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A review by ashlightgrayson
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This story had everything I love about magical realism in a nutshell. The Montoyas are a large family that travels to Ecuador to claim their inheritance from Orquidea. A series of events occur that lead to the deaths of some of the Montoyas. The surviving members try to find out who is behind the mythical magic is trying to kill them off. The relationships between the Montoyas feel genuine. I am not Ecuadorian, but I am first generation Latinx living in the United States and I felt incredibly represented by the Montoyas. Some of the members of the family don't speak Spanish despite having such strong ties to Ecuador. It is very representative of the experience of those part of the Latinx diaspora.
The story also is very nonchalant about the whimsical magic in this world, which I loved. I feel like a lot of newer fantasy books have much harder magic systems and it was nice to go back to the soft magic that is inherently a part of magical realism like this.
There is a lot of important commentary pertaining to colorism, sexism, and machismo culture in Orquidea's journey. We get flashbacks into her past that contributed to understanding how she became who she was in the present. It helped Orquidea become a much more sympathetic character. I wish we had gotten to know all of her husbands more and to see what those relationships looked like. There was a strong focus on her first husband and I feel like the story would have benefited from a point of comparison to her other romantic relationships.
I think that if you have never read magical realism this would be an excellent introduction. The story is easy to follow and feels like a magical murder mystery with a beautiful setting. The characters are diverse both in personality and life experiences which keeps you invested in their journeys. I am looking forward to more adult books written by this author in the future.
The story also is very nonchalant about the whimsical magic in this world, which I loved. I feel like a lot of newer fantasy books have much harder magic systems and it was nice to go back to the soft magic that is inherently a part of magical realism like this.
There is a lot of important commentary pertaining to colorism, sexism, and machismo culture in Orquidea's journey. We get flashbacks into her past that contributed to understanding how she became who she was in the present. It helped Orquidea become a much more sympathetic character. I wish we had gotten to know all of her husbands more and to see what those relationships looked like. There was a strong focus on her first husband and I feel like the story would have benefited from a point of comparison to her other romantic relationships.
I think that if you have never read magical realism this would be an excellent introduction. The story is easy to follow and feels like a magical murder mystery with a beautiful setting. The characters are diverse both in personality and life experiences which keeps you invested in their journeys. I am looking forward to more adult books written by this author in the future.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Slavery, Death, and Death of parent