Malinalli: A Novel

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 the Spaniards’ intentions for their land. Later, historians and pop culture would deem her a traitor—the “Indian” girl who helped sell Mexico’s future to an invader.

In this “lush tale about the power of language, the complexities of empire, and the bonds of sisterhood” (Rita Chang-Eppig, author of Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea), Malinalli is all of those things and more, but at heart, she’s a young girl, kidnapped into slavery by age twelve, and fighting to survive. Blessed with magical powers, and supported by a close-knit circle of priestesses, Mali vows to help defend her people’s legacy. For the first time, Malinalli’s “propulsive story of magic, love, and the struggle for power in a new world” (Luis Jaramillo, author of The Witches of El Paso) is told with the empathy, humanity, and awe she’s always deserved.