The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova -a review

The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina by Zoraida Córdova

One Hundred Years of Solitude meets Practical Magic, following three cousins who retrace their family lineage from Four Rivers, USA, to Guayaquil, Ecuador, in an attempt to discover the source of their power and why their family is being murdered by an unknown entity.

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).

Published 5 July 2022|  Publisher: Atria Books |  RRP: AUD$27.99

Buy it at: Dymocks |  Booktopia |  Abbey’s

My Blurb (2.5 / 5 stars)

I’ve gone for the pretty cover and the somewhat interesting synopsis. I’ve heard of the author but never read any of her books yet so I thought this was a good opportunity to check out her novels. The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina started off quite well for me; I really enjoyed the prose. For one reason or another though, that didn’t last very long. Maybe it’s the story itself that didn’t quite grab me.

It’s told from multiple perspectives though there are 2 main ones and there were flashbacks to the past too. I also didn’t particularly find engage by any particular characters. There were some moments but overall, I found it a bit long. Because I love circus stories, I found the carnival bit somewhat interesting even if we didn’t really see the carnival very much. Other than that, I found it a bit painful and just wanted it to be over.

Regardless of what I felt was a slog of a read, it was an interesting world but I guess it just wasn’t the right read for me.

My thanks to Atria Books for ecopy of book via Edelweiss+ in exchange of my honest thoughts

About the author

Zoraida Córdova is the acclaimed author of more than two 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, and is the co-editor of the bestselling anthology Vampires Never Get Old, as well as 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.

Find author on:  goodreads  |  website |  tumblr |  twitter |  instagram

Review: The Kimchi Cookbook: 60 Traditional and Modern Ways to Make and Eat Kimchi

The Kimchi Cookbook: 60 Traditional and Modern Ways to Make and Eat Kimchi by Lauryn Chun
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Source: eGalley courtesy of Ten Speed Press via Edelweiss – get your own copy from The Book Depository

My background, though of the Asian variety, is not Korean. In fact, I remember not liking kimchi in my teen years. We had some Korean guests who stayed with us for a few months and when they made kimchi, *phew* the smell was just overpowering. I don’t quite know when it is that I began to appreciate the taste of kimchi (yes, despite the aroma) however my obsession started sometime earlier this year, due to this book: The Ancient Garden: A Love Story.

Each time I read (it was a pretty chunky book so it took me some time to read), they were always eating kimchi and most of the time, accompanied by beer. So I found myself, drooling & craving over kimchi at 7am (on my commute to work, before I had breakfast). Since then, I would have kimchi at least once a fortnight if not a week. If I wasn’t eating out to eat kimchi, I would probably have eaten it more often ;p Hence, my curiosity over this book.

I found out that kimchi is basically just means pickles but there is whole variety of them. Originally, I thought it refers only to the cabbage ones but there are numerous types of kimchi for different seasons to be served with different types of dishes. Of course, I was drooling pretty much through this book.

It was beautifully put together; a clean neat layout with photos of fresh ingredients and yummy dishes. There is a bit of background on the author, a background on kimchi and some basic explanation to what they are, the methods, and how to store. Then follows many kimchi recipes which really tempted me but which I will never attempt as they are all very time consuming.

The last chapter was dedicated to cooking with kimchi. At first I thought, ooh, this might be interesting but then proceeded to grimace through the recipes like Egg Benedict with Kimchi Hollandaise, Kimchi Risotto, Grilled MILKimcheeze Sandwich, Kimchi Grapefruit Margarita, etc (with the exception of the fried rice, yum!). After a few nights contemplating Kimchi Risotto though, I’m kind of sold on that idea and broached the subject with hubby. Unfortunately, he wasn’t impressed. Nonetheless, it’s something I’m going to try when hubby is not dining at home 😉

Overall, a book I’m happy to have for my coffee table but may attempt only one or two recipes (due to time constraints). It was great fun to read for a noob kimchi fanatic.

With thanks to Ten Speed Press and Edelweiss for the privilege to read & review this book

View all my reviews