Reviews For a caged soul


Name: poppunkpadfoot (Signed) · Date: 29 Feb 2020 09:08 AM · For: tower

hey eva, here for cmdc round 3!

 

wow, this is a beautifully written story! your prose is just gorgeous. it has such an ethereal and magical quality to it, and so i must admit that i was quite taken aback (just for a second!) when a kindle appeared! that was clever though, because if you hadn't mentioned a modern technology, i would've fully assumed that this was set in medieval times or something like that.

 

this was recognizable as being very similar to rapunzel from quite early on (specifically it reminded me of Tangled in a few ways) but there were so many ways in which you made it your own, it was engaging and i couldn't wait to see where it was going and if/how hope was going to escape!

 

what really impressed me about this too was hope's complicated feelings towards her mother. there's resentment there and at times she knows that she is being mistreated, but she still feels love for her mother - even right at the end as she's escaping, she refers to her mother as "my lovely mother". It rang incredibly true to me. You also captured that horrible sensation of feeling like someone's love can just be taken away if you step just one toe out of line. obviously that shouldn't be a thing any kid feels re: the love of their parent, but it is a very real phenomenon in emotionally abusive relationships and i feel like you captured it really well.

 

wonderful job, eva!

 

-kayla



Author's Response:

Ack thank you so much for this review! Hahaha, that's very fair, I'm sure the Kindle must've come out of nowhere!

 

Yes -- I think to a less abusive degree parents like Hope's are quite common, where they really hold their children on a tight leash and guilt trip them when they do anything with their lives. I'm really glad that you thought the abuse was portrayed in an interesting way! I feel like it's extremely difficult for children to be raised to be completely indifferent to their parents, even when those parents are horrible and don't really deserve much attention. Thank you for writing your thoughts! It was originally going to be a longer thing, but I might eventually go back to this and rework it to be a standalone one-shot! <3

 

Love,

Eva

 

(for building a sand castle)



Name: lostrobin (Signed) · Date: 16 Dec 2019 12:37 AM · For: tower

I love this so much, Eva, and I have so many questions.

 

First of all, this is so beautifully written. It feels so much like Rapunzel, but you put your own wonderful, lovely twist on it, and your style is just perfect for telling Hope's story. If it weren't for the Kindle, I would have assumed that this was set during fairy-tale times. Hope is such a vibrant character. She really comes off the page and I really hope that she gets the life she wants and a nice house that has tons of windows and trees and plants and everything this sweet girl desires.

 

It was very smart of her to take the vegetables along with her Kindle. Very sensible, and, even though she dreams of adventure, she thinks about rather practical things like food and reading. Hope spent a long time planning this escape, and I really hope she has a good life after this. I just want the best for this girl, and I really think she would like the idea of a library.

 

I like how it's kept a mystery why Hope is kept in this tower. I imagine (based on that conversation and her mother cutting her hair) that Hope's mother is working on either a money-making scheme or some sort of magical medicine. Her mother seems a bit selfish, and I do wonder if she even is Hope's mother from how she treats her like a prisoner rather than her own daughter. She definitely has a life of her own, and I imagine that she keeps Hope a secret from everyone, or, possibly, everyone but the person she was talking to.

 

I wonder if Hope is magical, and if she is, possibly, not entirely human. It seems to me that her hair has magical properties, and, being based on Rapunzel, if her mother is using it for some nefarious purpose. I like the fairy tale of Rapunzel, and I like how she manages to escape on her own. If she is magical, I wonder how her mother has managed to keep Hope from using magic, even accidentally. I really like how you keep things uncertain, adding a sense of mystery to the story. It's absolutely wonderful, and I just really love this story.

 

For the most part, the mother seems pretty horrible. She has some good, though, namely in the songs from musicals she teaches Hope. How she treats Hope, however, makes me worry what would have happened to our poor girl if she had stayed in the tower. It seems like she might care for Hope as a person, but, at least how I read it, is that she cares more about Hope for her hair's potential. I find it interesting that she doesn't start cutting bits of it off until Hope is a teenager. Maybe there's some magical property?

 

I know this is one of your older pieces, but I just really love fairy tales. I loved this, and you have such a wonderful writing style. Thank you for writing this!

