Daughter Darkness
The award-winning first book in the Myrk Maiden Trilogy.
What if you were born to destroy the world... not save it?
15-year-old Twilight dreams of a better life away from her uncaring family, longing for purpose and adventure. When her humdrum existence is soon shattered forever, she is thrust into the wickedly enticing realm of the Shadows, a society of sorcerers who look to her as their living salvation from the light. As darkness seeps into Twilight's soul, she comes to live by three words - "maim and kill." In this brutal coming-of-age tale, young Twilight finds herself tangled in a twist of existential crises, divine dangers, and monstrous mishaps as she navigates the various bends and turns of her new life, always wondering whether she should obey her "true nature" and remain in the dark - or fight for a glimpse of light beyond the Shadows' compound walls.
R E V I E W S
Mark Justice
"Charpentier offers readers a chance to bask in a world that is full of mysticism, folklore, prophecy, and monsters... and experience Twilight's painful transformation through very relatable inner monologue and her raw, tortured feelings about both the mantle thrust upon her as well as the changes that take place within her, which manifest themselves in terrifying ways. The Myrk Maiden is no lite fare, and Charpentier writes with a potency that is thrilling and smacks of a seasoned, accomplished author."
— Mark Justice, author of Gauge Black: Hell's Revenge and Death's Head: The Eye of Samedi
Donny Winter
“Charpentier infuses her refreshingly ambitious novel with a combination of magical realism and pseudo-religious storytelling, resulting in an empowering epic unearthing the premise that individuals should never be defined by one thing.”
— Donny Winter, author of Carbon Footprint and Feats of Alchemy
Peter H. Brothers
“It’s grand, grim, gory, and gruesome, a coming-of-age story during the age of dark magic. Not for the faint of heart, but very skillfully written and involving. A remarkable achievement!”
— Peter H. Brothers, author of Atomic Dreams and the Nuclear Nightmare: The Making of Godzilla (1954)
Readers' Favorite ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
“A captivating story that consistently teeters on the edges of light and darkness. Daughter Darkness is a perfect first entry into Alyssa’s Charpentier’s Myrk Maiden Trilogy that excited and invested me in Twilight’s story going forward. I fully recommend it to anyone craving a beautiful, dark epic fantasy.”
— JC Minnaar from Readers’ Favorite
Readers' Favorite ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review
“It is refreshing to read a YA book where the lead character isn’t some destined hero, but actually the opposite. Daughter Darkness grabs you from the first page.”
— Samantha Gregory from Readers’ Favorite
