Well, this was a surprise for me!
I fell in love with The inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova!
This book was suggested as a read for our diverse book club and ultimately it was rejected. I was hoping it would come up again for March, but I'm not the moderator for that club and it was never to be seen again! I had it on hold at the library, and when it came up- i decided Why not try it!
I am still surprised at the way this novel just kind of quietly wormed it's way to the top of my listening list of audiobooks. TO be frank, this cover, as beautiful as it is, doesn't really do it justice. It looks so Victorian to me that I was not exactly excited to read about an inheritance from a sort of rigid time period. OF COURSE, this is not at all what this book is about.
And I do find the alternate cover is really much better: Which do you prefer?
Readers are treated to a dual timeline story, where we learn about the amazing, resilient Orquidea Divina - and her life from infancy to transformation, because death never really comes for Orquidea.
In the second timeline we follow her relatives, particularly her grandchildren who are out in the modern world, but are called home for their inheritance.
Again, I thought this wasn't for me, but...the characters of Marimar and Reymundo in particular just dragged me right in. I wanted to know what was going to happen for them, and let me attest, readers are in for a wild adventure, full of unique magical realism, drama, a touch of horror, mayhem, some hard truths, cosmic intervention and love. While this can be enjoyed as a fantastical tale of magical realism, readers will also be able to relate to characters as they experience dreams broken and dreams realized, feelings of belonging, and rejection, the pain of lies and broken promises and the joys of discovering a place they can call home.
Currently this book is vying for favorite read of the month- in competition with Kiss of the Fur Queen.
STATS
First Published 2021
Pages: 336
Available as an Audio Book : YES
Trigger Warnings: Body horror, child death, death, infidelity, parent death, alcohol use,
(this is not a full list, read responsibly)
Oh hands down - the second cover. Both are pretty hard to see that it would even be the same book from those covers!
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