The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova

 

The Montoya family is an interesting group of people; their matriarch Orquidea Divina is especially interesting and different. She's quite magical, too. Appearing in Four Winds decades before as a very young woman, she created an oasis out of nothing, leaving the townspeople to whisper about her and send the sheriff out on occasion to try to get her to leave. 

However, Orquidea stayed. She never left her little oasis, where food was always plentiful, the weather was beautiful, and there was a definite other-worldliness about it. 

Now Orquidea is calling her children and grandchildren back to Four Winds because she is dying and it's time to leave each of them an inheritance. When her family arrives, they are shocked to see Orquidea is not only dying, but is slowly transforming into a tree. Questions abound!

Now it's seven years later, and two of her grandchildren and one great-grandchild have gifts that are definitely odd: Rey, Marimar, and Rhiannon all have flowers growing out of their flesh. None of them understand why or what the flowers mean. 

Soon it becomes clear something is stalking the Montoya family, and it wants to destroy them. Seeking to figure out what is killing family members, they travel to Ecuador, Orquidea's home, to discover where her story began and to uncover the truth before they are all destroyed. 

Wow. This was one heck of a great read. Magic is everywhere in this story, and toss in a circus with a mysterious connection to Orquidea and you've got quite an interesting tale of bad decisions, promises made and broken, and heartbreak that never goes away. Revenge weaves its way through Orquidea's life story, and a big theme is the damage done to children by parents who do not love or care for them. Those children grow up to inflict damage on themselves and others, because of their rage, sorrow, and unanswered questions. 

I loved the mix of legends and magic, folklore and family love and connections. The story goes back and forth between present day (7 years after Orquidea transforms) and decades before, slowly revealing her journey and the price she paid for freedom. It all culminates in a showdown between the evil that stalks the family, and the gifts Orquidea gave her grandchildren. 

If you're looking for books with magic, cultural lore and otherworldliness, you'll enjoy this very much. The cover is just gorgeous. 

Rating: 5/6 for a tale of one woman's choices that create a magic safe place for family that is threatened by an evil that seeks revenge and will stop at nothing to destroy everything. 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova

The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

This was definitely a book that had me at the cover. Then when I read the front flap blurb, I  had to read it. A legendary library? Heck yes! 

Sadly, I was a bit disappointed in the story. I finished it because I wanted to see what happened to the main characters but it was not quite as magical and legendary as I had hoped it would be. 

It's China, 1937. Japan is invading China, and slowly swallowing cities and moving inland. The Communist party is gaining some momentum and is recruiting young students. Lian is a young student at Minghua University in Nanking, and they've been ordered to leave the city for safety--a thousand miles away, across China. They'll have to walk at night to keep themselves safe from Japanese bombers, and they have a great treasure that must be delivered safely: the Library of Legends. Volumes of China's history of legends and folklore; a five hundred year old priceless collection that would be an immeasurable loss to the Chinese people if it fell into enemy hands or was destroyed. 

Lian is accompanied by a large group of students, but a few stand out: Liu, his servant Sparrow, and Lian's friend Meirong. Lian has a bit of a crush on Liu, who is the son of a rich and powerful man, and handsome to boot. He's smart, but never has had to really work hard or push himself for any reason. Sparrow, his servant, quietly takes care of him and also has a secret agenda: she's immortal, and one of the mythical four maids in waiting. She has returned in human form in the hope that Liu will fall in love with her. It's a tale of reincarnation that unfortunately is doomed to never have a happy ending. 

Oh, there's more to this story. I had hoped the legends and folklore would be much more of the tale, but that just isn't the case. I had hoped the Library of Legends would factor more into the story, but its journey concludes a bit before the end of the book. What I did find interesting was the message moving across China to all Gods and Goddesses: the gates to heaven were going to close, and they had to move quickly to enter once and for all.  Once people worshipped Gods and Goddesses and prayed to them; that had faded, and they were no longer needed or wanted in modern China. So, it was time for them to leave China for their home, never to return. I found that really sad. And knowing what was to come for China makes it even more poignant to me. 

