I very much like the subject (strong character) and the way you have the background positioned. I'm being picky here, but the background is too much in focus/sharp creating strong detail which competes with the main subject. It shouldn't, a softer background but not enough so you can't tell what it is will allow the eye to instantly find and focus on the subject. This would be my goal. And.. I'm of an entirely different mind where HDR is concerned.
If you can tell it's got an "HDR effect" or was HDR processed then I personally consider the processing if not the resulting image a failure. Some people like "effects" but I'd rather not.
HDR generally should only be used when the dynamic range of the scene exceeds the dynamic range of the camera capturing the scene. Was this the case? Or did you just want to change the level of the subject or background? If so, there are better ways.