I waited very eagerly for this chapter, I must admit. The last chapter left a lot of unanswered questions, and the ending was just, in a way, torture. <.< The possibilities that could have arisen led to a lot of questions in my mind, and even now, I do wonder how Abraham Thorn entered and left Charmbridge the way he did. Animagus transformation, perhaps? Or maybe Apparation, but I certainly don't consider that to be a very good possibility. -wonders-
I really must say that the first half of the chapter seemed a little rushed to me. It feels like we have shifted from third-person narration to a peek into Alexandra's mind, and everything just seems to be in fast-forward mode. The state in which she was discovered must have led to a fair few questions, and Lilith Grimm asking her nothing at all just doesn't sit down with me. I mean, I'm sure that while Alex's wounds require attention, they would take second priority when it came to the fact that she'd been randomly found at the entrance of the Lands Below. I do not doubt even for a moment that Dean Grimm was brilliant, and could put the pieces of a puzzle together, but there just seem to be too many pieces in this puzzle that the dean couldn't have been aware of. Hm. It sure threw me off a little!
The Office of Special Inquisitions scene, however, seemed to be totally bang on target. I'd expected it, and I must say, I expected the Veritaserum to come into play at some point. Also, Dianna Grimm came off as a totally false person to me in the scene. <.< At least, as far as her reassurances and empathy are concerned. I also liked the way you envision the working of Veritaserum. She found the answers tumbling from her lips, now, as if she couldn't wait to tell him everything; if she even briefly considered not answering, or lying, she blurted out the truth before she could think twice about withholding it. This line in particular, seemed to capture the working of it really effectively.
The fact that Ms. King showed Alexandra her memories in the Pensieve, somehow seemed to increase the bond that the family shared to a new level. I loved its inclusion, and the fact that Max's first ride was nearly the same as Alex's just had me smiling so much. Oh, and the fact that Julia hugged him on the platform made me laugh out loud. This was one of the moments that lightened the really dark chapters that we've been seeing, and I loved it a lot.
What I really did want to see more of, was Abraham Thorn. And you're being delightfully deceptive about his character, let me tell you. He sometimes comes across as a heartless Voldemort, and at other times (like in the memory that we see in the Pensieve), he almost seems human-- a flawed human who has committed a lot of mistakes. His character still remains an enigma to me, and although I'd really like to know more about him, the secrets and his hidden nature almost make the whole series even more exciting and more suspense-filled. Gah! I'm torn between wanting to know Abraham Thorn as a person and wanting to see where all of his character fits into the plot. >.< He's just that interesting to try and understand, really. You've done an absolutely brilliant job with developing this really intriguing character, and I must applaud you. For two books, I've only seen glimpses, and I really do hope I see more of him.
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branchandroot
An attempt at a review which doesn't sound like gushy fangirl!spam.
I waited very eagerly for this chapter, I must admit. The last chapter left a lot of unanswered questions, and the ending was just, in a way, torture. <.< The possibilities that could have arisen led to a lot of questions in my mind, and even now, I do wonder how Abraham Thorn entered and left Charmbridge the way he did. Animagus transformation, perhaps? Or maybe Apparation, but I certainly don't consider that to be a very good possibility. -wonders-
I really must say that the first half of the chapter seemed a little rushed to me. It feels like we have shifted from third-person narration to a peek into Alexandra's mind, and everything just seems to be in fast-forward mode. The state in which she was discovered must have led to a fair few questions, and Lilith Grimm asking her nothing at all just doesn't sit down with me. I mean, I'm sure that while Alex's wounds require attention, they would take second priority when it came to the fact that she'd been randomly found at the entrance of the Lands Below. I do not doubt even for a moment that Dean Grimm was brilliant, and could put the pieces of a puzzle together, but there just seem to be too many pieces in this puzzle that the dean couldn't have been aware of. Hm. It sure threw me off a little!
The Office of Special Inquisitions scene, however, seemed to be totally bang on target. I'd expected it, and I must say, I expected the Veritaserum to come into play at some point. Also, Dianna Grimm came off as a totally false person to me in the scene. <.< At least, as far as her reassurances and empathy are concerned. I also liked the way you envision the working of Veritaserum. She found the answers tumbling from her lips, now, as if she couldn't wait to tell him everything; if she even briefly considered not answering, or lying, she blurted out the truth before she could think twice about withholding it. This line in particular, seemed to capture the working of it really effectively.
The fact that Ms. King showed Alexandra her memories in the Pensieve, somehow seemed to increase the bond that the family shared to a new level. I loved its inclusion, and the fact that Max's first ride was nearly the same as Alex's just had me smiling so much. Oh, and the fact that Julia hugged him on the platform made me laugh out loud. This was one of the moments that lightened the really dark chapters that we've been seeing, and I loved it a lot.
What I really did want to see more of, was Abraham Thorn. And you're being delightfully deceptive about his character, let me tell you. He sometimes comes across as a heartless Voldemort, and at other times (like in the memory that we see in the Pensieve), he almost seems human-- a flawed human who has committed a lot of mistakes. His character still remains an enigma to me, and although I'd really like to know more about him, the secrets and his hidden nature almost make the whole series even more exciting and more suspense-filled. Gah! I'm torn between wanting to know Abraham Thorn as a person and wanting to see where all of his character fits into the plot. >.< He's just that interesting to try and understand, really. You've done an absolutely brilliant job with developing this really intriguing character, and I must applaud you. For two books, I've only seen glimpses, and I really do hope I see more of him.
I eagerly await the penultimate chapter now.
~Shar