Name: nott theodore (Signed) · Date: 18 Dec 2017 05:09 PM · For: Ghosts

Kaitlin, wow.  This was so beautiful.

 

I really love this song too - just the first line sparks the lyrics in my mind and I loved the way that you took your interpretation of these lyrics and let them blossom into a brilliant story.

 

I think Cho was a brilliant character choice for this; she's a character that I haven't seen very many stories about, but I really enjoyed your exploration of her character here.  It's so interesting that the image of someone sitting by a lake can be a really happy, peaceful one, but in this piece, Cho sitting by the lake gives her a real sense of detachment.  Given how separate Cho often seems to her peers, especially when she's singled out by her grief in the fifth book, I think that was a great choice and felt very in character for her.

 

The description and imagery in this piece was stunning.  In just a short amount of words, you managed to evoke so many emotions and memories - I could easily see the images that haunted Cho here, and picture the softer, intimate moments between her and Cedric that she really treasured and held onto.  

 

I felt so sorry for Cho here - I want to reach through the page and give her a massive hug.  But I thought you captured her grief and loneliness brilliantly, and I really enjoyed this.

 

Sian :)

Author's Response:

<3 <3 <3 Thank you for your review and for your continued support.

Name: StarFeather (Anonymous) · Date: 20 Jan 2017 07:53 AM · For: Ghosts

The first lines are very beautiful. Instantly I could visualize the occasion. People sometimes meditate watching the surface of water. I think you picked the best lines in the beginning of this story.

 

I feel like I can understand Cho's feeling. Though Blue Ocean sea (for my experience, yeah, I know she was watching the Great Lake) is beautiful, it carries sadness looking back the past. I think everyone has experienced such a time like Cho who couldn't stop grieving the loss she loved so much.

 

I like the phrase, "students frolic in the unseasonably warm June sun, enjoying their first taste of summer after a long, harsh winter. But for me the winter never ended. "  

 

The last spot, "the cool summer breeze is the only thing that caresses my face. Your hands are painfully absent. A few tears trickle down my cheeks as I remember that I am hopelessly alone." is very sad and beautiful.

 

Thank you for sharing this. I rethought of her sad circumstance, that she had to endure such pains when she was so young.   

 

 

 

Author's Response:

Hey there! Thank you so much for the review! It truly made my day! I wish I could write you a longer response, but I've gotten so bogged down in review responses lately. I hope you know how much your words mean to me and how much I appreciate your support, encouragement, and critique. Thank you!

~Kaitlin

 

Name: Stella Blue (Signed) · Date: 08 Jan 2017 12:05 AM · For: Ghosts

This one's just a transferred review from HPFF. I originally posted it under the pseudonym of Dobby the Free Elf when you were close to finishing your 100 challenges challenge :P

 

Hi Kaitlin! Dobby is here to cheer you to your finish line! Miss Kaitlin has got the attention of all the Hogwarts House Elves with her goal of 100 challenges. We is very impressed by how much work you've put in.

Dobby feels guilty that he didn't like Cho much before; now after reading this, Dobby feels he must set a hot iron on his hands. Cho is so sad in this and her grief stands out in how numb she is to everything, be it the sun or fish or even her friends. It's very empty, and that emptiness has a presence. Cedric's absence is legitimately a character in this story.

Your imagery is stunning. And Dobby is most impressed with how Miss TreacleTart has managed to say so much in so few words. That is very difficult to do - as difficult as Dobby trying to stop himself from hitting his head against the window when he does something bad. It is a short and very powerful story - but we all knows that size is no guarantee of power: Dobby is small and saved Harry Potter from Death Eaters. Miss Kaitlin writes grief so well in this, particularly how you focus on emptiness rather than just sadness.

(slipping out of character now, but I can't convey this much enthusiasm as Dobby: GO KAITLIN, YOU ARE A SUPERHERO AND YOU ARE AMAZING. You inspire me. ♥ ♥ )

Author's Response:

Hey Kristin! Thank you for originally writing this review and for transferring it over! It was so sweet of you to leave me this lovely encouraging review as I neared to 100 challenges. 

Lots of hugs.

~Kaitlin

Name: Margaret (Signed) · Date: 03 Jan 2017 07:02 AM · For: Ghosts

I love the contrast between how Cho is feeling and the actions of the students around her. The scene in the background seems to be one of such happiness and activity, while she is so still and unhappy.

 

I really like the way the other girls don't understand. They are only teenagers after all and may well not have experienced grief themselves yet. It makes sense that their concern would be mixed with annoyance.

 

I hope she can move on. Losing somebody is an awful experience, especially when it is unexpected as this was, but there will be so much else in her life and realistically, if he did live, there's a very good chance that five or ten years down the line, all he would be to her is "one of those guys I dated as a teenager."

 

This is a beautifully written story.

Author's Response:

Hey Margaret! 

Thank you for the review! Cho is a complex character. She experiences a pretty significant tragedy, one that I imagine would probably affect her for the rest of her life. It is interesting how Cedric's death suddenly makes their relationship so much more serious. You're right in that, had he lived, he might just be a fond memory of teenage romance.

~Kaitlin