Sweet Cherry Publishing Swoons for Urban-Fantasy YA Series from Swedish Author, Kristina Dowling

Leicester’s award-winning independent publisher, Sweet Cherry Publishing is thrilled to announce the acquisition of the Girl of Darkness series by author Kristina Dowling – the next YA urban fantasy obsession.

Senior commissioning editor, Sarah Delmege acquired World Rights, excluding Sweden, from Anna Klerfalk at Intersaga Literary Agency Ltd. The first book in the series, Girl of Darkness is scheduled to publish in September 2026, as part of Sweet Cherry’s new young adult imprint.

Girl of Darkness is the first book in a gripping urban fantasy series which is brimming with a tantalising slow-burn romance, gilded with danger and haunted by ghosts and sorcery.

19-year-old Eira Martell is determined to leave her past behind. There’s only one person who understands her: her grandmother. But her grandmother has been missing since Eira was ten, when she suddenly vanished right in front of Eira’s eyes at a pagan stone circle. But strange things are happening again. Someone posts Eira her grandmother’s necklace anonymously, a handsome scarred stranger is following her and the shadow world she has tried so hard to leave behind is stirring once again. Eira is thrown into a treacherous world of ancient magic, grimoires and secret societies.

The first and second book have already been released in Sweden where they have amassed a huge fan-base. The series has been nominated for Book Debut of the Year 2023 and finalist in the prestigious Storytel Awards 2023 and 2025.

Kristina Dowling said, ‘I could not think of a better home for my Eira Martell series than Sweet Cherry Publishing. Their whole mission is so very much aligned with my own as an author – to make children and young adults fall in love with reading and more importantly, making it accessible to everyone. I am so excited about this journey and incredibly proud to be a part of the Sweet Cherry family.’

Sarah Delmege commented, ‘Kristina has written an incredible debut in Girl of Darkness. Her slow-burn romance between Eira and Gabriel had me captivated from the beginning, and Eira’s journey to understand and accept her power is something I know readers will love. Kristina’s world-building is truly immersive and this is just the beginning of a very exciting journey for her as a major new YA voice.’

Publisher, Sanjee de Silva added. ’The whole team fell in love with the world of Eira and Gabriel from the very first page of Girl of Darkness. Kristina is truly an unforgettable story-teller. We are excited to shape this into the bestseller it will become.’

Girl of Darkness will publish in Autumn 2026 with second and third titles publishing in 2027 and 2028 respectively. Sweet Cherry’s new YA imprint will be announced in 2026.

ENDS

For more information, please contact:

Jadé Ajibola | Marketing Assistant | jade@sweetcherrypublishing.com