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eggbreadcryptid's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This book started out promising, but it really lost me near the middle and completely at the end. I just didn’t feel really connected to the characters, the multiple povs made it so you didn’t really know anyone. The plot was interesting and had interesting characters they just weren’t fully fleshed out or utilized.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Death
Minor: Gore and Violence
foreverinastory's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I loved this!
Rep: Mainly Ecuadorian and Ecuadorian-American cast of characters. Two cishet female MCs, one gay male MC.
CWs: Abandonment, alcohol consumption, blood, child death, death, death of parent, emotional abuse, fire, grief, infidelity, pregnancy, sexism, sexual content, toxic relationship, violence, murder. Moderate: injury/injury detail, misogyny, stalking, body horror, gaslighting, child abuse, racism/colorism.
Rep: Mainly Ecuadorian and Ecuadorian-American cast of characters. Two cishet female MCs, one gay male MC.
CWs: Abandonment, alcohol consumption, blood, child death, death, death of parent, emotional abuse, fire, grief, infidelity, pregnancy, sexism, sexual content, toxic relationship, violence, murder. Moderate: injury/injury detail, misogyny, stalking, body horror, gaslighting, child abuse, racism/colorism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Stalking, Body horror, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Racism
stevie's review against another edition
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Xenophobia, Violence, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexism, Racism, Murder, Kidnapping, and Confinement
faithe_mollett's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-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? Yes
5.0
If you liked Disney's Encanto, you'll like this book.
It's generational and there's magic! A magic house, a powerful matriarch who sacrificed to keep her magic and her family safe. The family tree included in the book was good, it was helpful to have my own, simplified version though.
Just like many of the magical realism books I have read, once the actions starts it doesn't stop until the books over. It's like a really succesful scavenger hunt, go to point A for the next clue at point B for the next clue at point C, etc etc.
Magical realism has its roots in Latin American literature, and this novel is a wonderful addition. I forget how much I love this genre! Can't wait to read more from this author!
It's generational and there's magic! A magic house, a powerful matriarch who sacrificed to keep her magic and her family safe. The family tree included in the book was good, it was helpful to have my own, simplified version though.
Just like many of the magical realism books I have read, once the actions starts it doesn't stop until the books over. It's like a really succesful scavenger hunt, go to point A for the next clue at point B for the next clue at point C, etc etc.
Magical realism has its roots in Latin American literature, and this novel is a wonderful addition. I forget how much I love this genre! Can't wait to read more from this author!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Abandonment, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pregnancy, Self harm, Sexual content, Stalking, Toxic relationship, and Violence
There's a family tree in the front of the book, but its hard to look at on an ereader that doesn't allow you to zoom. I found the fam tree online easily enough, and made my own simplified one to reference until I got to know the family a bit better.badmc's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The (grand)mother is dying, and her progeny visit her in her magical place, where they find more than they bargained for, especially after they keep mysteriously dying. What was the deal with the grandma, anyhow?!?
This was an atmospheric read, and I very much enjoyed the characters, mystery, and chaos of the first half of the book. It was delicious, full of smells, and feels. Alas, after the 55% mark the plot lost its intrigue, the twists were eye-rolling, the characters became caricatures, and tropes just kept on piling upon each other. It felt like the author didn't know how to wrap everything up so she did it in a way that felt rushed, with low emotional impact and characters behaving like idiots for the sake of the plot.
Based on the first half, I would keep an eye out for the author's second book with the hope that she capitalizes upon that potential.
This was an atmospheric read, and I very much enjoyed the characters, mystery, and chaos of the first half of the book. It was delicious, full of smells, and feels. Alas, after the 55% mark the plot lost its intrigue, the twists were eye-rolling, the characters became caricatures, and tropes just kept on piling upon each other. It felt like the author didn't know how to wrap everything up so she did it in a way that felt rushed, with low emotional impact and characters behaving like idiots for the sake of the plot.
Based on the first half, I would keep an eye out for the author's second book with the hope that she capitalizes upon that potential.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gaslighting
Minor: Violence
e_flah's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina felt more like two books put together than one cohesive story. I enjoyed the first half more, which follows Orquídea Divina's extended family as they follow her summons to return to Four Rivers. There were so many intriguing glimpses of members of the Montoya family that end up largely vanishing from the story when the plot takes a hard shift in another direction.
