Malinalli by Veronica Chapa

[Atria] Book Riot’s Best New Book Releases A 2025 Latino Book Award Winner, Gold Medal for Best Novel — Historical Fiction — English “A vivid and unprecedented journey into the Spanish invasion of Aztec Mexico.” —Luis Alberto Urrea, acclaimed author of The House of Broken Angels A “wild, unforgettable adventure” (Reyna Grande, author of A Dream Called Home) about the triumphs and sorrows of one of the most controversial and misunderstood women in Mexico’s history and mythology, perfect for fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Gods of Jade and Shadow and Zoraida Córdova’s The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina. A real-life historical figure, the woman known as Malinalli, Malintzin, La Malinche, Doña Marina, and Malinalxochitl was the Nahua interpreter who helped Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés communicate with the native people of Mexico. When indigenous leaders observed her marching into their cities, they believed she was a goddess—blessed with the divine power to interpret