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A review by allisonjpmiller
The Warlock's Curse by M.K. Hobson
2.0
I loved the previous duology in this series (The Native Star / The Hidden Goddess), so I was excited to see what Hobson had in store for the next generation of the Stanton/Edwards clan. Unfortunately, this entry never sat right with me. The writing was great, and I loved being back in Hobson's complex alternate America, but I never fell in step with Will and Jenny. The central concept of the book (which I can't explain here, or I'll spoil the whole thing) forces the author to tread a very fine line with the main character. In order for him to remain sympathetic, the reader needs to connect with him on a deep and basic level. In my case, that never happened. I was angry with Will for pretty much the entirety of the book, which made his later trials and angst fall flat for me. I get that his early naïveté was meant to serve as a contrast to the horrible thing that happens to him, but I never found him endearing - I found him rather selfish and short-sighted.
I also thought the whole Tesla Industries apprenticeship was a big dead end. Perhaps that aspect of the story will be developed more in The Unsteady Earth, but after the huge build-up surrounding Nikola Tesla and his freaky contracts signed in blood, the narrative shifted in a completely different direction and never returned to Tesla once. It was a frustrating red herring.
On the whole, I feel like The Warlock's Curse makes a lot of sense in outline form, but not much sense emotionally. The plot seems to stifle the characters. YMMV though, and I'll still pick up the next book because who knows - maybe it'll redeem this particular storyline for me.
I also thought the whole Tesla Industries apprenticeship was a big dead end. Perhaps that aspect of the story will be developed more in The Unsteady Earth, but after the huge build-up surrounding Nikola Tesla and his freaky contracts signed in blood, the narrative shifted in a completely different direction and never returned to Tesla once. It was a frustrating red herring.
On the whole, I feel like The Warlock's Curse makes a lot of sense in outline form, but not much sense emotionally. The plot seems to stifle the characters. YMMV though, and I'll still pick up the next book because who knows - maybe it'll redeem this particular storyline for me.