The Star Thief by Lindsay Becker

Honorine is a servant in a manor of the missing Lord Vidalia when she gets whisked away by strange and powerful beings.   She soon finds herself in the middle of a conflict between the Mordants and Nautilus, a pirate set on capturing and enslaving all the Mordants.  As the two forces drift nearer to a catastrophic confrontation, Honorine, and her friend, Francis, work to find a way to reconcile the two groups before their struggle endangers the whole world.

There was a lot to like about the book. The plot is complicated and interesting. The Mordants, who are  personifications of constellations, are an original and fun concept.  I also liked the fact that Honorine is not willing to accept the fatal dichotomy, "it is either us or them." She is always looking for a third option.  Still, I am unlikely to read a sequel.  Plot and concept aside, it is the characters that attach us to a story.  I never felt like Honorine, or any of the characters, were real people.  It seemed clear to me that Becker thought up the story first, and then just stuck a generic "spunky girl" into it to be the protagonist. Honorine didn't have any individuality or personality, and she didn't react to events with any depth of emotion.  The best stories start with well developed characters who are put into interesting situations. The fun is seeing how these characters, whom we know and love, deal with the situations. Maybe kids wouldn't be bothered by it, but I have read enough good fantasy that this one left me feeling underwhelmed. (2017, 408 p.)