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.

Summary – describe what the book is about

This book is a fantastical reimagining or retelling of the historical figure, Malinalli, an Indigenous woman who was the interpreter for Hernan Cortes’ “expedition” of kingdoms and villages in Mexica.
The story begins with Malinalli growing up with her brother in her family’s village. Her brother is permitted to attend a magical school to learn and hone his powers, causing Malinalli to become depressed as she believed that she would be the one to attend. When news arrives that her brother is no longer alive, their father goes to the capital city to learn what happened; he too is killed. Malinalli’s mom sends her daughter to a goddess temple, where the women teach Malinalli about her namesake and learn about her abilities.
One day, Malinalli and her friend, Hummingbird, are chosen to accompany a royal figure to ensure their safe passage. During this journey, Malinalli and the travelers are attacked, and survivors are kidnapped and sold as slaves. When Malinalli is sold to a prince to be one of his wives, she learns about these mysterious figures who arrived on flying clouds from the Eastern Seas. Malinalli eventually learns that these mysterious figures are White Men (Spaniards) who are exploring these lands, seeking the capital city. Malinalli agrees to join the White Men, specifically Cortés, on their journey to the capital, as Malinalli begins to plot her revenge against the king who killed her brother and father. But as Malinalli learns more about these White Men and Moctezuma, the king, she begins to question how far these men are willing to go to achieve their ultimate goal of power, and whether she can prevent the destruction of the people.

What worked well/What I liked

I enjoyed the sensory description of the region, kingdoms, villages, and temples; it helped me have a deeper appreciation of the Indigenous communities before the Spanish colonization and genocide. I appreciated the insight into the values, religions, and manners of these communities as informed by their physical settings. I liked learning how these Indigenous communities and rulers could be ruthless, greedy, and also sought power or domination; it wasn’t only Europeans.
What didn’t work well/What I don’t like
At first, I was confused by the mythology or magical realism at the beginning of the book, because I couldn’t tell if the characters were humans or gods. Eventually, I realized that the characters were avatars or namesakes of the gods.
Malinalli’s shift in motivation and hesitancy at critical moments in the book towards the end seemed out of character for her. She starts out seeking revenge, but then shifts to seeking peace, yet she doesn’t actively pursue either aspect. She simply waits until someone else makes a decision.

I’m gonna keep this short—I was just disappointed by this read. I found it really hard to get into the story, and every time there was a moment where I thought, “Wow, this is really great,” something else would happen that pulled me right back out of it.

One thing I can say is that the book is really descriptive and atmospheric. There are certain things about the storytelling that I appreciated when it came to scene-setting. But overall, this was a letdown for me. I usually love a good historical fiction novel—especially ones that aim to tell the stories of those who are forgotten, complicated, and layered. But this never felt like the author wanted to truly depict La Malinche as the complex woman she was.

Here we have a woman seen as a traitor to Tenochtitlan, but so often, her Indigenous perspective is ignored. I was hoping for a deeper, more nuanced exploration of a figure who worked alongside the very man that brought down her people—while being a prisoner and a victim herself. Instead, Malinalli is portrayed as narcissistic, selfish, prideful, and flat.

There are more complexities and emotions that should go into telling the story of La Malinche, and I feel like we were missing that here. And being that this is historical fantasy fiction, I also hoped there would be more magical realism and fantastical elements—which we just don’t get. Overall, I appreciate the effort put into this, and I hope it inspires more Mexican Indigenous literature in the future.

Thank you to NetGalley and Primero Sueño Press for this egalley.,

This book was one of my most anticipated reads this year and I'm so thankful for the gifted copy! I appreciated the author's voice and character arc for Malinalli and loved how rooted in folklore and belief the plot was. I didn't anticipate the plot to mimic a layout and cadence of dark academia so this facet caught me off guard, but it wasn't necessarily a bad thing (if ambitious). I do think more world-building was necessary to make the setting feel more accessible because I often forget where the characters were in a scene. I also wish editing had paid more attention to the pacing of the story.

Overall, I appreciated the visibility and portrayal for one of history and legend's most villainized women and I think this story does an excellent job framing the patriarchal persecution of women.

Malinalli was an excellent read. I loved the character development and the writing was propulsive. I would read more from this author

There wasn't a lot here to really like. The lead character (and writing overall) is very disenfranchising, the magic is random and kind of pointless, we never really get insight into the historical aspects, none of the characters had nuance or were even likable, and the pacing of the book is very off.

Story: Malinalli is the cherished banesake of a Goddess. But after being kidnapped from her temple, she is traded around until she ends up with the Spaniards who have just arrived in Mexico. She despises the 'always angry' Cortez and his stupid and greedy countrymen. But she will join forces with him/them to overthrow Monteczuma - the King who murdered her twin brother.

