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Veneficas Americana #2
The Hidden Goddess
In a brilliant mix of magic, history, and romance, M. K. Hobson moves her feisty young Witch, Emily Edwards, from the Old West of 1876 to turn-of-the-nineteenth-century New York City, whose polished surfaces conceal as much danger as anything west of the Rockies. Like it or not, Emily has fallen in love with Dreadnought Stanton, a New York Warlock as irresistible as he is insufferable. Newly engaged, she now must brave Dreadnought’s family and the magical elite of the nation’s wealthiest city. Not everyone is pleased with the impending nuptials, especially Emily’s future mother-in-law, a sociopathic socialite. But there are greater challenges confining couture, sinister Russian scientists, and a deathless Aztec goddess who dreams of plunging the world into apocalypse. With all they must confront, do Emily and Dreadnought have any hope of a happily-ever-after?
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
12 people are currently reading
1226 people want to read
About the author
M.K. Hobson
27 books221 followersM.K. Hobson recently decided to follow a time-honored authorial tradition and become a bitter recluse. She swore off all social media and left her website to go to seed. At the moment, she exists only as a voice on short fiction podcasts such as Podcastle and Cast of Wonders. She leavens the tedium of her vastly expanded free time with misanthropy, paranoia, and weight lifting.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 138 reviews
May 31, 2011
As you may have seen, my review of "Native Star", the first book in this series, was a big rave, and the world-building here continued to shine in this next book. Emily continues to be a wonderful heroine, and the story of her family and the secrets of her past were very engrossing and paid off very well. This is a great magical/steampunk/turn of the century world. I could definitely read lots of stories set in this alt-NYC. Very fun.
I guess I had a bit of a problem with the Big Bad of the plot being WAY "out there", compared to the previous book (it seemed like there needed to be more setup in #1 for a certain main character twist at the end of this one, I dunno). I wanted more Stanton in the first half of the book too, every scene Emily and Stanton had together I just LOVED, and I just wanted more of them working together.
I guess this would ideally be 3 1/2 stars, but I do have a soft spot for the main character that bumped it up. I just hope there's another book, because the ending was SO wrapped up, I dunno if there's room for more with these characters! At least give us NEW characters in the world, it's so fun!
I guess I had a bit of a problem with the Big Bad of the plot being WAY "out there", compared to the previous book (it seemed like there needed to be more setup in #1 for a certain main character twist at the end of this one, I dunno). I wanted more Stanton in the first half of the book too, every scene Emily and Stanton had together I just LOVED, and I just wanted more of them working together.
I guess this would ideally be 3 1/2 stars, but I do have a soft spot for the main character that bumped it up. I just hope there's another book, because the ending was SO wrapped up, I dunno if there's room for more with these characters! At least give us NEW characters in the world, it's so fun!
May 28, 2014
Second book in the saga of Emily Edwards. I enjoyed it, but didn't love it. The pacing is off. The main character feels curiously passive, even though, thinking back, she actually did keep taking matters into her own hands. But for some reason, it doesn't feel like it. Why is that?
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
Note: The rest of this review has been withdrawn due to the changes in Goodreads policy and enforcement. You can read why I came to this decision here.
In the meantime, you can read the entire review at Smorgasbook
February 7, 2017
M.K. Hobson, I want my twenty dollars back. Ten for the first book and ten for the second. Maybe even some extra for the time I lost reading these books.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed with this book. For 3/4 of it I readily accepted Stanton's absence, the slow plot, and a kind of "where the fuck is this going?" feel. Hobson's writing style kept me interested, even though some of her descriptions can get tiresome after a while, and I was eager to find out more about Emily's back story.
Don't get me wrong. This universe that Hobson has created is AMAZING. I just think she has a hard time managing her plot ideas and creating believable characters.
(Spoilers!)
This book lost me when we began to find out more about the evil goddess. The last thirty or so pages were so bewildering! A lot of the plot twists came out of nowhere for me. Frankly, the whole twist where Stanton was the tool that would save the world RUINED this story for me. Hobson did not give any clues to this twist in the first book. I feel like Stanton would have acted very differently in The Native Star if he knew that he would have to die.
Also, this isn't the author's fault, but the cover made it seem like Stanton's mom would play a much bigger role in the plot than she did. For most of the book I was hoping that Emily would be the character that I met in the first book and it just seemed like she was an entirely different person. Emily was so changed by her engagement to Stanton that I wanted her to just leave him. (And that grave mistake she made by leaving her hair sticks? The Emily that I knew in the first book would have never done that! I felt like that horrible incident was brushed over way too quickly.)
Ugh, and the ending made me feel like NOTHING that happened in the book mattered. Why did both of them sacrifice for the Institution if Stanton was just going to give it all up? I definitely do not believe that he could have gotten away with just changing his name and moving. It seemed like all the other Sophos were very visible. How were people not going to know that he wasn't running things? The ending felt like Hobson desperately wanted a fairy tale conclusion for her main characters, but she sacrificed a lot for it.
Needless to say, I was very disappointed with this book. For 3/4 of it I readily accepted Stanton's absence, the slow plot, and a kind of "where the fuck is this going?" feel. Hobson's writing style kept me interested, even though some of her descriptions can get tiresome after a while, and I was eager to find out more about Emily's back story.
Don't get me wrong. This universe that Hobson has created is AMAZING. I just think she has a hard time managing her plot ideas and creating believable characters.
(Spoilers!)
This book lost me when we began to find out more about the evil goddess. The last thirty or so pages were so bewildering! A lot of the plot twists came out of nowhere for me. Frankly, the whole twist where Stanton was the tool that would save the world RUINED this story for me. Hobson did not give any clues to this twist in the first book. I feel like Stanton would have acted very differently in The Native Star if he knew that he would have to die.
Also, this isn't the author's fault, but the cover made it seem like Stanton's mom would play a much bigger role in the plot than she did. For most of the book I was hoping that Emily would be the character that I met in the first book and it just seemed like she was an entirely different person. Emily was so changed by her engagement to Stanton that I wanted her to just leave him. (And that grave mistake she made by leaving her hair sticks? The Emily that I knew in the first book would have never done that! I felt like that horrible incident was brushed over way too quickly.)
Ugh, and the ending made me feel like NOTHING that happened in the book mattered. Why did both of them sacrifice for the Institution if Stanton was just going to give it all up? I definitely do not believe that he could have gotten away with just changing his name and moving. It seemed like all the other Sophos were very visible. How were people not going to know that he wasn't running things? The ending felt like Hobson desperately wanted a fairy tale conclusion for her main characters, but she sacrificed a lot for it.
April 8, 2015
This book disappointed me more from the reading experience than the context. I enjoyed the first in this series mainly due to the fun atmosphere and light romance.
This book recreated this same feeling of joy whenever the two main characters were together. Unfortunately they rarely were.
The story itself was okay, but not captivating enough for me to keep reading, so it took me very long to finish.
This book recreated this same feeling of joy whenever the two main characters were together. Unfortunately they rarely were.
The story itself was okay, but not captivating enough for me to keep reading, so it took me very long to finish.
September 10, 2011
This was not what I was expecting. With Dreadnought about to be invested as the Institute's Sophos, there was little chance of him and Emily getting together. It's this separation that allowed for a lot of discovery. This second book brought me back to what I loved in Native Star: adventure and a peculiar mix of magic and fantasy. It was a little heavy on the true love stuff. BUT as both of them discover, sometimes that just isn't enough. It's that last bit that had me reading on.
There are so many discoveries in this one, so many aspects of their personalities, their responsibilities and history that ccme in to view. I honestly don't know if I liked what I found. One thing is certain, theirs is not a simple relationship.
First, what the hell had gotten into the two of them? This was not the Emily I'd come to admire in Native Star. If then, she was all take charge (sometimes blindly so,) here, she allowed her to be swept along by others. And that thing with the kissing, to get her to shush up? That. Seriously. Pissed. Me. Off. What had become of her? If this was what 'true love' was her doing, I was really not so sure of the direction of the book.
Then Dreadnought?! Holy Hell... all that secrecy and sweeping her off to the side to "protect" her? I don't remember him being so protective! I recall both of them giving as good as they got. I recall them fighting at every turn not afraid to call each other out. But here? Everyone was worried about what the other would feel. It got on my nerves.
It's the last couple of chapters that truly excited me. Prior to that it was all behind the scenes subterfuge, manipulation and betrayal. Not bad, (exciting in it's own right,) but not as exciting as a knife-nailed dark goddess, me thought. Seriously, though? There was danger coming at them from all sides, even from one least expected to be a threat.
There was one thing that I saw coming but still wish had not come to pass: Love Triangle. (Square?) Ah, Dmitri. He's mysterious different, focused and motivated by something else. That he falls for her and wants to protect her, I thought wasn't a necessary addition to an already complicated story. At first, I really liked him and his motivations. I just wish their relationship (his and Emily's) had not veered into where it did (through no fault of Emily's.) I really could have done without that change in the dynamics of their relaionship! Already, I was doubting the wisdom of an Emily and Dreadnought pairing, throwing Dmitri in was a bit a little too much for me.I will say that I liked his role as reluctant protector. I liked the similarity of his and Emily's histories.
