Dark Blood Awakens is a paranormal urban fantasy incorporating Black girl magic with myths from the African diaspora.
As a child, Makeda's mom forced her to abandon sorcery. Instead, she pursued a career in nursing while killing monsters with her family of mwindaji. For over a millennium, the mwindaji have hunted Korlemo, a 1000-year-old vampire.
While working in Haiti, Makeda's desire to recapture her sorcery skills increases. When a lead takes her to a Kentucky rural hospital searching for Korlemo, she uses Baoumali, the language of sorceresses, to reclaim her heritage. During her investigation, Makeda develops a steamy romance with the local sheriff and uncovers a macabre secret the hospital administration will kill to keep silent.
With time running out, Makeda must recapture her sorcery and choose where her alliances lie. If the mwindaji cannot destroy the monsters haunting the hospital, people will die - starting with her boyfriend. Read more Continue reading Read less REVIEW
Michelle Corbier's Dark Blood Awakens is an inventive paranormal urban fantasy, the first in the Mwindaji series.
Corbier derives clear pleasure in layering details and delivering clinically-correct gruesomeness ("his femur crunch[ed] between her teeth") . The dark humor of depicting a rural hospital that's financially viable because its patients feed the local vampire/werewolf population is a witty, subversive stab at managed health care.
Corbier delivers a lively read for paranormal fans, threading humor and female empowerment throughout her tale.
Blue Ink Review
This was an intriguing book with a captivating first chapter that reeled me in immediately. The highly suspenseful narrative flowed at a fast pace with startling and exciting twists and turns. I loved how Michelle Corbier made ample use of descriptive elements that not only brought the story to life but also elevated its cinematic appeal. I have to say, the descriptive elements employed by the author vividly leaves you in awe. The character development was exceptional, with complex personalities whose clear motives made their actions relatable. To wrap this up, Dark Blood Awakens was a fun, well-written, and enthralling novel that I look forward to seeing on the big screen sometime soon. This is the perfect book for fans of fast-paced fictional-fantasy looking for a quick read to pass the time.
As a fan of fantasy books, I really enjoyed this take on the world of vampires, werewolves and witches! I liked the use of Creole language throughout the book, and found it really added to the atmosphere of the book - taking time to translate these adds another layer to your understanding of the tale. All in all, a great first book in the series!
Love Reading Review ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After over twenty years in clinical medicine, Michelle now works as a medical consultant. As a member of Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime and Capitol Crimes, her writing interests cover many genres-mystery, paranormal, and thrillers. If not writing, you can find her outside gardening or bicycling. Read more Continue reading Read less
