A review by siria
The Native Star by M.K. Hobson

4.0

This is a really fun, diverting novel. The premise—nineteenth century steampunk/magic-inflected alternate America, where witches and wizards are a (mostly) accepted part of society—could have become over done and hokey very easily, but Hobson keeps things subtle and fast-paced enough that it never becomes too arch. I'm not sure that I quite bought the main romantic relationship, though I found the main female character, Emily, to be neatly drawn and engaging—independent and strong-willed, but capable of making mistakes and not Feisty. (I have come to hate that term.) There are a few places where it's more apparent that this is a first novel—some info dumps; some place where there are deus ex machina things that aren't quite explained properly—and I really didn't like that the Native American characters in this novel show up only in order to be of service to the white folks. Sigh. Still, if Hobson can work out these flaws and build on the promise shown here, I'll be sure to check out the sequel to this.