by Sophie Jaff
I want to acknowledge my fellow writers who supported me when times were tough, especially Sarah-Jane Stratford, Anne-Sophie Jouhanneau, Heather Haddon, Mariana Elder, and my fabulous collaborator and ‘other sister,’ Dr. Reverend Kathleen Tagg. I have always been grateful to belong to two thriving artistic communities: The Dramatists Guild of America, and Paragraph: Workspace for Writers and for all the incredible help they provide. Thanks to the people of Wales for the hospitality they showed to me and my mother as we traversed their rolling hills, explored their castles, and ate their delicious steak and kidney pies.
In between writing Love Is Red and Crown of Stars, I got married and had a baby. This opened the door to a whole new world of supportive and amazing people I have to thank. To the incredible South African doctors in making sure I was as good as new, Dr. Marshall Murdoch and Dr. Trudy Smith—I wish you lived here! To the wise and wonderful community of the Hudson River Park Mamas who offered support, advice, and gave me some truly great friends, Hollie Greigo, Amapola Manrique, Louisa Wyatt, Kirsten Arnfast, and my dear Marissa Long, who’s been with me through all the incredible joys and sleepless nights. To Mike Javett for his generous support, and the entire Suzman family for always being there. To the Arismans, who cheered our family up with many marvelous brunches, and to Areta Pawlynsky for her words of wisdom regarding work and motherhood.
To my family in Mexico—Amira, Armando Sr, Moni, Joni, and Santi—gracias por su inagotable amor y amabilidad. And thanks to my brilliant, blazing sister; my intrepid, entrepreneurial father; and my amazing mother. I have the best family in the world. You get me through the hard times. There are none better.
Most importantly, thank you to my husband Armando. It can’t be easy being married to a writer, but I could not do this without you. Your love and strength keep me sane. Each day I wake up knowing how lucky I am that I found you. You make my life a happy and joyous one. I louve you. And, finally, to my shining girl, Emiliana. Emi, you’re the light of my life, the apple of my eye, the foam of my flat white. I couldn’t be prouder of you or love you more. And if your daycare teacher is correct, at the rate you’re going, you’ll be reading this next year. Mommy loves Emi. Now, forever, and always.
About the Author
A native of South Africa and the author of Love Is Red, Sophie Jaff is an alumna of the Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and a fellow of the Dramatists Guild of America. Her work has been performed at Symphony Space, Lincoln Center, and Goodspeed Musicals. She lives in New York City.
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Praise for Love Is Red, Book I of the Night Song Trilogy
“The kick of this ridiculously entertaining book is the haze of delirium it creates in the reader’s brain, which is buffeted throughout by wild plot twists, abrupt shifts of mood and verbal style, sudden narrative somersaults, all flashing by at vertigo-inducing speed. . . . Jaff’s woozy supernatural saga is effectively scary and great fun to read.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Intelligent, poetic, captivating, and chilling, this is a book that begs to be read aloud; the mystery at the core of Love Is Red is so gripping you will find yourself carrying the book around with you until you’re done. Savor it, devour it, recommend it, but don’t lend it to your friends, because you will want to reread it as soon as you’re finished.”
—Elizabeth Haynes, New York Times bestselling author of Into the Darkest Corner and Under a Silent Moon
“Love Is Red is a tornado of a novel. Jaff twists through so many suspenseful places that the book threatens to blow out of the reader’s hands. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough, but I wanted to linger too. This is seriously scary stuff, offered up in high style and with wild narrative invention.”
—Laura Kasischke, national bestselling author of Mind of Winter and The Raising
“I read it in one sitting. I cannot remember the last time I was so completely enthralled with a book. . . . It’s good. Real good.”
—Smart Bitches, Trashy Books
“One of the most unique and amazing books I have ever had the pleasure of reading. . . . Simultaneously beautiful and terrifying.”
—Fresh Fiction
“Love Is Red is a book that almost defies every attempt to sum it up in a nutshell. First, there’s the fear of giving too much away. Second, it’s truly standout and somewhat unconventional. It’s a cross-genre thriller, one that includes supernatural elements, romance elements, and mystery elements. . . . There is something for just about every kind of reader here. Honestly, this is one of my absolute favorite reads of the year. . . . Of course that means that I’m waiting, along with everyone else who’s so far enjoyed the book, with bated breath to see what will happen next.”
—BookBitch
“One dynamic novel. This thriller is brilliantly well written. . . . The plot takes readers deeper into a beautifully dark world that is just beginning. I highly recommend this stunning read. . . . I was hooked instantly.”
—San Francisco Book Review
“The writing in this debut thriller is evocative and, simply put, gorgeous. Jaff does an amazing job at conveying all five senses at every moment and deftly weaves in the feelings of both Katherine and the unnamed killer. . . . The lush language and intricately fleshed-out characters make this a series—and author—to watch.”
—RT Book Reviews
“The excitement (and there’s plenty of it) comes from the serial killer’s creepy, second-person accounts of his moves and from watching the cat-and-mouse game with Katherine. . . . Frightening.”
—Booklist
“Set against the backdrop of a New York City on high alert for a serial killer murdering young, single women, Sophie Jaff’s gothic romance novel . . . will have you on the edge of your seat.”
—PopSugar.com
Also by Sophie Jaff
Love Is Red, Book I of the Night Song Trilogy
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
crown of stars. Copyright © 2017 by Sophie Jaff. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
first edition
Cover design by James Iacobelli
Cover photograph © Marie Carr / Arcangel (hand)
Cover images: © afazuddin / Shutterstock (Ouroboros snake); © guteksk7 / Shutterstock (stars)
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Jaff, Sophie, author.
Title: Crown of stars / Sophie Jaff.
Description: First Harper Paperbacks edition. | New York, NY : Harper Paperbacks, [2017] | Series: The night song trilogy ; book 2
Identifiers: LCCN 2016044094 (print) | LCCN 2016055149 (ebook) | ISBN
9780062346308
Subjects: LCSH: Women--Crimes against--Fiction. | Paranormal fiction. | GSAFD: Occult fiction. | Horror fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3610.A358 C76 2017 (print) | LCC PS3610.A358 (ebook) |
DDC 813/.6--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016044094
ISBN 978-0-06-234628-5 (pbk.)
EPUB Edition June 2017 ISBN 9780062346308
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