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! ( )

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. ( )