The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
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The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina A Novel

Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, this is a gorgeously written novel about a family searching for the truth hidden in their past and the power they’ve inherited, from the author of the acclaimed and “giddily exciting” (The New York Times Book Review) Brooklyn Brujas series. The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low or empty, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed, leaving them with more questions than answers. Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly’s daughter, Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings. But soon, a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea’s line. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, the four descendants travel to Ecuador—to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back. Alternating between Orquídea’s past and her descendants’ present, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is an enchanting novel about what we knowingly and unknowingly inherit from our ancestors, the ties that bind, and reclaiming your power.
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Reviews

Photo of Abigail F
Abigail F@collapsinglibrary
4.5 stars
Apr 10, 2025

A different take on what it means to be a witch, on family, on love. Highly enjoyed this and sad it took me so long to actually pick it up.

+3
Photo of Bria
Bria@ladspter
5 stars
May 31, 2024

this is one of the most beautiful pieces of work i’ve come across

Photo of Ana Luiza
Ana Luiza@anaelin
4 stars
Mar 1, 2024

Que livro magico e lindo! Fiquei encantada durante toda a leitura, me transportei para esse universo e me senti meio orfã quando o livro acabou. A magia nesse livro é linda, de ficar emocionada. A história de Divina é de muita luta, como a de tantas outras mulheres latinas. Gostei muito de como a autora escreveu com perfeição o que uma vida dificil pode fazer com os nossos descendentes. Cada integrante da familia tinha uma personalidade diferente, me apeguei a todos. Foi muito engraçado em muitos momentos, mas chorei em varios outros. Recomendo de olhos fechados!

Photo of Ally Perkins
Ally Perkins@luchalibro
3 stars
Feb 17, 2024

worst family reunion ever.

+3
Photo of Lara Engle
Lara Engle@bzzlarabzz
5 stars
Aug 23, 2023

This book is strange and magical and it thoroughly engrossed me. The moment I started reading, I didn't want to let go of the Montoya family and their mysterious enchanted history.

Photo of Gillian Rose
Gillian Rose@glkrose
4 stars
Feb 11, 2023

4.25 stars This was such a wonderful family fantasy tale. There were some moments that reminded me of Encanto, but it's a darker, somewhat sinister story. I was taken by the descriptions of the lands and the magic. The characters were all great, especially Rey and Marimar. This book had me feeling so many emotions, can't wait to read more of Córdova's stories.

Photo of Jules
Jules@warnymph
5 stars
Jan 22, 2023

Perfect incredible, great writing and story I love Orquídea and her family.

Photo of Rachel Wingler
Rachel Wingler@rachel_winglr
4.5 stars
Dec 20, 2022

Come for the fantasy, stay for the family trauma. The trauma really is what makes them shiny and magical, huh?

+6
Photo of Didi Chanoch
Didi Chanoch@didichanoch
5 stars
Nov 2, 2022

There is a deep pleasure in following a writer over time and seeing them level up, hone their skills, sharpen their words. I've been reading Zoraida Córdova since the first Brooklyn Brujas novel, Labyrinth Lost, and while that book was a delight, one can see the growth. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is deep, layered, multi-generational. It's a book about choosing your own family, choosing your path. It's a book about mistakes and the price you pay for those (a theme in Córdova's work, to be sure). Most of all, it is a beautifully crafted and emotionally powerful book. It is, quite simply, magical.

Photo of Kindra Flores
Kindra Flores@kindraflores
4 stars
Aug 11, 2022

Really good! Very unique story

Photo of Megan BV
Megan BV@megplantparm
4 stars
Apr 29, 2022

Beautiful, creative and unique. Such a great story filled with unexpected magic.

Photo of Liz Griffin
Liz Griffin@lizgriffinwords
4.5 stars
Mar 9, 2022

For fans of Addie Larue or All the Crooked Saints, Practical Magic or Encanto, a beautiful tale of legacy, tradition, family ties and what makes them real, stars and trees and rivers and soil that grows perfect coffee. Simultaneously lyrical and grounded writing in this magical realism novel.

+4
Photo of Sydney Hyde
Sydney Hyde@shyde
5 stars
Feb 27, 2022

Well written, easy read with relatable characters. I love the moments when I feel the story and forget I am reading, this book gave me that feeling so many times, I really enjoyed it.

