IN THE WILDS of southeastern Africa more than half a million years ago sits the village of Kura, a matriarchal society of Homo erectus. Snap—a young, passionate woman—is destined to lead her people, and this year she must select a mate for the first time. As the Bonding ceremony approaches, Snap’s future remains unknown. Will she choose someone different each year, or will she find one mate she wants to pick over and over again, like her mother, Whistle, the next leader of Kura? But when Whistle’s mate doesn’t return, Whistle chooses a stranger with ideas more dangerous than the lions that kill with a single slash.

Snap challenges the stranger’s growing power one too many times and is brutally cast out to survive on her own or perish. Abandoned and alone, she risks her life—and the future of her people—to stand up against an unthinkable evil. Unknown to her, the same danger threatens other villages as well. Soon, Snap and a new band of outcasts will face a force more terrifying—and deadly—than any of prehistoric Africa’s natural threats.

Both imaginative and believable, Daughter of Kura brings to life an ancient and untamed world. Austin has created an unforgettable heroine who comes of age in a thrilling tale of courage, loyalty, and passion.

A young female leader comes of age in prehistoric Africa in this enthralling debut that weaves survival drama with brilliant paleoanthropology

“An original and fascinating first novel . . . this debut, which offers a fascinating peek into humanity’s earliest days, stands out as well researched and wholly believable.” –Library Journal