The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina Review

By Nic Daniels

Hello, audacious readers! We made it through January and I hope your year is getting off to a good start. Last month, we followed a self-love journey in 30 Things I Love About Myself by Radhika Sanghani. This month, we’re exploring the highs and lows of family legacies with The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova. 

In the town of Four Rivers, there was once nothing but barren land until there wasn’t. Suddenly, there was a house, magic, and the enigmatic Orquídea Divina. She would soon have a family that would grow and move while she would stay in that house until the end of her days, never explaining the source of her family’s blessings.

When Orquídea invites them to her funeral, they hope her secrets will finally be revealed. Instead, she leaves them with more questions and three of her grandchildren—Marimar, Rey, and Rhiannon--with gifts that manifest into powers they don’t understand. What they do know is there is danger lurking in the shadows, hunting their family down. As the threat looms closer, they realize they must go to Ecuador, where it all started, and find the secrets Orquidea tried to bury.

Let’s just get this out of the way: this book is for fans of magic without explanation. We are not trying to logic this magic or find the mysterious source to it or link it to gods. This magic is just what it is. Yes, there are flowers blooming out of their skin. Yes, Orquidea turned into a literal tree without explanation. Yes, there is a living, breathing star. So, let’s continue.

This story is told from the perspectives of the characters mention above, switching from the past to the present and I appreciate it. Many family saga stories can try too hard to keep too much of an air mystery while this one allowed us to learn about Orquidea from the very beginning and the effect of her decisions on her family. I also like how much every character’s life feels full but not disconnected, especially Marimar and Rey.thye are two separate characters that live outside of anyone else and their sibling dynamic is nice to see.

Another highlight is Cordova’s writing itself. She is so good at creating an atmospheric setting as well as weaving in the magic naturally. She switches well between a slow and fast pace. She really knows how to pull you in without doing too much. Everything she says has a purpose and, frankly, is beautiful. My only critique for this book is that the confrontation towards the end is a bit cliché but that doesn’t ruin the story for me. The journey to is still a great journey and I still found the wrap up satisfying.

All in all, I appreciate that this story really makes you think about the legacies you can unintentionally build, especially for survivors. Yes, there can be a time in your life when you live day-by-day and hard decisions are made because of it. However, when you do get to a place of reflection or correction, don’t run from it because whether you like it or not, those mistakes will find you.

I hope you enjoyed The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. I'll be sharing all my thoughts on the upcoming IG live with founder, Jessica Wise. Feel free to comment your thoughts below and, until next time, don’t forget to read audaciously!