cover image The Witch Is Back

The Witch Is Back

H.P. Mallory. Bantam, $7.99 mass market (368p) ISBN 978-0-345-53156-8

Jolie Wilkins is thrown back in time by master vampire Sinjin Sinclair, her sworn protector and ardent suitor, in her muddled fourth adventure (after Witchful Thinking). Now she has no idea she’s a witch, much less that she’s been crowned queen of the Underworld. Sinjin’s devotion and passion seduce Jolie, but she is also inexplicably drawn to warlock Rand Balfour, whom Sinjin swears is her enemy. Jolie must relearn how to wield her formidable witch’s power in order to save the world from the sinister Lurkers, who—true to their name—never actually appear in the novel. The hapless amnesiac queen is a rather likable character, but her confusion about who she is and who to trust will be matched by the bafflement of any reader who tries to start the series with this installment. Agent: Kim Whalen, Trident Media Group. (Aug.)