The first part was rough, but good golly, the second part made all that effort worth it.
3.5-4/5
There are so many discoveries in this one, so many aspects of their personalities, their responsibilities and history that ccme in to view. I honestly don't know if I liked what I found. One thing is certain, theirs is not a simple relationship.
First, what the hell had gotten into the two of them? This was not the Emily I'd come to admire in Native Star. If then, she was all take charge (sometimes blindly so,) here, she allowed her to be swept along by others. And that thing with the kissing, to get her to shush up? That. Seriously. Pissed. Me. Off. What had become of her? If this was what 'true love' was her doing, I was really not so sure of the direction of the book.
Then Dreadnought?! Holy Hell... all that secrecy and sweeping her off to the side to "protect" her? I don't remember him being so protective! I recall both of them giving as good as they got. I recall them fighting at every turn not afraid to call each other out. But here? Everyone was worried about what the other would feel. It got on my nerves.
It's the last couple of chapters that truly excited me. Prior to that it was all behind the scenes subterfuge, manipulation and betrayal. Not bad, (exciting in it's own right,) but not as exciting as a knife-nailed dark goddess, me thought. Seriously, though? There was danger coming at them from all sides, even from one least expected to be a threat.
There was one thing that I saw coming but still wish had not come to pass: Love Triangle. (Square?) Ah, Dmitri. He's mysterious different, focused and motivated by something else. That he falls for her and wants to protect her, I thought wasn't a necessary addition to an already complicated story. At first, I really liked him and his motivations. I just wish their relationship (his and Emily's) had not veered into where it did (through no fault of Emily's.) I really could have done without that change in the dynamics of their relaionship! Already, I was doubting the wisdom of an Emily and Dreadnought pairing, throwing Dmitri in was a bit a little too much for me.I will say that I liked his role as reluctant protector. I liked the similarity of his and Emily's histories.
The first part was rough, but good golly, the second part made all that effort worth it.
3.5-4/5
January 6, 2020
So, as I was sitting in my bath thinking about what I thought about The Hidden Goddess and not finding the exact words, I realized the best way to describe it was like lukewarm bathwater. It had its hot moments, but it was so diluted with bland characters and unnecessary diversions that it came out being irritatingly tepid. I felt like a book I might’ve very well enjoyed had been wasted.
All of the plots had potential. If they were introduced gradually through a series of books, I might’ve been on pins and needles between releases. Instead, they were basically vac-u-sealed between the front and back cover. No anticipation, just confusion.
By the time I reached the climactic action scene the final 40 percent of the book had been leading up to, I wasn’t likely in the best place to be judging it. I’d already given up reading the book and just wanted to find out the ending. I skipped through the overdramatic “good-vs-evil” transformations, every once and a while catching some most-likely unintentionally humorous dialogue such as Stanton’s war cry: “Itzlatacoliuhqui, Misery of Humankind, Goddess of Black Glass. Let me enter! I have come to destroy you!”
*snort*
The Epilogue was cute, albeit a poster child for a “riding off into the sunset”-style ending. I don’t mind that, but it did seem a little too easy. The solutions to Stanton’s ailment (being burned) and heavy burden of running the Institute seemed to come out of thin air. How could they not have thought about any of this before?
All of the plots had potential. If they were introduced gradually through a series of books, I might’ve been on pins and needles between releases. Instead, they were basically vac-u-sealed between the front and back cover. No anticipation, just confusion.
By the time I reached the climactic action scene the final 40 percent of the book had been leading up to, I wasn’t likely in the best place to be judging it. I’d already given up reading the book and just wanted to find out the ending. I skipped through the overdramatic “good-vs-evil” transformations, every once and a while catching some most-likely unintentionally humorous dialogue such as Stanton’s war cry: “Itzlatacoliuhqui, Misery of Humankind, Goddess of Black Glass. Let me enter! I have come to destroy you!”
*snort*
The Epilogue was cute, albeit a poster child for a “riding off into the sunset”-style ending. I don’t mind that, but it did seem a little too easy. The solutions to Stanton’s ailment (being burned) and heavy burden of running the Institute seemed to come out of thin air. How could they not have thought about any of this before?
June 5, 2015
This suffers from "sequel syndrome" where it's not as good as the original story. There is not as much of what made the previous book enjoyable - magic, for example - and too much of other things that don't set the story apart, such as spending time in New York society of the late 1800's. And I think I have definitely had enough of the angsty main character "I'm grumpy that things aren't working out for me as well as I want and I'm going to spend pages and pages obsessing about it until something finally happens" bit. That fad in current stories cannot go out of style fast enough for my taste, and frankly it's bad writing even if it's popular for a certain demographic.
The writing isn't as clunky or as trip-over-yourself-with-sophisticated-vocabulary as the first book, which is nice. However, the ending is wrapped up too quickly and way out of context for the setting of the story: suddenly a couple from the late 1800's decides to elope, no wait just live together because they're both modern and hip, and have we just discovered some ideas the author is trying to sell to her readers that turned out not to fit in the setting or story after all?
A number of elements from the first book are brought back momentarily or just at the end as an attempt to remind readers of why they liked the first book (Dag Hansen, the Morgans, and Miss Pendennis), but the treatment is so short and unnecessary it only highlights why the sequel isn't as good.
The writing isn't as clunky or as trip-over-yourself-with-sophisticated-vocabulary as the first book, which is nice. However, the ending is wrapped up too quickly and way out of context for the setting of the story: suddenly a couple from the late 1800's decides to elope, no wait just live together because they're both modern and hip, and have we just discovered some ideas the author is trying to sell to her readers that turned out not to fit in the setting or story after all?
A number of elements from the first book are brought back momentarily or just at the end as an attempt to remind readers of why they liked the first book (Dag Hansen, the Morgans, and Miss Pendennis), but the treatment is so short and unnecessary it only highlights why the sequel isn't as good.
May 10, 2011
Amazing. This book is just plain AMAZING.
I read THE NATIVE STAR and adored it, yet I think THE HIDDEN GODDESS manages to be even better. Emily's history is fascinating, and the continuation of the "End of the World" plot from book 1 culminates into such a thrilling, unpredictable ride!
The most amazing part of this book was how well Hobson employs "resonance". Little things mentioned in passing or trickled throughout the story all come back into play at the end. Everything intertwines, leaving you with your jaw low and your eyebrows high. I literally thought, "Aha! I should have seen that coming!"
Filled with excitement, mystery, tough heroines, and delicious romance, THE HIDDEN GODDESS is one of the best books I've read in 2011. Don't miss it!
I read THE NATIVE STAR and adored it, yet I think THE HIDDEN GODDESS manages to be even better. Emily's history is fascinating, and the continuation of the "End of the World" plot from book 1 culminates into such a thrilling, unpredictable ride!
The most amazing part of this book was how well Hobson employs "resonance". Little things mentioned in passing or trickled throughout the story all come back into play at the end. Everything intertwines, leaving you with your jaw low and your eyebrows high. I literally thought, "Aha! I should have seen that coming!"
Filled with excitement, mystery, tough heroines, and delicious romance, THE HIDDEN GODDESS is one of the best books I've read in 2011. Don't miss it!
July 21, 2020
Just as fun as the first book, Native Star. Hobson's creation of a fantasy world set in 1876 America, amidst the politics and prejudices of New York City on the eve of a contentious presidential election. Add wizards, witches, evil goddesses, and double-dealing marketing gurus. Some fairy writing on hair sticks. A scientific cabal of rifle-toting Russians. Mix with a smart and spunk earth witch, and you have this incredibly fun book. Very recommended.
January 19, 2012
This book had a pretty rocky start for me, mostly because I couldn't remember the first one very clearly but knew if I kept putting it off, I'd never get this one read. Fortunately, though, this book is fairly self-contained, so even though it references earlier events, I was able to follow it pretty easily without having to reread its predecessor, The Native Star.
Strangely enough, although the book repeatedly comes back to the concept of "true love" and whether or not it exists at all, our protagonist's fiance, Dreadnought Stanton, is absent for a good chunk of the first half of the novel. When we DO see him, well, you pretty much want to reach into the book and slap him, hard. Dreadnought is in the process of becoming Sophos, a powerful credomantic (that is, magic powered by belief) position that generally requires him to swan around in a large hat and be as patronizing as possible.
There's an overall theme to the novel that I found myself really intrigued by, though. Credomancy, which plays a large part in the novel, can basically be summarized as magic powered by faith, not necessarily the religious kind. If the Sophos makes his followers believe everything is going well and the Institute is prosperous, then in turn, everything really is doing well and the Institute is prosperous.
This bothers Emily, our protagonist and narrator, because a.) she's a realist, a b.) this habit of lying-to-make-something true is overlapping with her relationship with Dreadnought. While Dreadnought wants to pretend everything is going fine (and gloss over inconvenient things like arguments with one's fiancee), Emily eventually realizes that she'd rather have an imperfect but REAL life than continue to believe in lies in an effort to make them true. (I know, that seems like a circular sentence.)
