Book Review: “The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina” by Zoraida Córdova

Nov 24

Håfa adai! Hispanic Heritage Month spans from 15 September to 15 October in the United States and is a celebration of the many cultures, histories, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic communities. For two weeks each in September and October, I will post reviews for books across Fiction and Horror written by Hispanic authors. My first selection of Hispanic Heritage Month 2025 is The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova.

This book review consists of two parts: a spoiler-free plot summary and my thoughts on the story. In the second part, I give my personal rating and break down the setting and worldbuilding, storytelling, cast of characters, and themes. There may be some lightweight spoilers—such as how characters interact with each other and the world around them—but I will not give away any major plot twists or endings. I want to share my opinions of the book and maybe encourage you to purchase a copy of your own.

Click on the tags at the bottom of this post to see all reviews with the same tags in the Fiction bookshelf.

Spoiler-Free Plot Summary

For the children and grandchildren of Orquídea Divina, life in the house at Four Rivers was filled with magical explanations—a home that sprung from the earth, a rooster that never died—but empty of answers. After a life of mystery, indescribable feats, five husbands, and many descendants later, she is ready to leave this life for the next. When she calls her family home for her funeral and to collect their inheritance, Marimar and Rey believe they will finally learn more about the elusive life their grandmother has led. But when they receive only more magical explanations, they realize that the only answers they might receive are the ones they seek for themselves. And, just like their grandmother did in life, they find that those answers are gripped tightly by the fingers of time.

My Thoughts on The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina: 4.5 stars

Zoraida Córdova’s The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is another story I read in 2022 and knew I wanted to revisit for the Bookmarks & Armchairs blog (and because this beautiful story deserves to be re-read many times over). If you enjoy magical realism—and the works of Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, Jorge Luis Borges, Salman Rushdie, Haruki Murakami, and more—you will most likely enjoy the experience of this book. Zoraida Córdova takes the reader back and forth through time, using an omniscient third-person narrative to follow characters from three generations of the Montoya family, from Ecuador to the United States and other places!

From my interpretation, The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is, in many respects, a coming-of-age story amidst multiple generations of trauma, adversity, and unanswered questions. For Orquídea, she did what she believed was the best she could to untether herself from a life she did not want to live in Ecuador. Yet the secrets she wanted to keep about that life found their way to the surface, no matter how far she went and how much time passed. For Marimar and Rey, the unanswered questions of their past, of the generations that came before them, cast this thick looming shadow over their present lives. And it was not until those questions were answered that they could understand that the past could shape but should not determine their futures.

My overall rating for The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina is 4.5 out of 5 stars. I could not get enough of this story! Zoraida Córdova’s style of storytelling is highly textured and nuanced. Her worldbuilding and character development are rich and complex. And the emotional themes she explores in this story transcend the experiences of a single generation. Her use of magical realism recalls the experiences I have had with older authors renowned for this literary genre without feeling like an imitation. I highly recommend The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina to those who enjoy multigenerational tales of magical realism.

Dångkulo' na' saina ma'åse'! Thank you so much for reading my review of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova.

Rating Cheat Sheet

4.75 - 5.00 stars: Everyone should read this book! (If you’re into that sort of thing.)
4.00 - 4.50 stars: I appreciated many aspects of this book. I recommend it!
3.00 - 3.75 stars: I liked some aspects of this book. I won’t revisit it, but someone else might really like it.
2.00 - 2.75 stars: There were some things I appreciated about this book, but I do not recommend it.
0.25 - 1.75 stars: I do not recommend this book. I did not enjoy or appreciate the experience of it.

Post Date: 12 October 2025