Daughter of the Dark

Daughters of Auquis #1

by R.J. Valldeperas

DELUXE features a stunning foil accented cover, designed endpapers, and a hidden case stamp!

A Traitor's Daughter, the Demons' Slayer... the City's Only Hope.

For Solana, survival has always meant staying sharp—and staying alone. With a blood-forged dagger as her only inheritance, she’s made herself Supay’s fiercest demon slayer, hunting muki—monsters born from human death—through the kingdom’s streets.

But the work comes with a curse of its every body she leaves behind swells the muki’s ranks. The city that raised her has been her cage for so long she’s stopped believing freedom is real.

Then a twist of fate drags her into the palace and crowns her Royal Demon Slayer, a title wrapped in silk and sharpened like a blade. The magic is dazzling. The secrets are darker. And whatever is poisoning Supay didn’t start in the alleys. It started behind gilded doors.

Worst of all is Reyes, the king's right-hand man, a captain of the Masters, and her personal torturer turned mentor who's dangerously hard to resist. Wanting him is a mistake. Trusting him could be fatal.
Because if Solana walks away, the kingdom falls. And if she stays, she may have to become the monster Supay needs.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Audiobook, Paranormal, Adult, Fiction

327 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2026

About the author

RJ is a Peruvian/Venezuelan writer from Florida, where she lives with her husband, five children, three goats and nine chickens. When she’s not playing chauffeur or chef, she spends her time creating stories steeped in culture with characters who look just like her, or she’s shirking all responsibility to escape into the pages of someone else’s world.

Reviews

[jenny reads a lot]

Apparently I’m really into all things undead, afterlife, necromancy adjacent so it’s not really a surprise I enjoyed this one. I’m not sure what that says about be to be honest, lol. Anyhow…

The world is unique, interesting and built in a way that feels easy to understand. The magic & was especially interesting and I can’t wait to get more from this world in the next book!

The romance was well done and felt like there was plenty of reason to call each other enemies!

Whats to love…
- enemies-to-lovers
- interesting magic & lush world
- twists & turns
- found family
- fast paced & acton packed
- feminine rage + Daddy Issues to the max (complimentary)
- demon hunting but also kinda necromancy vibes?

What might not work for some…
- The world & magic are fleshed out but not overly detailed and I think some might find that not enough information was given. I personally enjoy a less in depth world building setting up so this was a win for me!
- the fast-paced and short nature of the book didn’t leave quite enough room for the romance to develop as gradually as I would have liked.

Overall this was an enjoyable read and I’m looking forward to the next book!

Audio Narration: 3.5/5
Narrator: Gisele Chípe
Length: 14 hours 25 mins
Style: single narration
Thoughts: Unfortunately I wasn’t a huge fan of this audiobook. The narrator’s volume was inconsistent in a way that made it difficult to hear certain parts. I appreciate that she was giving a true “performance” and acting out the whispers/yells etc, but unfortunately it resulted in frustration from too loud or too low volume. Pausing was a bit excessive, but pacing was the greater issue as she tended to speak at different speeds so often it was hard to follow along. I don’t think this is an audiobook that is unlistenable - but it took almost 40% before I got used to her performance enough to sink into the story.

4.25⭐️| IG | TikTok |

Thank you to the publisher for the gifted book. All opinions are my own.

[Samantha (ladybug.books)]

DNF 15%

Been there, read that. I really just feel like I’ve read this story a dozen times before and the unique parts aren’t doing enough to hold my attention.

And the romance… I did not like the direction I saw it going in and other reviews confirm it would not be for me.

[Liza Buss]

Beautiful! This book had so many of my favorite things: enemies-to-reluctant-allies-to-lovers, found family, demon hunting, a unique world, and just the right amount of world-building without ever feeling overwhelming.

If you love Throne of Glass but ever wished Celaena ended up with Dorian… this book is definitely for you. 👀

I also absolutely loved the audiobook! The narration was so well done and really helped me get immersed in the story. There’s something about listening to this one that made the world and characters come alive for me.

I’m already very excited for the sequel and cannot wait to see where this story goes next! 🖤

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the audiobook and Bramble Romance for the ARC! 💕

[Erika George]

I love a good "Daughter of" story, and I really hope this finds an audience that loves it.

The cover is beautiful.

I found this to be very similar to Throne of Glass! This can be a positive or a negative for many readers. For me, the name Solana vs. Celeana is very similar and they are both lost children of famous families. They are both assassins, and they are both really good at what they do, while keeping lots and lots of secrets. The love interest also felt like all the men in TOG combined. He's a royal, his dad is corrupt, he has tattoos that tell his story, and he's in charge of Solana while she works for the king.

If you like:
- One Horse
- She's the Assassin
- Hidden Identity
Give this book a try.

I felt it was doing a lot more telling than showing, and I usually prefer the opposite. This book did have a spicy scene or two, and putting it in the Romantasy category is the best move in my opinion.