The male/female dynamic in this book is just really interesting, and I think feminist readers would really enjoy this novel. At the beginning, Emily is informed,"You need only be a pretty face in a pretty dress," and Emily struggles to fulfill this role. But by the end, both Emily and Dreadnought have made leaps and bounds in terms of personal growth. Hobson portrays a healthy relationship as being between two equals, and sums it up nicely at one point when Emily says, "Love is not enough. But it’s a start."
Hobson is easily becoming a favorite writer of mine. I was a little surprised to find out that the series will be continuing after this book (as I thought it had a pretty distinct ending), but I'll definitely be continuing the series.
Strangely enough, although the book repeatedly comes back to the concept of "true love" and whether or not it exists at all, our protagonist's fiance, Dreadnought Stanton, is absent for a good chunk of the first half of the novel. When we DO see him, well, you pretty much want to reach into the book and slap him, hard. Dreadnought is in the process of becoming Sophos, a powerful credomantic (that is, magic powered by belief) position that generally requires him to swan around in a large hat and be as patronizing as possible.
There's an overall theme to the novel that I found myself really intrigued by, though. Credomancy, which plays a large part in the novel, can basically be summarized as magic powered by faith, not necessarily the religious kind. If the Sophos makes his followers believe everything is going well and the Institute is prosperous, then in turn, everything really is doing well and the Institute is prosperous.
This bothers Emily, our protagonist and narrator, because a.) she's a realist, a b.) this habit of lying-to-make-something true is overlapping with her relationship with Dreadnought. While Dreadnought wants to pretend everything is going fine (and gloss over inconvenient things like arguments with one's fiancee), Emily eventually realizes that she'd rather have an imperfect but REAL life than continue to believe in lies in an effort to make them true. (I know, that seems like a circular sentence.)
The male/female dynamic in this book is just really interesting, and I think feminist readers would really enjoy this novel. At the beginning, Emily is informed,"You need only be a pretty face in a pretty dress," and Emily struggles to fulfill this role. But by the end, both Emily and Dreadnought have made leaps and bounds in terms of personal growth. Hobson portrays a healthy relationship as being between two equals, and sums it up nicely at one point when Emily says, "Love is not enough. But it’s a start."
Hobson is easily becoming a favorite writer of mine. I was a little surprised to find out that the series will be continuing after this book (as I thought it had a pretty distinct ending), but I'll definitely be continuing the series.
May 4, 2011
M. K. Hobson doesn’t fail to shine in this sequel to The Native Star. The Hidden Goddess was just as brilliant and intriguing and incredible. Hobson is a brilliant author. She skillfully weaves history with magic, suffusing brilliance into every intricately worded page. Once again I was astounded at the storytelling, and the research that must have gone into writing this piece of fiction set in New York in the 1870’s.
This book is just so enchantingly real. The characters, the setting, the plot, the emotion portrayed as these characters go through these troubled times that fester and grow every day; everything is just fresh, ringing with a note of truth, overshadowed with tendrils of doubt and suspicion and anger. And Emily’s and Dreadnought’s relationship is not exempt. But what can you expect from a willfully strong witch and a stubbornly infuriating warlock? Certainly that’s a recipe for disaster. But, truly, they do mix well, exceedingly well, but there are always those bumps in the road, or trenches, or gaping abysses that halt, and possibly shatter people, their feelings for each other, their trust. Emily and Dreadnought have a beautiful, powerful love, its almost too good to be true. But in creeps doubt, and later, secrets unveil that tear them apart, and almost succeeding. But in the end, their love for each other triumphs.
I love Emily and Stanton together. They have a fun, trusting interaction, and some moments made my heart flutter, (mostly because of Dreadnought Stanton's charm and affection towards Emily). I wished there had been more of those moments, because I am a hopeless romantic at heart, and any swooning romance is perfect with me. But alas, that was not to be. This is not a romance book, yes, there’s romance, but there is so much to the story, so much magic and adventure and secrets and impending doom and a possible apocalypse that to focus more dominantly on the romance would make the plot seem not as important, or not so dangerous and intriguing. So I was perfectly fine with the story and plot. I’m all for a fantastic, magical adventure that doesn’t need true love to further the plot. I just wish there was more of Stanton, because he is in my top list of literary crushes.
The writing shines fantastically with wit and intellect and intrigue. Hobson just has this way of crafting words together to create a stunningly powerful picture in the reader’s mind, doused with the emotion shown clearly though the characters, accompanied with Emily‘s snarky attitude and stubborn persistence. There were some moments though, that didn’t shine so brilliant, that somehow lessened the enchantment some. Emily is a strong willed witch with a mind of her own, independent, fearless, who doesn’t care about fashion and formal gatherings. I can certainly understand her dressing more finely, as she is in Stanton’s high society circle as his fiancé with a fabricated background to make her sound more attractive. She’s told to act more demure and soft spoken at times, to play it up, or to make people agree with her. Sometimes she acted a little too demurely, and I wished to see more of her fire and passion. That isn’t to say that she didn’t show those qualities often, because she did. And the rest of the novel was just so brilliant that I’m not angered or disappointed at these slower moments.
And I’m thrilled that this isn’t the end of this world! Hobson has plans for future works to be a part of this series, but that focus on different people, one of which I know is . So while Emily and Stanton’s part may be over, hopefully there will be more visits to this magical world. Do yourself a favor and read The Native Star and The Hidden Goddess. They are incredible works of art that hopefully will WOW you and leave you breathless. Give them a whirl, dive deep into the enchantment and magic and history. I really hope you love them like I do.
This book is just so enchantingly real. The characters, the setting, the plot, the emotion portrayed as these characters go through these troubled times that fester and grow every day; everything is just fresh, ringing with a note of truth, overshadowed with tendrils of doubt and suspicion and anger. And Emily’s and Dreadnought’s relationship is not exempt. But what can you expect from a willfully strong witch and a stubbornly infuriating warlock? Certainly that’s a recipe for disaster. But, truly, they do mix well, exceedingly well, but there are always those bumps in the road, or trenches, or gaping abysses that halt, and possibly shatter people, their feelings for each other, their trust. Emily and Dreadnought have a beautiful, powerful love, its almost too good to be true. But in creeps doubt, and later, secrets unveil that tear them apart, and almost succeeding. But in the end, their love for each other triumphs.
I love Emily and Stanton together. They have a fun, trusting interaction, and some moments made my heart flutter, (mostly because of Dreadnought Stanton's charm and affection towards Emily). I wished there had been more of those moments, because I am a hopeless romantic at heart, and any swooning romance is perfect with me. But alas, that was not to be. This is not a romance book, yes, there’s romance, but there is so much to the story, so much magic and adventure and secrets and impending doom and a possible apocalypse that to focus more dominantly on the romance would make the plot seem not as important, or not so dangerous and intriguing. So I was perfectly fine with the story and plot. I’m all for a fantastic, magical adventure that doesn’t need true love to further the plot. I just wish there was more of Stanton, because he is in my top list of literary crushes.
The writing shines fantastically with wit and intellect and intrigue. Hobson just has this way of crafting words together to create a stunningly powerful picture in the reader’s mind, doused with the emotion shown clearly though the characters, accompanied with Emily‘s snarky attitude and stubborn persistence. There were some moments though, that didn’t shine so brilliant, that somehow lessened the enchantment some. Emily is a strong willed witch with a mind of her own, independent, fearless, who doesn’t care about fashion and formal gatherings. I can certainly understand her dressing more finely, as she is in Stanton’s high society circle as his fiancé with a fabricated background to make her sound more attractive. She’s told to act more demure and soft spoken at times, to play it up, or to make people agree with her. Sometimes she acted a little too demurely, and I wished to see more of her fire and passion. That isn’t to say that she didn’t show those qualities often, because she did. And the rest of the novel was just so brilliant that I’m not angered or disappointed at these slower moments.
And I’m thrilled that this isn’t the end of this world! Hobson has plans for future works to be a part of this series, but that focus on different people, one of which I know is . So while Emily and Stanton’s part may be over, hopefully there will be more visits to this magical world. Do yourself a favor and read The Native Star and The Hidden Goddess. They are incredible works of art that hopefully will WOW you and leave you breathless. Give them a whirl, dive deep into the enchantment and magic and history. I really hope you love them like I do.
May 25, 2012
This book was very frustrating. Or, rather, the people within the book were often frustrating and I was annoyed with them.
So, anyway, picking up pretty much directly where the first book lets off, we find Emily trying to make nice with Stanton's family and learn to pass in society. And, ya know, this part was kind of fun and I was enjoying it - not to mention expecting it, since it's mentioned on the book cover - but it doesn't really last that long until the adventure kicks and the story shifts gears entirely. I was disappointed that there wasn't more silliness with society and fabulous faux-pas, because I enjoy comedies of manners.
But, ah well.
