Moira J. Moore - The Hero Strikes Back

It has been a couple of weeks since I've posted a review for a book, or even a film, there has been a good reason.  I got swamped with my job hunting and then it was my birthday this week so I've not had a lot of time to read for an extended period of time.  Fortunately, I finished the hero strikes back when I finally got the time to sit down and just read and now I'm happy again, having some time to myself.

The Hero Strikes Back is the second book in Moira J. Moore's Hero series which is told from the point of view of Dunleavy "Lee" Mallorough who lives in High Scape, working as a Shield, along with her friend and colleague, and Source, Shintaro "Taro" Karish.  Sources and Shields are gifted individuals who are trained to work together to prevent natural disasters from destroying the world they live in; unfortunately, they have no real choice in this matter because it is too dangerous for these gifted individuals to be untrained so they go to the Academy at a young age to gain control of their abilities.  While at the Academy, they are secluded so to prevent spontaneous bonding between Sources and Shields and they rarely see their families.  Once trained, the Sources and Shields are brought together for the first time and lined up to find out if there is a chance they can be bonded with one another so they can use their abilities safely.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Those that like fantasy books; more female orientated audience in my opinion

Favourite Characters: Taro - we all need a Taro in our lives

Favourite Part: I walked to him and put a hand on his back.  He jumped at the contact.  I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his shoulder-blades.  He was so tense.
He shuddered, and he choked off a sound trying to escape from his throat. - Page 161

Good Points: The family; Lee and Taro; Lee's power development 

Bad Points: Cover still crap; the ending was very rapid

The Hero Strikes Back picks up roughly a year after Resenting the Hero after Lee and Taro escaped Creol's evil plan to destroy the bonds between all Sources and Shields and bring down the Academy and those in charge.  Taro is away at the palace of the Empress, convincing her that he wants to give up his right to the Dukedom of Westsea and Lee is left in High Scape, feeling redundant as she can't use her abilities without Taro and to make matters worse, her mother is in town, trying to set Lee up on dates with men she deems suitable to marry her daughter and ultimately trying to create a mother-daughter bond.  When Taro returns, his mother follows to pressure Taro to take back the Dukedom because she feels it is Taro's duty despite him being a Source.  On top of Taro's mother and Lee's, many aristocrats are being murdered and Lee is worried the crazy aristocrat killer will target Taro despite him forfeiting his family's title.

I loved the inclusion of family this time with both Lee's and Taro's mothers coming to High Scape to see their children for different reasons.  It shows a contrast in how Lee and Taro were raised until they went to the Academy; while Lee's upbringing seems strict (as her mother is slightly bossy towards Lee occasionally because she wants to teach her daughter everything now that she wanted to before Lee went to the Academy like she did with Lee's siblings), her mother cares for her daughter and loves her while Taro's appears extremely stern towards Taro.  Taro's mother seems very controlling, demanding that Taro does as he's told because he doesn't do what she wants him to, like when he was a child because he wasn't what she expected.  As she was harsh to him as a child, Taro seems intimidated by his own mother though Lee becomes the reason he starts to stand up against her.

I found the relationship between Lee and Taro really sweet because she understands him to the point where she can anticipate him while Taro protects her from as much as possible and they comfort one another without question.  Unlike in the previous book, Lee isn't suspicious of Taro and doesn't suspect him to be a self-serving High Lander (aristocrat) who just happens to be a Source.  Now she is willing to trust him with their duties because she knows he's not going to leave her to be a Duke, leaving her alone and feeling useless because she wouldn't be able to continue working as a Shield because she's bonded with Taro and can't bond with anyone else.  Following the events of Resenting the Hero, Taro now feels he can help Lee, besides being her Source when they work together, through difficult situations, for me anyway, which in turn gives him a greater purpose.

Much like how Taro is more powerful than most Sources, being able to create "natural" disasters which was shown in Resenting the Hero, Lee is shown to the more powerful than most Shields this time around as she can perceive the colours and shapes that are surrounding High Scape which seem to have a connection to the weird weather in town while no one else, not even Taro, can see them.  Together, with their unusual and advanced abilities, Lee and Taro are well suited because they could be considered a more advanced Pair and the start of something new.  However, it could also be the start of something terrible for Lee and Taro because they could be considered too powerful and have to be controlled or stopped which could make the story even more interesting.

I personally thing that we all need a Taro in our lives because he makes Lee laugh and smile by being himself, he's not putting on an act and he's also like this with others such as his friends when he goes out because he's more comfortable than he was when he was a child.  However, in private, he allows himself to be vulnerable in front of Lee, and only her (except her mother because of his own mother so he unintentionally shows her him in a vulnerable state).  He allows himself to be open about himself and his past so that Lee can understand why he's like the way he is because she knows what he is like now.  Taro is open and honest with Lee which a good foundation for a relationship.

This is a small point that I don't like about this book and it's that the cover is still rubbish, much like the Resenting the Hero cover; as I said before, a book is generally judged by its cover and this cover seems quite childish due to it being a cartoon which conveys that the book is trivial but I found it for the most part quite serious.  The cover attracts your attention on the shelf because you don't see the blurb first; luckily, we now have the internet so you can read reviews on every book if you want to know how good a book is.

The ending, where the underlying threat of the Reanists was resolved, came about very quickly and felt almost rushed because majority of the book seemed to focus on the Pair's mothers being in town and how that affected both protagonists.  This is what brought my rating down because, despite the odd part where Lee and Taro were alone, the focus was on their mothers, not the Reanists or the High Landers that are being killed.

I walked to him and put a hand on his back.  He jumped at the contact.  I wrapped my arms around his waist, pressing my face against his shoulder-blades.  He was so tense.

He shuddered, and he choked off a sound trying to escape from his throat. - Page 161

It's clear to see from this that Taro is holding himself together so that no one sees him crack until Lee tells him it's okay, suggesting that she is the only one he will break his protective exterior for because he's trying to prove to everyone, including himself, that he's strong enough to be in the real world as he wasn't even allowed out of his bedroom when he was a child.  I love how this part just sums up how close Lee and Taro are because it seems very intimate and gentle; if I was to just read this part and now the rest of this book then I would have just assumed they were lovers by the way Lee touches him and wraps her arms around his torso.  It is a far cry from the distant Pair from Resenting the Hero because they've become extremely close because they are dependent on one another.  I really hope this relationship develops in following books because it would be a shame to not focus on how close these two are.

I love this series and will continue to read it despite my little annoyance with Ace for not publishing the final book so I will need to read it through my Kindle or something.  Back to the Lords of the Underworld but it is my last one for a while and I will come back to the Hero series soon.  Ciao for now.

Predictions

1. Lee becomes jealous of Taro developing a romantic relationship like he does when she seems to start developing feelings for other men

2. More problems with the Reanists

3. Taro and Lee's more advanced powers are found out properly

Other Books By Moira J. Moore