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Dark Blood Awakens is the first book in the mwindaji paranormal urban fantasy series. Add it to your Goodreads reading list.
If you enjoyed Dark Blood Awakens, read the free novella prequel. It details how the conflict began between the mwindaji and the Ibori. Share with other urban fantasy readers.
The book titled Dark Blood Awakens written by Michelle Corbier is best described as a thrilling fictional fantasy. 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. I found Makeda very interesting. Her familial bond with her brothers, Yewanda, was a picture perfect plot twist. I could personally relate to this character because it’s not everyday where books vividly portray or give hints about the truth in our Society. Like Makeda, some families in this world will always look for potential in the younger generation to pass on their great secrets.
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 enjoyed how it focused on ‘Black girl magic with myths from the African diaspora’, giving a different perspective to the tale. 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
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 enjoyed how it focused on ‘Black girl magic with myths from the African diaspora’, giving a different perspective to the tale. 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
Michelle Corbier’s Dark Blood Awakens is an inventive paranormal urban fantasy, the first in the Mwindaji series.
Protagonist Makeda Crawford, 23, and her family live in Black Ridge, North Carolina. Her two brothers help Dad in the family furniture trade, Makeda is a nurse, and Mom is a teacher. However, they are also mwindaji — monster hunters — part of a millennium-old dynasty, with Dad dedicated to finding and killing Korlemo, a thousand-year-old vampire who leads his own cabal of monsters. Originally a West African ruler, Korlemo lay dying when he commanded his zauber, a female sorceress, to summon a demon and trade his soul for immortality. Over the centuries, Korlemo's growing wealth and power have enabled him to remain undiscovered. Undaunted, the Crawfords crisscross the country, following leads. Upon learning that a rural Kentucky hospital receives funding from Korlemo’s associates, the family relocates there. Hired as a nurse, Makeda — grudgingly included in earlier missions mostly to tend wounds — is the only one able to access the hospital, shifting the power dynamic. Complicating matters is Makeda's growing romance with the local sheriff investigating several mysterious deaths. Plus, Makeda harbors a deep secret: Like her mother, she’s a zauber, viewed as evil by the mwindaji. 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. Nonetheless, Corbier delivers a lively read for paranormal fans, threading humor and female empowerment throughout her tale. Blue Ink Review
Protagonist Makeda Crawford, 23, and her family live in Black Ridge, North Carolina. Her two brothers help Dad in the family furniture trade, Makeda is a nurse, and Mom is a teacher. However, they are also mwindaji — monster hunters — part of a millennium-old dynasty, with Dad dedicated to finding and killing Korlemo, a thousand-year-old vampire who leads his own cabal of monsters. Originally a West African ruler, Korlemo lay dying when he commanded his zauber, a female sorceress, to summon a demon and trade his soul for immortality. Over the centuries, Korlemo's growing wealth and power have enabled him to remain undiscovered. Undaunted, the Crawfords crisscross the country, following leads. Upon learning that a rural Kentucky hospital receives funding from Korlemo’s associates, the family relocates there. Hired as a nurse, Makeda — grudgingly included in earlier missions mostly to tend wounds — is the only one able to access the hospital, shifting the power dynamic. Complicating matters is Makeda's growing romance with the local sheriff investigating several mysterious deaths. Plus, Makeda harbors a deep secret: Like her mother, she’s a zauber, viewed as evil by the mwindaji. 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. Nonetheless, Corbier delivers a lively read for paranormal fans, threading humor and female empowerment throughout her tale. Blue Ink Review
Ready for a dark fantasy full of mystery, vampires, and werewolves? Dark Blood Awakens puts an African American spin on a classic vampire-werewolf story, giving it a unique new paranormal order that keeps you guessing page after page. But now there’s no time to waste. We have a 1,000-year-old vampire to hunt and secrets to uncover.
Write With Light
A great African American dark fantasy. This book felt very much like Legendborn to me. The book starts off exciting, painting a vivid picture of the main character and her family off on a hunt. And the writing is truly wonderful and descriptive. I could really see the author’s medical expertise in this novel as well.I liked that the author molded a new world of fantasy by developing a new language and new order. Since the vampire werewolves stories are so commonly played, I appreciated this new spin. It’s not unlike fantasy storytellers to take similar lore and make it unique. I especially like that this was told from the African American perspective.
At times, I felt a little lost with the unique names of vampires, sorcerers, etc. I felt like I needed an index to help guide me with who was who because there wasn’t enough context throughout. I did understand what a “zauber” and “kasi kasi” were, though! They were mentioned often enough and were so unique that they were easy to remember.
The interchanging languages were also hard to follow at times, especially since I don’t know Creole or the language of the Baoumali. I think it can be challenging to include a new language in a book without giving lots of context to help the reader through or strategically placing them so that words (like kasi kasi) are somewhat intuitive in speech.
I also had trouble envisioning the characters, what they looked like, they’re mannerisms. I think it would have helped if each chapter was named according to the character’s perspective, so I knew who’s part of the story I was following.
Halfway through, it was a bit difficult to connect with Makeda as a reader. I really wanted to see more of her struggles with embracing her powers after being separated from them against her will. And I wanted to see how what she learns changes her as a person. I don’t think that was detailed enough in the first half of the book, especially since it was such a central part of her character.
The author is a talented writer, but I would recommend including far more dialogue and tension to help propel the story forward and keep those pages turning. Interesting concept and very fine writing. I would read the next book in the series to see how Makeda transforms.Kelly Branyik, author of The Lost Pleiad Series
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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.
Dark Blood Awakens is the first book in the series weaving African mythology into urban fantasy.
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.
Dark Blood Awakens is the first book in the series weaving African mythology into urban fantasy.