The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
Length: 336 Pages
Genres: Magical Realism and Fantasy
Rating: 5 out 5 Stars
A special thanks to Atria Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel!
"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."
Trigger Warnings in this book for Minor Blood and Violence
I was so, so pleased to have gotten an ARC of this wonderful, magical and simply delightful new novel by Zoraida Córdova! It is my first foray into her work, though I've heard nothing but good stuff and I can guarantee it will not be my last.
Told in alternating timelines, following the titular Orquídea Divina in her youth, and three of her grand-children and one great-grandchild, Marimar, Rey, Tatinelly and her daughter, Rhiannon, this is a story of the strength of family (and how much they can annoy us!) and just what one will do to feel power when they are born powerless.
The mysterious Orquídea Divina showed up in Four Rivers with a house in her pocket and a determination to protect herself and her family from something she won't name. Five husbands later plus a plethora of children, grandchildren, and a great-grandchild on the way, she calls her family home to claim their inheritance. Growing up in the magnificent house in Four Rivers, where the pantry never runs dry, the floors are scrubbed with a mixture of lemon, salt and herbs to keep evil out, and stories of fairies, Ecuadorian river monsters, and duendes are gospel truth, the Montoyas are used to the strange. What they find upon arrival, though, beggars belief, and sends them into a dangerous game of survival and truth.
I loved every second of this book. From the very first page I knew this was exactly my kind of book, and unless Cordova did something drastic, it wouldn't dip beneath a five star rating! I really enjoyed the dynamic of the large family (I've always wished to have a large family!), and how in the end, they come together to protect what's theirs despite their differences. This novel is certainly one of the most original takes on magic I've read in a long time, and while I kind of guessed the identity of the unnamed threat, it did nothing to diminish the exhilarating ride that was The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina!
This amazing novel comes out September 7th, so mark your calendars, or better yet, pre-order it! You can't dare to miss one of the best books of 2021.
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