I am really sad I couldn't enjoy this more, but knowing how big a hit TOG is, I think this has the potential to do well.

[Bbecca_marie]

Daughter of the Dark 🗡️✨Review✨ thank you so much partner @brambleromance for free book!

Daughter of the Dark
by R. J. Valldeperas
out September 15, 2026!

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.

My thoughts 💭:

This was my first book by this author, and I have officially added the rest of their books to my TBR! I took my time reading this one, but honestly, I think it’s a book that could easily be binged because it hooked me from the very beginning. Our FMC, Solana, is fierce, independent, and an absolute force all on her own, and I was HERE for it. We get action, demons, magic, a little forbidden romance, and all the things I look for in a good romantasy. My only gripe… I wanted MORE from the romance. I definitely would’ve loved to see that relationship develop a little more, but even with that, this was still a pretty dang good read. I am VERY interested to see where book two takes us!

What to expect👇🏽
💪🏽 Fierce FMC
🗡️ Demon hunting
✨ Magic & curses
⚔️ Action-packed
❤️‍🔥 Forbidden/complicated romance
💫 Romantasy

Happy reading 📖⚔️❤️‍🔥✨

[Joseandbooks]

⭐️⭐️⭐️ ✨ 3.75/5

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really solid fantasy debut that kept me invested from beginning to end. I was immediately drawn into the world, and I loved how the author blended political intrigue, magic, and mythology together. The found family moments were easily some of my favorites, and I appreciated how much heart they added to the story.

My biggest issue was that I wanted more time with everything. There were so many interesting ideas that I felt like the story moved through them a little too quickly. I found myself wishing the world-building had been explored in more detail, especially when it came to the magic and the history behind everything. There were a few moments where I had to stop and piece together what was happening.

The romance was enjoyable, but I never felt as emotionally invested in it as I wanted to. I think giving those relationships a little more room to breathe would have made the emotional moments hit even harder.

The audiobook was well done and made it easy to stay immersed in the story. The narrator captured the atmosphere really well and kept me engaged throughout.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read with a unique world and a lot of potential. Even though I had a few issues with the pacing and wanted more depth in certain areas, I’m definitely interested in reading whatever R.J. Valldeperas writes next. I’d happily pick up another book set in this world.

[Bill Adams]

Thank you to Bramble for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For me, this book is a tale of two halves, and ultimately, a tale of two feelings. This is why Daughter of the Dark leans more of a 3 than a 4.

First off, the idea, the concept of the muki demons being souls of the dead who are not ready to go to the afterlife (in simple terms), and the 'curse' of Solana were really neat beats of this book. I also really liked the Peruvian mythos/lore built into this world. I thought that was unique and really had some legs. Unfortunately, that didn't go far enough for me, and I think it boiled down to the romance angle of this story getting in the way of the 'curse'/muki plot.

I know this is a romantasy and enemies to lovers is a great trope, but it just didn't feel natural to me. I won't spoil why Solana and Reyes were enemies to begin with, but that reason is brutal, then it just morphed into her wanting him. It didn't feel earned, didn't really explain why she felt this connection to him after their brutal first encounters (non-sexual), so when she did finally give in to him sexually, everything felt off and forced. I will also add this does have a slow-burn feel in terms of the actual coupling but by that point, the will they/won't they was tedious since that game started super early after said brutal first encounter.

Solana, while late twenties, comes across as very naive at times, more like a 19/20yr, especially in her snarky retorts. I personally like that, but it conflicted with her character arc for me to fully buy in as this hardened demon slayer with a tragic backstory, hence a bit why her eventual romance with Reyes felt completely out of nowhere. Now poor Reyes, this is the biggest letdown for me. He has Shadow Daddy aura (again, another good romantasy trope), but he felt soooooo under-realized, I just didn't feel like he was a character at all most of the time. His mannerisms felt so off-putting and awkward, it just made their 'connection' not work in the least for me. Maybe if he was a second POV to get some backstory or even just a feeling of him being more than a cardboard cutout of a lover, that would help go a long way.

So for me, I didn't buy the romance angle whatsoever. And that came at the detriment of the plot.

Like I said, the plot had great bones, but the first half of the book was muddied and all over the place trying to set things in motion. The first encounter of Solana and Reyes was going in a direction I thought really dark, but Solana got over it really fast and, again, we focused too much on the romance side instead of this playing into the overall plot. And it didn't help any of the reveals later on. When those reveals came, they were telegraphed and not that hard hitting.

About halfway through, the story got back on track and I thought the latter half of the book was a lot more fun. Though I will say there were plenty of times where scenes felt rushed or under described (ie Solana coming up with a plan then two paragraphs later she is in some woods outside the city when some major scenes earlier in the book show how difficult it is to get out of the city).

In the end, this was a good story with the bones to be enjoyable, a main character with some feisty energy and good backstory. It just didn't hit terribly hard for me to make me want to pick up the sequel.

