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The Novice by daw the minstrel	9 Review(s)
endorearwen	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/28/2013
Actually, Maldor's wife wasn't unexpected to me - somehow the idea that this would be the perfect 'opposites attract' relationship made perfect sense! (I did laugh out loud though when she invited them back because they love to have visit from younglings! I can just imagine the nightmares those novices had for weeks after that!!!) Now, Legolas' advance on Miriwen after she'd pulled down her collar to show him the necklace he'd just given her - THAT was unexpected to me!! I think that's one young novice has been much too attentive to studying the habits of his oldest brother when he's not looking! ;-) The other thing that is not surprising to me is the fact that you are a 'proper' (and no doubt, published...) author! A natural talent shines right from the outset and these stories definitely reflected an innate ability to draw others in with words!! It must be nice to be an inspiration to others! :-) Author Reply: I'd love to be able to say I've published fiction but I haven't yet. I do have an agent who's shopping my books to publishers. Maybe one of these days.

endorearwen	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 8/28/2013
Wonderfully written, story, Daw! There's something very comforting about the constancy of people's personalities, isn't there?! I am amazed at how well you keep everyone's reactions to circumstances so perfectly 'predictable'! I don't mean that in a negative way, I simply mean that you understand each of these character so well that every word and action 'fits' the situations through which you take them. I can't say how many times through this story, like Legolas, I just knew what was going to happen when Thranduil or Ithilden or Eilian found out! I think I might have said it before, but I enjoy it so much because I feel as though I am actually a part of this family - not an easy feeling to evoke in a reader! My favourite scene - Legolas losing it at Alfirin and Thranduil for interfering in his 'private life'! One just knew that something was going to break because the stress of all that he was enduring kept building and the strain was definitely showing! But, I think I loved Thranduil's reaction best - have a drink and then have a chat!! Quintessentially Thranduil! (I loved the line about only a certain number of sins he could cope with at a time - Ha!) I also very much enjoyed seeing Eilian in a position of some 'weakness'. He needn't talk about Ithilden's need to control everything! It was interesting to see Eilian off-balanced by a wound in a situation that, for him, he should have been controlling! Kudos on that one! :-) Moving on now to the next little instalment! ;-) Author Reply: I'm really glad to hear these characters come across as consistent because, as I told you, I wrote these stories all out order and across several years. But I guess I did feel I came to know them really well. So much so that when I started trying to write original fic, it was hard starting over learning about characters. I forgot it took me a while to learn my fanfic characters too. There's nothing like adolescent first love to throw off the whole family. Eru knows, most parents need a drink or two to deal with that one. And while Thranduil has older sons, this is the first time he's dealt with this as a single parent. I made myself laugh sending the boys to visit Maldor and his sweet wife. Who knew?

Dream Painter	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/22/2007
Bravo! A very well-writ story--I enjoyed it immensely. Regards, Dream Painter Author Reply: Thanks, Dream Painter. I enjoyed the chance to try to imagine what Legolas's adolescence might have been like, and how he grew to be Legolas of the Fellowship. I appreciate your taking the time to tell me you enjoyed it.

pipinheart	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 10/6/2005
They were drunk and not very happy on the morning. Tonduil deciding to be a horsemaster, very good. Thranduil talking to Eilian about his concern for him, he dosen't express it much but it is there. And he knew egolas had too much wine, not much gets past him. Miriwen and Legoas just friends for now, proubly a good thing. Legolas finally sees Just being Legolas isn't enough, that having his family and friends make him who he is...Nice work... Author Reply: Thank you, Pipinheart. I had a good time writing this story and I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

Esamen	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 3/9/2004
Oddly enough, he felt reassured by their parents' restrictions. Floundering about on his own had been exciting but daunting Oh, beautiful! So perfect! You write adolescents so well! One of the reasons I wanted to become involved in the SoA site was because of its committment to keeping a standard of writing that teenagers and their parents would be comfortable with. This is just beautiful. I wish we could put out ads and commercials to invite people to read our favorite stories! This would definitely be one of my favorites! Thanks again, and I look forward to reading more of your wonderful work. Esamen Author Reply: I love writing Legolas as an adolescent. He seems so vulnerable to me. You can see the potential for what he will become but you can also see his struggle to choose the better path and the struggle of his family to help him do it. Thank you for your kind words, Esamen.

French Pony	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 2/10/2004
Huzzah, huzzah! As of just now, I have finished reading every single one of your stories, and I have enjoyed them muchly. Of course, it's taken me quite a while to do so, and I might perhaps have forgotten the details on some of the ones I read earlier, but that just means I get to read them again and refresh my memory. Huzzah, huzzah!

FaerieQueen	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/5/2004
Another fantastic story! I really loved this one: Legolas dealing with difficult companions in dangerious situation. Very nice. I can only praise you again, and urge you to keep writing. FaerieQueen Author Reply: Thank you, Faerie Queen. I hope that Legolas comes across as someone who is slowly growing into the elf Tolkien gave us.

sofia	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 1/1/2004
GOOD. Off i go to read your other stories. Author Reply: I'm glad you liked it, Sofia! This story was the first one I wrote that I still am pleased with.

Antigone_Q	Reviewed Chapter: 12 on 11/8/2003
Nope, nope, somehow or other hadn't finished this one. I'm pleased - it’s like finding a Christmas present you didn't know you had! There was so much humor in this story. There was a priceless scene in chapter six. Legolas had lost his temper, and Thranduil went to talk with him. So intent was he on reining in his temper and handling his son well that he entirely forgot that Legolas had lied to him until he had left. If I remember it, the line that made me laugh was something like, "There were only so many filial sins he could cope with at once." Same chapter, I think, Miriwen points out that Legolas doesn't treat his other friends the way he treats her, and he is totally clueless. Of course he doesn't treat his friends the same way, he thinks: "he doesn't want to kiss Annael!" On the training trip: I liked that Legolas looked for little details about other people's naneths. So sweet and so painful at the same time. Eilian must have been frustrated with Legolas for saying there was nothing he could do about his fight with Galelas, when Eilian had gone to such trouble with Galelas' older brother (I've forgotten his name) to make working together more bearable. Once again, Eilian's talent with people comes in handy - it's lucky Legolas is so open to being taught what doesn't come naturally. I felt sorry for Galelas from beginning to end. He was so much like his brother that I couldn't help but think that either or both of his parents must be very demanding Elves, and that he must have grown up believing that nothing less than "perfect" and "best" was ever good enough. What Galelas said to Legolas about Eilian being so nice confirms that for me. The Novices really need a mentor, and I still don’t like much the idea of Maldor being in charge. I wish Eilian could keep right on doing that - I'm sorry that he's so determined to go back to his patrol. He's so good with younglings, and that would solve nicely the current difficulty about being away from home so much. Probably not dangerous enough for him, though. Best line in the story: "he recognized it as a very fine Dorwinian. He paused, considered consequences, and then took refuge in a second long draught…" That's so like a teenager. So was the hair! I remember the Dorwinian was the wine in the Hobbit that got the guards drunk enough to miss the Dwarves' escape. Not surprising it went to Legolas' head, as well. Author Reply: I'm glad you liked the humor in this. I made myself laugh writing it, especially the whole Dorwinian/haircut scene and then the return to Annael's cottage. (I like Annael's parents in general.) So it's good to know that someone else laughed too. And Galelas is right. Legolas really is lucky because Eilian is so nice. Poor Galelas. He is lucky that he is not his parents' favorite. That honor falls to his brother, who is even less likeable because of it.

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