Helpful Score: 2
I bought this book because it was written by the author of "Like Water for Chocolate," which I enjoyed. Ms Esquivel has taken a very basic, simple story of the relationship between Herman Cortes and his slave/lover Malinalli, and woven it into a fairy tale with pictures. It is set in Mexico during the 1500's when the Spaniards, under Cortes, took over Mexico, then ruled by Montezuma. It is based on the Aztec belief that the world is ruled by Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. The reviewers found it "ambitious and inventive." I found it "strange."