[mali]

[3.5]

daughter of the dark is a gorgeous peruvian inspired romantasy which follows solana, a demon hunter with a unique gift that allows her to feel the demons in their suffering as she doles out her killing strike. but when she's bought to the king and given the fancy title of demon slayer, she falls into the web of the royals and their secrets, why do they know more about solana's gift than she does? and could she be the answer to the curse that plagues the world?

I thought that the writing and world building here was fantastic, I loved the exploration of the afterlife in here, of the reality of the demons or muki as they're called in the novel. the writing also really helped with brining the world to life for me, from the mouth watering descriptions of the peruvian food, to the cramped alleys that solana grew up in and then later to the extravagance of the castle. and while the world building and magic system felt unique, I wish we spent a bit more time behind the mythology that was inspired from peruvian culture but overall I thought it super creative.

I also really loved solana as a female main character, she was strong and bit stubborn but ultimately she cared for her people. I felt a lot for her when she talked about her responsibility to keep everyone safe, how things like love and joy were not meant for her because she took it upon herself to be a protector.

the supporting cast of characters were charming and inclusive!!! we had lesbians!!! and a deaf character!!! the romance in this was also soooo good!!! I loved the tension between her and reyes, the other demon hunter in the kings employ. the found family trope was sweet and allowed solana to grow as a character and realize that people loving her and her loving them back does not mean the end of the world.

while I vastly enjoyed my time with this, I did have some pacing issues mainly when it came to the romance. it felt like their relationship was fast forwarded at times, I would loved some more time so that their chemistry could have felt more momentous. but given the short page count I think the author did a good enough job with jam packing those heartfelt moments between the two, from the lingering touches to the bickering up until their first kiss.

it's not super clear to me if this is the first in a series because I thought that the ending wrapped up quite nicely, there wasn't any cliffhangers and the main conflict of the novel was resolved. but I had a good time while reading and will be checking out more things by this author.

*thank you netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review

[Christina Hoffman]

I received an advanced reader copy of Daughter of the Dark by R.J. Valldeparas through Goodreads, and I appreciate the opportunity to read and review this book honestly.

Daughter of the Dark follows Solana, an outcast and feared demon slayer whose life has been defined by survival and solitude. Armed with a blood-forged dagger and burdened by a dangerous legacy, she hunts the muki—creatures born from human death—in the kingdom of Supay. When an unexpected twist of fate brings her into the royal court, Solana finds herself entangled in political intrigue, family secrets, questions about her past, and an uneasy relationship with Reyes, the king’s formidable right-hand man. Drawing heavily from Peruvian culture and mythology, the novel blends fantasy, romance, and themes of identity, sacrifice, and destiny.

The premise itself immediately grabbed my attention, and I truly believe the foundation of this story is strong. The world, the magic system, and the concept of a demon slayer being forced into a position of power all had so much potential, and I appreciated the author’s ambition in creating something inspired by Peruvian culture and folklore.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite come together for me.

My biggest struggle was the pacing. It took until nearly the halfway point for the action to truly begin, and by that point I found it difficult to fully connect with either the story or the characters. While I appreciated the inclusion of Peruvian traditions and cultural references, there were moments where they felt somewhat disconnected from the central narrative rather than enhancing it in a meaningful or immersive way.

I also didn’t find myself invested in the romance between Reyes and Solana. As someone who loves romantasy and especially enemies-to-lovers stories, I was hoping for more tension, chemistry, and a stronger emotional buildup. Instead, their relationship felt underdeveloped, and I never quite felt the suspense or payoff that I usually look for in that trope.

For me, the story also suffered from trying to juggle too many themes and plotlines at once. Between Solana’s identity as an outcast, the mysteries surrounding her parents, Sami’s storyline, opportunities for a different life, betrayals, family secrets, political conflicts, and the larger battles at the heart of the story, it often felt like there wasn’t enough space for any one element to fully breathe. By the time the major climactic moments arrived, they unfortunately felt less impactful than I had hoped.

That being said, there were definitely things I enjoyed. Solana’s character development was one of the highlights for me. Watching her grow, question what she believed, and come into her own was rewarding, and I appreciated her resilience and the personal victories she achieved throughout her journey. I found myself rooting for her and celebrating the moments where she embraced her own strength and identity.

Ultimately, Daughter of the Dark had many of the ingredients of a book I should have loved, but I think the abundance of ideas and themes prevented the story from reaching its full potential. Even so, I admire the creativity behind the worldbuilding and the effort to bring Peruvian-inspired fantasy to readers. I’m grateful to have received this ARC and to have experienced Solana’s story, even if it wasn’t the right fit for me personally. I have no doubt that readers who enjoy richly layered fantasy worlds and multiple intertwining storylines may connect with it more than I did.

[Leanna Streeter]

Demon slayers? Hell yes, count me in.

I had a lot of fun with Daughter of the Dark. Solana was a fantastic FMC, and I loved the darker fantasy world, the monsters, and the whole demon-slaying element.

