[Report This]Date: 10/21/2007 10:08 pm Title: The Front is Engaged; or Must We Kill?
Just.. wow. I don't even know what to say. This is my favourite chapter of the bunch thus far, and I've had so many amazing chapters to choose from. Your imagination entertains me so much, and I'm thankful that you have an amazing ability to write.
Author's Response: I'm so thrilled you've been enjoying the story, and thank you so much for the compliment. I do hope you find the entire piece memorable.
[Report This]Date: 10/21/2007 09:41 am Title: Quickening the Blade; or Nerves on the Eve of Battle (Part Two)
I hadn't planned on reviewing any of th4e chapters, though I can't keep myself in check any longer. Short of bowing at your feet, I do believe that massive amounts of compliemnts are in order. Your ability to craft stories, thus far, is simply amazing. I'm awestruck at your talent for mixing flashbacks with real time events. Your descriptions and attention to detail makes this story such a joy to read, not to mention your completely coherent sentences. I admire your creative writing ability, and I'm wholeheartedly looking forward to the last half of this story. See you soon!
Author's Response: Your very first sentence is one of the best compliments I could have ever received. Thank you for that.
This was the first story in which I really used a flashback, but I felt I needed it in order to wind the tension, so I'm very pleased you thought they worked fairly well. I do hope you like the last half equally well, and to tell you the truth, you've just made my entire day! Thank you so much.
[Report This]Date: 07/07/2007 03:35 pm Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
*Slowly gets to her feet and begins clapping* Absolutely amazing journey. I laughed and I cried (which isn't an easy feat, I assure you), I felt shocked and appalled, relieved and surprised. Every step of this journey has been well worth the near-constant time I spent to read through it all. This story will go in my favorites as one I will be most glad to return to when searching for an exciting, if emotional journey to join. Bravo, m'dear!
Author's Response: I must apologize for the delay in responding to your generous and eloquent review. I've not been on Pureblood in a long time and had no idea you'd left a review.
Even though I wrote this story in a very short period of time, it really was my idea of a book seven, and in some ways, I think I'll choose it over the real book seven. Thank you very much for having taken the time to read it and then reviewing so graciously.
[Report This]Date: 05/08/2007 05:53 am Title: The Forging of a Blade or Prodigal Sons
This was a great narrative; I loved how you laced the story with such detail and plot. I could picture what happened in this as what could plausibly (and hopefully, to some extent actually) happen in the final installment of the series. I especially loved the relationship between Severus and Draco; I always felt that there was so much more to both men, and to see that come to life with such animation and feeling was a gift unto itself. Congratulations on a well written, riveting story.
Author's Response: Thank you very much. In many ways this story is my response to book six -- which I found disappointing for a number of reasons -- and I'm so pleased you enjoyed it and thought it was plausible. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
[Report This]Date: 10/18/2006 07:54 pm Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
Good story. Thanks for writing.
Author's Response: Thank you very much.
[Report This]Date: 09/25/2006 02:49 am Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
I read this a long time ago and I forgot to leave a review. Not very good it this, but what I can tell you is that I loved this story and u are now one of my favorite authors! nice job!
Author's Response: I don't know if I've ever responded to your review -- I get the feeling it might have been lost in the ether during the SH/Mage changeover. Please accept my apologies for not responding before. Thank you so much for letting me know you enjoyed the story. It just makes my day.
[Report This]Date: 09/14/2006 06:39 pm Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
Great story! I was actually just at the point the Draco was going to enter the pensive, when the admins took everything offline for the transfer. Talk about a cliffhanger! ;)
Author's Response: Argh! That would have been so frustrating to me. I'm glad you were finally able to finish the story and enjoy it. Thank you very much for the compliment.
[Report This]Date: 09/10/2006 02:12 pm Title: Raising the Standard, or War Comes with the Dawn (Part Two)
I've been going through chapters one or two each day to savor this. Wonderful writing. Of course...last night I got to the end of this chapter and couldn't go on because of the database trasfer! Talk about a cliff-hanger! :)
Author's Response: I'm dreadfully sorry about missing out on the ending... If you would like to finish this soonest... I'm bambu345 on live journal and the entire story is posted there... only until Pureblood comes back online, of course!
[Report This]Date: 09/05/2006 11:19 pm Title: The Forging of a Blade or Prodigal Sons
Very nice start! I read on another site that this was a fabulous story and very well written. I'm looking forward to reading this over the next several days.
Author's Response: Wow! You found a comment about my story somewhere else? Awww! That's just so great! And it's even nicer that you decided to hunt the story up to give it a try. Thank you very much! I hope you enjoy it.
[Report This]Date: 08/31/2006 03:56 pm Title: Shaping the Steel, or Forgiving Daughter (Part Two)
Lily's letter was wonderful. It me tear up a bit. I could really imagine her doing something liket that. Excellent. Well done
Author's Response: Yay, for Lily's letter. I'm so glad you thought it was plausible, and that you enjoyed the story. Thank you so much.