+1
Photo of Lauren Sullivan
Lauren Sullivan@llamareads
4 stars
Feb 21, 2022

Content notes: (view spoiler)[child neglect and abuse, death (mostly off-page), illness, bullying, fire, drowning (before book starts) (hide spoiler)] Magical realism isn’t usually my thing, but I couldn’t resist that unbelievably gorgeous cover. And I am ever so glad I picked this book up. It’s about generational trauma and making a home and family secrets, about how bringing those secrets into the light can wound and heal. “Orquídea was so many things: evasive, silent, mean, secretive, loving, and a liar.” Orquídea Montoya was born unlucky, but early on she decided to change her fate. She arrived in the dry and dusty town of Four Rivers one day, and by the next a house and garden had magically grown on the land. And then she settled down to raise her children and grandchildren, all of whom eventually left home, until they receive a summons to her funeral. They return to find their home in shambles, and Orquídea, well, changed. But even then, she refuses to reveal her secrets, like Marimar’s father’s identity or why she’s stayed in Four Rivers all her life. Haunted by Orquídea’s last words – “protect your magic” – her children and grandchildren return (mostly) to their lives, irrevocably changed. But what – or who – are they supposed to protect their magic from? “What broke your heart so completely that its splinters found their way through generations?” The book expertly weaves together multiple POV characters, in the present with her grandchildren Marimar, Rey and Tatinelly, and sequentially through Orquídea’s past. Rather than being abrupt, the changes felt seamless. Each of the characters find resonance in bits of their grandmother’s story, from the feeling of being forced from the only home you’ve known to feeling like an exotic creature on display. Each bit of Orquídea’s past they discover unlocks something inside of them, slowly revealing the reasons – and the love and pain – behind her actions. I adored Marimar, the woman who wished for just a little bit of her grandmother’s magic, and Rey, who wished to be an artist but settled instead for the stability of being an accountant. They’re technically cousins, but are more like siblings as Marimar went to live with Rey’s family after her mother died. The warmth of their relationship, how obvious it was that they loved each other even if years would pass between when they’d last seen each other in person, was a balm in a sometimes thorny book. In contrast, Tatinelly’s biggest wish was to be ordinary, so she married in to a very normal family, content, at first, to be far from the magic of Four Rivers. Drawn together by the mystery of who Orquídea was, and then later hunted by one of the secrets from her past, they’re a patchwork kind of family linked together by love and loss. “There is nothing brighter than a wish. It comes from true hope. Humanity is so full of that. Desperate hope. Joyous hope. Even those in anguish, especially those in anguish, I should say, have hope. It’s the anticipation that tomorrow will be better than the next day.” Magical realism doesn’t always work for me. Sometimes books seem to lean into the “oh hey yes, that’s just how it is” without any explanation. But in this book, while many of Orquídea’s actions initially seem inexplicable, the reasons behind them become clear as the book progresses. Orquídea means orchid, and the floral symbolism is overt, from the magical roses that bloom (or don’t) on some of her descendants, to the continued talk about putting down roots, to thorns. A family tree can be a complicated, beautiful thing, and the author displays a deep understanding of that, a lot of it through gorgeous and incisive prose. A young Orquídea is described as “a whisper of a girl who wanted to become a scream.” She yearns 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.” And it definitely would’ve taken an act of the heavens to get me to put this book down once it got going! I found the beginning, with the introduction of all of Orquídea’s descendants, a bit slow, but after only a few chapters I was completely entranced. The differences between Orquídea as a child and Orquídea as Marimar and Rey know her were intriguing, and the tension built slowly but progressively until it culminated in a shocking last few chapters. “Some people were meant for great, lasting legacies. Others were meant for small moments of goodness, tiny but that rippled and grew in big, wide ways.” Overall, I’d be surprised if this book doesn’t make it on multiple top-ten lists for the year. It’s beautiful and gripping and deeply real, and it left me contemplating what, exactly was Orquídea’s inheritance to her family – and what I want my own family inheritance to be. I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Photo of Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan@sarahlee1164
4 stars
Feb 17, 2022

A wonderful premise with intriguing characters and plenty of magic perfect for lovers of magical realism and low fantasy. Some portions flowed better than others, and at times I was hooked and other times I could not wait until the action picked up again, but I’m giving 4 stars instead of 3 because I won’t soon forget this story or characters, and I believe that counts for something.

Photo of Deborah Kerr
Deborah Kerr@debbie
2.5 stars
Jan 9, 2022

I don’t think this one was for me. It was more atmospheric than anything else and I didn’t really connect enough with the characters. The writing is beautiful though.

Photo of Akansha
Akansha@readreviewcoffee
3.5 stars
Dec 17, 2021

I really enjoyed this. This story follows grandkids of Orquidea who try to figure out the secrets of their grandmother who warned them about someone coming for their magic. All of them live with a curse that makes them grow Rose on their various body parts. The first part is a bit slow and has a lot of family drama. It can also get a bit confusing sometimes because of the number of characters but this problem won't be there after the first part because the story mainly follows three people.

