H.R. Moore's Blog, page 2
January 4, 2019
Review - City of Ports
City of Ports is a fast-paced, gritty, cop-based sci-fi number. It follows Allard, a disgraced cop, as she investigates several suspicious deaths in Portsmouth, which all seem to be linked to a shady and difficult to infiltrate group called the Tenacious Trainers.
Allard soon finds herself mixed up in some strange supernatural goings on, stuck right in the middle of the Portsmouth Police Department and the FBI, both of whom have hidden motives of their own. Allard battles through a night of progressively more strange occurrences, including murder, mayhem and even parallel worlds.
City of Ports is very different from my usual (romance / fantasy) kind of read, but even so, I really enjoyed it. The pace is rapid and the first person narration gives a deep insight into the main character and her personal struggles. It’s well constructed, with a bit of a twist at the end, and it’s fun, so much so that, given the premise is so outlandish by real world standards, it sometimes feels like it’s bordering on comedy. My only critique would be that it finishes abruptly, at a moment where we’re learning some great new juicy stuff, and I would have liked a few more reveals before the end…although of course these are being stored up for the remainder of the series.
It’s a quick read too, as it’s fairly short, so good for anyone wanting to rack up some early numbers towards their 2019 reading goal!
All in all, a fun, well thought through, well-structured read and for me it gets 4 stars.
City of Ports
January 3, 2019
Review - Outlander
Outlander by Diana GabaldonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Phew – I’ve finally finished the Outlander audiobook on Audible, making it my first finished book of 2019!
Outlander, for the few people out there who don’t know, is a romance, following Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, as they wend their way through the Scottish Highlands. Claire starts the story in post World War Two Scotland, holidaying with her husband Frank. They’re there to rebuild their relationship after the separation they endured during the war, and for Frank to do a bit of digging into his family tree. However, a slight spanner is thrown in the works when Claire is unwittingly transported to 1743, taken to the past by a pagan stone circle.
Claire finds herself dramatically taken in by clan MacDonald, having been discovered by them, and having made herself useful by tending Jamie’s wounds. As you can guess, the relationship between Claire and Jamie develops, really picking up speed when they’re unexpectedly thrown together around a third of the way through. I won’t ruin it by saying what exactly happens, but it’s a good twist. We’re then treated to a roller coaster of events, where Jamie and Claire both A) try to survive, and B) fall in love against the backdrop of Claire’s guilt over the husband she’s left behind, and Jamie’s suspicion around who Claire really is.
I really enjoyed Outlander, I mean, what’s not to love? Time travel adds a brilliant new dimension to the normal historical romance, and Gabaldon’s depiction of Scottish clan life isn’t without its nostalgic charm. She had me harking back to simpler times, death by infection and all. The book also contains a great wit that the TV show doesn’t quite capture, and the writing style has all the formality of 1945, which was an interesting, novel, and enjoyable change from what I’ve recently been reading. The representation of a different time was done skillfully, and I was outraged by the way Jamie, our hero, sometimes treated Claire, due to husband and wife roles that in no way reflect modernity. Not to mention the representation of superstition, mob mentality, and the absolute power of those in positions of authority.
However, this book is LONG, and I can’t say that I fell in love with Jamie (and I know, I know, I’m in the minority on this!). I’d thought maybe it was just that I didn’t like the TV show casting, but I find Jamie annoyingly simple, and Claire’s a bit soppy and irritating sometimes too. I do, however, have a lot of love for Jenny, Jamie’s sister; she’s a character I can really get behind!
Although I enjoyed Outlander, I don’t think I’m going to listen to or read the other books. I’ve watched most of the TV show and I don’t think the books will hold my interest as a result – I can very rarely re-read books for the same reason. But this in no way takes away from the brilliant writing and concept (what a concept!), which deservedly got this series made into a TV show, so, if you’ve yet to delve into the world of Outlander, and you enjoy a romance, I would thoroughly recommend giving it a go.
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Outlander
Review - Burn for Me
Burn for Me by Ilona AndrewsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I was looking for a light-hearted fantasy with a good helping of romance. Something fun, easy to read and not too heavy, and Burn for Me by Illona Andrews ticks all of those boxes.