[Report This]Date: 08/31/2006 09:08 am Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
nice ending but........ I was wanting to read some snarky remark from Severus about them extending his healing time as he didn't get the rest that he needed. And that he was mortified that Poppy cleaned up his spent arousal while he was still unconscience. Just trashy musing. Also thought it would be fun if you jumped to the future and have all three boys enjoying labor pains as Hermoine made her way to St. Mungos....
enjoyed your story here, and I see you have one on Ashwinder, haven't started reading that one as YET but will be in the near future.
Author's Response: LOL! Shared labor pains is a very amusing idea. I may have to think about this. Can't you just see her lying on the birthing couch with all four men chanting, "Push, damnit!"
Thanks so much for your frequent and enthusiastic praise. I really appreciate it. (As for my Ashwinder story... I have a couple over there. I'm a dual 'shipper.) Thanks again.
[Report This]Date: 08/29/2006 09:07 pm Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!! I am so bummed it's done now :(...... but what an excellent read! THanks so much for sharing your vision!
Author's Response: Thanks, Nathair. I'm delighted you enjoyed it so much... and perversely pleased that you're a little bummed. That's a really great compliment for a writer to read.
[Report This]Date: 08/29/2006 08:48 pm Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
Hmmm... did Ron get a vision full mre than he ever wanted? Quite a good story. Well written and thought out. Lucky Hermione!
Author's Response: Thanks very much, mugglemom. I think Ron worked very hard to block out those images.
[Report This]Date: 08/29/2006 03:32 pm Title: A Successful Campaign or None of Us is Unscathed
yay! i love this story, thanks so much for actually finishing it (i get worried about reading WIP)... the end is good, quite satisfying and the overall story is interesting and original. well written...
Author's Response: Thank you very much, mle. I'm delighted you enoyed it and it's kind of you to tell me. I only have one WIP and it's on Ashwinder, so no fears!
[Report This]Date: 08/11/2006 09:27 pm Title: War is Upon Us, or Stand and Be Counted (II)
Pish posh, nothing slow about these past two chapters. I had to reread the both of them to get the full effect, and WOW!!!! I highly recommend everybody do the same, reread the two chapters now that they're both posted and you'll appreciate the effort and drama so much more. I especially like the part where Hermione stands up to McGonagall, nice addition there, really like this solidarity theme of yours. The only 'complaint' I have is the lack of order members coming into the room, only the three women enter. This seems a bit unlikely to me, but would have been a bit confusing to have multiple others coming in to check out Voldemort's demise. Perhaps some yelling of injuries/deaths from the hallway as confirmation by order members milling about???? Sadly I see that this story is near it's end....... look forward to the convelescence of Snape and Harry.
Author's Response: ::pets you:: A battle sequence is so difficult to tell in a short space, isn't it? I also appreciate your going back to read the two chapters together. That was a very kind thing of you to do. Thank you.
Your comment about the additional Order members is a good point to make. I'll have to think about it. I had a reason for minimizing the number who entered when I initially wrote the scene, but for the life of me I don't remember what it was! There've been a number of stories since then, and when I revamped this chapter I may have lost the rationalization. Sigh. I'll probably have to re-read it again some time. You're quite right that we're nearing the end of the story, one more chapter which I'll put in the queue tonight. Thanks for your wonderful and enthusiastic reviews. I'm so glad you've enjoyed the story.
[Report This]Date: 08/11/2006 07:07 pm Title: War is Upon Us, or Stand and Be Counted (II)
WOW - I loved it - I am hoping there is more still to come???
Author's Response: Thank you, thank you, nathair. There is one last chapter which I'll be putting in the queue tonight. I hope you enjoy it.
[Report This]Date: 08/11/2006 03:01 pm Title: War is Upon Us, or Stand and Be Counted (II)
I love this story. I'm not usually a DM/HG shipper, but I'm very curious to see where you will take this, and them. I can't wait for the next update!
I was impressed with the method you chose for Voldemort's destruction. There were points where I was a little frustrated with how slow it was moving. I understand the need to heighten the tension, but sometimes it was so slow I found myself skimming, just to find out what happened next. Just a thought! Anyway, I'm really enjoying this, and can't wait to see where you take it next!
Author's Response: Thank you for your thought-provoking review. I appreciate your forthright comment about it being too slow in places for you. I'm a little uncertain whether you're referring to the battle sequence or the entire story having slow spots, so it's a little bit difficult to respond comprehensively. However, I appreciate the comment.
I also appreciate that you're enjoying the story despite the rough patches. We're winding to our ending so, I hope you enjoy it, and thank you very much for taking the time to review.
[Report This]Date: 08/04/2006 09:49 am Title: War is Upon Us, or Stand and Be Counted (Part One)
Great story. This is one of the best "end of Voldemort" scenes I've read. Wonderful job.
