A D KoboahReseñas

Simply put.. I loved this book! This is one of the most unique slavery themed novels that I have ever read. I have actively avoided the hoards of vampire books on the shelves lately, but this was something altogether different.

So many themes work together to make this a book worth reading. The oppression of slavery, especially the horrors of being a female slave was of course a main theme. There was also the remarkable mother/daughter relationship between Luna and her mother.

What about the vampire, well, I really liked him too. He was very human, and in a way angelic. There was no insta-love between him and Luna and for that I was very grateful. Their relationship was perfectly written.

Very readable and interesting from beginning to end. In fact, I really didn't even mean to read it when I did, but once I got started I couldn't stop!

Can't wait to read the second book in this trilogy!

Title: Rising Dark v
Author: A.D. Koboah
Publisher: Twenty Four Publishing
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Series: The Darkling Trilogy, Book 2
Rating: 5
Review:

"Rising Dark" by A.D. Koboah was a very good paranormal vampire read that will keep you on the edge of your seat. This Reverend Avery Wentworth journey from London to America and back and forth was a real live adventurous journey. After Avery's visit to America his life will never be the same for "he will come against a much older, darker evil that will steal his soul and turn him into a creature of the night." From wandering into this 'wilderness of despair' Avery will be faced with the 'shocking evils of the world of slavery.' I will say at this point be aware that there will be scenes of this read that will be horrible...and that's all I will say about that. In the end of "Rising Dark" what does the three words 'Wait for me' mean to Avery?' Will he see his beloved Luna again? This is the second novel 'Rising Dark' Book 2 which is a sequel to Dark Genesis. I believe to fully understand this second read I would recommend you pick up the first Book One. This read is definitely one read that once you start you will not want to put down until the end. I found this read a deep one where you will be caused to think about what is going on and how this slave issue may relate to our history. This author has put a lots of thought in the read where you will find that each page is so full of actions along with many twist and turns and in the end you will given a good read.

I found the characters were very well developed, captivating,colorful, even believable in some sort of way and in the end this author will leave the reader waiting for the next book. Would I recommend? Yes, especially if you are a vampire lover of this paranormal world you have definitely come to the right place for a good interesting read.

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review.

What do you do when you have hit the bottom? Peace, the main character, looks at her past in order to pave her future. Fair warning this is a heart breaking story, but it is well written. I couldn't put it down even at 2am!! I look forward to reading more by this author.

This is a heartbreaking story about a young woman who has hit rock bottom. Haunted by her past, Peace has turned to heroine to numb her pain. This book follows her struggle as she tries to come clean about mistakes she's made in the past and rid herself of this drug.

The novel was well written. The dialogue and characters were quite realistic and fleshed out. I enjoyed the writing style a lot.

Be warned that the novel is desperately sad. It does have a triumphant end so you don't wade through all of that sorrow for nothing, but still it is quite sad. I don't mind a sad book. I think they are necessary at times, but I've had other people get mad at me for recommending sad books to them so now I feel the need to give a warning.

If you are interested in reading a well-written solid story that will pull you into the world of a poor young woman who is addicted to heroine definitely pick this book up. It is well worth the read.

I will never read this book again... But I am glad I read it once. I had to give this novel 5 stars even though it wasn't my type of book normally, because it was so well written and so striking in its humanity. It was gritty and sorrowful and there was a point where I literally had to look away from the book thinking I wouldn't be able to read the rest of the sentence and therefor the rest of the book. I managed to pull myself together and finish the book. I am not sure if I would say I liked the book but I did stay up all night to read as much of it as I could before I couldn't stay up any longer. It's a beautiful and tragic story.

Amazingly written, heartbreaking story.
I enjoyed this book so much, it really makes you suffer and smile as the characters do.
A sad but easily real story.

I received this book via LibraryThing's Member Giveaways.

This is a heartbreaking, well-written book. It is a dark and depressing story of a young woman of Ghanian descent who can barely survive in low-income London. We meet her as a heroin addict, learning that she is trying to forget a traumatic event. Koboah takes her time letting this story unfold, taking us into the past then to the present to see how each step in Peace's life has led to today.

I already felt immense sympathy for Peace, but about halfway through the book, I started crying. Each following page wasn't getting brighter, and it only got worse. I couldn't stop reading while I was so dumbstruck with grief for Peace, so I resolved I wouldn't stop until my heart stopped breaking or the book ended. My tears did stop just before the end of the book, but I'm still melancholy. I will need to read a couple of lighter books before I venture into such darkness again. This is not a criticism of the book at all; it's a testament to how powerful the story is.