Perhaps most problematic is the writing here. We are told Malinalli is powerful in the magic but she never does anything with it really (except to freak out the Spaniards, whose reaction to her magic: "Don't ever do it again! Now, go translate." is even more inexplicable). Most of the book is about building up to her getting closer to her namesake goddess (the Spaniards enter past the 50% mark) and it is very disaffectingly written. There is no warmth or humanity to Malinalli - just someone walking around and doing things rather blandly.

The author speeds up and then suddenly pauses the narration, skipping events that would have been better served if explained better. The book pretty much ends suddenly with the fall of Tenochtitlan without really going into the complex reasons of why it fell. This means the book's sole purpose is Malinalli spending most of her life wanting revenge on Monteczuma - with really no way for her to get it until the Spaniards are dropped into her lap. The whole book feels incredibly implausible and unrealistic.

All the Spaniards are portrayed as single mindedly greedy without any hint of the personality for which Cortez was known. Monteczuma is even odder, looking to be the worst type of Machiavellian pretender who makes grand pronouncements of knowing all but then doing absolutely nothing while still spouting how he planned everything. It's very odd.

This is one of the few times that a rather dry, factual account of the fall of the Aztec empire (Conquistadores and Aztecs by Stefan Rinke) was infinitely more interesting than a novelization. I couldn't help but notice so many interesting factual tidbits that were glossed over or ignored that would have made the story infinitely better had they been included. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. I love historical fiction and magical realism and the fact that this was a retelling of La Malinche and the role she played in the Spanish Conquest against the Aztec Empire had me extremely excited to read.

My favorite parts were the descriptions as they painted a very vivid visual for me of the places and things Malinali was experiencing. I also really enjoyed the parts with Pakal Balam. I wish we got more of them together. Mali was a strong young woman who endured a lot and made mistakes along her journey due to her anger and pain and for that I LOVED HER. Other than her I also loved the loyalty of her friend Hummingbird and the sisterhood she experienced with the Temple of the Eighteen Moons. Oh, and this COVER? Geesh This is a book I would have picked up from a bookstore just off the cover alone.

The story did start off slow and I wish some of the more important events were more detailed and had longer explanations specifically the ending.

Overall, this was a great book especially for being Veronica Chapa’s debut novel. I recommend this book to everyone especially to my fellow readers of Mexican decent.


Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Primero Sueno Press for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed the fictionalized version of the historical Malinalli very much. Powerful, strong, resilient female characters, some magical powers, a bit of factual history... this book had a lot to offer. I wasn't familiar with this story so I feel like I didn't have any preconceived notions and I really enjoyed her story. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria/Primero Sueno Press for the advance copy!

This book was hard to get through. Its best quality is that it centers various indigenous cultures during a historical period where indigenous perspectives have been hidden or destroyed. Unfortunately, the ideas in this book are better suited for an essay than a magical realism novel.

On top of this, the novel is poorly written/edited. Scenes where nothing happens are described in excruciating flowery detail, and then in the next scene the narration will mention a huge event that occurred apparently in between this scene and the previous one. We are given no emotional attachment to any characters because they are never developed and also because Malinalli’s reactions to serious events are absurdly blase. Worst of all, Malinalli’s existence seems to make zero difference to the events of the book.

I understand that perhaps the author wanted to stay true to history, but even if your main character can’t make an impact on the outcome of events they should be making at the very least some sort of emotional difference to the story. Malinalli’s presence seemed to make no impact on any other character in the entire book. Similarly, the introduction of magic to the story made no noticeable impact on the outcome or events of the book. The “mythic” nature of the retelling feels more like an excuse for poor world-building, character development, and storytelling.

I was excited to see how the author explored the fascinating potential of translators to impact history. I was excited to see a story about a strong woman in history. I was disappointed to find that the impacts of translation were only ever alluded to or were simply not interesting, and that this story actually felt….pretty sexist, both in its handling of side characters (Malinalli sees herself very much as “not like other girls”) and also in the treatment of Malinalli herself (who is bizarrely sexualized and who sits back and doesn’t make a single move to get herself or her loved ones out of bad situations for her entire life). I find it hard to believe that the real Malinalli would have been anything like this one. At least this book might inspire people to learn more about her and imagine her themselves!

Thanks to Net-Galley and Atria Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fictional retelling of the story of Malialli, the interpreter who helped Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés communicate with the native people of Mexico. The story combines native folklore, magical realism and actual historical events to create a tale of female empowerment and friendship.

I really wanted to love this book but it fell short for me. The major issue I had with this book is the overall pacing of the storytelling. There were parts of the history that read like an essay, with other events of major relevance being glossed over or ending abruptly with little depth and explanation. I felt as though I was plodding through continually checking how many pages were left. To be honest I probably would have dnf if it hadn’t been an arc.

I would like to thank Atria/Primero Sueño Press and NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't like the "creative liberties" the author took. I was looking for some kind of historical retelling of the actual story for Malinalli, not a character that had her name but everything was changed about her, as well as the accuracies of how society would have treated her with the way she spoke back to everyone. I like feminism and stories that show strong women, but I don't like it when it's something like this, something that could have just been her true story.