Author's Response: Thank you very much. I'm delighted you're enjoying it. I'll confess that I love to write the 'final battle' scenario. I've written three or four of them (all different,) and this was really fun to come up with something that didn't make Harry an outright murderer... although he certainly provided the instrument of Voldemort's death.
[Report This]Date: 08/02/2006 05:51 pm Title: War is Upon Us, or Stand and Be Counted (Part One)
I like that you explained who and why the 13 people were hand picked. While this information could have been omitted, I find this information appealing, and solidifies their emotional bonding. I also like the fact that you're continuing on with the linkage of the 5 and how they provide emotional support to one another. Nagini was the last horcrux and has been taken care of...
Author's Response: I really appreciate your commenting on this particular thing. Initially, I wasn't going to use it because of the discussion when Draco's regains consciousness, but then I thought about real military squads (from something I'm working on in RL,) and how leaders need to create a cohesiveness... this was my little stab at doing that, and showing the adults that Ron/Harry/Hermione had become adults experientially rather than chronologically. Thank you very much for the review. I'm always so happy to have such intelligent readers! ::grins::
[Report This]Date: 08/01/2006 09:22 pm Title: War is Upon Us, or Stand and Be Counted (Part One)
WOW!!!! This is becoming a really great story, though I find it hard to believe that D/H will be attracted to each other that quickly. This story still draws me in awe. Hope to see it finished soon.
Author's Response: I really appreciate your taking the time to leave me a review, and that you're enjoying it despite having a little trouble with the pairing. I think, going in, that Hermione and Draco have always been aware of the each other. I shan't get on a soapbox here as to why and how, but I'll bear your comment in mind if I go back to edit this story in the future. I do appreciate your letting me know what you think. Thank you.
[Report This]Date: 08/01/2006 08:01 pm Title: War is Upon Us, or Stand and Be Counted (Part One)
OH OH - must have more - this was superb!!!!
Author's Response: I'm glad you're enjoying it. Thanks so much! I'll put the next part into the queue tomorrow morning. Thank you so much, nathair.
[Report This]Date: 07/21/2006 08:46 pm Title: The Front is Engaged; of Must We Kill? (Part Two)
As always a great chapter, nice catch up and I am so glad Draco made it! I can't wait for more!!
Author's Response: Thank you very much. I'm rather pleased Draco survived as well! I wasn't sure for a minute or two whether I would let him keep all his limbs, though. The next one is days away.
[Report This]Date: 07/20/2006 01:06 pm Title: The Front is Engaged; of Must We Kill? (Part Two)
ahahaha, Snape willing to defend Hermione's honor. Gripping chapter, more please.
Author's Response: ::pets you:: I had so much fun writing that line. I'm delighted you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the lovely review.
[Report This]Date: 07/14/2006 11:10 pm Title: The Front is Engaged; or Must We Kill?
Wow. Really it's all I can say (well maybe not, but it's my initial response). Your story is amazing, which is the reason I haven't reviewed in about 10 chapters. I couldn't stop reading. I don't know anything about you, but if you are in the position to go to college, I would recommend you write.
The only thing I could possibly recommend for future chapters is that you tone down some of your vocabulary. Now don't get me wrong, I love your variety. Specifically, you have used some more obscure words in dialogue. This almost always causes the characters to fall out of character and it wouldn't be easy for a reader to discern the meaning of a word without much surrounding sentence.
Above all, I want you to know that this is not a flame. I adore your work and would say that this story falls into my top five favorite fan fictions I have ever read. Trust me when I say this. I don't normally read stories that try and pick up where Joe left off (they are hardly realistic), but I gave your story a chance. Now I have to admit that I do like the Hermione/Draco pairing and you have done a wonderful job making the idea seem realistic. I look forward to reading future chapters and checking out some of your other stories.
Author's Response: Thank you very much for your review and your constructive criticism. I appreciate your comments, and the goodwill with which you give them. I'm not quite sure how to respond to the age/education comment without sounding churlish, which is not my intention at all. I'm well past my college years and have written for a long time, with professional aspirations. Writing prose is fairly new to me, and I continue to learn as I go.
I will bear what you've said about language and characterization in mind in the future. This story is already complete (there are only 4 more chapters to post,) and I don't plan any additional tweaks at this point. I've attempted to keep the characters true to my vision of them, including lingual style. There really isn't space in this forum to discuss my choices at length, but I do have reasons.
I'm equally delighted you gave the story a chance and have enjoyed it for the most part. I hope you continue to enjoy it in the future, and I will look forward to your comments. Thank you once again, for taking the time to tell me what you thought.
[Report This]Date: 07/14/2006 01:39 pm Title: The Front is Engaged; or Must We Kill?
I wandered over from Ashwinder to find, much to my delight, a wonderfully written, tightly wrought story by Bambu! I am looking forward to reading more. Keep up the grand work!
Author's Response: amsev! It's great to see you here, and I'm delighted you're enjoying the story. The next chapter is being posted, soon, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Thank you for taking the time to let me know you're reading.