But the really frustrating part is that Stanton wasn't really in the book very much, and I felt like a lot of it was manufactured to heighten the drama - and it does get a bit melodramatic, let me tell you - but it had all that irritated aspect of "things would be so much more easily resolved if people would just talk to each other instead of keeping secrets" thing which is just ever so annoying.
I also got irritated that a lot of the machinations to keep them apart were along the lines of treating Emily as either a) a delicate flower who needed to be protected or b) a distraction to Stanton, who needed to be strong. 'Cause, see, if Emily was distraught then Stanton would be distraught and, considering how credomancy works (which plays a big role in this book), we just can't have that.
But no one ever stops to think that a) Emily has proven herself rather capable, thankyouverymuch and b) the person you love can often be a source of strength in time of hardship!
My lord, but it was vexing.
That said, I couldn't stop reading. It was quite the little page-turner - one I thought about while I was at work, itching to get my fingers back on its pages.
Sometimes, when I'm reading a book I'm not hating but not particularly enjoying, I procrastinate. I find other things to do during my reading time... like browsing the internet, or petting the cats, or picking my nails...
But this was one where I wanted to skip things like lunch with my normal work crew so that I could read instead. And what a delight it is to have a book you long to get back to!
So, anyway, there's much melodrama and far too many attempts on people's live and people acting like children... but there's also intensity and action and excitement and tension.
I did miss Miss Pendennis, who was one of my favorite characters from the first book. She's off on some book tour, and Emily is left with Miss Jeniczek (must check on spelling) who is, herself, a credomancer and teacher at the school, and who acts as Emily's escort and guide in society. (She is one of two people we meet in this book that I found myself wondering where they were in the first book.)
I did come to like her, though, and she was much more relevant to the plot than Miss Pendennis really had been in the first, and it was nice to see another strong female character in the series, even if she did have the dreaded trope. Though
And I liked the ending. The climax was a bit rushed, but the denouement moments were nice. But, then, I am a sucker for HEA.
So, anyway, picking up pretty much directly where the first book lets off, we find Emily trying to make nice with Stanton's family and learn to pass in society. And, ya know, this part was kind of fun and I was enjoying it - not to mention expecting it, since it's mentioned on the book cover - but it doesn't really last that long until the adventure kicks and the story shifts gears entirely. I was disappointed that there wasn't more silliness with society and fabulous faux-pas, because I enjoy comedies of manners.
But, ah well.
But the really frustrating part is that Stanton wasn't really in the book very much, and I felt like a lot of it was manufactured to heighten the drama - and it does get a bit melodramatic, let me tell you - but it had all that irritated aspect of "things would be so much more easily resolved if people would just talk to each other instead of keeping secrets" thing which is just ever so annoying.
I also got irritated that a lot of the machinations to keep them apart were along the lines of treating Emily as either a) a delicate flower who needed to be protected or b) a distraction to Stanton, who needed to be strong. 'Cause, see, if Emily was distraught then Stanton would be distraught and, considering how credomancy works (which plays a big role in this book), we just can't have that.
But no one ever stops to think that a) Emily has proven herself rather capable, thankyouverymuch and b) the person you love can often be a source of strength in time of hardship!
My lord, but it was vexing.
That said, I couldn't stop reading. It was quite the little page-turner - one I thought about while I was at work, itching to get my fingers back on its pages.
Sometimes, when I'm reading a book I'm not hating but not particularly enjoying, I procrastinate. I find other things to do during my reading time... like browsing the internet, or petting the cats, or picking my nails...
But this was one where I wanted to skip things like lunch with my normal work crew so that I could read instead. And what a delight it is to have a book you long to get back to!
So, anyway, there's much melodrama and far too many attempts on people's live and people acting like children... but there's also intensity and action and excitement and tension.
I did miss Miss Pendennis, who was one of my favorite characters from the first book. She's off on some book tour, and Emily is left with Miss Jeniczek (must check on spelling) who is, herself, a credomancer and teacher at the school, and who acts as Emily's escort and guide in society. (She is one of two people we meet in this book that I found myself wondering where they were in the first book.)
I did come to like her, though, and she was much more relevant to the plot than Miss Pendennis really had been in the first, and it was nice to see another strong female character in the series, even if she did have the dreaded trope. Though
And I liked the ending. The climax was a bit rushed, but the denouement moments were nice. But, then, I am a sucker for HEA.
June 22, 2016
This only just made it to three stars.
So ... blah, blah, Stanton's not here in six different ways ... many nasty people are paraded onto the stage ... Emily has increasingly nasty flashbacks.
Puase. I've read too many books lately in which the protagonist has serial flashbacks to Something Too Horrible To Remember. Getting tired of it. It's moving up in the annoyance scale to the knocked-out hero who wakes up and ALWAYS asks, "how long was I out?"
Several hundred pages of Emily being dragged around, sometimes willingly and sometimes not.
Big buildup. Cackling villain, end-of-the-world. yeah yeah sure.
Than a few dozen pages of repeated "He did WHAT?" and "She did WHAT?" and "Could the author really have written that with a straight face?" Especially when the whole plot turns out to have been hinged on a ; I don't care for plot points of that kidney.
And suddenly and ta-da, all is fixed. But what about X? Emily waves her hand, says "La," and that's fixed. What about Y? "Fie," she giggles, and it's gone.
We close with a lot of words that could just have been "And they all lived happily ever after."
Big disappointment. A lot of work obviously went into this, inventing magic systems and complex schemes, but in the end I think it collapsed under its own weight. Could have been better engineered to tell the same story. But hey, it's only her second novel, and the odds of a stronger one to folow are fairly good.
So ... blah, blah, Stanton's not here in six different ways ... many nasty people are paraded onto the stage ... Emily has increasingly nasty flashbacks.
Puase. I've read too many books lately in which the protagonist has serial flashbacks to Something Too Horrible To Remember. Getting tired of it. It's moving up in the annoyance scale to the knocked-out hero who wakes up and ALWAYS asks, "how long was I out?"
Several hundred pages of Emily being dragged around, sometimes willingly and sometimes not.
Big buildup. Cackling villain, end-of-the-world. yeah yeah sure.
Than a few dozen pages of repeated "He did WHAT?" and "She did WHAT?" and "Could the author really have written that with a straight face?" Especially when the whole plot turns out to have been hinged on a ; I don't care for plot points of that kidney.
And suddenly and ta-da, all is fixed. But what about X? Emily waves her hand, says "La," and that's fixed. What about Y? "Fie," she giggles, and it's gone.
We close with a lot of words that could just have been "And they all lived happily ever after."
Big disappointment. A lot of work obviously went into this, inventing magic systems and complex schemes, but in the end I think it collapsed under its own weight. Could have been better engineered to tell the same story. But hey, it's only her second novel, and the odds of a stronger one to folow are fairly good.
June 16, 2011
This review has spoilers from the first book.
The Native Star was on my favorites list for 2010. I absolutely adored everything about that book. So could The Hidden Goddess live up to it? Well, no. I still like The Native Star better. BUT I still loved The Hidden Goddess. It was different, it was certainly a different story and it was much darker. But I still loved the characters the same and watched them both grow a bit.
Emily and Stanton's relationship is so sweet. In the first book they fought and fought but the sexual tension between them was so high. Now that they are actually together together things obviously aren't going to be the same. However, I still loved them! I just wish we'd seen them together in the book just a bit more.
Things played out in a manner completely unexpected. The twists and turns were never predictable and the ending was a shocker! I never expected things to end up that way. In the beginning I wasn't sure what I thought of the end. But now that a day has passed I think I'm okay with it. I think I'm actually happy with it. It was just so different then what I expected that I had to digest it a bit.
So overall I loved this book and the world that the author has created is one of the best I've ever read. I love the magic, the Steampunk, the history, the wild west... it's all amazing. I can't wait for more from her!
The Native Star was on my favorites list for 2010. I absolutely adored everything about that book. So could The Hidden Goddess live up to it? Well, no. I still like The Native Star better. BUT I still loved The Hidden Goddess. It was different, it was certainly a different story and it was much darker. But I still loved the characters the same and watched them both grow a bit.
Emily and Stanton's relationship is so sweet. In the first book they fought and fought but the sexual tension between them was so high. Now that they are actually together together things obviously aren't going to be the same. However, I still loved them! I just wish we'd seen them together in the book just a bit more.
Things played out in a manner completely unexpected. The twists and turns were never predictable and the ending was a shocker! I never expected things to end up that way. In the beginning I wasn't sure what I thought of the end. But now that a day has passed I think I'm okay with it. I think I'm actually happy with it. It was just so different then what I expected that I had to digest it a bit.
So overall I loved this book and the world that the author has created is one of the best I've ever read. I love the magic, the Steampunk, the history, the wild west... it's all amazing. I can't wait for more from her!
January 12, 2013
I gave the first book in the series 5 stars, and I was debating whether to give this 3 or 4. 3.5. I don't remember much of the first book other than I really, really liked it, so I went back to read my review to see what was different from this second book. I adored the characters in the first one, but I really kinda didn't in this one.
