So I was so so excited to get this book. It’s like the ONLY book I’ve ever read that has Ecuadorian characters. It’s always Mexican/Dominican/Puerto Rican since those are the most common in the US. But this was a whole family of them. Plus the family and the author were from Guayaquil, Ecuador! Just where my mom was from so it was like fate that I needed to read this. And I wasn’t the only one excited, my aunt got excited too and wanted to know which town the author was from on the off chance she heard of her.
Now on to the actual review of the first book I finished for 2022. This was a great story imbued with magical realism. It was centered with dual storylines between the past and present. The past was from the POV of the titular Orquídea Divina, a most unlikely woman who leaves her home and hopefully her bad luck as she tries to take power to change her fate and protect her family.
The present storyline tackles the consequences of Orquídea’s life. Now an elderly matriarch who calls her (grand)children to her magical isolated home because she’s dying. Always secretive and had driven off her family members, her grandchildren Rey and Marimar are reluctant to go back. But they also hope for some answers for the bad luck and magic that always surrounded them. Why she always was afraid. What exactly happened in her past.
I can’t reveal more since I don’t want to spoil anything but it has glittering prose-I can see the magic and glamour of the circus that is mentioned as well as the natural world. It was gripping too and kept me turning pages too. No boredom or skimming pages here as Cordove explored generational trauma, family, and the slippery grasp of love, helplessness and (self) power. 4 stars ️
If I had to make a comparison to something else it reminded me a bit of Disney’s Encanto what with the secretive matriarch, generational story and magical house and powers. Only this is darker and probes deeper with character reflections and introspections.
I decided last year to expand my reading from the deliciously fun backstabbing frenemy series like Gossip Girl and Beauty Queens to a group diverse YA standalone book so here are my reviews. They’re a bit short since I wrote it after I read all the books, which again was over the year, so it’s not as detailed. Also all are non spoilery.
Hello to any and all book lovers who stumble upon this blog. I’m a voracious reader in my free time (One book a day is my preference), but I haven’t found many who’ve read the same books. So I try to nag my friends until they do because “XYZ book is just sooo good!”
Now I’ve turned my efforts to the internet to share my love of reading. Mainly in the form of reviews and rankings. Maybe you’ll find a book you like? Maybe we can get into a discussion in the comments. Mainly this is a place for me to ramble on about what I read.
It’s always Mexican/Dominican/Puerto Rican since those are the most common in the US. But this was a whole family of them. Plus the family and the author were from Guayaquil, Ecuador! Just where my mom was from so it was like fate that I needed to read this. And I wasn’t the only one excited, my aunt got excited too and wanted to know which town the author was from on the off chance she heard of her. 
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 