Daughter of the Dark

Earlier this year, I enjoyed R.J. Valldeperas‘s YA debut, Their Will Undone, and I’ve been eager to read more from her. Today, her adult debut is available: Daughter of the Dark, the first in the Daughters of Auquis series. Set in a fantastical South American world, it follows a demon hunter, Solana. But when a fight goes wrong, she ends up before the king with a six-month gig she can’t refuse. With any luck, she’ll satisfy the king’s demands while also freeing her own people. But her loyalties are shifting as enemies become allies and her long-dead father reveals a new truth. Solana is also falling for her reluctant partner, Reyes. By the end, she’ll be forced to make an impossible choice between fate and revolution.

What I Liked:

• Peruvian/Venezuelan world. It’s not clear if Daughter of the Dark is meant to be just one country or the other, but the author has heritage from both, and the food and drink mentioned here drive that world-building home. Wash down arepas with a shot of pisco? It happens more than once! Regardless of the specifics, I enjoyed getting a distinctly South American setting filled with ancient gods, demons (called muki), and people willing to fight for their future.
• Politics and undercover missions. Solana’s dad died trying to achieve a secret goal, possibly something destructive and nefarious. Now, twenty years later, the king has recruited Solana for a new mission. But who should she trust? What is she actually fighting for, and who will it ultimately help? There are secrets, manipulations, and shocking revelations to contend with as this novel races towards its climax.
• Unlikely romance. Solana and Reyes don’t get off to a great start, especially since he’s doing some kind of experiment related to her blood. And then they’re forced to work together, despite having diametrically opposed views on how to handle demons. But… they actually can lean a lot from each other, and as their trust grows, so do other feelings between them. They’re opposites in many ways: She’s sarcastic, keeps her distance emotionally, and is always ready to pick a fight. He’s more methodical and considers things carefully, and his biggest joys come from learning and healing. And yet somehow, these two balance each other out so well!

Audiobook:

Gisela Chípe narrates Daughter of the Dark, told entirely from Solana’s point of view. She has an energetic, biting narration that suits the character perfectly. I also appreciated her pronunciation of words, drawn from Spanish and, if I’m not mistaken, an Indigenous language like Quechua.

The only downside of this audiobook was that the narrator’s volume wasn’t always consistent. It sometimes got quieter before returning to the original volume. This may be fixed in final versions of the audiobook.

Final Thoughts

Daughter of the Dark is a fast-paced, moody, and imaginative work of fantasy and romantasy. Since my husband is Peruvian and I’m in Peru now, I’m always looking for books set here or in other South American countries; this was the satisfying read I craved. I’m excited to continue the Daughters of Auquis series with Daughter of the Light, due in August 2027. R.J. Valldeperas is quickly becoming a new favorite author.

Special thanks to Tor Publishing Group, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Get the Book

You can buy Daughter of the Dark here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Daughter of the Dark by R.J. Valldeperas
Series	Daughters of Auquis (#1)
Audiobook Narrator	Gisela Chípe
Audience	Adult
Genre	Historical Fantasy; Romantasy
Setting	Peru/Venezuela
Number of Pages	336
Format I Read	Audiobook & Ebook (NetGalley ARCs)
Original Publication Date	September 15, 2026
Publisher	Bramble

Official Summary

This gorgeous hardcover edition features a deluxe foiled jacket, beautiful designed endpapers, and a case stamp.

From the flesh of a fallen god, a demon slayer rises.

Supay lives under a curse of eternal death. For the greed of their god, the people are damned to live as human… and then again as muki.

For Solana, survival means staying sharp and staying alone. Armed with only a blood-forged dagger, she’s carved out a life as Supay’s fiercest slayer, freeing souls even as she’s trapped by duty.

But when a twist of fate offers her the title of Royal Demon Hunter, Solana finally finds a path to the freedom she’s always craved… but it draws her closer to the darkness threatening Supay—darkness that calls to her soul alone.

Torn between turning her back on a fight she never asked for and the pull of loyalties old and new—including an irresistible connection to a man who should be her enemy—Solana must decide…

Choose fate and freedom?

Or death, destruction… and revolution.