Cordova does it again with masterful storytelling in The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, bringing together a family with secrets from the past and magic.

Amazing

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina entrances readers from the beginning, an open invitation to her funeral to her children and grandchildren to come and collect their inheritance. She knows her time has come, and she welcomes it, greeting death like an old friend.

Her family is less than thrilled with her transformation, leaving them with more questions than answers and magical gifts that manifest differently. While the story goes back and forth between the past the present, it also focuses on Marimar, Rey, and Tatinelly. Cousins and grandchildren of Divina,

The pacing is fantastic, and the story moves like water on a stream, building up to this magnificent waterfall. While the story goes back to Divina’s beginnings, it also tells the story of the three cousins, expanding to cover seven years’ worth of time.

What is so incredibly magical about Cordova’s writing is how her pacing never falters, how she shows so much with so little. Cordova’s writing is concise without losing the magic, without losing the mystery and characterization and growth.

The reader is invested in the story because of Cordova’s incredible writing talent. Cordova continues to keep the reader engaged when going back and forth between the past and the present. There is a mystery here waiting to be solved, and Cordova uses her skills to entrance the reader with it. How did Divina get her magic, and who is hunting them now that she is gone? The reader needs to know, and with the rising tension, the secrets begin to unravel wonderfully.

Excellent Characters

Cordova also does not neglect her characters. While half of the plot follows Divina’s perspective, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina also focuses on Marimar, Rey, Tatinelly, and her daughter, Rhiannon. These four characters go through much in the seven years. The reader sees it and connects to it. They grow and develop as their gifts grow and develop.

Reading their journeys and seeing them unfold in the way they do gives the reader a reason to be invested in them. Marimar inherits the farm, the land, but her power, her gift, does not quite manifest in how she hoped. Instead, her journey focuses on reconnecting with her grandmother’s past, finding those hunting her, and the secrets surrounding her mother’s mysterious death and absent father.

Divina had many secrets in her life, and she thought she did what was best to keep her family safe. She was, for the most part, successful. However, it does create this wall between her family and herself. The reader sees it in the way Rey develops, first by being cold and angry, then by flourishing in his art, his passion, a promise made to Divina to nourish his love of art.

These characters are family, bound by their love and devotion for one another, but their journeys are different, giving the reader this thoughtful narrative and exceptional character growth.

Final Thoughts

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is remarkable. Beautifully written, this novel shines like a star in the dark, weaving a spell over the reader.