Book Review: ‘A River Of Stars’ Is An Exciting Thriller

Author Vanessa Hua has written a stunning, page-turning thriller for her debut novel. A great story set mostly in the city of San Francisco and Chinatown there. It shows what two women will do to protect their babies and their lives, that also looks at immigration, determination and a mother’s protection skills to do what she can for her child.

Scarlett Chen is from China and she found herself pregnant and in love via an affair with an older man named Boss Yeung (her boss at a factory she worked at). They are told it is a boy and Boss is excited about this. He decides to send her to a special place in Los Angeles for pregnant women. It will also guarantee the child will be an American citizen. Scarlett is not happy about this place of losing her baby. She tries to figure out how to escape.

Another patient who is a teenager named Daisy who is an American citizen but has been overseas and kept away from her boyfriend. She wants to leave as well and try and contact him to let him know she still is pregnant. When a situation happens, both Daisy and Scarlett are able to escape and decide to go to San Fran and Chinatown hoping to find people that can help. They don’t have much money and both are due really soon.

They find a kind hearted man who helps them out with a place to live and other things. They have their children and form a bond. Both are trying to start over again. Daisy is searching for her boyfriend and Scarlett is trying to become legal. What she doesn’t know is what’s going on with Boss Yeung (he has his own issue) and that she is being hunted by him to find his child. She not only has to fight for her life in American, make money and become legal (and she finds an interesting way to do it), help with Daisy and both child but look over her shoulder at all times. She’s determined to make a clean, fresh start and will let nothing get in her way.

You can pick up A River Of Stars in stores on Tuesday, August 14 from Ballantine Books.