I listened to the audiobook and thought the narration was fantastic. I especially loved the Spanish accents, which added so much personality and atmosphere to the story.

The pacing did lag a little for me through the middle, but overall this was such an enjoyable read with a really interesting world.

[Emily]

Another book bites the dust because of a bad audiobook 🫠

I think this book had a lot of potential to be great but ultimately had too much working against it. But I want to start with the positives here:

1) Solana’s character development was immaculate. I’ll be honest, I really couldn’t stand her in the beginning. The hero’s journey she goes on though? It forces her to grow for the better.

2) The world that Valldeperas created was very cool. Some of my favorite parts of the book were when we began learning about the magic system, creatures, and this “other world”.

With that said, I found that Valldeperas did too much telling and not enough showing. And as a result, the book often times felt 1) far too long and 2) clunky. She’s a lovely writer and her sentences are beautiful but that alone can’t carry a book.

And now onto the audiobook. I have said it before and I will keep saying it, you need to be CONSISTENT in your audiobook. On numerous occasions it felt like the narrator took a big step back from her mic because the volume would just drop. This would take me right out of the book. And I’m not sure if this is the narrator or the editing, but sometimes the sentences felt like they were just cut off at the end. I would wait for, what I thought would be the end of the sentence, only for the next chapter to begin. So I’m not sure what is going on there, but this was the biggest issue I think I had with this reading experience. I truly think if I read the physical book, I would have enjoyed it much more.

Thank you to NetGalley for the audiobook!

[Katie katiek-is-booked]

A well-known demon slayer is arrested, tortured, and coerced into making a bargain with an evil king. However, this bargain isn’t as it seems and Solana is about to discover that the hard way.

Things I liked: Sol, the overarching demon plot, her family history, the environment, the found family aspect

Spoilers below -


Things I didn’t like: Reyes - he tortured her and constantly degraded her, but someone she still fell for him? Any romance seemed very superficial, and honestly Reyes seemed like an awful person. I would have enjoyed the book much more without any romance. Honestly, did he have any redeeming qualities?

I really wanted to love this book, the torture was graphic, and then for it to be glazed over like just this normal thing that happened, was not enjoyable. Add in the lack of apologies from the MMC, no remorse, but rather bullying and name calling, and yeah, that’s a no from me.

I don’t know that I’d recommend this. I think if readers go into the book for the fantasy only, it can be enjoyable. But if you’re looking for romance, I’d look elsewhere.

[Eden]

2.5 stars rounded down

I am truly conflicted about how I feel about this. I loved the introduction to the gods and the reason the island was cursed. The beginning was fast-paced, adventurous, and engaging. But after Solana goes to the castle, the plot quickly becomes nonsensical. The story kept me for a while, though, because I was interested in the romance. Pretty early on in the story, the MMC tortures the FMC, and I NEEDED to see how that would be addressed. Spoiler alert and main reason for my mid rating: It isn’t. And that irks me to kingdom come because there was a super EASY way to explain it, and the author simply didn’t. The MMC shows no remorse for torturing her. These characters just felt... unfinished. Blank. Tropes rather than real people. The world was super cool, and I liked the exploration of the muki, but a lot of the story became convenient and easy, and a lot of issues were glossed over. I am interested in reading more from this author in the future, but this story was a miss for me.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an arc for review.

[Annmarie]

A feisty and sharp FMC who is determined to wreak havoc on the demons that haunt her.

This book is one for those of you that love an unlikable MC. Liked Nesta's story (ACOTAR)? Or Sciona (Blood Over Bright Haven)? Maddox (These Vile Hearts)? Solana will be your new fave.

Tropes:
chosen one
refusal of the call
enemies to lovers
betrayal
found family

In a world. where the dead never really die, and those with unfinished business come back as a Muki, a creature with insatiable hunger and poison coated skin, claws, and teeth that will turn you into a Muni if scratched, there's one woman who is seemingly immune to their poison.

Solana is prickly and determined to do everything on her own and will push away any who try to get to close, it's easier that way. No attachments, no feelings, just her surviving this brutal world. One man is determined to have her back anyway, no matter how hard she pushes him away. Sami and Solana are picked up one day by the Masters, an elite magical military like force of the king, after being lured into hunting Muki. Killing a Muki is illegal, the crown prefers to capture them and hold them, with the ideal that the curse will one day be broken and the people who turned into Muki might be returned back to their lives. The King has been searching for Solana for a long time, though the real reason is a little unclear. The King's right hand man, Reyes, who's team captured Solana, tortues her for information, who she is, how she's immune, where she got her dagger from that seems to be the only weapon on the continent able to fully kill a Muki. She knows nothing, this is just how she is and its her fathers dagger, the torture is useless. Eventually the king drags her out and Solana and the king make a deal: Solana will become the King's Muki Hunter for 6 months and Solana gets to leave this cursed land and the king must let Sami go free. Solana's blood may also be the key to reversing the curse or making a cure, so she must help with that.
There's more going on than what it seems and Solana has to navigate it and deal with a team that really doesn't seem to want her there either. She's forced to recon with the fact that she really could be the key to ending this curse and getting rid of the Muki for good and what that might mean for her.

