Reviewed by Chris
TITLE: How to Wish Upon a Star
SERIES: Howl at the Moon #3
AUTHOR: Eli Easton
PUBLISHER: Pinkerton Road
LENGTH: 228 pages
RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2016
BLURB:
Dr. Jason Kunik is working on the most earth-shattering genetics project ever, DNA mapping of a new species, the quickened—dogs who can shift into human form. The problem is, no one knows the quickened exist and Jason can’t betray them by publishing his studies. When he moves to Mad Creek to continue his research in a town full of quickened, all he wants is peace, quiet, and to be allowed to bury himself in his work. Perhaps if he figures how out the mutation is activated, he can silence his own inner dog forever.
Milo is a hospice comfort dog who has bonded with, and lost, many beloved patients in his life. He intuitively understands sickness and pain on a spiritual level most can’t see. When he gains the ability to become a man, he thinks he finally has everything he ever wanted. But being a man isn’t the same thing as being loved, and taking shelter in Mad Creek isn’t the same thing as finding a home.
When a mysterious illness hits Mad Creek and threatens all the quickened in town, it’s up to the scientist and the comfort dog to figure out what it is and how to stop it. Along the way they might discover that true love is possible—if you wish upon a star.
REVIEW:
Jason Kunik never fit in with the other quickened of Mad Creek. He’s too much brain and not enough bark. Years later not much has changed. Moving back to the town he spent several very frustrating years growing up in is not so much a homecoming as it is just another needed step in his years-long research into what exactly makes the quickening process work. He no more fits in with the citizens of Mad Creek now then he did back in his high school days. Not that he wants to.
Milo has never had a home. Even from when he was a pup, to when he was rescued from the hospice where he kept the patients company, he has always been a temporary resident of wherever people bring him. But he wants something more. He want to belong to something. He wants, more than everything to have a home. And so he wishes on a star.
When Jason offers (grudgingly) to let Milo stay in his spare room, he is only thinking about how useful Milo could be to his research. A first-generation quickened right at his fingertips at all hours of the day! He most definitely isn’t thinking about Milo’s sad eyes or the way he seems to fit in Jason’s arms. Little does he know that Milo and his research are going to get more tied up then he ever wanted…or that he was going to be the one responsible for saving an entire town from a mysterious illness that is spreading thru the town’s quickened population.
Jason is not the easiest character to like, one must admit. His way of holding himself off from the world means that he is less than polite with the people around him. Consequently, readers might find him a bit rude and not connect as easily with him as they do with the cuddly and huggable Milo. But still I found that I identified a lot with the guy. I know what it is like to dislike something so inherently part of you, and to struggle to come to terms with it. They may not be the same thing (‘cause heaven knows I think it’d be awesome to be able to turn into a dog) but I really do understand what it feels like to not fit into the mold you want to create for yourself. To not fit into a community that is already made up of the unusual can sometimes leave you feeling incredibly isolated. As the story progresses we come to see that there is more to Jason than the abrupt nature he shows the world, and he comes to terms with the side of himself that he cut off in fear of losing his identity. But, and this is the part that I really liked, he didn’t suddenly become another person. He didn’t become like Milo or many of the other people in Mad Creek. But he found a way to be both himself and to let people in at the same time. I really liked that he didn’t have to become some type of extrovert and the life of a party in order for him to have his happy ending.
Another thing I really enjoyed was the danger in this book wasn’t really so clear cut. There were no bad guys to stake out or hunt down. There were no guns or high-noon standoffs (not that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy these things in the previous books). Here they had to fight against something they could not see, and which most of them were almost nearly powerless against. It made it very unnerving because you cannot arrest a virus. You cannot reason with it–and most of the times you can’t do a whole lot to stop it. It also gave Jason a moment to shine…and to worry. Because this really wasn’t his field and as the days passed you could really see the way having the whole town’s expectations bearing down on his shoulders was getting to him. They wanted him to save them and the scary thing is, sometimes with things like this, you just can’t. Add to that the constant fear that everything he was doing was putting Milo–one of the few people he ever really cared about–at risk, and you have the perfect setup for everything to fall apart…or come together.
The humor of the two previous books are certainly still present in this one, though, don’t you worry. There was no way you could get this many oddball characters together and not have a few good laughs. And Milo…oh sweet Milo. I want to adopt him and bring him home and surround him with bacon and cuddles. Though, maybe not at the same time. While Jason may carry the tension of this book, there is no doubt that Milo is the heart of it. And what a heart it is. Gah. He left me needing to go cuddle my fluffballs for a bit after reading this story. Though I shudder to think what kind of people my cats would turn into if that was at all possible.
There has been very little in this series that I have not liked, and quite a bit that I adore. I can’t wait till the next book, and I have a pretty good wager on who will be showing up in book four. For this book, I will say you are definitely gonna want to read it if the series has already been a favorite. If you are new to Eli Easton’s dog-shifters of Mad Creek…well I’d say start with book one, but you’ll be glad you have three books to read once you get started. I can guarantee it.
RATING: 
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