Very readable work of historical fiction set in sixteenth-century Guatemala, with a (very) slight romantic subplot. Our heroine and narrator, generally known by her Spanish name of Catalina, is the daughter of the local governor, Don Alonso Cerrato and his K'iche wife. The conquistadores have swept through the area like a plague, deposing the local monarchs, murdering or enslaving the local populace, and forcing Christianity on the survivors. Catalina loves her father, but she also made a promise to her late mother to preserve the sacred text in her keeping.... despite the dangers that might bring.
The back cover copy makes this sound like a grand adventure story, but to me it felt for the most part smaller and quieter than that: Catalina's father is determined that she should be treated like any Spanish governor's daughter, and that means keeping her world carefully circumscribed, particularly given the circumstances of her mother's death. The small world of Spanish colonizers means that gossip is everywhere and as Catalina embarks on her quest, she is doing so at night and in secret, slipping back into her bed just before morning and hoping no one noticed she was gone. What I'm trying to say is, this is historical fiction with a heavy emphasis on the "historical" part; while to the best of my knowledge Catalina isn't a known historical figure, her father was, as was Juan de Rojas (her love interest). This is the story of the preservation of the Popul Vuh as it might have happened.
There is a love story and romantic subplot, but the book doesn't follow the beats of a traditional genre romance novel, nor does the romance feel as central to Catalina's choices and decisions as it would be in a genre romance. Robleda does not shy away from depicting the cruelty and viciousness of the Spanish oppressors, but the actual scenes or references are straightforward and not overly graphic - she lets the horror speak for itself.
Over all, I found this very readable - I read it in two sittings - and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for historical fiction about an independent-minded woman in a complicated era.
I received an ARC for free but these are my own honest opinions.