--
I really enjoyed this book and wanted to keep reading every time I was forced to put it down. But there were some issues I had with it that bump it down from a 5 star:

I liked the characters and the world building and writing were good. The characters had complex reasons for their personality and emotions and it helped bring them to life. Some of the side characters though did feel a little like a trope stand in that could have used a bit more dimension, but the main characters were well rounded. My biggest complaint with the characters is that they're supposed to be near 30 years old and they acted like maybe 18 year olds most of the time. Every time their ages were mentioned or inferred felt jarring because it didn't fit. Sami felt more like the younger neighbor boy who has a crush on the older girl next door and followed her like a puppy dog, not a 28 year old grown man.

The character developments in this felt more like a sudden epiphany, there were moments of growth and set backs throughout that were great but then at the end it was just like she's a whole new person. And I understand huge events like that can change someone quickly... but this felt too much of a flip too suddenly. Maybe we'll see more of her struggle to maintain this in book 2, but it was a little disappointing. Solana is such an interesting and complex character that it did her a disservice to "fix" her so neatly.

While this book is the first part of a series and most of the book felt like it would be, the ending was too neatly wrapped up to really warrant another book for the current storyline. While this book is the first part of a series and most of the book felt like it would be, the ending was too neatly wrapped up to really warrant another book for the current storyline. The prologue tells you what is going to happen in the next book(s) but the main storyline doesn't bring the rest of that up at all.

I would have rather had it end on a killer cliffhanger and let more time on the page for the big final events as they felt a little rushed. The rush at the end left the big pivotal moments to fall flat, it relied too heavily on the reader caring deeply about the characters and didn't actually emphasize that and draw that out of the reader, leaving the moments to feel anticlimactic almost which was more sad than the event itself. They were good, don't get me wrong, but they could have been so much better with a few more pages dedicated to fleshing the emotions out more to emphasize the events.

[Taylor Reads Chaos]

This was really fun, and I think fans of Throne of Glass would really enjoy it!

📖 The Plot:

Armed with her blood knife and a strange ability to feel the Muki as she kills them, Solana survives the streets of Supay by hunting the creatures that plague the city. She keeps herself closed off from everyone around her and is constantly fighting to make up for her father’s past mistakes.

When she’s given the opportunity to become a Royal Demon Slayer, Solana finally has a chance to escape her family’s history and finally earn a chance of freedom. But once she’s thrown in among the king’s hunters, she starts questioning why the crown seems to know so much about her powers and her past.

At the same time, she’s forced to confront the possibility that she might actually be lovable and slowly learns how to let other people in. And as more secrets about her abilities come to light, she realizes she may be the key to ending the Muki curse that has plagued her city.

💭 My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed Solana’s overall character arc. She grows a lot throughout the book, and I liked watching her slowly move away from the guilt and isolation she had built her entire life around. Her larger storyline and the mystery surrounding her powers also kept me really interested. I also loved the worldbuilding, especially all of the history, mythology, and gods woven into the story. There was a lot going on beneath the surface of the world, and I definitely wanted to know more about it.

That being said, I do think this book struggled quite a bit with telling instead of showing. A lot of Solana’s character development, especially when it came to her relationships, was explained to us rather than something we actually got to experience through the characters’ actions and conversations. I wanted more moments where I could actually feel those relationships developing instead of just being told how close everyone had become.

I also had a bit of a hard time with the audiobook narration. The narrator used a very standard American accent throughout most of the story, but would suddenly switch to a much stronger Spanish pronunciation specifically for names. I completely understand pronouncing the names correctly, but the contrast was so noticeable that it kept pulling me out of the story. I think a more consistent approach throughout the narration would have flowed much better for me.

Overall, though, this was a really fun fantasy with an interesting heroine, cool mythology, demons, gods, and plenty of secrets surrounding the crown.

Thank you to MacMillian Audio for a copy of the audiobook via NetGalley. All opinions are my own 💖

[All_About_Them_Audiobooks]

3.75 ⭐️

Possible triggers: Abandonment, Alcohol, Amputation, Assault, Attempted Murder, Childhood Trauma, Death, Dead Bodies, Decapitation, Emotional Abuse, Gore, Grief, Knife, Sword and Axe Violence, Murder, Physical Abuse, Poisoning, PTSD, Scars, Self-harm, Torture, Violence

Overall star rating (out of 5⭐️): 3.75

Spice level (out of 5🌶️): 2.5 (open door scenes with vague description)

Reading Format: Single (female)

Narrator review: Gisela Chipe reads well and I enjoyed her voice, but she does over pronounced a lot of the Peruvian/Spanish terms used in this story. It kind of made me cringe and took me out of the story itself.