This book just doesn't really hold up to the first in plot or character moments. It's a fairly unpleasant book, in that the characters are unhappy and things are bad and people are unlikable and I just didn't have the enjoyment that I should have.
The romance which was developed so well in the first book was really messed up in this one. The relationship was torn apart until I really couldn't even feel that they belonged together. And the POV is so strongly on Emily and Dreadnought Stanton was in it so little that I had no emotional connection to him.
So, I'm disappointed. But mostly in ways that are difficult for me to put my finger on. I will continue reading the series, but I won't rush about it.
Also there were not really any steampunk elements to this book. It's the 1870s and there is magic, but there wasn't any advanced technology in this one, so I can't really call it steampunk.
This book just doesn't really hold up to the first in plot or character moments. It's a fairly unpleasant book, in that the characters are unhappy and things are bad and people are unlikable and I just didn't have the enjoyment that I should have.
The romance which was developed so well in the first book was really messed up in this one. The relationship was torn apart until I really couldn't even feel that they belonged together. And the POV is so strongly on Emily and Dreadnought Stanton was in it so little that I had no emotional connection to him.
So, I'm disappointed. But mostly in ways that are difficult for me to put my finger on. I will continue reading the series, but I won't rush about it.
Also there were not really any steampunk elements to this book. It's the 1870s and there is magic, but there wasn't any advanced technology in this one, so I can't really call it steampunk.
June 7, 2012
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
This was a sold four stars until the last nine or ten (maybe twenty) pages. Still, there were some neat twists in this one, a lot of fascinating details on credomancy (I think Emily's press conference near the end is my favorite scene in both books), lots of action and humor and period details (and surprisingly little romance), so I enjoyed it heartily.
Full review to come. Probably.
This was a sold four stars until the last nine or ten (maybe twenty) pages. Still, there were some neat twists in this one, a lot of fascinating details on credomancy (I think Emily's press conference near the end is my favorite scene in both books), lots of action and humor and period details (and surprisingly little romance), so I enjoyed it heartily.
Full review to come. Probably.
September 21, 2011
I enjoyed this book for the most part though it and its predecessor have a few flaws. That being said, I really liked the main character - she's real and natural. Unfortunately the double deus ex machina kind of ruined the story for me.
September 28, 2012
Simply put, this book was very, very enjoyable (just like the previous one). Truly excellent world-building and great female characters.
September 7, 2018
First, to just put it out there, I loved this book, and that's why it's getting 5 stars, even though I debated 4. This is just one of those sequels that's kind of exhausting, because all you can think is, "Whither the fun romp of book one? Are we really going to undo all the relationship development we got? Will these characters never be happy?" Pretty much the feeling I get with any middle book of a trilogy. The only problem was, this was the second, and last, in a duology, so the longer the angst stretched on (a long time, btw) the more I thought, "So we're gonna get two pages of them being happy at the end, huh?"
Luckily, it was more than two pages, and the happy chapters are so fucking cute (especially the very end) that they really and truly soothed all of my angst. The author did a really good job of popping in little moments of cute just when the all the frustration is set to overwhelm you! Combined with the Bomb-As-Hell Ending, I would say the balance of emotions is absolutely worth it.
Also, in fairness to the emo parts, I think we get a much more realistic version of love and relationships than you see in 99% of books, and that's a good thing. Relationships are not perfect, people say things they don't mean, you have to be willing to forgive and/or overlook some stuff, and sometimes, love just isn't enough to make everything just the way you want it to be. When you're put under pressure, people don't always react the way you think they would. You question the other person, and yourself. But seeing all this agony and heartbreak and anger always makes a happy ending sweeter to me, and believe me, the bitter and the sweet are both strong here.
There are a lot of other things I really liked about this book-- the answering of so many questions, the female characters that had depth and flaws (and were unflinchingly honest about the things women had, and still have, to do to succeed, much like Miss Pendennis in book one), and the shift in power dynamics.
Also particularly wonderful was Thirsty Bitch Emily Edwards, who genuinely tried to bone her fiance at every.single.opportunity. in which they weren't fighting. My girl really went after it, y'all. Sheer single-minded determination to get naked, thy name is Emily Edwards, and I respect the hell out of that.
I really just love Emily as a character overall. She's full of common sense and integrity, which is in short supply among the credomancers. She's smarter than anyone thinks she is. She can be humble when she needs to be and doesn't engage in a lot of over-the-top Heroic Antics when there are other, more practical choices. And she can make the tough calls without regrets. She knows when to say enough is enough and walk away from something, even if she doesn't want to. That is a damn powerful trait.
I could go into more detail, but this is just one of those books that needs to be experienced. It's equal parts frustrating and satisfying, with the satisfaction made all the more delightful for it. A genuinely great read.
(As a final thought that I just cannot stress enough: Fuck. Rose. Hibble. I mean it. I liked/felt bad for her in the first book, but verily I say unto thee-- fuck that bitch. The one thing I would change about this book unequivocally would be to make something bad happen to Rose.)
Luckily, it was more than two pages, and the happy chapters are so fucking cute (especially the very end) that they really and truly soothed all of my angst. The author did a really good job of popping in little moments of cute just when the all the frustration is set to overwhelm you! Combined with the Bomb-As-Hell Ending, I would say the balance of emotions is absolutely worth it.
Also, in fairness to the emo parts, I think we get a much more realistic version of love and relationships than you see in 99% of books, and that's a good thing. Relationships are not perfect, people say things they don't mean, you have to be willing to forgive and/or overlook some stuff, and sometimes, love just isn't enough to make everything just the way you want it to be. When you're put under pressure, people don't always react the way you think they would. You question the other person, and yourself. But seeing all this agony and heartbreak and anger always makes a happy ending sweeter to me, and believe me, the bitter and the sweet are both strong here.
There are a lot of other things I really liked about this book-- the answering of so many questions, the female characters that had depth and flaws (and were unflinchingly honest about the things women had, and still have, to do to succeed, much like Miss Pendennis in book one), and the shift in power dynamics.
Also particularly wonderful was Thirsty Bitch Emily Edwards, who genuinely tried to bone her fiance at every.single.opportunity. in which they weren't fighting. My girl really went after it, y'all. Sheer single-minded determination to get naked, thy name is Emily Edwards, and I respect the hell out of that.
I really just love Emily as a character overall. She's full of common sense and integrity, which is in short supply among the credomancers. She's smarter than anyone thinks she is. She can be humble when she needs to be and doesn't engage in a lot of over-the-top Heroic Antics when there are other, more practical choices. And she can make the tough calls without regrets. She knows when to say enough is enough and walk away from something, even if she doesn't want to. That is a damn powerful trait.
I could go into more detail, but this is just one of those books that needs to be experienced. It's equal parts frustrating and satisfying, with the satisfaction made all the more delightful for it. A genuinely great read.
(As a final thought that I just cannot stress enough: Fuck. Rose. Hibble. I mean it. I liked/felt bad for her in the first book, but verily I say unto thee-- fuck that bitch. The one thing I would change about this book unequivocally would be to make something bad happen to Rose.)
February 3, 2018
DNF @ 75% and I'm desperately refraining from hate-reading the remaining 25%. Our heroine is aggressively passive, incurious, and acts as stupid and useless as *literally every other character* is constantly telling her she is. The plot and web of alliances between factions isn't complicated--it's just bullshit running on forward momentum. The heroine is a non-character, the love interest from the first book--our secondary main--is MIA for a minimum of 3/4 of the book, and every other character is shady, acerbic, and completely unpleasant. At *minimum* they're neutral on the likability scale. There is no joy in this story. Even the magic system is just relentless awfulness and manipulation and you wonder why the heroine even wants to save it. (Also WHY IS SHE EVEN A WITCH SHE NEVER DOES ANYTHING WITCHY.)
I had misgivings about the first book a little more than 2/3rds in that only built, but I picked up The Hidden Goddess because I enjoyed the relationship between Emily and Stanton and wanted to see more of it (and how they dealt with his condition). I toughed through 75% for a few scraps of that (2 1/2 scraps to be specific), but I srsly can't anymore. This book is awful and miserable and I can't stand anyone in it.
I had misgivings about the first book a little more than 2/3rds in that only built, but I picked up The Hidden Goddess because I enjoyed the relationship between Emily and Stanton and wanted to see more of it (and how they dealt with his condition). I toughed through 75% for a few scraps of that (2 1/2 scraps to be specific), but I srsly can't anymore. This book is awful and miserable and I can't stand anyone in it.
March 2, 2022
This is the second book in the “The Native Star” series, the first of which I read way way back when I was first starting the blog. I didn’t stop because I forgot all the characters, I stopped because so damn little happened. It didn’t help that I barely remembered the first book, but it wasn’t the reason. The reason was that after fifty pages no events of note had happened. Again, there was a prologue that had no reason to be there except bringing “up” the lackluster beginning. It was all setup and establishment and exposition and events happening to characters that are supposed to provide foreshadowing and foreboding, but when I have no context for the characters or consequences, it’s all meaningless.