 

-A



Author's Response:

Oh, thank you so much for coming to this (old and rusty :P) story and leaving such wonderful thoughts! Yes, I absolutely wanted this story to be set in the Next Gen era -- originally I had this whole extended plot planned but I barely recall any of it now haha. I just vaguely remember that I was going to have Hope join a traveling/touring performance troupe that went from hidden village to hidden village (a troupe that included Dominique Weasley), as she slowly discovered what evil things her mother did to her. What evil things, you may ask? I truly have no idea.

 

I am however really impressed with your observations -- I love the theory that Hope's not entirely human. Is that what I was going for? I HAVE NO IDEA ACK. I'm genuinely so sorry for the complete chaotic-ness of this response -- I love your review so much, and I'm so terribly sorry I can't give you....proper answers......because my memory just refuses to retain things. :P

 

Aw, thank you for all your lovely lovely comments about my writing! It means so much. <3

 

Love,

Eva

 

(for building a sand castle)



Name: sunshine_locks (Signed) · Date: 30 May 2018 11:34 PM · For: tower

I apologize for the late review swap, I was on vacation and didn’t have access to any digital device except for my phone (and it’s very hard to do reviews on there).

 

Rapunzel is actually such an underrated movie in terms of emotional abuse and manipulation, not going to lie. Already, I see the tell-tale signs of abuse, with Hope’s mother telling her not to go near the curtains (I assume this is a parallel between Rapunzel and Mother Gothel telling her she belongs in the tower?).

 

“She keeps the tear a secret from her mother, who will almost certainly take it away.” Yikes. Feeling the need to keep secrets from a parent is the first sign that the parent is probably abusing the child (mild or severe, either way).

 

“Because, unbeknownst to her, if a heart is constrained to hold one person only, its strength will fail, like expanses of land used only to sow plain wheat year after year.” Okay but, this is like the best quote I’ve ever heard of?? It’s like kind of scientific, in a way, but it’s accurate in its message, and I, for one, would never have been able to string these words in such a way.

 

Of course Hope would start to get curious; it’s possible to keep the world from them, but I don’t think it’s possible to stop the curious nature of humans. It’s built in our DNA, I think.

 

“Your intestines are too weak to digest anything other than what I give you, darling.” But the thing about this is that this is literally true. If you give nothing else for your child to eat, the stomach (and immune system too, I think) will react badly if Hope eats something new because her body isn’t used to it. I’m probably thinking a little too much into this, but I wonder if this is another way for Hope’s mother to keep her locked away? Her compromised body would make it impossible for Hope to actually live in the outside world.

 

HOPE’S MOTHER IS A BITCH. Why would she take away the one thing that makes Hope happy?? Her kindle taught her stuff about the world (well, it may not be accurate, but you get me), something that Hope’s mother clearly never intended to do. It’s not good to know nothing about the world. Luckily, ignorance has an easy cure, and Hope seems more than ready to take it.

 

Ah, so I see. Hope is a squib, and considering the stigma around squibs in the Wizarding World, perhaps Hope’s mother is ashamed of her daughter, and doesn’t want anyone to know about Hope. That explains her need to hide Hope away.

 

“You know what, darling? I believe in second chances. I’m a good mother… Just don’t do this again.” Okay, but this is the most heinous thing a parent could do to their child. I literally can feel my anger boil when she said this, because a parent’s love isn’t conditional on how well a child can listen to them; in fact it can’t have conditions at all. I absolutely hate it when parents punish their children for stepping a foot out of line, because it’s not productive at all, and it only leads the child to distance themselves. I also hate how Hope’s mother seems to think that she’s the epitome of a good mother, and she believes that Hope should fall into this trap as well. It’s not true at all. Good parents would acknowledge their mistakes and apologize to their children.

 

I did mention that Hope was a squib, but maybe her magic just hasn’t developed enough? (Using my own meta here, lol.) Rapunzel’s hair had the magical healing powers, so maybe Hope does too, and that’s why Hope’s mother kept some locks of it? It’s creepy and kind of stalker like as hell, despite the fact Hope lives with her mother.

