First published 2006
Malintz, an Aztec princess, finds herself sold into slavery and bound to Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes as his concubine. The year is 1519, and she must navigate her captivity while accompanying Cortes and his soldiers on their fateful march toward Tenochtitlan, the magnificent capital of the Aztec empire. As the Spanish force advances deeper into indigenous territory, Malintz witnesses the collision of two worlds. Cortes and his men prepare for the battles that will determine whether the vast Aztec civilization will survive or fall to European conquest. Caught between her heritage and her circumstances, Malintz experiences the personal cost of empire's end. Her story unfolds against the backdrop of one of history's most decisive conflicts, where love and survival intertwine amid the destruction of an ancient world.
Genres: romance, historical, historical-fiction, adventure
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Tenochtitlan, Aztec Empire
Period: 1519
425 pages · Hardcover · W. W. Norton & Company
Content warnings: colonialism, slavery