January 6, 2020
I'm so disappointed.
I loved the first book of the series, but this one was just too much.
To sum up: Stop after the first book. Really.
I loved the first book of the series, but this one was just too much.
To sum up: Stop after the first book. Really.
July 25, 2015
(review originally posted on my livejournal account: http://intoyourlungs.livejournal.com)
***WARNING: This is a review of a sequel, so spoilers for the first book may crop up here. Read with caution. :)***
While I didn't like this book quite as much as the first, it's still a very awesome sequel and I'm very glad I picked it up.
The first thing I noticed is how differently this book reads from its predecessor. TNS had a little more tension going on because Stanton and Emily were being pursued through the whole thing, so they were always on the run. In this installment, there's no immediate danger (well, not right away anyway), so it feels a little more leisurely. I have to say that I really liked the fast paced feeling in the first novel, but it wasn't detrimental to this book that it wasn't; it's just felt different. Reading about Emily's obstacles as she tries to fit into high society was really entertaining though.
Also worth noting; if you really loved Stanton in the first one, don't be too upset but his absence in this sequel. He is around of course, but not all the time like he was in the first. I loved seeing him and Emily together in this one. They still bicker a little bit (how could they not?) but their relationship was pretty touching, even when Stanton was a jerk and kept all kinds of secrets from Emily.
And Emily! How I love that lady. If she were real, I would want to be her friend, because she's kind of awesome. Emily doesn't quite fit in society because she can't seem to conform to the standards that is expected of one who is 'high-class'. I think I relate to that because I'm really one of the most ungraceful people I know (not for a lack of trying). Not that Emily is ungraceful herself, but she doesn't fit into the norms of high-class femininity despite her efforts, and I can sympathize with that, to a certain degree. Like TNS, Emily is head-strong, resourceful and is not afraid to stick her neck out to get stuff done.
Stanton, on the other hand, wasn't quite as awesome. After everything that Emily did in TNS, I was frustrated that he didn't want her around more often to help out; he, and pretty much everyone working for him, kept whisking Emily off because she was a 'distraction', when she's proven (especially to him!) that she's quite capable of taking care of herself and helping out. I was frustrated with all the secrets he kept from her as well, but I eased a bit on that later on. I mean, what was he supposed to say, really? "Oh yeah, Emily, by the way, I totally had an affair with a crazy blood-thirsty sangrimancer, thought you should know." Or "I could have been cured from being burned, but I *haven't* because I'm actually this super-ultra weapon person in case of the end of the world." So while he secret-keeping frustrated me a bit at first, I was more than able to forgive him. So he was still kind of awesome, even if he bugged me sometimes.
In TNS, we didn't get to see how magic was used by others all too much. We mostly just got to see Emily and Stanton use animancy and credomancy (and a little bit of sangrimancy on Stanton's part). In THG, we see a lot more of how magic works in society, which was really neat.
The supporting characters were quite strong in this installment as well, especially Ms. Jecsiezka (is that how you spell her name? I can't remember.) At the beginning of the novel, I thought she was going to be a total bore, but she ended up being really sweet and caring towards Emily, and really did want the best for her and Stanton.
One other little thing that bothered me... what was with the whole Dmitri kissing Emily thing? I thought it was totally unnecessary. I am glad that it didn't devolve into some huge misunderstanding, or melodrama though. It happened, but I felt like there was no point to it.
To my knowledge, The Native Star was meant to be a duology, and I really got that sense from the ending presented here as well. This saddens me a bit because I really like these books. They're not DEEP or anything, but they're so much fun and I really enjoy them. I really hope that Hobson writes other books in this universe or something. Even if she doesn't though, I'll more than likely check out whatever she puts out next. :)
Final Verdict: This is a really great sequel. It's quite a bit of a different feel to it than The Native Star because there's no running from constant danger, but it's still a lot of fun watching Emily navigate in high class society. Emily is an extremely likable heroine, which makes her following her journey all the more enjoyable. Stanton is a lot less present in this installment than the first, and he did a lot of things that irked me, but by the end he completely redeemed himself. Watching him and Emily be in a loving relationship (but still remaining true to themselves) was really sweet. The minor characters were well done, especially Ms. Jecsieka, who I especially liked. :) We get to learn all about Emily's past in this installment, as well as her relationship with the Sina Mira, which was only touched on briefly in the first novel. The way the book ends and from what I've heard around the web tells me that this is the last book in the Native Star series, which makes me sad because I've really enjoyed these. I can just hope that Ms. Hobson comes out with more books in this alternate history universe. However, I'll take a look at whatever she comes out with next. :)
***WARNING: This is a review of a sequel, so spoilers for the first book may crop up here. Read with caution. :)***
While I didn't like this book quite as much as the first, it's still a very awesome sequel and I'm very glad I picked it up.
The first thing I noticed is how differently this book reads from its predecessor. TNS had a little more tension going on because Stanton and Emily were being pursued through the whole thing, so they were always on the run. In this installment, there's no immediate danger (well, not right away anyway), so it feels a little more leisurely. I have to say that I really liked the fast paced feeling in the first novel, but it wasn't detrimental to this book that it wasn't; it's just felt different. Reading about Emily's obstacles as she tries to fit into high society was really entertaining though.
Also worth noting; if you really loved Stanton in the first one, don't be too upset but his absence in this sequel. He is around of course, but not all the time like he was in the first. I loved seeing him and Emily together in this one. They still bicker a little bit (how could they not?) but their relationship was pretty touching, even when Stanton was a jerk and kept all kinds of secrets from Emily.
And Emily! How I love that lady. If she were real, I would want to be her friend, because she's kind of awesome. Emily doesn't quite fit in society because she can't seem to conform to the standards that is expected of one who is 'high-class'. I think I relate to that because I'm really one of the most ungraceful people I know (not for a lack of trying). Not that Emily is ungraceful herself, but she doesn't fit into the norms of high-class femininity despite her efforts, and I can sympathize with that, to a certain degree. Like TNS, Emily is head-strong, resourceful and is not afraid to stick her neck out to get stuff done.
Stanton, on the other hand, wasn't quite as awesome. After everything that Emily did in TNS, I was frustrated that he didn't want her around more often to help out; he, and pretty much everyone working for him, kept whisking Emily off because she was a 'distraction', when she's proven (especially to him!) that she's quite capable of taking care of herself and helping out. I was frustrated with all the secrets he kept from her as well, but I eased a bit on that later on. I mean, what was he supposed to say, really? "Oh yeah, Emily, by the way, I totally had an affair with a crazy blood-thirsty sangrimancer, thought you should know." Or "I could have been cured from being burned, but I *haven't* because I'm actually this super-ultra weapon person in case of the end of the world." So while he secret-keeping frustrated me a bit at first, I was more than able to forgive him. So he was still kind of awesome, even if he bugged me sometimes.
In TNS, we didn't get to see how magic was used by others all too much. We mostly just got to see Emily and Stanton use animancy and credomancy (and a little bit of sangrimancy on Stanton's part). In THG, we see a lot more of how magic works in society, which was really neat.
The supporting characters were quite strong in this installment as well, especially Ms. Jecsiezka (is that how you spell her name? I can't remember.) At the beginning of the novel, I thought she was going to be a total bore, but she ended up being really sweet and caring towards Emily, and really did want the best for her and Stanton.
One other little thing that bothered me... what was with the whole Dmitri kissing Emily thing? I thought it was totally unnecessary. I am glad that it didn't devolve into some huge misunderstanding, or melodrama though. It happened, but I felt like there was no point to it.
To my knowledge, The Native Star was meant to be a duology, and I really got that sense from the ending presented here as well. This saddens me a bit because I really like these books. They're not DEEP or anything, but they're so much fun and I really enjoy them. I really hope that Hobson writes other books in this universe or something. Even if she doesn't though, I'll more than likely check out whatever she puts out next. :)
Final Verdict: This is a really great sequel. It's quite a bit of a different feel to it than The Native Star because there's no running from constant danger, but it's still a lot of fun watching Emily navigate in high class society. Emily is an extremely likable heroine, which makes her following her journey all the more enjoyable. Stanton is a lot less present in this installment than the first, and he did a lot of things that irked me, but by the end he completely redeemed himself. Watching him and Emily be in a loving relationship (but still remaining true to themselves) was really sweet. The minor characters were well done, especially Ms. Jecsieka, who I especially liked. :) We get to learn all about Emily's past in this installment, as well as her relationship with the Sina Mira, which was only touched on briefly in the first novel. The way the book ends and from what I've heard around the web tells me that this is the last book in the Native Star series, which makes me sad because I've really enjoyed these. I can just hope that Ms. Hobson comes out with more books in this alternate history universe. However, I'll take a look at whatever she comes out with next. :)
August 26, 2017
Slightly more complex loops in the storyline with this book compared to Native Star; I did have to go back a few times in order to get the story straight.
Otherwise solid, no/very negligible punctuation and grammatical errors which is always a good thing.
Otherwise solid, no/very negligible punctuation and grammatical errors which is always a good thing.