I’ll start by saying that I pretty much hate the covers. It’s not that there’s anything wrong with half naked men…obviously there’s a lot right with them, but I just don’t like them on book covers. I mean, it’s less to do with what the image tells me about the books, and more to do with the fact that I wouldn’t want to take that book out and read it in a public place. It would make me uncomfortable, especially as it’s not like this book is only about their relationship, but I just don’t like to think of myself as the kind of girl who reads books with topless men on the covers. Although, judging by the number of reviews on Amazon, people seem to like the topless man thing, so maybe I should slap one on the front of my books and see what happens…! Anyway, enough of that; you get the point.
Burn for Me follows Nevada, who heads up her family’s private investigation business, as she is assigned (by their part owner) to a case that’s basically suicide. She meets Mad Rogan along the way (rich, magically powerful, good looking…I’m assuming the one on the cover) and they work together to try and bring in their target. Their relationship develops with all the angst you’d want as they get themselves into and out of a number of magical scrapes.
The world has lots of different types of magic, which are distributed unevenly through the population, with different categorisations depending upon the level of power and skills a person has. I really loved this concept, along with the powerful houses and breeding for advantage that came along with it. It felt really well thought through and there’s always something so exciting about a clash of the titans…
It didn’t make the five star mark for me because the plot is fairly linear. There is only one main story line, and there’s not much in the way of plot layers, with no real big reveals along the way. This isn’t a terrible thing, and was a refreshing and much needed change from other things I’ve been reading, but for me, I need a little more complexity for a five star read.
The only other thing that bugged me a bit was the emotional relationship stuff was fairly blunt; a little more nuance here would have been good, but it was written in a fun, almost tongue in cheek way that I appreciated. I like the mix of masculine and feminine that you get from Illona Andrews (who is actually a self-published husband and wife writing team), and the gritty, Jessica Jones type feel from their writing. Burn for Me is a fast paced romantic thriller with a bit of mystery as they try to discover what their target is up to and feels very consistent in style to Magic Bites, the only other Illona Andrews book I’ve read (for a review of that one, check out the videos on my insta feed), but is a bit more grown up and has more romance (which I like!).
All in all a fun, pacey read that doesn’t need too much brain power and I’ve already bought the next one!
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Burn for Me
Review - A Court of Wings and Ruin
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
In A Court of Wings and Ruin, we start back in the Spring Court, following the high octane finish to book two, where Feyre makes a deal to return with Tamlin (who is still under the misguided notion that Feyre belongs to him), in order to secure the freedom of her family and friends.
Obviously this is never going to last, but we get some interesting insight into the bad guy’s side before Feyre returns to the Night Court, along with a surprising companion. I have to say I found the beginning a bit slow and predictable, and wanted to get back to the Night Court to see what was going on there. But once we make it back, the addition of Feyre’s sisters in the court adds a great dynamic, along with the males vying for their attention. The relationship between Cassius and her oldest sister is particularly good, heightened by the fact we only get snippets due to Feyre’s first person narration.
We’re at the business end in book three, and, true to the high fantasy sword-wielding genre, it’s all about securing allies, working out how to achieve their ultimate end, and fighting the final battle. And these elements did not disappoint, along with a couple of twists and turns along the way, and a great redemption arc for a certain character.
Book three nicely brings together all the loose ends from the rest of the trilogy, with the outcome you’d want, and enough scars to make things interesting for future installments, even if some of it was a bit predictable. The only thing I was a bit dubious about was the way Feyre’s father was utilised – this felt extremely simplistic and convenient, without adding a great deal to the story, which I thought was a missed opportunity.
But, generally, another good read from Mass, in an interesting world, with exciting magic, and I mostly loved it.
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A Court of Wings and Ruin
Review - A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I LOVED this book. It had everything I like – fantasy, romance, a great, fast-moving story line, lots of interesting characters who all bring their own skills to the party, and a brilliant love triangle. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.
This book picks up a short while after A Court of Thorns and Roses ends, and starts back in the Spring Court, Tamlin and Feyre trying to work out how to live now that Amarantha has been destroyed. Immediately we find that all is not really well, even though it looks on the surface as though it is; Tamlin is living up to his possessive, protective character from book one and Feyre is trying to work out how she fits in whilst trying to get over the trauma she’s experienced. I thought this was something Mass did really well – the post-traumatic stress was not brushed under the carpet, and it stayed that way for the whole book. She doesn’t ram it down our throats, but it’s always there in the background.
