A review by kblincoln
The Hidden Goddess by M.K. Hobson
4.0
Emily Edwards and Dreadnought Stanton have come a long way from the backwoods of Wild West California and their start in the first book of the series, Native Star.
Now they are the toast of New York, with Stanton's coming investiture of the head of the credomancy institute, and Emily cast as his virginal fiancee.
The problem is, Emily not only isn't quite what the institute, and her minder, Ms. Jeszenka would like to make her into, her long-lost memories of her biological father and mother hold a secret about her very existence that could stop the Black Glass Goddess from destroying the world.
Standing between Emily and Stanton's union are not only his duties, but a spin-doctor out to grab power, a secret Russian Society looking for a magic poison that would keep all people from practicing magic, outbreaks of Black Exunge that cause ordinary animals to become monstrous, and political chicanery of the most entertaining kind.
What makes this book different from the first is that we mostly follow Emily as she tries to deal with the institution's ideas about how she should dress and act, with much less time spent following her adventures and Stanton-relationshipping.
The first half of the book was slow going for me because of this. Once she begins to research her past, unlock her memories, and the jockeying for power between the institute, the Russians, and the devotees of the Black Glass Goddess begin in earnest everything becomes really exciting and fun.
Throughout, Hobson's deft touch with language at the basic level does make for pleasant reading.
I love the character of Ms. Jeszenka, and her machinations, as well as the revelations about the Russians.
I hope the tidy HEA at the end doesn't mean the end for these characters.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Going back to the buffet for that second helping of lasagna you loved at first bite and finding out they've replaced it with Hungarian Goulash and noodles...and while the noodles are a bit ordinary, the goulash itself is satisfying and spicy.
Now they are the toast of New York, with Stanton's coming investiture of the head of the credomancy institute, and Emily cast as his virginal fiancee.
The problem is, Emily not only isn't quite what the institute, and her minder, Ms. Jeszenka would like to make her into, her long-lost memories of her biological father and mother hold a secret about her very existence that could stop the Black Glass Goddess from destroying the world.
Standing between Emily and Stanton's union are not only his duties, but a spin-doctor out to grab power, a secret Russian Society looking for a magic poison that would keep all people from practicing magic, outbreaks of Black Exunge that cause ordinary animals to become monstrous, and political chicanery of the most entertaining kind.
What makes this book different from the first is that we mostly follow Emily as she tries to deal with the institution's ideas about how she should dress and act, with much less time spent following her adventures and Stanton-relationshipping.
The first half of the book was slow going for me because of this. Once she begins to research her past, unlock her memories, and the jockeying for power between the institute, the Russians, and the devotees of the Black Glass Goddess begin in earnest everything becomes really exciting and fun.
Throughout, Hobson's deft touch with language at the basic level does make for pleasant reading.
I love the character of Ms. Jeszenka, and her machinations, as well as the revelations about the Russians.
I hope the tidy HEA at the end doesn't mean the end for these characters.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Going back to the buffet for that second helping of lasagna you loved at first bite and finding out they've replaced it with Hungarian Goulash and noodles...and while the noodles are a bit ordinary, the goulash itself is satisfying and spicy.