December 15, 2017
All I can really give this book is 'not terrible'. The story line had potential but it failed to leave me feeling satisfied. The heroine is much too passive for my taste and her love interest in unappealing.
April 2, 2018
Rather fanciful ending but a rollicking good fun story. There's good banter between Stanton and Emily.
December 31, 2018
A fun continuation of the series. I enjoy the characters even if sometimes I shout at them because they are missing obvious things.
October 13, 2013
Format: Audio (from Audible.com)
Narrated By: Suehyla El-Attar
Original Publication Year: 2011
Genre(s): Fantasy
Series: Veneficas Americana #2
Awards: None
I read a blog post(Savidge Reads)a few months back that posited that the most important reason for writing a book blog is a passion for spreading the word about really awesome books. This is the first book where I want to consciously promote a series of books and spread the love I have for them. I really enjoyed book one in this series, The Native Star, and it was nominated for a Nebula Award in 2011. In the middle of devouring this 2nd installment, I looked greedily to see if there was a book three. I was surprised to see that there was and it was self-published with the help of a Kickstarter campaign (the first two of the series were published by Spectra). I haven’t really been able to find the why of this – perhaps it was just something M.K. Hobson wanted to do – but regardless of the reason I feel it necessary to make sure at least one more word about how awesome these books are gets out into the ether.
The story takes place in the latter part of the 19th century in an America similar to our own except that magic is an accepted part of society. In The Native Star, rural California witch Emily Edwards is forced to travel cross country with academy trained warlock Dreadnought Stanton. It’s a grand adventure which ends with the rescue of the earth’s soul from blood magicians, Dreadnought being appointed as head of his field of magic and an engagement between he and Emily.
The Hidden Goddess opens with Emily feeling stifled and bored as she tries to adjust to life as a New York socialite. She hasn’t even had much of a chance to spend time with Stanton as his new responsibilities as head of the institute keep him constantly busy. And then she has a disturbing vision which urges her to go back to her California home where her Pap gives her a jar full of her youngest memories and a warning that her mother was evil hence the bottled memories. From this point on Emily begins to have visions of a coming apocalypse and develops the certain knowledge that she, as her family before her, must play a crucial part in stopping it. Meanwhile, Stanton is struggling to hold on to his professional position as things start to fall apart around him. As Emily learns more about him on his home turf she begins to question how much she really knows and can trust him.
This all sounds very dire and it is - there is lots of adventure and drama and fountaining blood (squeamish beware – it is a rather gory book) but it is saved from being overly wrought by the steadfast and awesome characters and Hobson’s fantastic sense of humor. It is chock full of clever wit and is, at times, laugh out loud funny. Hobson has the knack of achieving just the right mix of humor and pathos to make the drama very personal feeling. She fits so much into the book…a complex and fast paced story, a feminist message, a conservation message…effortlessly and in a way that completely absorbed me and never made me feel like I was getting preached at.
Two of the biggest strengths are the characters and the elaborate and fascinating system of magic. Emily Edwards is a character I will miss dearly. She’s practical and independent, loyal and clever, and most importantly down-to-earth. She is the perfect heroine, not in the sense that she’s perfect but in the sense that she is someone I would love to hang out and play cards with. There would undoubtedly be lots of laughter and likely some kind of small disaster.
The magic system is one of the most interesting I’ve encountered and is very organic, literally. Learning the rules behind it is actually really interesting and ends up being one of the best reasons to read the book. The idea of Credomancy is explored more in this book and a wonderful new character is introduced, Miss Jizenka (sp?), who helps flesh out all the fascinating intrigues that make this magic system work.
That’s all the specifics and I’m not sure I’ve really sold it. So let me finally say that I could not put this book down. I was listening to it on my ipod and I kept inventing house work to do so I could listen some more. Let me say that again: I was inventing housework so that I could spend more time with this book. That is probably ‘nuf said but I’ll end with this: it is so much fun, the writing is fantastic and it won’t cause any brain rot either. It also has a lovely and very satisfying ending. So, if you like books that blend genres (Alt-History, Fantasy, Romance), great characters, and seamless world building you MUST read this series! I cannot wait to jump into book three!
Narrated By: Suehyla El-Attar
Original Publication Year: 2011
Genre(s): Fantasy
Series: Veneficas Americana #2
Awards: None
I read a blog post(Savidge Reads)a few months back that posited that the most important reason for writing a book blog is a passion for spreading the word about really awesome books. This is the first book where I want to consciously promote a series of books and spread the love I have for them. I really enjoyed book one in this series, The Native Star, and it was nominated for a Nebula Award in 2011. In the middle of devouring this 2nd installment, I looked greedily to see if there was a book three. I was surprised to see that there was and it was self-published with the help of a Kickstarter campaign (the first two of the series were published by Spectra). I haven’t really been able to find the why of this – perhaps it was just something M.K. Hobson wanted to do – but regardless of the reason I feel it necessary to make sure at least one more word about how awesome these books are gets out into the ether.
The story takes place in the latter part of the 19th century in an America similar to our own except that magic is an accepted part of society. In The Native Star, rural California witch Emily Edwards is forced to travel cross country with academy trained warlock Dreadnought Stanton. It’s a grand adventure which ends with the rescue of the earth’s soul from blood magicians, Dreadnought being appointed as head of his field of magic and an engagement between he and Emily.
The Hidden Goddess opens with Emily feeling stifled and bored as she tries to adjust to life as a New York socialite. She hasn’t even had much of a chance to spend time with Stanton as his new responsibilities as head of the institute keep him constantly busy. And then she has a disturbing vision which urges her to go back to her California home where her Pap gives her a jar full of her youngest memories and a warning that her mother was evil hence the bottled memories. From this point on Emily begins to have visions of a coming apocalypse and develops the certain knowledge that she, as her family before her, must play a crucial part in stopping it. Meanwhile, Stanton is struggling to hold on to his professional position as things start to fall apart around him. As Emily learns more about him on his home turf she begins to question how much she really knows and can trust him.
This all sounds very dire and it is - there is lots of adventure and drama and fountaining blood (squeamish beware – it is a rather gory book) but it is saved from being overly wrought by the steadfast and awesome characters and Hobson’s fantastic sense of humor. It is chock full of clever wit and is, at times, laugh out loud funny. Hobson has the knack of achieving just the right mix of humor and pathos to make the drama very personal feeling. She fits so much into the book…a complex and fast paced story, a feminist message, a conservation message…effortlessly and in a way that completely absorbed me and never made me feel like I was getting preached at.
Two of the biggest strengths are the characters and the elaborate and fascinating system of magic. Emily Edwards is a character I will miss dearly. She’s practical and independent, loyal and clever, and most importantly down-to-earth. She is the perfect heroine, not in the sense that she’s perfect but in the sense that she is someone I would love to hang out and play cards with. There would undoubtedly be lots of laughter and likely some kind of small disaster.
The magic system is one of the most interesting I’ve encountered and is very organic, literally. Learning the rules behind it is actually really interesting and ends up being one of the best reasons to read the book. The idea of Credomancy is explored more in this book and a wonderful new character is introduced, Miss Jizenka (sp?), who helps flesh out all the fascinating intrigues that make this magic system work.
That’s all the specifics and I’m not sure I’ve really sold it. So let me finally say that I could not put this book down. I was listening to it on my ipod and I kept inventing house work to do so I could listen some more. Let me say that again: I was inventing housework so that I could spend more time with this book. That is probably ‘nuf said but I’ll end with this: it is so much fun, the writing is fantastic and it won’t cause any brain rot either. It also has a lovely and very satisfying ending. So, if you like books that blend genres (Alt-History, Fantasy, Romance), great characters, and seamless world building you MUST read this series! I cannot wait to jump into book three!
October 11, 2016
When last we saw our heroine Emily Edwards, she had defeated the evil conspiracy of sangrimancers and other practitioners of magic with the help of the Earth Goddess Ososolyeh (and Dreadnaught Stanton) to poison the earth (see The Native Star), losing her hand in the process. She also became engaged to Stanton. The sequel, The Hidden Goddess, starts with Emily facing an even scarier threat--her future in-laws and New York City high society.
Hobson opens the novel with a prologue that introduces the new threat--an Aztec goddess allied with sangrimancers who wants to destroy/remake the world in order to be reunited with her one true love, her former high priest, killed by the conquistadors. The Hidden Goddess then shifts to the Stanton drawing room where Emily is trying to cope with corsets, the heat, and her future sister-in-law's dreadful reading of Wordsworth. Stanton, meanwhile, is preoccupied with the preparations for and politics of his investment as Sophos of the Institute and not paying as much attention as he should to Emily. He has, however, provided Emily with a suitable chaperone in Miss Jesczenka, a high ranking teacher at the Institute and thus a formidable credomancer in her own right.
