by Cynthia Chow

Details at the end of this review on how to enter to win a copy of Witch Upon A Star. There is also a link to purchase the book where a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy.

Forty years ago in Albany, New York, nine-year-old Anna Olmstead lived a lonely and disheartening life, sold off by her father for her witchcraft abilities and her beauty. Birthdays would always be a day of either wondrous joy or horrific pain, and it was on her ninth that a young Anna had a fateful meeting with Asher, an eight-hundred-year-old vampire desperate for the last glimpse of the ghost of an old love. Anna’s spell was successful, but far more impactful to them both was the instant connection between Anna and Asher, one that compelled him to take her away from her abusive home and into a world of decadence, temptation, and twisted love.

The first half of the novel documents their relationship as it evolves and the power dynamics constantly shift between the two. Anna’s needs and desires change as she matures, and no matter how much she loves Asher she must acknowledge that the old vampire is incapable of change. The second half of the novel reveals the extreme actions a desperate Anna takes after violence shocks her into finally acting to save herself. Ten years after marrying Nathan and having two children, Anna is forced to seek out allies and prepare for battle against ruthless and remorseless killers.

Although framed in the world and context of Harlow’s paranormal world of her F.R.E.A.K.S. Squad Investigation and Midnight Magic series, this novel is more domestic as it portrays the emotional pain and codependency of an abusive relationship. Anna can be as manipulative as Asher, her actions motivated by her past as a desperate child starved for love and affection. At times dark and ominous in tone, the writing is so compelling that readers will be unable to put the book down. Fans of Harlow’s paranormal novels will enjoy cameos by characters from her other series, while this unique novel is a fascinating tale of a woman’s struggle for freedom and to create an identity entirely her own.

To enter to win a copy of Witch Upon A Star, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “Star,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen March 28, 2015. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address, and if via comment please include your email address.

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Click on this link to purchase this book and you will be supporting an indie bookstore & a portion goes to help support KRL.

Witch Upon a Star

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).