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Material Type | Library | Call Number | Suggested Age | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Book | Searching... Buffalo Public Library | COR | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... Putnam Main Public Library | COR | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
| Book | Searching... West Huntington Public Library | COR | Adult | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
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).
Author Notes
Zoraida Córdova is the acclaimed author of more than a dozen novels and short stories, including 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.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
One day a house occupied by Orquídea Divina suddenly appears near the town of Four Rivers. Her arrival leads the townspeople to believe she is a witch. Orquídea survives multiple husbands, raises nine children, helps care for some of her grandchildren, but never leaves town. One day, she sends invitations summoning her offspring home for her death. Only Orquíeda doesn't die but instead transforms to the shock of her family, and leaves her granddaughter Marimar the property in Four Rivers. The narrative moves back and forth between Orquídea's childhood in Ecuador, her travels, and the bargain she made for magic, with that of her granddaughter Marirmar as she works to create a new life for herself restoring the family home. A mysterious figure stalks family members and a series of sudden deaths has Marimar, with her cousins Rey and Tatinelly, traveling to Ecuador to unravel Orquídea's past in a race to save the rest of the family. A tale of love, magic, adventure, and the general messiness of families with secrets written with descriptive prose evoking places and emotions vividly. VERDICT An absorbing read, full of lush writing and magical realism, this book will appeal to fans of Alice Hoffman and Isabella Allende. A great first purchase.--Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Lib., WA
Publisher's Weekly Review
This radiant adult debut from Córdova (the Brooklyn Brujas YA series) follows the troubled Montoya family in the magical Midwestern town of Four Rivers. As the book opens, matriarch Orquídea Divina has just sent out wax-sealed, bird-delivered notices for her own funeral, inviting her children and grandchildren to "come and collect your inheritance." Cousins Rey and Marimar set off from New York City; their cousin, the heavily pregnant Tatinelly, heeds the call from Olympia, Ore. With her family gathered around her, Orquídea enters a kind of magical earthly limbo and exhorts her progeny to "protect your magic." Her warning remains mysterious until seven years later, when the Montoyas are pursued by a malevolent man who visits death and destruction on their extended family. To save themselves, Rey, Marimar, Tatinelly, and Tatinelly's magically gifted seven-year-old, Rhiannon, trace Orquídea's roots to Guayaquil, Ecuador, where she was born. While there's not much momentum in the first act, this family saga acquires a thrillerlike tempo as the Montoyas draw closer to the mystery at the heart of Orquídea's curse. The magic is vivid and yet familiar, and adds to the urgency of the plot. It adds up to an inspired and entertaining blend of magical realism and fantasy. (Sept.)
Booklist Review
The latest from Córdova (author of the Brooklyn Brujas series) is a spellbinding immigrant story that follows an Ecuadorian American family as they delve into their ancestry and roots. After members of the Montoya family receive a mysterious funeral invitation from their secretive matriarch, Orquídea Divina, they have few options but to head over to the mythical Four Rivers in search of answers and a potential inheritance. Their lives have always been surrounded by magic and the unexplained, but when grandma transforms into a tree, they're left even more baffled than before. Things take a dark turn as death rears its ugly head and Orquídea's surviving children and grandchildren start to die. Thus begins a quest to find answers about Orquídea and the powerful legacy she left behind between her homeland in Ecuador and her present home in the United States. Told in the past and present from multiple perspectives, this beautifully written generational novel full of magical realism will enchant fans of Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, and Alice Hoffman.