It becomes increasingly clear that Feyre isn’t really happy (even if she can’t admit this to herself) and just before Tamlin and Feyre tie the knot, Rhys re-enters the fray to call in his bargain from book one. And so ensues the love triangle, even if it takes a long time for it to resolve fully. I loved the bit at the beginning where Feyre’s time is split between the Night Court and the Spring Court, both because we get to see a new part of the world, and because of the developing relationships and new characters we’re introduced to.
I think the characters and the relationships within the Night Court are the biggest strength of this novel; there’s a real sense of community amongst the power players and I loved this. And the developing relationship between Rhys and Feyre was brilliantly page turning alongside the developing plot, which expanded in scale significantly from book one. And I really liked how Feyre’s sisters began to play a bigger part – giving important roles to characters other than the main one or two makes it so much more realistic.
All in all, I loved it. The romance, the characters and the plot are all great (if you like a high fantasy, sword wielding, training for the conflict ahead kinda thing), and the end is a fantastic whirlwind mix of emotions. Roll on book 3!
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A Court of Mist and Fury
Review - A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) follows Feyre, a relatively normal girl, who, while out hunting for food to feed her starving family, accidentally kills a Fae. As payment, she’s taken from the human world into the land on the other side of the wall, where the Fae rule and magic is all around, yet has been mysteriously stifled. Tamlin, the High Lord of the Spring Court is the one to take her, and the book follows their developing relationship as she tries to adjust to her new life and work out just what on earth is going on.
I’ll start by saying that this book has pretty much everything I look for. Fantasy – tick. Romance – tick. Action and adventure – tick. And it also cleverly marries the seasons and seasonal festivities into the story, which I really appreciate – there’s something so magical about the word solstice even before anyone adds a fantasy story!
The world is rich and well thought through, and we’re given enough hints at the rest of the world to be explored in future books to whet our appetite and keep us wanting more. There’s a great amount of tension and I like the drip feeding of reveals, although there was a moment when I was almost shouting at my Kindle when I was disappointed with the choice the characters made (it felt unnatural and required to keep the plot on track rather than something the characters would actually do). However, it recovered quickly and the end is really worth the wait.
ACOTR sets up the world and the relationships for the remainder of the series and Mass creates characters with believable (and genuinely frustrating) flaws. However, because of this, the first half could have had a bit more plot and moved more quickly. It took until the last quarter for me to be really hooked. But, as I said before, the end is great, especially as Mass does something which I completely didn’t expect and most authors would have shied away from – I LOVED this (although won’t spoil it by telling you what it was!), so well done her.
All in all, a solid fantasy / romance read, setting up a brilliant world, so you know there are great things to come.
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A Court of Thorns and Roses
February 20, 2017
Legacy of the Mind on tour!
Look out for new and exclusive content, including my dream cast, and check out what the bloggers thought of the book.
The first stop is already up. Check out what Deep in the Crease thought of Legacy of the Mind here.
You can find a full list of stops here.
Harriet xx
December 15, 2014
Interview in Female First magazine
Amazing article about Legacy of the Mind
July 26, 2014
Legacy of the Mind Giveaway
So, to celebrate, and to help spread the word further, I'm giving away free e-copies of Legacy of the Mind in return for reviews. If you would like to leave a review at Amazon, Goodreads, Smashwords and/or review the book on your blog, etc., please feel free to drop me a line or just let me know in a comment to this post.
Here's the book blurb:
Anita has never been ordinary, she’s stuck out like a sore thumb her entire life; not only can she see the energy of others, a rare skill, but she’s won every Body challenge she’s ever entered. So when the powerful, good looking Descendants, Marcus and Alexander, mysteriously arrive in Empire, her difference attracts and keeps their attention.
Once in Empire, the sudden death of ruling Body Descendant, Christiana, sets in motion a number of events; a quest for the treacherous Austin to find the girl Christiana had been looking for; a challenge where Anita stands out more vibrantly than ever before; a perilous dip in the world’s energy; and a dangerous belief among the people that they will never truly be free. Powerful factions soon form within the ruling elite and when a trusted friend and mentor reaches out to ask for Anita’s help, she has to make a choice; help her friend and betray the one she loves, or do nothing and watch the people starve.
You can find out more about me here.
Can't wait to hear from you.
Harriet xx