This wasn't a bad story by any stretch; it was fascinating to read about the travels of the students to another place, very far into China, where they could continue their education. The Chinese government believed their students were the future of the country, and did everything they could to protect them and keep them in school. They were losing the war with Japan, which had much more military might. China just had a lot of men to put through the war machine. 

If you like mythology, this would be a novel to read-if anything it will peak your interest in Chinese mythology. The historical background is interesting as well, and a period of history I didn't know much about. The characters are all just trying to survive as best they can in a world that is falling down around them. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio. 

Rating: 3/6 for a novel that falls short in the mythology that I was looking for; however, it is an interesting tale and would appeal to historical fiction fans. 

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The Library of Legends by Janie Chang

Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans

It was a Saturday at the bookstore, and I was shelving new fiction.  Half-way down the cart, I spied this.  I'm not proud of my reaction.  I think I actually squealed and, clutching the book to my chest, I jumped up and down.  I'm relieved to say I  think only one customer saw me do this.  She grabbed the book and bought one that day.  

I've been waiting for another book by Posie Graeme-Evans ever since the wonderful Island House came out a few years ago.  It didn't matter that I was in the throes of mid-terms at school; this was my link to sanity!  And I have to say, Wild Wood delivered.  

Wild Wood takes place in the summer of 1981, just before Charles and Diana's huge wedding in London.  Jesse Marley has arrived in London from Australia with one mission:  to find her birth parents.  This decision began back in Australia, when applying for a passport revealed the truth:  Jesse had two birth certificates.  Unable to cope with the disappointment of her parents never telling her she was adopted, she leaves for London.  While in London, Jesse finds out she was born in Jedburgh, a small village in the borderlands between Scotland and England.  Before she can make plans to travel there, she's hit by a motorbike and lands in the hospital with a fractured skull and broken bones.  Floating in and out of consciousness, Jesse sees and hears things that make no sense.  Is she imaging them, or are they real?  Her doctor, Rory Brandon, asks Jesse why she drew those drawings of a castle.  Since her right hand is unable to function in a sling, Jesse thinks it's impossible.  Yet Rory realizes the drawings are of a place he knows very well:  Hundredfeld.  

Built by a Norman warlord hundreds of years before, Hundredfeld is still occupied by a descendant of the Dieudonne family.  And Rory grew up at Hundredfeld, his mother a servant on the property.  What's the connection between Jesse and Hundredfeld?  Who is her birth mother?  

Jesse travels to Hundredfeld with Rory in order to uncover the mystery of the drawings.  She finds much more than she bargains for--and it's all connected to the land, and Hundredfeld's long history.  

This is a dual history novel; you travel between 1981 and 1321, when Hundredfeld's family of brothers:  Maugris, Bayard, and Godefroi, come together at Hundredfeld to battle those who wish to see them destroyed.  Godefroi's new wife, the Lady Flore, has many believing she's evil and a witch.  Lady Flore has an otherwordly feel about her; is she there to destroy or save?  

This book was great!  Just what I needed to read in March.  Both stories are compelling, and yes, they do tie together.  The Scottish land, superstitions, folklore, and family mysteries all play together nicely and keep you turning the pages.  At first you're a bit confused, but stay with it, and it will all become clear.  

If you want to read Posie Graeme-Evans' other fantastic novel, The Island House, click here for my review.  

Fans of Susanna Kearsley, Diana Gabaldon, and Mary Stewart will love both novels.  A bit of history, a bit of folklore, a bit of romance, and a reminder that where we come from is deeply imbedded in our psyche and shapes us all.  

Rating:  8/10 for a unique story combining local history, Scottish folklore, and Charles and Diana's wedding.  Yes, all three.  

Available in paperback and e-book.

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Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans