Name: Nik ✨'s review of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
Item: The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
Rating: 3.5
Author: Nik ✨

Zoraida Córdova

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.

A Novel

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina

Natalie 

Antonia Sonntag 

I’m a sucker for stories about generational curses, whether they be metaphorical or magical. The writing itself was beautiful, but towards the end, the book started to lose me. I felt like the pacing became choppy because some parts were skipped through very quickly while others were drawn out. I also think the number of family members could’ve been cut down. The author described some of them very thoughtfully, but others were indistinguishable from one another and could’ve been gone altogether.

Also, the magic system isn’t fully explained. Sometimes, this bothers me, but in this case, I really didn’t care. However, if you’re someone who needs to completely understand the rules in a fantasy world, you might want to avoid this book. Overall, this was fun. I don’t think I’ll ruminate on this for years to come, but I had a good time.

Nik ✨

I’m a sucker for stories about generational curses, whether they be metaphorical or magical. The writing itself was beautiful, but towards the end, the book started to lose me. I felt like the pacing became choppy because some parts were skipped through very quickly while others were drawn out. I also think the number of family members could’ve been cut down. The author described some of them very thoughtfully, but others were indistinguishable from one another and could’ve been gone altogether.

Also, the magic system isn’t fully explained. Sometimes, this bothers me, but in this case, I really didn’t care. However, if you’re someone who needs to completely understand the rules in a fantasy world, you might want to avoid this book. Overall, this was fun. I don’t think I’ll ruminate on this for years to come, but I had a good time.

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. 

Abigail F

Bria

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

Ana Luiza

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!

Ally Perkins

Lara Engle

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.

Gillian Rose

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.

Jules

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

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

Rachel Wingler

Didi Chanoch

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.

Kindra Flores

Megan BV

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

Liz Griffin

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.

Sydney Hyde

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.

Lauren Sullivan

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.

Sarah Vaughan

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.

Deborah Kerr

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.

Akansha

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. 

María Belén

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.

Morgan Kinney

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

Salam Kabbani

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.

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.

Elli

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.

Tori Carrillo

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.)

Antonia Sonntag &
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

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The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova