3.5
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
ByPublisher Description
NATIONAL BESTSELLER
Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, a family searches for the truth hidden in their past in this “expertly woven tale of family power, threaded with as much mystery as magic” (V.E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—not for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea 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, Orquídea is transformed into a ceiba tree, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings and powers. But soon, a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea’s line. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, her descendants travel to Ecuador—to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back.
Alternating between Orquídea’s past and her descendants’ present, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a “spellbinding tale, both timeless and fresh, that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Prepare to fall in love” (Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author).
Perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Isabel Allende, and Sarah Addison Allen, a family searches for the truth hidden in their past in this “expertly woven tale of family power, threaded with as much mystery as magic” (V.E. Schwab, #1 New York Times bestselling author).
The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers—not for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea 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, Orquídea is transformed into a ceiba tree, leaving them with more questions than answers.
Seven years later, her gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Rhiannon, granting them unexpected blessings and powers. But soon, a hidden figure begins to tear through their family tree, picking them off one by one as it seeks to destroy Orquídea’s line. Determined to save what’s left of their family and uncover the truth behind their inheritance, her descendants travel to Ecuador—to the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises and never looked back.
Alternating between Orquídea’s past and her descendants’ present, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is a “spellbinding tale, both timeless and fresh, that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Prepare to fall in love” (Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author).
Download the free Fable app
Stay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.
Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building tool
Rate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tags
Curate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesStay organized
Keep track of what you’re reading, what you’ve finished, and what’s next.Build a better TBR
Swipe, skip, and save with our smart list-building toolRate and review
Share your take with other readers with half stars, emojis, and tagsCurate your feed
Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Inheritance of Orquídea Divina Reviews
3.5
“Loved the magic in this story, exactly my kind of magical realism. I'm also a fan of the multiple perspectives and going back in time. Overall a good read about grief, secrets, and the importance of family.”
“I went into this book blind, and honestly it wasn’t what I was in the mood for but it was a good read. Lots of family, a little magic, and a bit of mystery. I felt like there were too many people I was trying to get to know that I didn’t truly get to know any of them.”
“Book/Story: ⭐⭐.5
Book Cover: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Trigger Warning(s): Death Of Parent(s) (Off Page), Child Death, Emotional Abuse, Infidelity, Parental Neglect, Racism
POV: Multiple, Third Person
Series/Standalone/Duet: Standalone
Cliffhanger: No
Genre: Fantasy
Burn: 🔥🔥.75
Safe or Dark: Safe ️
Quick Take Review💥:
This was a decent read from start to finish. This is a story about being with family through the highs, lows, and everything in between. The magical realism aspect added an extra layer of charm to the story. However, at the end of the day this story is ultimately a forgettable one.
In Depth Review 👇
Summary 📖:
The Montoyas are used to living a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why their food supply never runs low or why their matriarch never leaves their home in Four Rivers, not even for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. So, when Orquídea Divina invites them to attend her funeral and collect their inheritances, they hope it will finally reveal the secrets she has guarded so fiercely.
Seven years later, Orquídea's gifts have manifested in different ways for Marimar, Rey, and Rhiannon. These unexpected blessings come with extraordinary powers. But when a mysterious figure begins tearing through their family tree, killing them one by one in an effort to destroy Orquídea's bloodline, her descendants must travel to Ecuador, the place where Orquídea buried her secrets and broken promises, never intending to return, in order to uncover the truth behind their inheritance and save what remains of their family.
Writing 📝:
Zoraida Córdova’s writing is beautiful without being overly flowery or dense. It’s easy to follow while still building great atmospheric vibes. The flow makes the plot easy to get through and understand. The perfect blend of detailed while still being simple.
Thoughts 💭:
Family can be a difficult thing to navigate. Things are rarely black and white when it comes to the people we love, and that makes it hard to sort through all the feelings that come with it. How do you hold onto the love you have for a person after they’ve hurt you? And even harder, how do you know when you walk away from someone you love when they’re so toxic they do more harm than good in your life?
That’s exactly what this book is about. It explores the messy reality of family, and how they might not always have your best interests in mind, and how sometimes you just have to face the reality, make peace with it, and move on with your life. Although, for the Montoyas things might be a little more complicated because magic runs through their bloodline, and it’s not always used for the right reasons.
Wait, scratch that, because I honestly have no idea what the hell this book was even about. I have no clue what I just read.
This book has fairly long chapters, but there are plenty of natural stopping points throughout. So, if you're like me and prefer to finish a chapter before ending a reading session, those breaks make it easy to set the book down whenever you might need to to call it a night.
This book follows two alternating timelines, and I really enjoyed that aspect of it. Córdova made both the past and present easy to follow, weaving them together seamlessly. I always knew which timeline I was in, and the story never felt confusing or jumbled. Everything flowed together beautifully.
What did get a little confusing was the sheer number of characters. There are a lot of them. For the most part, I was able to keep everyone straight, but every now and then I'd forget where certain people fit into the bigger picture. The Montoyas are a big family, and Córdova obviously wasn't interested in leaving any single one of them out. I, on the other hand, would've appreciated a few fewer relatives to keep track of.
Honestly, I didn’t care about a single one of these characters. I wasn’t rooting for any of them, and I really didn’t give a shit what happened to them. I wanted to like them so badly, but it just never happened. I kept waiting for at least one of them to click with me, but none of them ever did. If I had to pick a favorite, I guess it would be Rey. He was pretty cool.
The shifts in point of view were also a little hard to follow. Sometimes the perspective would change halfway down the page, and I wouldn't even realize it until a page or two later. There were definitely a few times where I had to stop and figure out whose head I was actually in. It wasn't enough to take me out of the story, but I do wish those transitions had been handled a bit more smoothly.
The pacing is what really killed this book for me. It felt way too drawn out, and it took forever for anything to actually happen. We spend so much time on parts of the characters' lives that just didn't matter or do anything to move the story forward. I almost fell asleep more than once while reading this. It was just so freakin' slow.
What was that ending? Seriously, what was that? It was absolutely ridiculous, and I hated every second of it. I wish I could say I finished this book feeling satisfied, but unfortunately, the ending was the final nail in the coffin for me.
Also, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THAT MARIMAR’S DAD IS A LITERAL STAR!?
At the end of the day, I don't have much to say about this book. Not because it was bad per se, but because it was impressive either. Unfortunately, I think it's one of those novels that'll be pretty forgettable.
Final Verdict ⚖️
[ ] You NEED to read this book! DO IT!
[ ] You won’t regret picking up this book but also won’t regret it if you don’t.
[✅] Don’t make the same mistake that I did. DO NOT read this book!
Just a reminder: reading is totally subjective, and that’s what makes it so great. What speaks to one person might not to another, and that’s okay. There's never a reason to put someone down for loving a book you didn’t vibe with or vice versa. Be kind, the world is already cruel enough.😊”
About Zoraida Córdova
Zoraida Córdova is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels and short stories, including The Fall of Rebel Angels, the Brooklyn Brujas series, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge: A Crash of Fate, and The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. In addition to writing novels, she serves on the board of We Need Diverse Books, is the coeditor of the bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old, and is the cohost of the writing podcast Deadline City. She writes romance novels as Zoey Castile. Zoraida was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and calls New York City home. When she’s not working, she’s roaming the world in search of magical stories. For more information, visit her at ZoraidaCordova.com.
Other books by Zoraida Córdova
Start a Book Club
Start a public or private book club with this book on the Fable app today!FAQ
Do I have to buy the ebook to participate in a book club?
Why can’t I buy the ebook on the app?
How is Fable’s reader different from Kindle?
Do you sell physical books too?
Are book clubs free to join on Fable?
How do I start a book club with this book on Fable?
