“Santiago brings passion, color, and historical detail to this Puerto Rican Gone with the Wind, featuring a hard-as-nails heroine more devoted to her plantation than to any of the men in her life. … The richness of [Santiago’s] imagination and the lushness of her language will serve saga enthusiasts well.”

― Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A powerful new novel that is colorful, sexy, and shimmering with magical writing as lush as the tropical island on which it takes place. Alive with all their passions and flaws, here are characters so boldly imagined they feel real, and in a story so transporting you can almost smell the sugar cane.”

― Terry McMillan, author of Getting to Happy and Waiting to Exhale

“An enthralling epic that not only illuminates the life of one extraordinary woman, but of the great sweep of Puerto Rican history. Rich with period details, unforgettable drama, and a riveting cast of characters  Conquistadora will seduce readers heart and soul.”

― Cristina García, author of Dreaming in Cuban

“Readers may not sympathize with Ana … but her unflinching devotion to her dream of living with the valor and beauty of her conqueror ancestors is compelling.”

― BookPage

“The multitalented author of When I Was Puerto Rican offers a big, bold novel about life on a Caribbean sugar plantation in the mid-19th century…. With drama, adventure, and even a bit of magical realism, Conquistadora may remind readers of Isabel Allende’s novels of Latin America.”

― Library Journal 

“I loved this novel from the first sentence, and wept with emotion by the end…. Esmeralda Santiago has given voice to a history that has eluded me. Here is a haunting, visceral epic that satisfies on every level and yet leaves you hungry for more. Bravo, Conquistadora!”

― Daisy Martinez, host of Viva Daisy! and author of Daisy’s Holiday Cooking

“Impressive … Conquistadora is a story of epic dimensions, one which demands to be taken seriously—and at the same time is just a tremendous amount of fun. Hats off to Esmeralda Santiago, for a delicious novel that instructs as easily as it pleases.”

― Madison Smartt Bell, author of All Souls’ Rising