For a young woman coming of age in sixteenth-century Guatemala, safeguarding her people’s legacy is a dangerous pursuit in a mystical, empowering, and richly imagined historical novel.
“DAUGHTER OF FIRE is a gorgeous, gripping tale of one young woman’s struggle to find herself amid the terrors of colonialism and the desperate need to uphold the heritage of her people, bound up in her love for her mother.” – Booklist
“Gorgeous and atmospheric. A unique and compelling point of view. Legit one of my favorite books of all time.” – Xiran Jay Zhao, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of Iron Widow
“A captivating odyssey of a novel from start to finish—Robleda vividly brings to life the world of sixteenth-century Guatemala, immersing you in Catalina’s brave fight to preserve her people’s history against all odds. Beautifully imagined, intimate, lush, evocatively written, DAUGHTER OF FIRE has firmly secured its place among my all-time favorites, narrated by a fresh and much-needed voice in historical fiction.” – Mariely Lares, Sunday Times bestselling author of Sun of Blood and Ruin
When Mexican writer Sofia Robleda embarked on a personal ancestral search, she discovered the history of an ancient Mayan sacred text with stories that were so enlightening, she knew she had to write about it. The result is DAUGHTER OF FIRE (Amazon Crossing; August 1, 2024), a moving and beautifully written historical fiction novel about a girl named Catalina, born in the 1530s to an Indigenous Guatemalan mother and a Spanish colonizer father.
The Popol Vuh is a little-known sacred text with invaluable insight into the Maya way of life before colonization, including their myths and stories and the history of the Kʼicheʼ people of Guatemala. The stories were mostly passed down orally, until around 1550, when they were written down in secret, by anonymous K’iche’ authors. But after the Spanish conquest of the Maya, missionaries and colonists destroyed many documents, and the original sacred text was lost. Only a translated copy made by a friar in the 18th century remains.
“I grew up in Cancun, surrounded by the ancient Mayan culture, but when I found out I had Indigenous blood, I started studying our pre-Columbian history in a lot more detail,” explains Robleda. “When I read how many documents were destroyed, I had a visceral reaction. I couldn’t stop crying over this great loss to our heritage. But the Popol Vuh survived. Its story possessed me. I felt I’d gone out to look for my roots, and they’d taken a hold of me. The result was this novel, and I’m ecstatic that DAUGHTER OF FIRE will be published this summer.”
Catalina de Cerrato is being raised by her widowed father, Don Alonso, in 1551 Guatemala, scarcely thirty years since the Spanish invasion. A ruling member of the oppressive Spanish hierarchy, Don Alonso holds sway over the newly relegated lower class of Indigenous communities. Fiercely independent, Catalina struggles to honor her father and her late mother, a Maya noblewoman to whom Catalina made a vow that only she can keep: preserve the lost sacred text of the Popol Vuh, the treasured and now forbidden history of the K’iche’ people.
Urged on by her mother’s spirit voice and possessing the gift of committing the invaluable stories to memory, Catalina embarks on a secret and transcendent quest to rewrite them. Through ancient pyramids, Spanish villas, and caves of masked devils, she finds an ally in the captivating Juan de Rojas, a lord whose rule was compromised by the invasion. But as their love and trust unfold, and Don Alonso’s tyranny escalates, Catalina must confront her conflicted blood heritage―and its secrets―once and for all if she’s to follow her dangerous quest to its historic end.
DAUGHTER OF FIRE is an engrossing story about loyalty and prejudice, love and oppression, and embracing one’s identity. It’s a must-read for Summer 2024!
To help celebrate the release this new novel, we are hosting a virtual book tour with this wonderful list of book influencers who will post reviews, features, and giveaways. We hope you will follow along:
Monday, July 22 Jess N Books AND Amber Shelf
Tuesday, July 23 Tomes and Textiles AND Lauren’s Book Vibes
Wednesday, July 24 Totahly Booked
Thursday, July 25 Kera’s Always Reading
Friday, July 26 WBTB Book Reviews
Sunday, July 28 Purrfect Pages
Monday, July 29 Lit Wit Wine Dine
Tuesday, July 30 Angela Reads Books
Wednesday, July 31 Sue The Bookie
Thursday, August 1 Meg’s Book Club AND Love My Books 2020
Friday, August 2 Karen’s Library
Saturday, August 3 Books On My Mind
Sunday, August 4 Marisol Reads Books
Monday, August 5 Spookish Mommy
Tuesday, August 6 Mabel Journals
Wednesday, August 7 Bookalong
Thursday, August 8 Sarah And Her Bookshelves
Friday, August 9 Linda’s Book Obsession AND Michelle Loves Books
Saturday, August 10 Books and Coffee MX
Sunday, August 11 Secret Reading Life
Monday, August 12 We Love Big Books And We Cannot Lie
Tuesday, August 13 Books with Bethany
Wednesday, August 14 Paperbacks N Frybread
Thursday, August 15 – Lexijava
Friday, August 16 Subakka Bookstuff