Listening level: mid effort

***Disclaimer: spoiler free (not like my usual reviews) - free advanced audiobook copy from NetGallery***

Content review: Solana is a demon hunter that is immune to the poison of said demons. With this advantage she is quite popular within her community as she is the one to release the trapped spirit from the demons. The king finds out about her and makes her a royal demon hunter. But he does not want her to kill the demons, as the rest of the kingdom believe there might be a cure for the cursed spirits. Reyes is in charge of her and takes her around the kingdom to trap demons and collect them in the dungeon under the castle. But not all is as it seems…
Overall I enjoyed the story, but had some issues with it too. For the first half of the book, Reyes is not likeable and I find his behaviour questionable and somewhat hard to redeem. In the second half his character and ability to have any impact on Solana disappears. Solana is also not a very likeable character. In the beginning it’s understandable because of all the stuff she’s been through. But it just does not get better and her inability to trust and take advice from others gets really old and annoying fast. It’s nice that it is a full story with no cliffhanger and happy ending.

Tags: bargain, betrayal, curse, dark vibes, demons, fantasy, forced proximity, happy ending, hidden/secret identity, magic, morally grey fmc, morally grey mmc, romantasy, standalone, underworld

Tropes: enemies to lovers, first meet in the forest, found family, knife to throat, one horse only

❤️ Love interest: Reyes x Solana

[Jessica]

Have you ever been reading a book and gotten to a point where you flip the page back and forth because you must have accidentally turned multiple pages at once because suddenly nothing makes sense? That was a large portion of my experience with Daughter of the Dark.

It felt like chunks of the story were missing, skipped over, or poorly summarized later. I don’t need a play-by-play of every moment of the main character’s life. But it felt like those missing moments held valuable information that would have made the next paragraph, the next decision, or even the next chapter make much more sense.

While I ultimately finished the book, I honestly don’t know what kept me reading. The plot was a typical romantasy plot (full of tropes), with typical romantasy characters (stabby, sassy FMC and “morally-grey” MMC), with typical romantasy world-building (bare-bones). (I know I’m making very generalized statements about romantasy, but, in my experience, this is what the majority of romantasy reads like. Not saying that it’s a bad thing, but it still needs to set itself apart from the other books that are exactly like it, and this one did not do that.) It was just very run-of-the-mill. I think the most interesting thing was probably the Muki, and I can’t honestly say for sure what they were. Demons? Sure, we can call them that, but what were they, really? The twisted souls of the departed? The remnants of the dead’s anger? I have no idea. Their definition was wishy-washy at best, though they were adequately described physically, which I appreciated.

My biggest complaint, and this one really colored my view of the romance, is the torture. I’m sorry, but no. I was flabbergasted that this man was the MMC, because what do you mean. You’re telling me that he slices and dices her for hours on end and then 100 pages later she wants in his bed? No. I absolutely could not get behind the romance. I could have maybe, maybe been just a teeny bit okay with it had he apologized, but guess what? That doesn’t happen. So, no. Pass. The romance was not it.

I truly don’t know if I have much else to say. Daughter of the Dark felt like a romantasy trope checklist, with very little development of the plot, world, or characters to elevate it beyond that.

I received an advance copy of Daughter of the Dark from NetGalley and the publisher and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jessica Johnson (jess_l_lovessmut)]

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to this book. These honest opinions are all my own.

This one I have to say, truly surprised me in the best way. For starters the narrator was absolute perfection. Gisela Chipe made this story come to life. These emotions from the characters were palpable with how well she delivered them.

I feel in most fantasies you have a hated character and this one is not known right away, at least not to me. I was bouncing around with who would be good and who would deceive me. Sami was a whole other element that added so much more depth to this story. I thought this angle was very impactful to me as the reader. It stood out to me and what Mariana says to Solana was tremendously potent. I had to go look this up on my kindle to read it with my eyeballs too. I think the quote could be a spoiler.

Then we have Reyes enter the narrative and I was addicted, I could not get enough of him. He was awful at first and I was not sure what to think of him but I was not going to jump to conclusions. I felt drawn to him as though he was wise beyond his years. Reyes and Sami both end up helping the king to fight off this curse, and this was debilitating for both of them. But just from the title alone we know there is so much more than meets the eye.

I thought the ending was done well and I was quite the mess. I listened to the end again and it brought back tears to my eyes the second time around.

I would definitely recommend this especially if you want a easier to read fantasy. This did not strain my brain with world building but gave me a really good plot about a curse. You will also love this if you want a strong FMC, because she would not break. And oh did Reyes have a way with words..

꧁𝓠𝓾𝓸𝓽𝓮𝓼꧂

“𝙁𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙗𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙧. 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚, 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚. 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙙𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙞𝙩.”

“𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙮 𝙢𝙚, 𝙎𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙖. 𝙏𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙩𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙖𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚.”

