Her Dark Star

SUSPENSE: Finnan Dark Star, once a powerful and philandering warlock, has been trapped inside a magical crystal ball for a thousand years. He was outsmarted by his lover for possession of a prized grimoire and ended up imprisoned by her. Now he is a disembodied consciousness with nothing but the time to watch the world go by. Fast forward to present day, and the crystal that Finnan is trapped inside has accidentally come into the possession of Nadya D’Zugi. But wait! Is it an accident or is it Fate? Because Nadya just happens to be someone special, a mortal who can see and hear Finnan in his tiny, enchanted prison and maybe set him free!

“Her Dark Star” is a fanciful jaunt along the boundary where our world meets make believe. It really is a few books rolled into one. It begins with Finnan waking up in Nadya’s living room and finding himself in a time dysphoria scenario, having to bring himself up to speed on current events. The middle part is the romance. If Finnan escapes his ball, will he stay or will he go? Can Nadya even trust him if he does stay? The last part is high suspense. Finnan has enemies and friends from beyond the Veil. How can he hide from one while revealing himself to the other? There will be monsters and explosions! The various parts are uncomfortable and unevenly paced and require the reader’s goodwill to accept some of the developments. “Her Dark Star” holds much to love for fantasy lovers, and romantics will enjoy the strong ending.

Joan Lai