 

Hope’s mother is just so unsympathetic and unfeeling to Hope’s concerns, and although she says she loves Hope, I believe it’s more of an obsession than anything. Hope clearly loves her mother to the moon and back, but Hope’s mother doesn’t have decency to reciprocate it in kind. If she is, she’s showing it in the most twisted and screwed up way ever.

 

Hope’s mother dangling what exactly Hope doesn’t have (in terms of freedom, and maybe magic too?) is truly evil. Leaving at night when Hope’s mother knows that Hope can’t do the same.

 

“She feels a horrible sense of guilt that she’s betraying the love her mother has so carefully bestowed upon her, but she tries to push it down.” Another sign of abuse. Please Hope, I sincerely hope (haha) you get yourself out of this situation because you deserve your own freedom and you also deserve better than that.

 

I’m angry, but I feel the fear coursing through my veins as well when Hope’s mother got angry at her. It’s such a horrible feeling, to know it’s not your fault, but feeling guilty about it anyways. It’s the kind of feeling that stays with you for a long time, festering.

 

“I don’t understand why you never learn.” To Hope’s mother, No. Just no. Sincerely, someone who wants the best for Hope, who clearly deserves the world to hold in her hands.

 

Now I’m genuinely convinced that Hope’s mother is out of her freaking mind? Exactly what is she successful of? What has she been doing for the past years? What has occupied her time so much that she couldn’t properly take care of her daughter (what she was doing was clearly a cheap mockery of it).

 

It’s not quite the ending I am hoping for, but I’ll take it because I can interpret it however I wish. Happy endings are never a guarantee, but I’d like to think that Hope went through her ups and downs before coming to peace with her reality, and finally living out her life how she wants to.

 

(Also, it says Dominique Weasley in the tags, and I’m not sure where exactly she fits into the story, or even where she is? Maybe I’m just dumb lmao)



Author's Response:

That's totally fine, I didn't even notice the wait haha. Hope you enjoyed your vacation, though! Also your review was sooo much fun to read, because all of your insight was just so smart!

 

It took me a second to figure out which movie you were talking about, but I think you mean Tangled? Which did inspire this story in some ways, but my author's note was actually referring to the original Rapunzel fairy tale haha. (If you haven't read the Grimm's brother version of the fairy tales, go and check it out! Obviously it's not perfect in any way, shape, or form, but it was the fairy tale that I was inspired by for this challenge.)

 

I agree that Hope's mother is abusive on some level. I mean, keeping your child in the same small prison for eighteen years of her life is pretty terrible. And Hope knows from such a young age that anything to do with the outside will be taken away from her, but she just doesn't know that it's abuse just yet.

 

Aww thank you! I struggled a lot writing that line so I'm glad you liked it haha. But also I do really think it's true, like if someone forces you to focus only on them, then you might think that you love them but you get tired. And it's exhausting. And hmm your thoughts on the innate curiosity of human beings is really interesting! I personally think that in order to be curious, you have to be given something to be curious about, if you know what I mean? Which is also a reason why I made her a voracious reader -- because I think that without the books, she never would've questioned her existence in the tower at all.

 

Can I just say here that your reaction to Hope's mother giving Hope a limited variety of food is one of the smartest things I've ever read?? It made me smile because YES, you totally understood the dilemma I was trying to present. At the moment, it's super unclear as to why Hope is kept in the tower, and so there is definitely a good chance that Hope is really, genuinely sickly. But you're the first person to understand the possible flip side of it, that Hope isn't actually sick, and that her mother is making her that way. Hopefully I can get around to writing the next couple chapters soon! I'm excited to talk more about these two possibilities haha.

 

You're so right, Hope's mother definitely underestimated what books can do, and so now that she's realizing her errors, she wants to undo it. Thankfully, Hope has already seen the world outside through her stories (though you're right, lol, books probably aren't a terribly accurate representation of the outside world haha).

 

Your predictions make me happy. ;)

 

YES. Can I just quote your entire paragraph at you, about conditional love and inflexible parents?? It's so true, all of it, and Hope's mother is just a horrific representation of parenting gone wrong. And yes. Parents need to be able to apologize. They need to teach their kids that apologies are normal if you do something wrong. Anyway just know that I really super appreciated your commentary here!