I am primarily a biography or non-fiction reader, so am delighted when I find some fiction that lures me in. Such was the case with Ms. Koboah's book "Peace." The title of the book intrigued me alone as I often flash the peace sign in my daily living. I also hold England as one of my favorite places in the world, so was captivated by the cover with its London landmarks. My favorite color is blue, and the silhouette of the lovely woman on the cover with superimposed drug paraphernalia struck a curious contrast. I knew from the synopsis of the book that it was about a young woman addicted to heroin, so I was curious to know why a vision of such beauty as depicted on the bookcover would follow that path. The first pages of the book drew me in immediately with the woman named Peace gazing into the River Thames on a cold London evening. Peace narrates the whole book and Ms. Koboah is quite gifted in her easy but exquisitely descriptive writing style. From the first page, Peace's voice came alive and kept me interested as she told her story. The pace of this book in gradually revealing what led Peace to heroin addiction was a masterful and delicious unraveling as Ms. Koboah alternatively told the story from the past to the present. Suspense was kept throughout most of the book as to what happened to Peace's son and exactly how such a "good girl" landed in such unsavory circumstances. I thoroughly enjoyed and was kept interested by this book, and consider it a gift when that happens. I would definitely read another book by this talented writer.

What do you do when you realize you've hit rock bottom and you don't want to leave that solid base?

Peace lives in the type of neighborhood we would classify as a ghetto. She doesn't have a job, friends, or a significant other. There is one thing that Peace does have though: a serious addiction to heroin. Deeply rooted in a dark past that is slowly revealed to us, Peace's addiction is more about her coping with her emotions than with the physical toll her body suffers at the hands of "the brown."

With plot twists that constantly kept me wondering what was going to happen next, Peace is a beautiful novel that is both heartbreaking and inspiring.

Born in Ghana, the young and beautiful Peace Osei grows up, struggling to find her place among her mother, sister, friends, education. Everything and everybody seems to be against her. As a result of sexual intercourse she becomes a mother of Dante at a young age. Her friend, Mohammed leaves her immediately, doesn't care about Peace of his son, but returns every now and then to claim his heritage. Daniel, another frightening man eventually rapes Peace. And Jason, friend of both Mohammed and Peace plays a middle man, but can't accept the discovery of Peace turning to heroin to find peace and heaven on earth. In a bizarre accident Dante dies. When all there's left is an empty pocket and empty home, Peace starts a radical withdrawal from her addiction. Will she succeed? Will she finally find peace? Peace is a well-crafted novel, vividly describing the withdrawal symptoms, the problematic youth and the search for meaningful relationships vividly. I enjoyed reading it.

Peace's struggle with life, her past and her addiction are compelling. In-depth account of a woman who's devastating trauma led her to flee reality, and of how she makes her way back to life. A good read. Thank you for this LBT give-away.½

Where can you turn when you've hit bottom?

Peace once had a bright future ahead of her when a tragic event spent her life spiraling out of control. What will it take to pull herself forward in life on the long road of recovery and forgiveness?

This is a captivating story of one woman's struggle to confront her past and regain her future.

Now I must admit, I requested a review copy simply because this was a debut novel for the author A.D. Koboah and not because I'm a particular fan of paranormal fantasy fiction. But this is not just a paranormal fantasy fiction, it's a beautiful love story, a touching look at mother-daughter relationships and a haunting look at the lives, loves and feelings of slaves in early America.
Atlanta, 2011 - Dallas Marshall is a family rebel, in no small part because she receives psychic impressions or vibes. She disliked most of her family, finding them to be driven only to increase their already substantial fortunes. When her grandma had passed away, the only one left in the family who was like her was her artist aunt, Rose. There was a joke in the family about a guardian angel. Needing a refuge from her other family, Dallas is staying with her aunt. Wanting to be close again to her grandma, Dallas goes to the basement where her grandma's things are stored. Inside an old chest, Dallas finds what appears to be a journal. Receiving an impression when she touches the book, she knows it is written by an unknown woman, but a woman she has some kind of connection with. She opens the book and enters a different world, one that will change her life.
In 1807, Luna is a beautiful slave woman, owned and abused by Master Henry, and then by his son Master John. The only control Luna has in her life is to get rid of the pregnancies resulting by this abuse. Getting caught would be deadly, but she will not allow a child of hers to be owned by the Master. Her mother, Mama Akosua, had been sold away when Luna was 3. But she had found a way to remain close to her daughter, living a 2 hour walk away. Mama Akosua is an herbalist and some say, a witch. She helps her daughter to abort the children, except the first one, a daughter, that she had spirited away.
Luna has turned to God and has trouble believing in her mother's powers, even though there are times she feels them within herself. At a fire ravaged chapel on master's property, Luna has hidden a bible she had stolen from master's wife. She loves that book, and wishes so much that she could read the words herself. She feels something evil at the chapel, but cannot stay away.
After leaving the chapel, she meets the creature. Luna stares in awe at him. He is beautiful in his guise as a human man, but it is just a guise. But there is another entity in the clearing by the chapel, and it is pure evil. Luna needs to get away, run fast and get away from them both.
After the creature in human guise stops Master John from having his carnal way with Luna, it is revealed the creature is a vampire. He spirits Luna away, to keep her safe. As times pass, she falls in love with Avery, the name of the man he was before being turned into a vampire.
I can't say more as I don't want to spoil the surprises in this wonderful paranormal, vampire fantasy romance novel.
The only thing I would change about this novel is to make the story of Luna read like actual journal entries. I believe that would have made a more powerful statement.
I received my copy through LibraryThing and asked for my honest opinion.

