The Magic of Latinx Storytelling: 6 Magical Realism Books to Get Lost In
By: Cielo Prischak & Keara Rodriguez
Magical realism has deep roots in Latin America, where it blends the wonder of everyday life with the traditions of oral storytelling. A genre that feels like sitting around abeulas table with family, hearing stories that mix history, myth, and memory as if they have always belonged together. This list celebrates contemporary Latinx authors who carry this tradition forward to craft stories about identity, family, migration, history, and assimilation in innovative, yet familiar ways.
The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova
Orquídea, the Montoya family matriarch, summons the family to her home so they can receive their inheritance, which leaves the family with more questions than answers. Years go by, and a mysterious danger falls upon the family, pushing them to uncover the truth about Orquidea’s past. Cordova blends family drama, Ecuadorian-inspired magic, and immaculate prose into an unforgettable story about legacy and survival.
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Set in 1920s Mexico, a young woman accidentally frees the Mayan god of death and is dragged along on a thrilling road trip across the country. Moreno-Garcia gives us a story that is bursting with myth, danger, sass, and forbidden love. Equal parts fairy tale and historical adventure, it’s a ride you won’t want to end.
Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vazquez Gilliland
Sage Flores is many things: a botanist, a sister, and a bruja. Only she’s sworn off her brujeria after it cost her one of her sisters. She is back in her hometown after being gone for eight years and everything is just as she left it, including the man who broke her heart. Sage and Tenn are forced together by circumstance, but will they stay together once Sage’s work is done? Gilliland’s prose is filled with longing and a reluctant magic that pulls you in and refuses to let you go.
You Dream of Empires by Álvaro Enrigue
Five hundred years ago, Hernán Cortés reached the sprawling metropolis of Tenochtitlan and met the emperor Moctezuma, marking a day that altered history forever. What Cortés originally envisioned as a diplomatic meeting with this fabled leader soon has him and all his companions questioning what’s real and what’s imagined. A refreshing, and at times hallucinatory, retelling of one of the most infamous conquests, Enrigue turns this story on its head into a whimsical yet dangerous tale.
The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Imagine a Western where the bullets might be cursed and the past refuses to stay buried. Jumping between 1895 and the 1960s, readers follow two generations of men caught in a cycle of violence. When a young bandit robs a train in Mexico, he draws the attention of the supernatural and a curse that impacts his family for generations. Gonzalez James explores guilt, redemption, and inherited curses in a hauntingly original way.
The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jarmillo
Marta is a busy woman, juggling her roles as a lawyer, mother, and caretaker for her ninety-three-year-old great-aunt, Nena. When Nena asks Marta for help finding the daughter she left behind decades ago, Marta is pulled into a search that blurs the boundaries between memory, history, and magic. From 1940s El Paso to colonial Mexico, this is a story of mothers and daughters, love and legacy, and the ways our roots continue to call us, no matter how far we roam.
These books offer a fresh look at Latinx life, blending magic and reality seamlessly. Whether you’re in the mood for a sweeping fantasy, a satirical read, a tender romance, or an engaging family saga, each story will bring you into worlds that you won’t want to leave. Together, they remind us that storytelling is a powerful way to honor culture, identity, and the resilience that lives in between.
