About This Event

Join us for a book signing, reading, and Q&A of bestselling author Kristina Dowling's YA fantasy book: Girl of Darkness! Girl of Darkness is a YA urban fantasy with witches, ghosts, ancient magic, a legendary grimoire and a slow-burn romance. The series was a finalist in the Storytel Awards in 2023 and 2025, and won Fantasy Series of the Year in Sweden. About the author: Kristina Dowling is a best-selling Swedish author living in Ireland. She writes urban fantasy for young adults and her Girl of Darkness series was nominated for Fantasykammaren’s Book Debut of the Year 2023, winner of their Fantasy Series of the Year 2025 and a finalist in Sweden’s prestigious Storytel Awards 2023 and 2025. When Kristina isn’t writing, you are likely to find her hiking in the wilderness with her family and cockapoo Coco, swimming in the sea, reading or exploring derelict houses, stone circles and old castles in rural Ireland. KRISTINA DOWLING ON GIRL OF DARKNESS: “Being Swedish but having lived in Ireland for twenty years, Girl of Darkness has inevitably been shaped by both places - from the folklore and mythology I grew up with in Sweden to the landscapes, legends and Celtic history of Ireland. I’ve also always been fascinated by the darker side of European folklore, particularly the mysteries surrounding places like Romania’s Hoia Baciu Forest, so that fascination naturally found its way into the book too. Seeing the series become a bestseller in Sweden has been incredible and I’m thrilled to now take the next step and introduce Girl of Darkness to English-speaking readers in the UK and beyond.”

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Hotels within walking distance of The Secret Bookshelf.

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