Daughter of Fire: A Novel by Sofia Robleda

For a young woman coming of age in sixteenth-century Guatemala, safeguarding her people’s legacy is a dangerous pursuit in this mystical, empowering, and richly imagined historical novel.

Catalina de Cerrato is being raised by her widowed father, Don Alonso, in 1551 Guatemala, a mere thirty years after the Spanish invasion. As a prominent figure in the oppressive Spanish hierarchy, Don Alonso wields power over the newly subjugated Indigenous communities. Fiercely independent, Catalina struggles to balance her loyalty to her father with her deep-seated vow to her late mother, a Maya noblewoman. Catalina promised to preserve the sacred text of the Popol Vuh, the cherished but now forbidden history of the K’iche’ people.

Guided by her mother’s spirit voice and endowed with a remarkable memory, Catalina embarks on a perilous quest to preserve and rewrite these invaluable stories. Her journey takes her through ancient pyramids, Spanish villas, and shadowy caves inhabited by masked devils. Along the way, she finds an unexpected ally in Juan de Rojas, a noble whose authority was undermined by the invasion. As their love deepens, so does their mutual trust.

But as Don Alonso’s tyranny intensifies and Catalina grapples with her conflicted heritage, she must confront the hidden truths of her bloodline. Her quest to safeguard the Popol Vuh leads her to a dramatic confrontation with her own past and a historic decision that could determine the fate of her people’s legacy. ❤️📚❤️