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ailiscr32's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Child death, Pregnancy, Racism, Violence, Abandonment, Homophobia, Death, and Death of parent
just_one_more_paige's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Years ago, if you had asked me, I would have said that magical realism was my favorite genre. And, while I do still really enjoy it, I don’t read it – am not in the mood for it – quite as often. (Though, when they hit, they hit big. Notable recent-ish favs being: Eartheater, We Ride Upon Sticks, and Nothing to See Here.) Anyways, I was feeling something like it, with the onset of fall vibes and cooler weather, and this one has been sitting on my shelf waiting for exactly this timing…
This novel opens with Orquídea Divina dramatically inviting all her descendants back to her home to “receive their inheritance” on the occasion of her imminent death. When they all arrive, hoping to finally get answers to the magic and secrets that have long plagued their family, they instead find themselves just in time to watch Orquídea transform into a tree. From there, the story unfolds in two directions. First, we follow Orquídea’s life, learning about her mysterious past and the deal she made that brought her ever closer to the ending the novel opened with. Second, we follow three of Orquídea’s (great) grandchildren – Marimar, Rey and Rhiannon – in the years following her disappearance from their lives. When an unknown threat from Orquídea’s past threatens the safety of the family in the present, they travel together to her home country of Ecuador to find the answers she was never able to give them, and take back the power, the promise and the future of the family from the inherited forces that continue to terrorize it.
Ohhhhh the magical realism, in the grand tradition of Latinx authors, is spectacular here. Spectacular. (reference intended) With grandmother growing roots, crocodile-like River spirits, resurrected roosters that lay green-yolked eggs, letters that arrive at their destination magically without addressing, living stars that grant wishes, mysterious biblical plague illnesses, and more this novel has all the magic and wonder a story could hold, and more. Sometimes I find that magical realism can lean into the obscure and obtuse, but this was perfectly accessible. And I just loved that entire aspect of the book, from start to finish.
I did have a few questions about the plot. On the whole, it was interesting and well-paced. There was just enough tension to keep me kinda on the edge of my seat, but never so much that I was *too* stressed out (for me, the perfect amount). And if I just lean into the general story-telling and entertainment, it was really solid. However, there were a couple small things that I wasn’t sure about. For example, I feel like the Living Star really should have held a bigger grudge against Orquídea. And I guess that maybe he did, but by the time he comes back in the present he’d already (somehow, and I have some questions about how that happened as well, since then he was back in “custody” when we meet him in the present, but whatever) worked through some of that and had a new/different investment in the success of the family. (no spoilers) And maybe the relatively greater evil they were all afraid of can explain away that forgiveness too. But still. It felt a bit too easy. Also, there didn’t seem to be enough time/space for Rhiannon to mourn for all her losses. And she was young, and maybe the whole family being there for her to fill in is the bigger picture message. But again, it just seemed a little too easy, too flimsy.
However, to sandwich those plot detail questions with the great things about this book. I loved the themes it is centered around. The way the Montoya family, led by Marimar and Rey and Rhiannon, overcome the past and face the secrets of an old terror, together, in order to claim what is rightfully theirs and move together into a safer and happier future, was fantastic. There were so many secrets that Orquídea kept. And just…what a commentary on how openly talking about the past and lived traumas can help prevent that legacy from being passed on and instead promote healing from it. Lovely. And the three of them were able to both overcome and simultaneously have, and keep, flaws of their own, which I always respect for authenticity reasons. Plus, the way the magical realism details supported these themes in metaphoric and symbolic ways all the through was done so well.
So, if you, like me, are willing to overlook a few particulars in order to appreciate the greater story being told, the vibes being built and the messages being communicated, then get your hands on this book. You will fall right into it!
“Damn the stars and damn luck. Damn everyone and anything who thought her insignificant. Orquídea Montoya was going to rewrite her fate.”
“In the end, family wasn't about blood. [...] You could be born into a family, but you still had to choose them.”
“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. The anticipation that tomorrow will be better than the next day.”
“After all, belief was like glass - once broken it could be pieced back together but the fissures would always be there.”
“Lies carve out holes until they make one big enough to escape through.”
“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.”
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child death
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, and Terminal illness
Minor: Bullying, Racism, and Xenophobia
issamay's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, Stalking, Toxic relationship, Sexism, Death of parent, Body horror, Pregnancy, and Grief
Moderate: Bullying, Violence, Sexual content, and Xenophobia
kayelina's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Sexual content
Moderate: Bullying, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Toxic relationship, Violence, Abandonment, and Pregnancy
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