Look at this absolutely stunning book!
The Inheritance of OrquÃdea Divina
By Zoraida Córdova
The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. But when OrquÃdea 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, OrquÃdea is transformed, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for them. When a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy OrquÃdea’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 OrquÃdea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back.
** Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review.**
I have been in a serious reading slump that started at the end of July and has been going strong right through August and the first part of September. I started a new job and have been adjusting to my new schedule. So it took me longer to read this than I'd like, though that definitely was not the fault of this lovely book.
The author wrote a short story about two of the main characters in this book for the anthology Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft. This novel is a full realization of their story and it gave me serious Alice Hoffman magical realism vibes, all full of magic and family dynamics with an Ecuadoran twist. I enjoyed every moment I was reading it.
Despite the main characters of Rey, Marimar, Tatinelly, and Rhiannon being very different from not only each other, but also from me, I still found them relatable. Especially the family dynamics, which were just as frustrating, complicated, yet full of love and laughter as any real family. I felt connected to Tatinelly in her belief that she was ordinary and to Marimar who just wanted to live a quiet life.
I don't know much about Ecuador, but the descriptions of Guayaquil made the city come to life. I felt like I was there experiencing the city right along with the family: walking down an unpaved street to the river, eating the rich food, dealing with chaotic traffic, and being out of breath from running up the 444 steps of the Santa Ana Stairs.
Once I reached the 75% mark of the book, I couldn't put it down. Everything else got put on hold until the end. There were twists and reveals I didn't see coming and a bittersweet ending that was still somehow satisfying. This truly was a unique, beautifully written book that gave me all the cozy, autumnal magic vibes.
About the Author:
Zoraida Córdova is the author of many fantasy novels for kids and teens, including the award-winning Brooklyn Brujas series, Incendiary, and Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: A Crash of Fate. Her short fiction has appeared in the New York Times bestselling anthology Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark, Come on In: 15 Stories About Immigration and Finding Home, and Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft. She is the co-editor of the bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old. Her debut middle grade novel is The Way to Rio Luna. She is the co-host of the podcast Deadline City with Dhonielle Clayton. Zoraida was born in Ecuador and raised in Queens, New York. When she isn’t working on her next novel, she’s planning a new adventure.