The Native Star

The Native Star by M. K. Hobson

(Book #1 of the Veneficas Americana series)

Rating: 🍁🍁🍁🍁

Link to Blurb

Zombies, magic, sentient crystals, secret societies, political intrigue, proto-feminism, steampunk, romance, industrialism, and a giant, rabid, oil-covered monster raccoon - all set in an alt-universe Wild West. This has to be one of the most original novels I've read in a long time.

Let's start with the good stuff, like the magic system. It was wonderfully complex, with different types of (believable and comprehensible) magic wielded by different groups who then had different standing in society. It seemed very realistic and true to humanity's need to rank and categorize itself.

Then there was the setting. My grandfather is a huge fan of westerns, and because I read every book I could get my hands on when I was growing up, I am well-versed in the western genre. The Native Star didn't disappoint in that regard. Ms. Hobson pretty much nailed the alt-universe post-Civil War world on the head in terms of the spirit of the times and the attitudes of its people. (Yes, I know - westerns aren't exactly historically accurate and can be problematic. I'm a historian, I get it. But they're not history books. They're novels. Lighten up.)

I also enjoyed how the romance between the two main characters unfolded. It fell into the "I hate you, so obviously we're going to fall in love later" category, but it was well done without being over the top. The snark battle between Emily and Dreadnaught (that's seriously his name) was humourous and fun as they both came to reconsider their perceptions of one another.

All that being said, there were a few problems. The pacing was awkward at times, for one. The book starts out well, but the climax feels incredibly rushed. So much happens in such a small amount of time that I was left at the end with only a vague idea of what had gone down and why. Especially the why. It took some serious mental gymnastics to go back and figure it all out.

Also, what the heck was that ending? Yes, there's going to be a sequel and the author needed to set that up, but did it have to be so amazingly opaque and artificial?

Still, it was ultimately a very interesting and fun, fun read.