3 stars. Thank you, NetGalley and Atria Books, for the ARC. Good luck to Veronia Chapa with her future writing projects.

Malinalli is a historical fantasy retelling of the story of La Malinche, a woman infamous in Latin America for being a “traitor” due to her work as interpreter for Hernan Cortes. As someone who studied Latin American history I was really interested to read this interpretation of her story, but unfortunately this novel fell flat for me. I found the first third of the book to be very slow with prose that felt overly flowery just for the sake of it. The middle of the book was more engaging, but the pacing was very inconsistent. By the end I was just reading for it to be done, not because I was particularly captivated by the story. While I appreciated the magical and fantasy elements, I don’t think they were laid out clearly enough in the beginning so it became confusing at times. I don’t think this was a bad book, but there were a lot of elements that could’ve been much stronger.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc, these are my own opinions.

I have never heard of Malinche's story before so I'm excited to do some of my own research into it now! Malinalli is the eldest twin and assumes she will be going off to the House of Magical Studies and is justifiably furious when her brother is the one sent because they do not accept women. It was foretold that she would be forced away from her home and doomed to live a miserable life, so throughout the story you see her trying to take control of her life, but it's not easy when the Conquistadors come! I cannot say how faithful this story was or not but it was highly enjoyable! Malinalli is fierce and complex, I loved her story, when her brother is murdered and their father dies soon after she goes on a revenge quest, reminded me of Arya Stark. This was a slow paced book but allowed you to truly dive deep into her head and the challenges she faces. I love seeing controversial women's stories expanded with new reflections and this one did it well!

I found this book really fascinating. This was a character in history I knew nothing about so I went in without the baggage of her previous reputation. I thought the incorporation of the magical realism here was lovely, and helped develop the main character throughout the story. Overall an intriguing read.

4.5 stars

This story was gripping from start to finish. It was so intriguing, and I was invested in it from the beginning.

To me, this is a key story to read for anyone who wants a book featuring a strong, badass female main character. Although Malinalli goes through so many hardships, she continues to fight, and her strength is so admirable.

The mix of magical realism and the power of Gods and Goddesses combined with the true story of Malinalli makes for a genius plot. I adored the unique magic system in the world, as well as the integrated explanations and stories of ancient deities. This made the book feel well rounded, and added interest to the story.

The writing style of the author is absolutely gorgeous. She makes the mundane read like a dream, and the way she writes the characters relationships, struggles, and lessons in such a unique and poetic way. It is incredibly lush and lyrical, and every sentence feels meticulous in its placement.

This entire book feels incredibly thought out, and is so emotional and profound, I feel that these characters will have a place in my heart forever. I can honestly say I am very grateful to have read this book, as I have never read anything like it.

A huge thank you to Atria Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was looking forward to this book and was eagerly anticipating the release. This book fell a little short for me I had a difficult time with the pacing it was very slow. The writing felt very wordy to me at time and overly descriptive. The book at many times felt more like a YA book and not an adult debut (this coming from someone who loves YA it is not a bad thing just didn't expect it). This fiction book mixes history and myth to tell its story and I enjoyed learning about Malinalli.

Really interesting fantasy novel. It wasn’t what I expected and it kept me on my toes. There a lot of cool references to Mayan culture and spirituality plus the connection to Cortez. Overall an imaginative novel

I just could not connect with the main character and I did not enjoy the pacing. The pacing definitely increased my struggle with connecting to the main character. I was disappointed in this, because I really wanted to like this book. I think I agree with the many reviews that argue we've been inundated with 'feminist' retellings in the past few years and it's getting a little overdone.

I was looking forward to it but when it came down to brass tacks, the writing style didn’t catch my interest to much. The subject of the book was so unique to me but it ended up not being what I thought it was.

Thank you to Atria Books for the review copy!

DNF @ 15%

I picked this one up because I wanted to learn more about Malinalli, and understood that this would be an empowering reimagining with fantasy elements.

I suppose I wanted something more like My Lady Jane (the book), where the authors changed what was historically accurate and created a fantastical setting in order to tell a fun, feminist, empowering story. Instead, the story felt like historical fiction with a few magical elements. It is extremely dark, and I need a little more hope or joy in my books these days than I was getting from this one.

I would recommend this one to fans of Circe, Lilith, and the Between Earth and Sky series.

I very much enjoyed the historical research behind this book. But I do feel that this book needed another round of ending, and a more impactful ending.