 

(I will mention that in the original Rapunzel story, there wasn't any magical flower that granted Rapunzel's hair powers, so Hope's hair doesn't have any powers haha. But your guesses about why Hope's mother collected the hair were super interesting anyway, thank you so much for leaving them! <3)

 

I agree about everything. Hope's mother may think that she loves Hope, but any parent that shows their "love" this way should really begin to rethink their feelings. It's not healthy for Hope to be raised in such a terrible environment as this. Honestly if I were imprisoned like this I don't know what I would do with myself.

 

I have so many exciting things planned about Hope's mother, but first Hope needs to meet a few other people hehe. Hopefully I can get this story done at some point! Though it's already been a good number of months since I wrote anything for it (whoops) so I'm just going to uh let it sit here until I feel a burning desire for it to get written. FINGERS CROSSED.

 

Thank you so much for your review! <3

 

~Eva



Name: nott theodore (Signed) · Date: 12 May 2018 02:10 PM · For: tower

Hi Eva!  I'm so sorry that it's taken me a terrible amount of time to get here and review your story, but I'm finally judging the entries for my Fairy Tale Challenge, and I get to tell you how great this is!

 

It seems like something small, but I really enjoyed the use of present tense for this story; a lot of the time fairy tales are told as something more distant and historical, so that brought us right into the story, while the beautiful writing style (honestly, I could just read your writing all day) fitted so well with the fairy tale theme.  

 

I think the present tense also helped me to relate more quickly to Hope's character, feeling closer to her.  Your characterisation of Hope throughout this chapter was fascinating, and I really loved the way that you explored so many different facets of her personality and her identity in this chapter, so that I felt I got to know her really well.  The fact that she had such an endearing personality despite having no exposure to the outside world was even more impressive, I think.

 

Hope's love of reading was one aspect of her character which really endeared her to me, and it makes sense that she would love it so much when it allows her to escape into a world other than her bedroom and living room in the tower where her mother keeps her.  The mention of the Kindle felt a little out-of-place here, but that could just be because I wasn't expecting it - since Hope is so isolated from the world, there aren't that many markers which indicate a time period when this takes place, so there's not really any reason why she wouldn't have a Kindle :P

 

I loved the complexities of Hope's character, and particularly her feelings about her mother; when she's younger, her mother is her whole world, and she wants nothing more than to please her.  Then that glimpse of the outside world gives her the first inkling that there's more for her to discover, and yet she still craves her mother's love and approval.  I think the way that you showed the progression of her relationship with her mother, and the build-up to Hope's escape, was really well done and much more in-depth and detailed than I'd expect to see in a story adapted from a fairy tale.  It's a brilliant inclusion in this story.

 

I'm not sure if Hope's mother is a canon character, especially as they're both Japanese (that's only a little detail but I loved it, by the way - I just can't think of any Japanese canon characters), but I'm really intrigued to see how she's involved in the wizarding world and why she's so determined to keep Hope locked up in the tower.  When she told Hope that the world outside was full of horrors and that she was too vulnerable and sick to go outside (which reminded me a little bit of Everything, Everything), I began to wonder if it was actually true or if she was just saying that to keep her inside - or maybe even if Hope is actually a Squib, and that's why she's hiding her from the world?

 

Is Hope even her mother's daughter?  What's her mother doing out at night with locks of Hope's hair?

 

I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS.

 

Which, obviously, is a good thing, because you've made sure I'm invested in your characters and I really want to know more about them, and what's going to happen to Hope in particular.  

 

My favourite part was the twist at the end, though - I loved the fact that Hope didn't just smash the glass and wait for a prince(ss) to come and rescue her, but she found her own way out of the tower.  The way that she cut off her hair felt really symbolic and I'm looking forward to reading your updates, and seeing how you subvert other aspects of the original tale!

 

Sian :)



Author's Response:

SIAN HI.

