A review by danicainpages
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
The Inheritance of Orquidea follows the story of Orquidea and her descendants as the latter tries to solve the puzzle that was their grandmother/mother who was always surrounded by an air of mystery and magic their whole lives. This was a stunning book about tragedies, complicated families, making and finding one’s own way, generations of haunting secrets and mystery, and intriguing with magical realism. Cordova’s writing was wonderful and the way she used the dual timeline was seamless and made for more compelling reading. Her prose is beautiful as well and she made me care for each and every character in this book. The characters were diverse and layered. Their dynamic with each other and their struggles with themselves were realistic and relatable and will tug at your heartstrings. While the story did take a while to unravel, I appreciated learning about the other characters as well which I didn’t mind. I’m not always fond of abstract magical realism but for this story, it worked. It only added to the mystery and intrigue of it all.It reminded me a lot of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is Addie got the chance to live her life and have a family. But it also gave me elements of Encanto in a gothic kind of way with a dash of body horror. This was overall a wonderful book and my first from Cordova. 
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