I recommend this as a very good read. It is kind of your different Vampire/witch story. Love the romance in the book but also the fact that the story goes deeper than that and shows the background and layers of each character.

I was glad to see a different type of Heroine and not your typical one from most paranormal stories.

It is a historical Paranormal romance that for me was interesting and easy to read. It focuses on different topics like slavery, bravery, and the not so witty romance among other topics. I definitely recommend this one.

Dark Genesis revolves around the love between Luna, a black slave girl born and raised on a Mississippi plantation and her vampire lover, Avery. At the age of 3, Luna's mother is sold to another plantation owner and Luna grows up under the care of the other slaves, but especially with the help of Mary, a girl only 10 years older than herself. Through the early years, she works in the Master's household while the other slaves try to protect her from the prying hands and eyes of the master himself, then that of his disgusting son. Luna has witch blood in her, just like her mother, and so can sense good and evil. She is pulled to a chapel on the plantation property where she senses great evil has been committed yet she cannot seem to stay away. Soon she comes into contact with Avery, a white vampire who takes Luna away from the plantation and provides her with a good life for one month, at which point he realizes that she is human and should live out her human years with family, children, and love, two of which he cannot provide. In the end, will he let her go or will he claim her for himself?

What I liked: I have never read a paranormal romance that had a strong black female heroine. This was a great change of pace and I enjoyed Luna's character and personality as she was very strong and did everything she could to stand up for what she believed in, especially Avery. Through the novel, you can see the love blooming between Luna and Avery and it's very endearing.

What I didn't like: The story was told through a written account in a diary/journal but the book didn't read like it was someone's journal. It read like a typical novel with first person dialogue. I would have liked to see the author branch out a bit, especially with this type of "life through a journal", and take a different writing/style approach. This wasn't a big drawback to the story though, just a little recommendation. The biggest problem for me while reading this book was that the only person I really enjoyed was Jupiter, for his unwavering dedication to Luna, even though he never had her heart (though she was fond of him and believed him a good friend). I had a hard time connecting with the characters.

I'm interested in what will happen in the next book, now that we have the "background" story.

I received my copy of Dark Genesis from LibraryThing.com's giveaway page.

Author: A.D. Koboah

Published By: Berkley

Age Recommend: Adult

Reviewed By: Arlena Dean

Raven Rating: 5

Blog Review For: Librarything

Review:

"Dark Genesis" by A.D. Koboah was indeed a interesting read for me. I am a African American and I am very careful of my reads with any 'slaves' however, the book cover caught my attention and I thought I would see just what "Dark Genesis" was about.

This novel dealt with the story of Luna who was a beautiful slave with supernatural powers...having the gift of the second site, that had been through so much....taken from her mom, then be served up to two masters (Henry & John) then taken away by Avery (demon). This was very appealing to see this love affair blossom with Luna and this demon who had suffered for so long.... but he could read her thoughts...then he leaves and Luna goes and looks for him...and found him by the lake..was she falling in lovewith Avery... a 'walking aberration.' Teaching her to read, rid Julia (horse) and shoot a gun. Oh my what a story!....Avery left her with a gold chain, farmhouse and even ...Dembi,,,,now you will have to pick up this novel ..."Dark Genesis" and get all of this well written story.

The characters were a real lively group ....Luna, Jupiter(Dembi), Father Geoffrey, Mama Akosua, Ebenezer, Mr. Walker, Matthew, Zila, and Avery, Lina... and a few others I have left out. The author really knew how to keep the reader interested in the read because each chapter got even more engaging in its twist and many turns.

After reading "Dark Genesis" I thought it was a novel that I could recommend as a good read.

I won this book through a Library Things giveaway. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one.

Luna and Avery's characters are as deep as their love for each other. I lived the fact that this book did not minimize the life of a female slave and that it showed the good and the bad.This is not the typical vampire love story.

I also loved that this book had an ending that did not take away from the continuation of the series.

In Dark Genesis you find the history of Luna, a slave with psychic abilities, through the terrors that define her life until she is spirited away by the "demon" Avery. As the story unfolds you witness Luna embrace the strength that has always been inside her as she tries to understand herself and this creature that has captured her and the bond that is growing between them.

This book introduces you to Luna and her heartwrenching love affair with Avery, the "demon" who has suffered for centuries. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and hope somewhere along the way he can have his happy ending.