[Samia | Bookaroundandfindout]

What a fun book! I love a problematic FMC who gets in the way of herself lololol.

solana is supay's best demon slayer, which sounds great until you realize every muki she kills just makes more of them. she's spent her whole life alone and stuck in this city, so when she gets named royal demon slayer it feels like her way out, but the palace has its own secrets and something dark in it seems to want her specifically. and then there's reyes, the king's right-hand man, who she definitely should not be falling for.

I found solana to be such a great character because you kind of don’t like her a lot of the times and I think that’s on purpose. She’s super damaged and closed off and you learn later why but like she’s not supposed to be super likable until you get to know her more. I also found her magic interesting and the concept of muki (when you die you come back as a undead being with your soul trapped). She also doesn’t want the burden of being her people’s savior (by killing muki for them) and lowkey wants to run away from the responsibility.

She has a lot of character growth and learns to make friends and find someone who loves her for her (with an enemy to lover type of vibe).

I really wanted the book to be longer tbh because I felt like some of the details were lost in trying to get to the end and idk if that’s a publisher issue or what but I really would have loved more detail on the magic system, her powers, reyes powers, and really the whole magical system in this universe.

Overall a really great read I can’t wait for the next connected standalone !

[Deirdre]

I received an eARC from Tor Publishing Group and an ALC from Macmillan Audio via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

Summary: This was an immersive read/listen with phenomenal narration, and I enjoyed the Buffy coded atmosphere and world. Unfortunately, the character work didn't land for me. The story relied on several romantasy tropes I'm personally burned out on, the pacing was slow, and I struggled to connect with the characters or romance because they lacked the emotional depth I was looking for.

I had an immersive read/listen and really enjoyed the audiobook experience. Gisela Chipe was phenomenal! She completely brought the story to life. There were several words I wasn't sure how to pronounce, so having Gisela's narration really enhanced the experience.

I also loved the Buffy-coded vibes throughout the story. Buffy the Vampire Slayer was one of my favorite shows growing up, so those influences were a fun highlight. I like that the characters had growth, there was found family, and an HEA.

That said, I was quickly disappointed by how many overly used romantasy tropes appeared right away. We had the poor, "chosen one" heroine who was destined to save everyone because she was super special, and her mother had died. While there's nothing inherently wrong with these tropes, they're so common in the genre right now that they've become difficult for me to get excited about.

My biggest issue, though, was the MFC. I completely understand that her character arc was intentionally written this way and that many readers will appreciate her journey. It just isn't the type of character development I enjoy reading. She was incredibly stubborn, to the point of ignorance, avoidant, impulsive, and rigidly closed off. She constantly lied, judged everyone around her, and had a very stabby, sassy personality that often crossed into hypocrisy for me. I am not sure there was really a big difference between this MFC and Celeaena from TOG by SJM. They were nearly the same person. Once I finished this book, I read other reviews and someone else said the same thing. Again, I know others enjoy this character and development, it is just not one that I enjoy..

In regards to hypocrisy, there were multiple moments where the MFC criticized other characters for behaviors she was actively displaying herself. She was upset after someone tricked her, even though she had been planning to steal from him herself. She judged the MMC for keeping secrets while she CONSTANTLY lied throughout the entire book. She didn't want people judging her because of who her father was, yet she immediately judged the MMC because of his. Those double standards made it very difficult for me to root for her. One of my favorite moments was when Suri called the MFC out for all of her assumptions and judgments of them. I loved seeing someone finally challenge her perspective. The MMC also frequently called her out, which was excellent to push the MFC to start growing. Unfortunately, even after being confronted, she continued lying to herself and everyone around her, so I never felt like enough growth happened by the end.

Further, the MFC's treatment of her best friend was awful. She was honest with him that she didn't return his feelings and told him to be independent of her, which I appreciated, but she still enjoyed the attention he gave her and, so, she kept him emotionally attached. Then, her only way to really stop their unhealthy relationship was to be mean and hurt him. All of this didn't sit well with me.

Because the MFC's personality remained so consistent, her actions and the plot were very predictable. Whenever she needed help or had an opportunity to be vulnerable, I knew she would pull away, lie, lash out, or refuse to communicate. And, of course, she didn't admit her feelings until after the MMC was hurt. 

I also wasn't a fan of the MMC. He never really apologized for his terrible behavior (torture). He later saw the MFC for who she was and supported her, which was beautiful, but he did not own what he had done. Also, I hated how quickly the MMC doubted the MFC over a single incident, he did not give her the benefit of the doubt. Miscommunication and immediate distrust are tropes I rarely enjoy, and this was another example where it didn't work for me. I would likely have more to write about the MMC and my dislike, but there was really nothing given to us readers about him in general. There was so much lacking.

The pacing was extremely slow for a large portion of the book. Another struggle was the lack of emotional depth. I had just finished a book with incredibly mature, layered characters, which I loved. This book was very surface level. I never truly felt like I knew these characters, especially the MMC. Because of this, I didn't believe the romance. When the MFC said "I love you," it didn't feel earned. After finishing, I looked through other reviews and found that this seemed to be a fairly common sentiment.

