News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
| About Us News Resources
Login
Become a member
Help
Search
|
|
|
| When Shadow Touches Home by daw the minstrel | 105 Review(s) |
|---|---|
| Nilmandra | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 8/16/2003 |
| I really liked the scenes with Legolas - playing with his friends, being 'mothered'by Annael's nana and then walking home with his Ada. He was so happy - and I have decided I love Happy!Legolas. It was good Thranduil came for him and saw Legolas like this. Ithilden is starting to get the idea that he is not in control - this is good. And Eilian - sounds like he is ever at odds with Ada! But there is progress for all of them. | |
| The Karenator | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 8/15/2003 |
| Daw, I loved the scene with Annael's mother suggesting the rowdy "orcs" might wish to silently sneak up on their prey. I had to laugh. How many of us mothers have said at one time or another, "Let's play the quiet game!" I was glad to see Legolas enjoying her bread and jam, too. Thranduil seemed pretty pleased, himself. And I guess even king's have messy little jam eaters, too. The walk home was nice. I was glad to see Thranduil recognize his need to spend time with Legolas and his own need to have a little fun. (A bit of a healing moment, I think.) Ithilden seems to be coming to grips with what he will have to do and the changes he will have to make. It was nice for him to get the reassurance from his adar that he was capable of only so much in offering protection to the outlying settlements. Yes, I think Ithilden was glad to be home and get a hug from his adar. I suppose we never get too old for a good hug from a parent. I also thought Eilian's reply to Thranduil when asked to take Legolas to the library was cute. I'm glad Thanduil realized he was joking. The scene with Eilian and Celuwen was interesting. They seem to be moving closer to something serious, but the circumstances are just so darn difficult. I was interested in what you said about them going to his bed chamber and the possibility of compromising her honor. It will be interesting seeing how this plays out and just how much intimacy two elves can have without going over that line that takes them into bonding. Good chapter. I'm looking forward to the next one. Karen | |
| Tapetum Lucidum | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 8/15/2003 |
| Ok, Ithilien dragged me over here so I thought I would confuse you by leaving this review on a different website. Legolas is so cute playing orc's! I am glad that switched to warriors too. Annael's mom is sweet for taking good care of him. I think I would die if one of my kids' friends parents showed up at the door - and it was the king! I would faint on the floor. You showed her apprehension very well. Then Legolas gets jam all over him - adding insult to injury. Sounds like the elfling is starting to wrap his Ada around his finger again. Stopping to play Poo sticks on the bridge - wait wrong story - looked like fun! Climbing on the railing over the freezing water is not fun. It must have been hard for him to decide between his Ada and his big brother - you made his confusion very sweet. I am glad that Ithilden has accepted his limitations. I am also glad you let Thranduil support him in that difficult decision. I am sure it was hard for them both to accept. Celuwen is continuing to pump her new beau for info - first it was her family. Should I be suspicious? Where do you prefer your reviews? Great job! | |
| Brenda G. | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 8/15/2003 |
| This chapter spoke one word to me: FAMILY. It must be hard, however, since all the remaining members in this family are male. I wonder many times about Legolas' mother. Perhaps in the future you could write a story about her, when she was young, how she met Thranduil, their courtship, their marriage, when she conceived her first child, then skip ahead to perhaps a year before her death and reveal to us the sure foundation that all of her sons were built upon. I would love a story that explores her and her relationship to all the other members of this remarkable family of elves. I'll bet your other readers would find such fare immensely interesting, if not down right enthralling! How good it would be to learn more about the "queen behind the king." Back to Chapter Seven - thank goodness our little Legolas is beginning to smile and show some interest in nourishment once again. Turgon, for all his wild ways, is good for Legolas. It is nice to have friends and fun times when the world all around you is so dark and dangerous. I am so impressed by the bond between Thranduil and his sons - each one different but also the same. He is a very good father, I think. I admire him as well as the older brothers. Eilian is almost my favorite, although I cannot determine why. Perhaps it is his sense of "carpe diem" that finds resonance in my own soul. I believe we all yearn deeply to live life as daringly as does Eilian. I'm SO GLAD you did not kill him off in A Year In Mirkwood!!!! Had you done that, you may have incited a riot among your own fans!! You're a wonderful writer. Can't wait for your next post! Soon, please?? Brenda G. | |
| Sekhet | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 8/15/2003 |
