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kyburgFirst off, I came across these books at this year's LA Times Festival of Books where Leslie Ann Moore sat a table for the Los Angeles Writer's Group, and happily signed copies for me while I stood and goggled a bit. I think she's very pretty, but on that day her hair was even prettier and the photograph in this profile doesn't show her lovely green eyes. I think I used the word 'striking' when I first reported finding these books, and that impression has lasted throughout the reading of them. She is engaging, friendly and firm as well as striking in appearance - a very nice combination.
I liked the way she met my eyes when I asked for one of each of the books (this is a trilogy) and then asked me to let her know what I thought. I strongly suspect I'll have to do that under separate cover - for you folks, you get the review.
I can only hope she'll ask for a critique when I contact her, because I want to give her one.
Ridan Publishing is the press these books are under, and they are another small press working just above the self-publishing model (ie, you Google them and you also find 'scam' from disgruntled folks in the mix).
These books are large, nicely bound with formatting errors. The cover art is pretty.
These are a series of books wrapped around the struggles of a female protagonist outsider that both large and small events swirl around in a never-ending complexity. If you like that kind of story, you will find your fill here. It is the classic 'princess who is a pauper, an outcast who works hard, marries well and sacrifices all for the greater good' - the real appeal are the characters who march through the books along with her, and the world they live in.
While it is rich, varied and lush - it is also clearly drawn from feudal Japan in large part, and I kept thinking this was forming up to be some kind of Mercedes Lackey fantasy at the same time.
These books could also easily have been four times as long, the prose is that spare. Plot runs over character development time and time again - I kept wishing for the writing to slow down and savor the moments a bit more. Let the actions tell the tale in places, instead of telling, telling, telling and then moving the characters to another plot point and telling, telling, telling.
There is little doubt in my mind there are more stories in Moore's head - and while these books are lovely, I'm looking forward to a more leisurely pace in her next one.
End review.
I liked the way she met my eyes when I asked for one of each of the books (this is a trilogy) and then asked me to let her know what I thought. I strongly suspect I'll have to do that under separate cover - for you folks, you get the review.
I can only hope she'll ask for a critique when I contact her, because I want to give her one.
Ridan Publishing is the press these books are under, and they are another small press working just above the self-publishing model (ie, you Google them and you also find 'scam' from disgruntled folks in the mix).
These books are large, nicely bound with formatting errors. The cover art is pretty.
These are a series of books wrapped around the struggles of a female protagonist outsider that both large and small events swirl around in a never-ending complexity. If you like that kind of story, you will find your fill here. It is the classic 'princess who is a pauper, an outcast who works hard, marries well and sacrifices all for the greater good' - the real appeal are the characters who march through the books along with her, and the world they live in.
While it is rich, varied and lush - it is also clearly drawn from feudal Japan in large part, and I kept thinking this was forming up to be some kind of Mercedes Lackey fantasy at the same time.
These books could also easily have been four times as long, the prose is that spare. Plot runs over character development time and time again - I kept wishing for the writing to slow down and savor the moments a bit more. Let the actions tell the tale in places, instead of telling, telling, telling and then moving the characters to another plot point and telling, telling, telling.
There is little doubt in my mind there are more stories in Moore's head - and while these books are lovely, I'm looking forward to a more leisurely pace in her next one.
End review.