 

Your reviews are always so long and good, I don't even know how you have the time to leave all of these?? But thank you so much, I really appreciate hearing all your thoughts. <3

 

Ahaha I think this is the first time I've used present tense, and it actually was to make it sound stylistically different, but you have no idea how many times I forgot I was supposed to be writing in present tense. Like, I would finish writing a bit, and then I would come back the next day and just start writing in past tense, and it was the most frustrating thing ever. Why am I so dumb hahaha. But thank you so much! I'm glad that it helped you relate to Hope a little more.

 

I considered omitting the Kindle for that reason haha, that this chapter is rather vague in terms of time period, but it's definitely a product that people of her time would be using on a regular basis. It's a good way for her to have one place for all her books, so that her already-tiny rooms don't get filled up with all the stories she wants to read. Her mother wouldn't want that lmao.

 

At this point I don't know how else to react other than by offering you many bear hugs because asdl;slkjd everything you say!! Makes me so happy!!! Writing their relationship was hard, and tbh I probably should've run it more thoroughly through a beta haha.

 

Yes, they are both Japanese! I can't think of any canon Japanese characters, either, so I guess that answers your question lmao. (I need to read/watch Everything, Everything! I've heard so much about it.) And I love all of your questions, and I'm so excited to see them answered in the upcoming chapters. If I ever get to writing them. :3

 

THANK YOU SO MUCH <3

 

~Eva



Name: Aphoride (Signed) · Date: 06 May 2018 05:32 PM · For: tower

Hi hi hi! :) So I've been eying this story for a while because I love fairytale adaptaions and twists, yk, so this is right up my street - but I never had a chance to drop by, so here I am! :) 

 

And I loved this! The way you write in this story reads so like a fairytale - it has that mystical sort of lyrical quality about it, and I couldn't help reading it in Helena Bonham Carter's voice like the new Cinderella film :P I love how you tackle, as always, some difficult themes in this: false imprisonment, abusive families, and how it can be so hard to leave somewhere and someone, even when you know it's not good for you to stay. Love is complicated and powerful thing, and I love that you show that, even when it, perhaps, results in more suffering. 

 

Your characters, as always, are so good. I'm so curious to know who her mother is - if she's anyone we know from canon - and what exactly her mother is doing with her hair and who this 'we' is. I'm pretty sure the 'we' can't be anything good, and the hair sounds like it's linked to making money, but whether that's by doing something good or bad, I don't know. I love how curious Hope is, too, and how for a lot of this chapter, she doesn't really realise that telling her mother stuff will result in bad things happening: she's innocent and naive and trusting enough to say about the tear in the curtains and about the Kindle teaching her things about the outside world, but she learns and grows - even if slowly and painfully, from the outcome of that. But the way you show her difficulty with accepting that telling her mother things is bad, that she has to lie and pretend, is so true to life, I think, and I love that you showed that. 

 

Also I love that she's breaking herself out, as ofc in the fairytale, she waits for a handsome prince :P 

 

As always, your writing in this is so so good - you have such a lovely balance of description and dialogue, and you use both so well - and the present tense works so perfectly for this. I really liked as well some of the narrator-type asides, where you mentioned 'holding love in your heart for more than one person' and the repetition of some of those ideas; they were just so perfectly fairytale-esque and fit in so so well. And such beautiful phrases, too :) 

 

Loved it. Write more! (Please? :P) 

 

Aph xx



Author's Response:

Hi hi! I love fairytale adaptations, too, and I'm so delighted you dropped by here!

 

Oh wow, that makes me so happy! Helena Bonham Carter's voice is one of the best parts of that movie, so that's so great to hear that you could imagine this in her voice haha. Unfortunately, my mental speech is set quite firmly to "American" so even if I try really hard, I don't get any of those pretty British fairytale-reading style-type voices, which is so sad. Ahahaha one day I should challenge myself to write something purely fluffy because I can't seem to do that lmao. But yes, I did really want to write about the possible real-world effects that being imprisoned like this would have on our "Rapunzel." It was interesting to think about.

 

It would be very cool if her mother was someone we knew from canon! Unfortunately I cannot yet disclose that (especially since I'm still going back and forth on a few options lmao) so I shall keep quiet for now haha. Your speculations are very fun to read, and though I can't respond to any of them, just know I appreciated them all. And yeah, Hope is pretty naive in the beginning, and will likely continue to be very, very naive throughout the rest of the story, because of her upbringing.