Honestly, had this book not been an ALC/ARC, I honestly think I would have DNF'd book.

[Maria Viale]

Daughter of the dark is a standalone south-American inspired romantasy where a demon slayer is brought from the Callejon to work on the official demon hunter staff for the King. This was suuuuper bingeable, really fast paced and really really fun. I loved the characters and was obsessed with Reyes and Solana.

I think the magical world was really interesting and kept me so hooked, but I think there were a lot of big plot points and twists that needed to be further explored. I found myself wanting a little more explained, with some big points feeling open ended. I also craved a little more South American lore and culture, but it’s because I’m greedy. It had a decent amount, I think because it’s so rare to see it in adult fantasy, I was left begging for more!

But the romance really was exquisite and such perfect tension. I was so giddy. I was so obsessed with Reyes. Will definitely be reading the rest of the books in this series of interconnected standalones!

[taytayyreads]

Unique romantasy inspired by South American mythology

Single Narration: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, the narrator did a wonderful job with female and male voices.

Pleasantly suprised, was expecting more of a YA vibe and this was not that. Leans into the darker fantasy vibes, which is my favorite. The mythology is necromancy adjacent with a curse related storyline and a few good plot twists. My only critique is that the jump from enemies to lovers was fairly abrupt and didn’t feel earned. Maybe more groveling/redemption was necessary after literal torture. Overall, I enjoyed this because the unique mythology gives a fresh take on the romantasy genre. This can be read as a standalone, but I will be continuing the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian Audio for the ALC.

[Brittany Garvey]

Unfortunately this book didn’t quite do to for me. I was really looking forward to a book with South American mythology as I’m not sure I can returning a similar fantasy. However, I found the FMC, Solana insufferable. Additionally, I found the plot to be a bit disjointed. The relationship between Solana and Reyes to be a bit unsettling. They seem to be almost immediately attracted to each other, but Reyes does something horrible to her at the start with no real reason or explanation.

I listened to the audiobook for her first half of this book and the narrator was great.

Thank you to the publisher for the free copies.

[Shannon | readingwithmarlow]

the farther away I get from this one the less I feel connected to it. the world is so cool and there were so many directions this could have gone but it just didn’t. I think it was a mistake to make this a standalone because things moved too quickly to feel satisfying or to be fully explained so in reality it just felt rushed and confusing.

the romance felt rushed as well and I don’t believe in them at all…maybe it’s a me problem but this one was a let down.

thank you to the publisher for the early copy!

[Ayushi (bookwormbullet)]

Thank you so much to Macmillan Audio for providing me with an ALC in exchange for an honest review!

Wait this was so much fun! I think the paranormal romance girls who loved Buffy, Half City (but with Latine influences), or A Vow in Vengeance will love this book. I'm not sure if it is the start of a series or not, but it does read as an excellent standalone fantasy.

[Ashley Ramirez]

This South American Romantasy is everything I could’ve asked for. The white haired MMC will always be my favorite 😍 and include the fact that it’s A devil may Cry meets Buffy the vampire slayer but with demon zombies?
Soo good. And it’s a standalone 😭💕

[Freya]

Review to come…

[amel]

3.75⭐️
This book was super interesting! I really liked the unique take on zombies, and the magic system/lore. I definitely want to know more about the other gods and their people as the world expands.

[Cait | GoodeyReads]

Thank you Bramble for the ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

NOT QUITE.

BLOG || INSTAGRAM || TIKTOK

This is the second book from RJ Valldeperas that I’ve read this year and once again, I’m left kind of feeling…okay? about it, but not overwhelmingly positive.

The action is good, I liked the overall plot. The core themes are great. There’s magic and demon slaying and the complexity of the afterlife.

But the romance left me wanting and this being marketed as romantasy left me wanting a lot more. It was like the relationship was moved forward without seeing it on page so they were much further down the line than I was expecting. And I got confused by trying to figure out if this was a standalone? (Because book two has been announced but maybe it’s a series of standalones??).

By the end of this review I’ve decided I’ll look into book two because maybe that’ll be a hit for me? I’ll report back.

Overall audience notes:
- Fantasy Romance
- Language: low-moderate
- Romance: 2ish open door
- Violence: high
- Content warnings: loss of life, loss of loved ones

[Sabrina]

This was an incredible adult debut from R.J. Valldeperas! The author compared this to other female-centered high fantasy and I was not disappointed.

While this book followed similar tropes of other stories, the Peruvian/South American inspiration made the story unlike anything else I have read before. The world, culture, and lore was unlike anything I have read before.

As far as the romance goes, I enjoyed that this was more of a slow burn "loathe to love" scenario. The two main characters were put in situations that tested their beliefs but I felt that I was really able to see them grow independently and as a couple.

The secondary case of characters was also very memorable. I am excited to see where the author takes this interconnected universe next!