Description
A young woman cursed with immortality. A man driven by hate. Brought together by one bloody massacre, can they both find peace?
Pittsburgh, 1776. Raven Walker worries about her father’s enlistment in the Continental Army. But before he can report for duty, the thirteen-year-old girl witnesses him and the rest of her family die at the hands of a savage creature of the night. And as she awakens to discover she’s been bitten and is starving for blood, the nightmare only gets worse when she finds herself captured by a revenge-obsessed hunter.
James Deland is determined to slay the vampire who took his son’s life. And the newly turned child he’s caught seems like the perfect weapon. But as he trains the young monster in the art of killing, he’s stunned to feel a growing sense of fatherly affection.
Confused and desperate for connection, Raven clings to the vengeful man despite him forcing her to do the unspeakable. And when James locates the fiend responsible for his misery, he’s torn between putting his ward in danger and giving up his quest for retribution.
Can this impromptu family resist the call of corruption, or will they descend into horrific evil?
Birth Into Darkness is the tense first book in the Raven dark historical fantasy series. If you like morally gray characters, fast-moving plots, and bittersweet endings, then you’ll love WJR Parks’ spellbinding tale.
Buy Birth Into Darkness to explore America’s hidden past today!
-
Roundabout Editing
Raven is turned into a vampire against her will, but is granted the “gift” of keeping her humanity. She is forced to live between a world where killing is necessary, and one where she doesn’t want to hurt anyone. How will this innocent 13-year-old girl handle a world that is much too adult for her? How will she fight both an internal, and external, war that she never wanted?
Set in the middle of the Civil War, Birth Into Darkness: Hidden World Series (Raven Book 1) reveals a secret war parallel to America’s fight for freedom. Not only are colonists fighting for their right to fair taxation, secret Orders of Light are fighting hordes of vampires. Both vampires and soldiers of light are operating in a new land, a land that doesn’t always have to follow the rules of the Old World.
Parks creates page turning scenes with battle after battle. Whether the battle is inside Raven, or between witches and vampires, the action keeps the reader going. Anyone who craves fierce, descriptive vampire battles will consume this story faster than a vampire attack on a small colonial village.
Parks also tempts the reader into the next book of the series with a few deep mysteries beyond Raven’s inner battle. Who is Elspet, and why is she such an unusual vampire? What happens to Raven and her small band after they make their final decision? How will the overall war be won? This edge-of-your-seat story only reveals one major battle; the reader knows there will be more, and craves them.
As the first book in the series, Parks creates a connection between the reader and Raven. He incites pity for the girl, giving the reader hope that Raven may be able to live a somewhat normal life, somehow. This connection is essential to encouraging readers into the next book, and Parks has done this well. He has created adversaries that the reader wants to read about more, and he has built page turning scenes that leave the reader craving his next work.
-
Readers' Favorite
Reviewed By Susan Sewell for Readers’ Favorite
After being bitten by a vampire, a girl is confined and shaped to hunt down the blood-sucking demons who are murdering the inhabitants of the countryside in the supernatural fantasy Birth Into Darkness: Hidden World series (Raven Book 1) by WJR Parks. While celebrating her thirteenth birthday, Raven's family is attacked and murdered by a vampire. Even though Raven receives a bite from the vampire, James, a vampire hunter, recovers her. Instead of abiding by the law and exterminating her, James binds and imprisons Raven, intending to train her to hunt down vampires. Unfortunately, the other hunters are not happy with his plan and demand that he slay her. James insists Raven's demonic abilities gives them an edge over their enemy and is adamant in using her. With the vampire army gaining strength and frightened by the growing numbers of the walking damned, they grudgingly allow Raven to accompany them on their hunt for the unholy creatures. Nevertheless, they believe her to be a demon and are continually threatening to destroy her. Can Raven establish her humanity and prove she is not a monster? Or will James or one of his comrades succumb to their hatred of vampires and execute her?
Set during the time of the American Revolution, Birth Into Darkness by WJR Parks is a stunning fantasy immersed in the supernatural essence of vampires. The first in a brilliant dark fantasy series, the book is superbly written and is a spellbinding story that I will not soon forget. With a thrilling plot and an engaging and relatable protagonist, it is easy to get caught up in the story. Filled with the contrasting elements of fear, courage, betrayal, and honor, as the tale progressed, I began to wonder who the actual monsters are; humans or vampires? This intriguing concept of the story has captured my curiosity, and I am eagerly looking forward to reading the next episode in the saga. With a phenomenal storyline that includes exciting fight scenes, this is a sensational novel that will enthrall everyone who is a fan of vampire stories. True to the genre of vampire fantasy, it contains elements of blood, sex, and graphic violence, making the book more suitable for a mature reader.
English