The aspect of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina I liked the most was learning more about the titular character through glimpses of her life that intersperse the present-day conflict. Orquídea was an incredibly compelling character to read about. Her reluctance to share stories about her early life with her grandchildren and behavior that could be both cruel and kind reminded me of the generational trauma within my own family. Seeing Marimar and Rey try to make sense of their grandmother added another rich layer to Orquídea's character. This dynamic between how the main characters within the story perceive Orquídea and how the reader does was incredibly well done.
The second half of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina had a very different tone, which is where I started losing interest in the story.I really don't like stories about circuses so I was disappointed to discover that this ended up featuring prominently in the overall plot of the book. I also just would've wanted more on page setting up the villain's motivation for hunting down the Montoyas as the conclusion to the present-day plot arc felt very rushed.
The aspect of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina I liked the most was learning more about the titular character through glimpses of her life that intersperse the present-day conflict. Orquídea was an incredibly compelling character to read about. Her reluctance to share stories about her early life with her grandchildren and behavior that could be both cruel and kind reminded me of the generational trauma within my own family. Seeing Marimar and Rey try to make sense of their grandmother added another rich layer to Orquídea's character. This dynamic between how the main characters within the story perceive Orquídea and how the reader does was incredibly well done.
The second half of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina had a very different tone, which is where I started losing interest in the story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Violence
Minor: Infidelity
rorikae's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
'The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina' by Zoraida Córdova is a magic dipped family saga about one family learning the true story of their matriarch's life.
Orquídea Divina swept into Four Rivers and erected a family home. The townspeople learned that there was a dash of magic surrounding the house in the valley and they learned to steer clear. Over the years, Orquídea has many husbands and many children but she never tells her family much about her past. But after her family has moved out and as she reaches the end of her life, she calls them back home to learn the truth about her life.
Córdova creates a lush family saga that explores how a single matriarch impacts the rest of her family and the magic that follows her. Córdova's writing is evocative and does a great job of bringing the reader into the world of the story. The reader is brought along with the family as they learn more about their grandmother and the magic that seems to follow her. Telling the story through the eyes of family members works really well in that they only know so much so we as the reader are discovering much right alongside the family.
Orquídea is an interesting heroine and her life unravels in intriguing ways. Ultimately, I did enjoy the portions of the story with her grandchildren more than the sections with her. I think this is in part because so much of her life is told over relatively few chapters and thus has to go quite quickly. The story with the family takes place over less time which allows Córdova to delve more fully into their emotions and dwell on the details of their world.
I have long been meaning to pick up books by Córdova and I think this was a great place to start. I will definitely be reading more of her works and I look forward to what she puts out next.
Orquídea Divina swept into Four Rivers and erected a family home. The townspeople learned that there was a dash of magic surrounding the house in the valley and they learned to steer clear. Over the years, Orquídea has many husbands and many children but she never tells her family much about her past. But after her family has moved out and as she reaches the end of her life, she calls them back home to learn the truth about her life.
Córdova creates a lush family saga that explores how a single matriarch impacts the rest of her family and the magic that follows her. Córdova's writing is evocative and does a great job of bringing the reader into the world of the story. The reader is brought along with the family as they learn more about their grandmother and the magic that seems to follow her. Telling the story through the eyes of family members works really well in that they only know so much so we as the reader are discovering much right alongside the family.
Orquídea is an interesting heroine and her life unravels in intriguing ways. Ultimately, I did enjoy the portions of the story with her grandchildren more than the sections with her. I think this is in part because so much of her life is told over relatively few chapters and thus has to go quite quickly. The story with the family takes place over less time which allows Córdova to delve more fully into their emotions and dwell on the details of their world.
I have long been meaning to pick up books by Córdova and I think this was a great place to start. I will definitely be reading more of her works and I look forward to what she puts out next.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Infidelity, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Child death
aromarrie's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Body horror, Blood, Death, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Sexual content
wai's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
reflective
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Infidelity, and Stalking
Moderate: Sexual content, Child death, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, and Violence
Minor: Blood and Suicide
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