The titular sorcerer/sleuth is Aurora Blacknova, who solves space mysteries with magic. She’s brought her crew to solve a mystery, but instead of finding a new client with a lead or a problem, she finds…. nothing. There’s no client because the ship is completely empty, with no passengers or crew. This begins a space mystery where nothing is as it seems. Aurora, and  her crew of Zachis, dwarah Zee, and android Io, find themselves in a prison break, rescuing Eva, an android who’s been locked away for ten thousand years. With Eva on their ship, and angry pirates on their tail, the mystery takes many twists with conspiracy, betrayal and danger. As the story unfolds, there are sneaky signs that someone on their crew may not be fully loyal, and some danger may be coming from onboard the ship…

I was interested in the characters and their wildly different backgrounds and abilities. At times it felt like a fun RPG, with their unique skills coming together to solve challenges.  The team has great energy, but I would have enjoyed more emotional development, especially at the beginning. The instant danger and drama is cool, but the moments of danger were much more effective later in the book, once I knew the crew and had reasons to care about their safety.

The biggest highlight in this novel was definitely the worldbuilding. This universe feels huge, with layers of history, politics, loyalties, customs, and magic woven together. Readers are constantly encountering new customs and new factions, which helps make the world feel lively and wide. For example, there’s an underground civilization where living deeper is aristocratic and the surface is a weird and risky place. There are rules for a punishment system for basically-immortal androids, and there are rules for magical consent. I always enjoy novels that make me feel like I’m seeing a small part of a wider world, this is really some of the escapist joy in reading science-fiction adventures. Star Lore: Sorcerer Sleuth offers a complex and vibrant world to discover.

It does take a little while to understand the characters and the stakes. With loads of new information for the reader to absorb, and so many names, factions, and histories to get across, a few sections lean into info-dumping. There some slightly-off moments when I felt like the characters should know how their world works, even if we readers don’t know. It’s reasonable with such a complex and well-developed would, but sometimes distracted me by reminding me that I’m reading a story.  If you’re looking for a sci-fi adventure with interesting worldbuilding, this is definitely worth checking out.

Overall, I enjoyed this space adventure in an imaginative and intriguing setting.  At the end of the novel, there are a few threads left open for a sequel (or more!) set in this world, but the book offers  a satisfying and solid ending.