Hall of Mosses is the first book in a 3 book fantasy series by Nicoline Evans. The story follows a Bronx Native Juniper Tiernan as she finds safety and enjoyment in the nature of Olympic National Park and her ranger park friend Roscoe away from society and the trouble past she escapes. Soon Juniper's connection to nature leads to her being able to hear the voices of the trees. They speak of a grim future for the earth that will come to pass and she will need to prepare for it. Juniper with the help of Roscoe begins to gather friends and loved ones as they brace themselves to survive the upcoming catastrophe that will change the world forever.

 

Let me start off by saying I loved the concept for this book. While there are a lot of environmental apocalyptic not a lot of them are told like this. It had a slow start but it really does pick up in the second half of the book. Here are some good and bad things I liked about the story.

 

Plot

The plot of this story is one of the best parts of this book. As Juniper who has escaped a troubled past through her time in nature she begins to hear the voices of the trees and soon discovers Gaia (yes the mother earth Gaia) has selected her to be the champion of the Tree. She is task as one of seven champions to gather a number of followers in preparation for Gaia’s mass genocide of humanity.

 

Characters

The Characters in the story a lot of times I felt could have been fleshed out more. Okay, so Juniper has a good character arc of going through emotional healing. As she heals from her dramatic past of being used by most of her friends and family to learning how to trust the new people in her life is a pleasure to see. Unfortunately, the other characters felt just a little short of being actual people. Many of the characters only feel like they exist when Juniper is there. While characters like Roscoe do get some backstory these characters just didn’t feel like they would exist outside of Juniper's bubble.

 

 

Pacing

The pacing in the first half of the story was so slow. As the main plot seems to get touched upon very little. Once the second half begins the story does take off but the fact that it actually focuses on the other champions. As much as I enjoy it I just keep worrying about when are we getting back to Juniper.

 

Dialogue

The dialogue was a little rough. When you read it out loud it feelings so stiff. Here is an example:

“I think a storm is coming,” Roscoe said in a sleepy voice, breaking their long-held silence.

“I feel it too.”

“Want to head back?”

“In a minute”

Or

“We can’t ride in this.”

“You’ve got a dirt bike, I’ve got a quad. We’ll be alright.”

“I want to stay.”

“Then I’m staying with you.”

“Fine.”

While you could think this can be a character quirk unfortunately all of them seem to talk like this. While the dialogue isn’t so bad, it just doesn’t feel natural.

 

Format

The format of the book wasn’t bad at all but it is a little boring. Just double space and plain font. Sometimes I didn’t even realize I was in a new chapter because of the format. With the beautiful art on the book cover, I thought the chapters could use some art chapter covers instead of some chapters in bold letters and underline.

 

I’m going to give the book a 3 out of 5 for it’s unique fantasy and realistic blend of the plot. Even through the writing was a little cheesy and too over explained, the story was so interesting mainly because you couldn’t predict what was going to happen next. It drawn you in when you least expect it. The climax while it had it’s deus ex machina moments was just amazing and full of so much action and suspense. It left me speechless and just ready to pick up the next book in the series.

 I will recommend this anyone looking for anyone looking for a different inspiring fantasy for young females.

 

 

This is just my opinion you should get the book for yourself decide. Until next time readers.