H.M. Long

Featuring magic, pirates, betrayal, and redemption Dark Water Daughter is the first book in H.M. Long’s The Winter Sea Trilogy.

Mary Firth is a Stormsinger, a woman who can quiet the wildest of storms, or whip them into a hurricane, with just the power of her voice. Like her mother before her, Mary’s fate is to be lashed to the mast of a ship, commanded to assure the crew’s safety while at sea, but Mary refuses to be anything but the centre of the tempest.

From the very first pages, show more Dark Water Daughter heralds action and adventure with Mary, in search of her mother, narrowly escaping the gallows only to be sold to a brutal pirate lord. On the high seas among pirate ships and naval armada, battles rage and monsters lurk in the deep, while on land, deals are made, and broken. Mary escapes one pirate only to make a deal with another, and the drama continues to unfold through intrigues and treasure hunts, betrayals and vengeance. It’s a well crafted, exciting plot that moves at a fast pace.

As for Long’s magic system, it’s creative and interesting, though often quite dark. Epigraphs between chapters taken from fictional tome’s provide definitions or explanations that help to build and give substance to the world. The Dark Water, also known as the Other, is an ethereal place, beautiful but deadly. There are mage and magni, sooth’s and ghistings, who are spirits that dwell in trees in Wold’s, harvested usually unwillingly, to inhabit the figureheads of ships.

Mary quickly realises her choice is to sink or swim as she’s introduced to life on the high seas. I thought the growth of her character was well handled. She’s a little naive, having lived a largely sheltered existence, but she learns quickly. She’s determined to do whatever it takes to save her mother, whether that be sing or fight. She proves to be smart, resourceful and brave.

Samuel Rosser, a disgraced Navy Officer and seer with an uncontrolled ability to trespass on the Dark Water, provides a second point of view in the narrative. Unfortunately I didn’t particularly warm to him though I can’t exactly articulate why. His tragic background, including his twisted relationship with his twin brother, should elicit sympathy, but I found it wearying. I personally prefer my leading men to have a bit more vigor.

Of the similarly themed pirate fantasy books I’ve read recently, Dark Water Daughter is the more atmospheric and dynamic. I’d certainly like to read the next book in the series. show less

I received an audiobook ARC for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I am not really sure what made me enjoy the book so much. I think it's a mix of the world feeling very alive and the original magic and the mystery and character banter. All of that is amplified by the excellent narration.

The narration actually sold the book to me. I heard the sample and right away applied for the ARC. Moira Quirk's voice added so much feeling to the book and it was a perfect fit for the voice of show more the main character, Mary. The other narrator, Samuel Roukin, didn't maybe stand out as much, but still did an excellent job.

The other thing that sold me was the beauty of the prose. I normally don't notice that much, so just know that even prose barbarian like me appreciated it.

The setting was the only thing that made me hesitate, as I normally don't enjoy nautical fantasy that much. But there was so much more to this book than just sailing and sea fighting. I especially enjoyed that the characters had to deal with issues that wouldn't be solved by a fight. It gave this book a more realistic feeling.

The magic of this world is tied to the other world that certain people with power can connect to. We get Stormsingers that can control the weather with their voice, Magni who have control over human beings, and Sooths who can access this other world, which allows them glimpses beyond time and space. The other world also has its inhabitants, most noticeably the gistings who inhabit certain trees of the real world and can be made into living figureheads for ships.

As for the story itself, we follow Mary, who is looking for her mother, and Samuel, who is trying to capture the most dangerous of pirates and clear his name. Their paths and goals intervene and they both have to make some hard choices and join with unlikely allies.

As for the romance. I read one review that called it an insta love. I would argue that it wasn't an insta love as we never really got into the love territory. At most there was interest and infatuation and some hard-won respect. I expect we will get the actual romance part next book and this has been just a setup in that regard.

As for characters, both our main characters and side characters were all well written. Mary is the type of strong woman that you won't catch fighting off a bunch of enemies, but that shows us her strong will and tenacity in other ways. I would also give special mention to Lirr, the villain. He made for a properly chilling enemy and kept the stakes high.

And another thing that made the story interesting to follow was the mystery. It creeps in slowly and adds to the slightly chilling atmosphere. It had a great pay off too.

All in all, this was a very satisfying story. While I am definitely looking forward to see more of this world, this book can perfectly work as a standalone. show less

This is an epic pirate fantasy that blew me away! With stormsingers, pirate hunters, and a deathless pirate lord, the high-seas adventure is non-stop excitement. Mary Firth, the stormsinger with hurricane-controlling vocals, teams up with Samuel Rosser, a disgraced naval officer, to take down the fearsome Silvanus Lirr. The world-building is superb, and the winter setting adds a unique touch. I loved how Mary used her storm magic to create chaos! The characters, especially Mary and Samuel, show more are so well-developed, and their banter is perfect. There's a hint of romance that spices things up too.
This is a 5-star adventure full of action, magic, and betrayal, an absolute must-read! I can't wait for book two! show less

I really enjoyed this. I feel like the options for finding an adult fantasy novel written by a woman is a bit harder to come by in a genre so traditionally dominated by men, but Hall of Smoke by H.M. Long is a FANTASTIC debut read—one worth a reread or few. If you want to learn more, I did a non-spoilery video review on my channel to add some color, but in short, this was a wild, fun ride, and I very much enjoyed the author's style of writing.

If you dig Viking influence and stories that show more feature strong women at their helm, give this one a shot. It’s similar to Sky in the Deep (which I found lacking), only way more grown-up. Better writing, more immersive world-building and lore, captivating storytelling and plot, and an epic cast of characters, which includes monsteresque creatures, zealot priests and legionaries, and brutal, brutal gods.

The lore, the stakes, the fight scenes, battles—they were all superb in Hall of Smoke. I got major Skyrim vibes reading this book (the shouts, the setting, the weapons). I’ve put an embarrassing number of hours into that game LOL.

Though it took roughly a quarter to one-third of the way into the book for it to really get going for me, once I passed that 25–33% mark, it had my undivided attention. If you’re looking for a romance sub-plot, you won’t find it here. HoS is not that kind of story. This is about one woman’s struggle as she examines her beliefs and, ultimately, avenges all she’s lost.

H.M. Long is an author I’ll have my eye on for her forthcoming work. Can’t wait for more books set in this world. Very respectable debut! show less