Resenting the Hero by Moira J. Moore is the first book in her Hero series which focuses on a world far in the future where the population are protected by a group of talented individuals, defined as Shields and Sources; Resenting the Hero focuses on Dunleavy "Lee" Mallorough, a Shield, and her Source, Lord Shintaro "Taro" Karish. Sources have control over various forces of nature that threaten the general populace such as wind, water, and other disasters by opening their mind and manipulating them with it while Shields quite literally shield the Source's mind so that they don't die.
Rating: 10
Resenting the Hero is told from Lee's point of view after she has finished her training as a Shield; the story begins moments before the ceremony with Lee talking with her fellow Shields about which Source they want; none of them want Source Stevan Creol who has a fearsome reputation and Lee is reluctant to bond with Source Karish, also known as Taro, because of his reputation as the Stallion of the Triple S. Unfortunately when Taro walks down the line of Shields during the ceremony, he stands in front of Lee and they bond and it is clear that she doesn't trust him to protect her when she needs it.
Rating: 10
Recommended To: Those that like fantasy books; more female orientated audience in my opinion
Favourite Characters: Lee - strong willed young woman who is discovering the world; Taro - he isn't what I expected
Favourite Part: In time I could move, though my body wasn't thrilled about it. I moved from the floor to the sofa I had fallen off of, which was all the progress I was going to demand from myself right then. Karish was much more ambitious, moving from the floor by the table to the sofa. He sat beside me and without the slightest hesitation or diffidence wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, and I bonelessly complied. Pain eased, muscles loosened, and the beating of his heart helped to drive disturbing images from my mind. For the moment not giving a damn about how it looked or whether it was a bad idea, I curled around him and flattened my palm against his chest so I could feel the blood pulsing around him. - Page 82
Good Points: Lee and Taro together; the concept
Bad Points: Aiden seemed like a pointless character in a way; the cover
Bad Points: Aiden seemed like a pointless character in a way; the cover
Resenting the Hero is told from Lee's point of view after she has finished her training as a Shield; the story begins moments before the ceremony with Lee talking with her fellow Shields about which Source they want; none of them want Source Stevan Creol who has a fearsome reputation and Lee is reluctant to bond with Source Karish, also known as Taro, because of his reputation as the Stallion of the Triple S. Unfortunately when Taro walks down the line of Shields during the ceremony, he stands in front of Lee and they bond and it is clear that she doesn't trust him to protect her when she needs it.
Lee is young woman who has spent pretty much her whole life training her ability as a Shield; what I love about her character is that she is strong willed and knows how she is supposed to function in the world and how to protect her Source, Taro. She is stubborn towards Taro as she has been taught to behave a certain way, particularly when it comes to what her duties are and she is forced to break these black and white views when she is bonded with Taro. I loved her because I could relate to her easily because I have just finished my own education and now have to go out into the real world where there is no safety net and very few people to support me, which is scary but exciting. In my opinion, this may be how Lee feels and fortunately has Taro to help her.
Taro is quite an interesting character as he's got a number of layers to him; he's perceived by the Shields as being a giant flirt which he doesn't discourage but is trying to break out of this stereotype now that he is a professional Source and wants to prove that he can be more than what people expect. The fact that he's trying to break away from the stereotype of a Source and what people already think of him makes him a really interesting character because he isn't what I expected at all and he became quite endearing and loveable.
The concept of this book, with the Shields and Sources protecting one another as well as the general populace was something I found extremely interesting as it's different from the other books I've read and allowed me to escape my reality while I was reading. It's not that they are reliant on each other, it's that they psychologically connected and care about one another and will look out for one another which is seen through Lee and Taro's interactions. An example is when Lee is with Aiden and feels Taro beginning to open his mind to fight the forces and when she automatically helps him which saves them both but they collapse. When Lee goes to find Taro, he runs to her and hugs her which implies that he cares for her and she for him as she's gone looking for him despite having collapsed beforehand.
The concept of this book, with the Shields and Sources protecting one another as well as the general populace was something I found extremely interesting as it's different from the other books I've read and allowed me to escape my reality while I was reading. It's not that they are reliant on each other, it's that they psychologically connected and care about one another and will look out for one another which is seen through Lee and Taro's interactions. An example is when Lee is with Aiden and feels Taro beginning to open his mind to fight the forces and when she automatically helps him which saves them both but they collapse. When Lee goes to find Taro, he runs to her and hugs her which implies that he cares for her and she for him as she's gone looking for him despite having collapsed beforehand.
Lee and Taro are a great combination as they protect one another and care for one another; an example is that Lee runs to find Taro after the first Rush they fend off together and another example is that Taro stays with Lee when music is being played that can cause her to behave erratically. The sexual tension between the two, or at least the flirting on Taro's side, is amusing and can allude to become more in later books. Another good thing about Lee and Taro is that they help each other grow as her view of the world and her job changes when she meets him and she helps him by aiding him in reaching his full potential or at least embrace what he can do.
The one thing I don't like about this book is Aiden; he seems like a pointless character as if she didn't meet him, she still would have gone to Middle Reach as it wasn't because his brother lived there why she went. If he wasn't in the book, the story still would have flown well.
The real downside of this book is how rubbish the cover looked because a lot of books are judged by their cover because that is what catches your attention when it's on a shelf, not the blurb, no matter what anyone says; it just looked like it would be a silly story where the two just bicker but once I read this book, it was a lot more serious than the cover would lead you to believe and even better than I thought it was going to be. I learnt from this to read reviews and not just look at the cover and say "no" if it doesn't look good.
The real downside of this book is how rubbish the cover looked because a lot of books are judged by their cover because that is what catches your attention when it's on a shelf, not the blurb, no matter what anyone says; it just looked like it would be a silly story where the two just bicker but once I read this book, it was a lot more serious than the cover would lead you to believe and even better than I thought it was going to be. I learnt from this to read reviews and not just look at the cover and say "no" if it doesn't look good.
In time I could move, though my body wasn't thrilled about it. I moved from the floor to the sofa I had fallen off of, which was all the progress I was going to demand from myself right then. Karish was much more ambitious, moving from the floor by the table to the sofa. He sat beside me and without the slightest hesitation or diffidence wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close, and I bonelessly complied. Pain eased, muscles loosened, and the beating of his heart helped to drive disturbing images from my mind. For the moment not giving a damn about how it looked or whether it was a bad idea, I curled around him and flattened my palm against his chest so I could feel the blood pulsing around him. - Page 82
This part was one of the things that made me love Lee and Taro together as she protected him to ensure he was only sore and didn't die and he protected her by using his power to take away her pain which I found sweet. This was also the same part that I read as them going to become more than Source and Shield much like other Pairs they meet within this book; the anticipation of them becoming lovers or something is born from here for me.
After I finished this book, I really wanted to read the rest of this series; I'm hooked. What's really annoyed me about this series is that they're not going to publish the final book as a hard copy and I like having something to hold and being able to flick through the pages as I like to glance back or forward if I get bored though I can't wait to continue reading this series.
Predictions
1. Lee and Taro become more intimate
2. Lee is kidnapped
3. Lee and Taro get to know one another's families
Other Books by Moira J. Moore
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