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Joana James is a young author residing in the beautiful Caribbean island of Saint Lucia.
Her work includes the recently published two-part series "Rise from the Ashes".
Joana is multi-talented. She has been a dancer for over ten years and a singer for most of her life. She is an Information Technology Professional but her passion is writing. She passes her spare time by travelling around her scenic island searching for new places to relax with her kindle or with a notepad and pen. She finds inspiration not only in nature but also the unfortunate circumstances of individuals around her. She hopes to do her part in bringing to light the abuses of individuals in society through her writing.
Joana has plans to release several other titles in the coming months.
Reviewed by Lynette Fowlston for Readers' Favorite
Rise From The Ashes by Joana James is a two part series that will tug at the readers heart. It is the story of a mother who turns to alcohol, drugs and prostitution in order to deal with the deaths of her husband and her mother and tries to prostitute out her daughters in order to pay for her habits. One daughter complies, the other refuses. Alana refuses but is eventually raped by a customer of her mother. Leaving the home never to return, Alana gets a job and is accepted on a scholarship at college, only to learn she is pregnant and has also contacted HIV due to the rape. A victim of circumstances, this leads to her eventual suicide. Alyssa is just the opposite, doing what her mother wants, and she eventually prostitutes herself out and keeps the money. Upon her sister’s death, she can no longer keep up what she is doing, and Alyssa leaves home only to be tormented by her thoughts and by former customers. Can Alyssa rise above the ashes, something her sister could never do?
I read this series in a short time and found both short stories to be very gripping, even shedding a tear. With a Christian background in the book, one could only hope for the best from both of the girls. What stood out to me the most in this series is no matter what the circumstances in life bring to you, there is always a way out. One can let the circumstances control her life, or she can turn them around for the better. One sister let the circumstances ruin and take her life, while the other turned her life around. This is a very deeply-written series, one that is sure to make you think twice, especially if you are a single parent trying to raise children in the face of adversity. Do not let your circumstances ruin your life and your child's; rise above them. I recommend this read.
