A review by kblincoln
The Native Star by M.K. Hobson
5.0
I'd just finished reading Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century novel, Dreadnought, when I got The Native Star in the mail.
So pardon the comparisons. (and I've also read the more romancey/fantasy Iron Duke by Meljean Brooks and the Parasol Protectorate from Gail Carriger, as well as the more YA Thirteenth Child, so Native Star is in good company.)
I expected Native Star to rehash familiar territory, and in a way, what with the wild west plus monsters and the alternate technological development it does. But the three types of magic Hobson develops in this book; sangrimancy (blood), animancy (kind of shamanistic or organic) and credomancy (faith) takes this book out of the "rehash" and into exploring new horizons territory.
Don't get me wrong, you get excitement galore as Emily and her credomantic friend Dreadnought Stanton race time and across the US evading evil sorcerors, mutated wildlife, and the anti-magic ku klux klan to find out why a magic stone has embedded itself in Emily's hand before it explodes in Black Exunge and changes the world forever.
There's battles around trains (much like Dreadnought) and magic battles and understated romance-against-their-wills, and all kinds of interesting tidbits of this world.
And unlike Dreadnought's Mercy, I became truly fond of Emily and attached to the relationship between her and Stanton.
However, where the true enjoyment of this world lies is not just in the flashy "isn't this a cool idea about a mail-order patent charm business" or "watch the hero battle mutated, slavering jackrabbits" kind of thing, but in the way the layers of this world are revealed and impact Emily's decisions about what is right and wrong and who she wants to be.
I love that.
However, if it were possible to give 4.5 stars, I would have. I rounded up because I think this book deserves at 5 more than a 4, but I was a bit disatisfied with the way a big bad enemy is handled (hemacolludinations) without much explanationor fanfare or pain on the part of the heroine. I wanted consequences for the heroine of dealing with this person that don't come until well after she'd taken most of the fight out of him. (and I also wanted to know how she knew the one word that would sunder him).
So despite a little unsatisfaction with a major conflict resolution, I am still a whole-hearted fan of the world portrayed in Native Star, and will keep an eye on when the next book comes out.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Ordering Lasagna at a favorite restaurant to find out they've changed their recipe and it now features organic roasted tomato sauce and wild mushrooms that provide an extra layer of deliciousness and innovation to each savory bite.
So pardon the comparisons. (and I've also read the more romancey/fantasy Iron Duke by Meljean Brooks and the Parasol Protectorate from Gail Carriger, as well as the more YA Thirteenth Child, so Native Star is in good company.)
I expected Native Star to rehash familiar territory, and in a way, what with the wild west plus monsters and the alternate technological development it does. But the three types of magic Hobson develops in this book; sangrimancy (blood), animancy (kind of shamanistic or organic) and credomancy (faith) takes this book out of the "rehash" and into exploring new horizons territory.
Don't get me wrong, you get excitement galore as Emily and her credomantic friend Dreadnought Stanton race time and across the US evading evil sorcerors, mutated wildlife, and the anti-magic ku klux klan to find out why a magic stone has embedded itself in Emily's hand before it explodes in Black Exunge and changes the world forever.
There's battles around trains (much like Dreadnought) and magic battles and understated romance-against-their-wills, and all kinds of interesting tidbits of this world.
And unlike Dreadnought's Mercy, I became truly fond of Emily and attached to the relationship between her and Stanton.
However, where the true enjoyment of this world lies is not just in the flashy "isn't this a cool idea about a mail-order patent charm business" or "watch the hero battle mutated, slavering jackrabbits" kind of thing, but in the way the layers of this world are revealed and impact Emily's decisions about what is right and wrong and who she wants to be.
I love that.
However, if it were possible to give 4.5 stars, I would have. I rounded up because I think this book deserves at 5 more than a 4, but I was a bit disatisfied with the way a big bad enemy is handled (hemacolludinations) without much explanationor fanfare or pain on the part of the heroine. I wanted consequences for the heroine of dealing with this person that don't come until well after she'd taken most of the fight out of him. (and I also wanted to know how she knew the one word that would sunder him).
So despite a little unsatisfaction with a major conflict resolution, I am still a whole-hearted fan of the world portrayed in Native Star, and will keep an eye on when the next book comes out.
This Book's Food Designation Rating: Ordering Lasagna at a favorite restaurant to find out they've changed their recipe and it now features organic roasted tomato sauce and wild mushrooms that provide an extra layer of deliciousness and innovation to each savory bite.