Here, they are categorized into two distinct groups: Primeras, prized for their abilities as life-partners, and Segundas, who are valued primarily for their physical beauty and are expected to bear children.

However, hidden beneath her poised exterior is a well-guarded secret: she was born on the wrong side of the wall that divides Medio from the impoverished and marginalized population.

As Daniela attempts to navigate these conflicting allegiances, she is confronted with difficult decisions about the sacrifices she's willing to make to safeguard her unexpected and illicit love.

[2] Publishers Weekly called We Set the Dark on Fire "a complicated tale of love, intrigue, moral compromise, and action, with a prescient sensibility that echoes current headlines and political issues", as well as a "fierce, feminist novel".

[3] NPR's Caitlyn Paxson wrote, "We Set the Dark on Fire is a book so timely it hurts", noting that "Mejia manages to walk a very tight line in evoking some of the injustices that are currently happening in America without being heavy-handed".

On behalf of Booklist, Maggie Reagan highlighted how "Mejia’s world is carefully built," calling We Set the Dark on Fire "a masterfully constructed novel".

[7] Paz also noted that "readers will find themselves drawn to a richly constructed world full of fantasy and diversity, with a mystery that will keep them guessing until the very end.

"[7] Although We Set the Dark on Fire does not employ magical realism, NPR's Paxson compared the novel to "the work of Isabel Allende [...], especially The House of the Spirits".