+3
Photo of María Belén
María Belén@mbferreyra
4 stars
Dec 13, 2021

Muy, muy bueno. Me es difícil encontrar un libro con realismo mágico bueno que no sea de un autor latinoamericano. Pero este me sorprendió. La primera parte se me hizo medio cuesta arriba, con toda la exposición de la trama y todos los personajes. Al principio había demasiados personajes y si no me guiaba por el árbol genialógico me perdía. A partir de la segunda parte en adelante remontó. Me súper enganchó y no lo quería soltar. La narración es súper fluida y los personajes son muy buenos también. Amé a Rey, el mejor personaje lejos. De a momentos podía ver a mí familia reflejada en algunos. Mí única "crítica", si se la puede llamar así, es que Rihannon no está escrita para nada como una nena de 7/8 años. Parece una adulta o adolescente que de a momentos es aniñada. Pero esto es más un pet peeve mío supongo; seguro que a la mayoría no le molesta. En resumen: un libro muy lindo, entretenido y atrapante. Muchas gracias a Emir que lo eligió para el club de lectura.

Photo of Morgan Kinney
Morgan Kinney@momoisreading
3.5 stars
Nov 17, 2021

Very atmospheric. I wish we had more of the past time line.

+1
Photo of Salam Kabbani
Salam Kabbani@theunabridgedlifeofsalamacita
3.5 stars
Nov 4, 2021

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a story about a powerful bruja who invites her family to watch her die and attend her funeral. The family has many issues with their witch blood and many have gone years without talking to Orquídea to avoid the weirdness that follows her. In the story we follow a dual timeline of her younger life and her current relatives as we understand her powers and the things that led her to be so secretive with her gifts and powers. ✨I loved the Latinx heroes. ✨I really enjoyed the mystical and magical components of this story, definitely perfect for October. ✨I learned so much about how family oriented Hispanic culture is and how that can be beautiful and painful at the same time based on whether or not your family accepts you.

Photo of Salam Kabbani
Salam Kabbani@theunabridgedlifeofsalamacita
3 stars
Nov 3, 2021

Rating: 3.5/5 The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a story about a powerful bruja who invites her family to watch her die and attend her funeral. The family has many issues with their witch blood and many have gone years without talking to Orquídea to avoid the weirdness that follows her. In the story we follow a dual timeline of her younger life and her current relatives as we understand her powers and the things that led her to be so secretive with her gifts and powers. ✨I loved the Latinx heroes. ✨I really enjoyed the mystical and magical components of this story, definitely perfect for October. ✨I learned so much about how family oriented Hispanic culture is and how that can be beautiful and painful at the same time based on whether or not your family accepts you.

Photo of Elli
Elli@ellipalmer
4 stars
Oct 24, 2021

August Book of the Month I thought the writing was beautiful, like being wrapped in a familiar blanket. The plot/story felt like a myth and I thought it was super original and I really wanted to know what would happen. But the pacing felt off. Everything happens and ends very quickly. It felt like it wanted to be a longer book. There were some plot points that felt like they never got closure and it felt like we sometimes jumped a little unceremoniously from one plot point to the next. I loved the writing and the characters, I just wish the story had more time to unfold in a way that felt natural.

Photo of Tori Carrillo
Tori Carrillo@stori_bookending90
5 stars
Oct 24, 2021

This book is filled with family secrets, generational wisdom and pain, magic, a circus, and so much more! I loved this book so much, it is definitely a new favorite! I will admit though, it did take me about a month to read as I would read some and put it down for a while and it didn’t really pick up for me until the third part, but I sped through the last 100 pages quickly. It is told through dual timelines and alternating perspectives, but I think the ending really brought home why every character was important and it was the family system (and dysfunction of a family) as a whole that this book was about. I really enjoyed the connection I felt with the characters and their journey and it was written in such a beautiful but easy to read way. The author not only brought the magic to life but made it as relatable as if it was something to be expected instead of questioned. Highly recommend for those wanting a book about connecting to your roots with some magical realism elements and family drama/secrets. (A good Día de los Muertos read.)

+6
Photo of Elodia
Elodia@eloreads
5 stars
Oct 20, 2021

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for a copy of this book. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina has everything I want in a magical realism- whimsical storytelling, complex family dynamics, and intriguing characters! It spans the life of Orquídea Divina Montoya, as her family discovers the mystery of her life along with the reader. The magic woven throughout was unique; at some point, the characters sprout flowers from their bodies. The characters were distinct and were fully developed, and even side characters had some sort of arc throughout the book; they were flawed, but that is what makes the reader grow attached to them. The author also shows different types of strength, not just physical strength. The story's villain creeps up on the reader, and it takes a while to realize who it is and why. The writing was beautiful, but I did have to reread some passages to fully grasp what had happened. The story is moving and tells the story of an imperfect family but shows the love that exists there.

Highlights

Photo of Natalie
Natalie @nattiereads

Yo quiero luz de luna para mi noche triste, para sentir divina la ilusión que me trajiste, para sentirte mía, mía tú como ninguna, pues desde que te fuiste no he tenido luz de luna. FROM "LUZ DE LUNA" BY ÁLVARO CARRILLO