| Whoo-hoo - back from a couple of weeks off line and I find myself with 5 - count 'em! - 5 chapters to catch up on. Just had a very happy half hour doing exactly that. Daw, I won't even try to comment on each of these individually, but will only say that this is a masterly portrayal of a family trying to come to terms with loss - Eilian's recklessness in order to kill as many orcs as he can in revenge, Ithilden's deep guilt at what he sees as his failure (and he's too like his father to accept, much less enjoy, his failings), Thranduil's distance - and little Legolas' endearing naughtiness and grief. I just loved his "low growl" when Thranduil scolded him for the fire - I fear that Legolas was still a little orc at that particular moment! This last chapter's just lovely. Healing is starting, without any of them really realising it. Just lovely. I have a bad feeling about Celuwen, though, when you consider Eilian's later history with the ladies... Thank you. You and Jasta between you make LoTR worth reading. Sekhet. | |
| Levade | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 8/15/2003 |
| "He drew her arm through his and kept his eyes on the narrow path they trod. " Nicely said, that! And how true. I'm really enjoying their courtship, but I keep hoping...she's not wearing red, right? Because you know those extras in red always die. ;) Truly, I like her, and they are a good match. What makes this so hard as a reader is we know in the future stories he's not wed to her. Thranduil is learning, and both he and Legolas are healing. The jam part was wonderful, and isn't it nice that Legolas has a 'mummish' sort to watch over him?? I can't keep up with you! You write fast! :D Hoping for a happy ending for all because life is hard enough already, Levade | |
| Dragon-of-the-North | Reviewed Chapter: 7 on 8/15/2003 |
| Your speed is frightening, you know that? ;-) This is very good chapter yet again, and one that made me smile in many places, because you finally did give Thranduil some lighthearted moments (well... lighthearted for *his* particular standards)... I have the distinct feeling that this king needs to have some jam smeared onto his cloak more often! The elflings were very cute again - the idea of building a "cave" or "tent" is so typically childlike... And their delight in the jam was just wonderful. :-) I like Annael's mother - it is really understandable that Legolas likes to be at that family's house! But what I liked most was the quiet moment between Thranduil and Ithilden, with Ithilden resting his head against his father's shoulder... That was a moment of closeness, a wordless one, but, nevertheless, a brief second of being very near each other in every sense... I believe both of them needed that at some point. LOL to Thranduil's doubts whether Eilian's answer to Legolas' ominous question would be "yes"... Teehee... Seems the young prince chooses to become a warrior out of the same reason for which I chose my subjects at university - only in order not to have anything to do with maths any more... :-P Well... As I do not believe that wood-elven warfare has reached a standard where the way an arrow can take when fired from this or that angle is described in mathematic terms, the prince might be more or less lucky as far as more than only the basics are concerned... ;-D I am looking forward to the next chapter! :-) | |
| The Karenator | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/14/2003 |
| Daw, Another very interesting chapter. I'm glad to see Todith defend Eilian. And Ithilden's reply is quite telling about his frame of mind where his brother is concerned. Ithilden's frustration is certianly evident when he goes into the woods alone after having heard of the orc attack on the elven family. He's certainly having a hard time of it! Maltanaur is great! He's not in the least intimidated by Ithilden's anger or frustration. The king has chosen wisely in his appointment! When I read about the death of the family, I had a sudden thought that it was Celuwen's family, but apparently this one was not. So...are we to see poor Celuwen and her family fall victim to orcs? She's a good match for Eilian, but...we know too much about the future and she's not in it! Poor Eilian. Ithilden and Eilian have been working out their feelings in the last two chapters, but I fear there is much yet to come. I can't wait to see what happens. Gee, I hate being so impatient! Carry on......(tapping toe)....."I'm waiting...waiting...waiting," said Karen. | |
| Karri | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/13/2003 |
| Though the situation is grim, Ithilden seems to be burying himself overly in his work, but I'm glad to see Eilian is making some progress. Recognizing a problem is the first step, or so they say. Perhaps if he can reconcile with father and older brother, he will be better able to help little brother. The whole lot still have a long way to go. Excellent work. Thank you. | |
| Fadesintothewest | Reviewed Chapter: 6 on 8/13/2003 |
| Always learn to listen to the advice of elders young Ithilden, which he did. My my, the sons of Thranduil have the weight of Arda it seems on their shoulders. That's always a huge life lesson to learn to go with the flow, control- or rather manage what you can and try to do your best with everything else. Oh no, I fear for a tragic ending between Celuwen and Eilian, will her family be too stubborn to move from their homestead in the forest and be overrun by orcs resulting in Celuwen's death or injury? Or will Eilian's commitment to the Southern Patrol turn so overwhelmingly his single objective because of the increase of shadow that love does not fit in the picture for him. That is he may love her but he cannot have her. Oh I am crying already! | |