Stanton's investment does not go as planned, and Emily and Miss Jesczenka are forced to take refuge with Stanton's family. Emily also learns more about her own family. On a quick trip back to California via the Institute's magic cabinets, her adoptive father informed her that he had removed all her early memories via a magic technique called Lethe Draught because her mother was an evil woman. He gives Emily the draught so she can decide whether she wants her memory back or not. Discovering that she is still being pursued by the Sina Mira, Emily decides she needs to know everything. This leads to some interesting and unfortunate discoveries about her biological family. Via Miss Jesczenka and Emily, Stanton and the Institute are restored to full strength because of some good press leading to the general public's belief in the rightness of Stanton's position and Emily's place in his life.
Not that this gives Emily and Stanton any time to relax and enjoy things, as the Sina Mira is plotting to end magic in order to protect the spirit of the earth and the sangrimancers have allied themselves with the Black Glass Goddess in order to remake the world in a different and even more unpleasant manner. Ultimately all the parties come together for a dramatic confrontation in the Temple of the Black Obsidian Goddess and the book comes to a satisfying conclusion.
The Hidden Goddess is a fun fast-paced sequel to THE NATIVE STAR and builds nicely on the plot threads established in the first book. Hobson does a great job playing out what a battle between credomancers would look like. The book is also full of fun magical elements such as Hallenback cabinets for near instantaneous transportation, Faery writing, reincarnation, and people's spirits being housed in plants. Gender roles play out in interesting ways as well, as people keep dismissing Emily until it is almost too late because important magic is done by men. Similarly, Miss Jesczenka is able to play a long game and wreak havoc on her enemies because they never really saw her -- just a vulnerable girl and lowly immigrant -- and failed to recognize her and her power until it is too late. And even Emily's future mother-in-law practices a form of credomancy in the way that she has propped up and supported her husband so that his image of himself reflects the honorable civil servant he wants to be and not the rather flawed person he actually is. The Hidden Goddess is a worthy sequel to The Native Star.
Hobson opens the novel with a prologue that introduces the new threat--an Aztec goddess allied with sangrimancers who wants to destroy/remake the world in order to be reunited with her one true love, her former high priest, killed by the conquistadors. The Hidden Goddess then shifts to the Stanton drawing room where Emily is trying to cope with corsets, the heat, and her future sister-in-law's dreadful reading of Wordsworth. Stanton, meanwhile, is preoccupied with the preparations for and politics of his investment as Sophos of the Institute and not paying as much attention as he should to Emily. He has, however, provided Emily with a suitable chaperone in Miss Jesczenka, a high ranking teacher at the Institute and thus a formidable credomancer in her own right.
Stanton's investment does not go as planned, and Emily and Miss Jesczenka are forced to take refuge with Stanton's family. Emily also learns more about her own family. On a quick trip back to California via the Institute's magic cabinets, her adoptive father informed her that he had removed all her early memories via a magic technique called Lethe Draught because her mother was an evil woman. He gives Emily the draught so she can decide whether she wants her memory back or not. Discovering that she is still being pursued by the Sina Mira, Emily decides she needs to know everything. This leads to some interesting and unfortunate discoveries about her biological family. Via Miss Jesczenka and Emily, Stanton and the Institute are restored to full strength because of some good press leading to the general public's belief in the rightness of Stanton's position and Emily's place in his life.
Not that this gives Emily and Stanton any time to relax and enjoy things, as the Sina Mira is plotting to end magic in order to protect the spirit of the earth and the sangrimancers have allied themselves with the Black Glass Goddess in order to remake the world in a different and even more unpleasant manner. Ultimately all the parties come together for a dramatic confrontation in the Temple of the Black Obsidian Goddess and the book comes to a satisfying conclusion.
The Hidden Goddess is a fun fast-paced sequel to THE NATIVE STAR and builds nicely on the plot threads established in the first book. Hobson does a great job playing out what a battle between credomancers would look like. The book is also full of fun magical elements such as Hallenback cabinets for near instantaneous transportation, Faery writing, reincarnation, and people's spirits being housed in plants. Gender roles play out in interesting ways as well, as people keep dismissing Emily until it is almost too late because important magic is done by men. Similarly, Miss Jesczenka is able to play a long game and wreak havoc on her enemies because they never really saw her -- just a vulnerable girl and lowly immigrant -- and failed to recognize her and her power until it is too late. And even Emily's future mother-in-law practices a form of credomancy in the way that she has propped up and supported her husband so that his image of himself reflects the honorable civil servant he wants to be and not the rather flawed person he actually is. The Hidden Goddess is a worthy sequel to The Native Star.
April 28, 2015
On the whole I enjoyed it, but not nearly as much as "The Native Star", and at the end I was left feeling rather melancholy because the series seems wrapped up now. It's got a "happily ever after" feel to it, which for some reason I found oddly dissatisfying (even though I'd been rooting for Emily and Stanton to finally get to be together through the whole book). I liked this universe and was looking forward to getting to explore it over the course of 3 or 4 books, but instead it all wraps up in two. (edit: Upon visiting Hobson's website, I see that this isn't the end of the series, but rather is the end of the stories about Emily and Stanton. That makes me feel better, so I'm going to knock the rating up to 4 stars.)
It also seemed to take a really long time for anything substantial to start happening. The first third of the book is little more than setup and Emily and Stanton's romantic moments being constantly interrupted by people showing up (this was something I felt happened way too much in the book, to the point that as soon as they started getting cozy with each other, I knew someone was going to barge in and they were going to be put off yet again. And naturally it happened just like that. It got to be annoying after first two or three times.). The fact that I'd just finished reading the first book might have contributed to my impatience with how long it was taking for things to start happening too, since a lot of it was getting the reader up to speed with things that happened in the previous book, but when something substantial finally happened, I looked down at the progress bar on my Kindle and found that I was exactly 33% of the way in. So yes, slow starting.
Things really cook after that, and it's one exciting scene after another, along with multiple "Oh no!"'s. Emily's missing early years are finally revealed, as are Stanton's years training to be a sangrimancer. A lot of really fascinated and well-drawn characters come out over the course of the book, and things twist and turn and get all confusing, but eventually it all comes back to form cohesive sense. The big final battle was a little difficult to follow as it happened though.
One final thing I wanted to comment about, since I brought it up in the review of the previous book: the Aztec sangrimancers wanting to destroy the world angle. I was meh about it then, and though I think it worked in the context of this book, it did get me thinking about how sangrimancers were portrayed in this universe. It occurs to me that there isn't a single positive sangrimancer in either book. They seem to be the token "black hats" and this does kind of bother me. The credomancers come in all flavors, and you never really can tell what they're up to, but all sangrimancers are evil, vile creatures, no exceptions. When Stanton was one, he took absolute glee in murder and suffering. I can see this being a modern commentary on the evil of human sacrifice, and the use of Aztecs is an easy shorthand for human sacrifice=evil, but at the same time it's reinforcing narrow understanding of blood sacrifice in general (Christ died in blood sacrifice, of his own choosing, and Quetzalcoatl advocated for auto-sacrifice rather than the killing of others). Where are the sangrimancers that practice self-bloodletting to perform beneficial magic? Surely sangrimancy is as diverse a magical field as the other two.
It also seemed to take a really long time for anything substantial to start happening. The first third of the book is little more than setup and Emily and Stanton's romantic moments being constantly interrupted by people showing up (this was something I felt happened way too much in the book, to the point that as soon as they started getting cozy with each other, I knew someone was going to barge in and they were going to be put off yet again. And naturally it happened just like that. It got to be annoying after first two or three times.). The fact that I'd just finished reading the first book might have contributed to my impatience with how long it was taking for things to start happening too, since a lot of it was getting the reader up to speed with things that happened in the previous book, but when something substantial finally happened, I looked down at the progress bar on my Kindle and found that I was exactly 33% of the way in. So yes, slow starting.
Things really cook after that, and it's one exciting scene after another, along with multiple "Oh no!"'s. Emily's missing early years are finally revealed, as are Stanton's years training to be a sangrimancer. A lot of really fascinated and well-drawn characters come out over the course of the book, and things twist and turn and get all confusing, but eventually it all comes back to form cohesive sense. The big final battle was a little difficult to follow as it happened though.
One final thing I wanted to comment about, since I brought it up in the review of the previous book: the Aztec sangrimancers wanting to destroy the world angle. I was meh about it then, and though I think it worked in the context of this book, it did get me thinking about how sangrimancers were portrayed in this universe. It occurs to me that there isn't a single positive sangrimancer in either book. They seem to be the token "black hats" and this does kind of bother me. The credomancers come in all flavors, and you never really can tell what they're up to, but all sangrimancers are evil, vile creatures, no exceptions. When Stanton was one, he took absolute glee in murder and suffering. I can see this being a modern commentary on the evil of human sacrifice, and the use of Aztecs is an easy shorthand for human sacrifice=evil, but at the same time it's reinforcing narrow understanding of blood sacrifice in general (Christ died in blood sacrifice, of his own choosing, and Quetzalcoatl advocated for auto-sacrifice rather than the killing of others). Where are the sangrimancers that practice self-bloodletting to perform beneficial magic? Surely sangrimancy is as diverse a magical field as the other two.
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