Name: merlins beard (Signed) · Date: 29 Apr 2017 10:52 PM · For: Broken

Hey Kaitlin – here for ctf, to break out plums

Can I just say that you’ve developed so much as a writer from those first few stories? There’s so much more description happening here and it’s gotten so easy to slip into the stories, to feel like you’re actually there experiencing all of it. You’ve developed raw talent into a mastered skill and that’s something you should be really really proud of.

Shadows are such an ominous tool to describe what’s happening here. They’re both internal and external, and every source of light causes shadows to be thrown so they’re always there. It’s the perfect metaphor for mental illness, but at the same time it could just be describing what actually happens in Ginny’s sixth year.

Wow I didn’t see that coming but I really like it. I love how you described the scene too. It’s so passionate but at the same time kind of like just looking on. What’s happening isn’t because Luna is irresistible, it’s because Luna is like medication. Like light for ginny’s darkness. It feels like, sure, she wants it (they both do), but it feels like she NEEDS it to stay sane. And at this point in time that’s all that really matters.

It’s not the most flattering story for Luna to be perfectly honest. I think she deserves more than to be a means to an end. But hey, I’m guessing it was good for Luna to escape the terrors surrounding them all for a few stolen moments of shared illumination too. The only problem I kind of see is that they were in the same room with everyone else – but maybe there’s a privacy spell for that.

Xoxo Anja

 

Author's Response:

Thank you so much for this absolutely beautiful review. I hope you know how much I appreciate your words of encouragement! They seriously make me smile every time. ~Kaitlin

 

Name: dirigibleplums (Signed) · Date: 29 Apr 2017 10:32 PM · For: Broken

Hello again, Kaitlin.

 

It really is a Herculean task trying to find where your sneaky Gryffies have hidden the flag. But hey, at least I get to read good fanfiction, right? :P

 

I am a hardcore Hinny shipper, not necessarily because of the books but because of fanfiction. That being said, I have seen a fair bit of Ginny/Luna around (Linny, isn't it?) in the form of various drabbles and loads of really cute fan art so I was pretty intrigued to see how you would portray them here. Like you say in your author's note, there's something about them finding solace in each other during the occupation of Hogwarts that almost rings true, you know? It's something that I can definitely see happening. And it's rather bittersweet too.

 

Damn you, Kaitlin :D

 

One thing that really stood out to me here was the imagery. Bloody hell, it was beautiful (though I can't say the same for this review lol) and I found myself genuinely breathtaken by how you weaved your words. It was powerful, it was elegant, it was raw. You didn't overdo it (a habit I tend to succumb to, unfortunately) but kept it strong enough to truly evoke something in the reader. I could feel Ginny's despair all too well and easily see why she would be drawn to Luna in these times. Luna is light, you know? Despite the oppression, despite the horrible things that happen to her, she never dims. Always quietly positive, always bringing something so precious and valuable. Just what Ginny needs.

 

Plums xo

Author's Response:

Thank you so much for this absolutely beautiful review. I hope you know how much I appreciate your words of encouragement! They seriously make me smile every time. ~Kaitlin

 

Name: TidalDragon (Signed) · Date: 18 Jan 2017 09:10 PM · For: Broken

Howdy Kaitlin!

 

I thought this story was a really great delve into Ginny's inner workings. So many times she's written as implacable, perfectly resilient, and most of the time I think that's true - but it doesn't capture her humanity and her hauntings. Though it didn't focus on them for a long time, I thought the set up at the beginning did an excellent job of reminding us that Ginny IS still haunted by her past and IS very much affected by what's developing around her on a greater level than determination to fight.

 

That translated so well into the short section where all feels lost because you can easily imagine confidence and hope crumbling inside a home become hell, especially without clear knowledge that there's any real prospect of escape from one day to the next or even after you graduate.

 

And then there's Luna. She always shines a light into a dark place as you've said, but what I think you really captured is that she always manages to do it in an...understated, unobtrusive sort of way. And she almost always does it in a very personal way, like she's attuned to others or at least seeing through the fog that clouds their minds when thinking about "themselves".

 

Thanks for sharing another exceptional story with us!

Author's Response:

Hey Kevin! 

 

Thanks for the review! 

 

I never thought that Ginny was perfectly resilient. In cannon, we only ever see her through Harry's eyes, but there are hints at the damage her posession does to her. And aside from that, no one escapes war without damage. 

 

I'm glad that hellish feeling was conveyed well.

 

Luna is definitely a light in the darkness. She's one of those rare people who can bring comfort in the worst of times.

 

Thanks for taking the time to leave a review! 

 

~Kaitlin