 

There is no handsome prince as this is going to be quite the gay story ;D

 

I think this is the first time I've used present tense, and let me tell you, writing this was a trial. My brain doesn't operate naturally in present tense at all, so it was so so hard. Thank you so much, though! Even with all the difficulties, it was a lot of fun to write. I love love love stories with the narrator being like a separate voice ("A Series of Unfortunate Events" comes to mind) so I appreciate your comments so much!

 

Hehe I will definitely be writing more. <3

 

~Eva



Name: Felpata_Lupin (Signed) · Date: 20 Apr 2018 03:09 PM · For: tower

Hey, hon! Here for our swap! :)

 

As I was reading I kept thinking about Rapunzel... looks like I guessed right for once... :P

 

Poor Hope... I do wonder, why did her mother kept her closed into the house? And what will happen now that she's found a way out? Of course I'm happy for her, but I'm also scared because I have a feeling something bad is going to happen...

 

As always, your writing is lovely! I love how you write children, you have a great talent for it and I just love reading children! I think that's something we have in common, actually... :P Anyway, five year old Hope was so adorable and I loved the scene when she found the tear in the drapes. And her stupor at seeing the colours outside... poor child...

 

Her mother's reactions at her questions are so awful. Really, that woman is just cruel. And the fact that Hope loves her so much and feels the need for her affection and approval so much makes me so terribly sad, because, really, she's being abused and she doesn't even realize it... she thinks she's loved... this makes me so angry!

 

I love how she has at least her books to take her into a bigger world, and I love how the books are what give her the inspiration and the strength to get away and find her freedom. And now I'm really curious to see what happens next. And by the way, I'm really curious to find out what her mother is up to, too... where does she go every night? Why does she bring her hair? With what was she successful? And yeah, who is the we? Because I'm assuming it doesn't include Hope...

 

You'll need to write on, girl, because I'm very curious to know more about this, and because I don't have anything else to read for future swaps, and that's not good... :P

 

Love you! Snowball hug!

 

Chiara



Author's Response:

HI CHIARA.

 

What do you mean, "guessed right for once"? You're such an intelligent reader, it's why I love reading your reviews! <3

 

Oooh, I love hearing your questions. I can't answer all of them right now, but just know that I really appreciate the speculation. There are so many things I want to write for this story (hopefully I can fit it into three chapters like I originally planned haha), but, as always, there's so much to do and not enough time. Hope is in for a wild ride, I'll just let you know that. There will be considerable ups and downs, and she'll be able to feel love and fear like she's never felt in her life before, so make of that what you will hehe.

 

Ahh thank you so much! I love writing children (and I love reading the children you write) so I definitely think that's something we have in common! Oh, gosh, yes. Poor five-year-old Hope. Her world was limited to dull and dark colors, and the hardest part of writing that scene was trying to figure out how someone who's never seen such vivid colors before would feel. I think I take my vision and freedom a little for granted sometimes, so writing this was like, there are lots of things I don't know about.

 

I know, her mother is so, so terrible. Writing Hope's obsessive need for her mother's love and approval was one of the saddest things I've written tbh, even though it's not exactly a heartbreaking moment. It's just sad to think about how her mother has managed to control her to that degree. And I think this kind of abuse deserves more attention, too, because physical abuse is always the better known form, but this sort of mental abuse is just as damaging.

 

Books are magical, aren't they? I loved writing about Hope's love for her books. I'm so happy you're curious!! I hope that everything that I've got planned will make for a satisfying read in the future. Speaking of which, I'll definitely need to start moving on with the next few chapters, and thank you so much for your kind words. (And I can't believe you've reviewed everything on my AP so far! Ahhh I'll definitely need to write more now, so I can get more of your beautiful reviews.)

 

THANK YOU, LOVE YOU <3

 

~Eva



Name: dreamgazer220 (Signed) · Date: 15 Mar 2018 06:39 PM · For: tower

Hey, Eva! I'm here judging for the Say Goodbye challenge ♥

So I was pretty excited to read more of your writing, and even more excited that you were combining this with the fairytale challenge -- because who doesn't love fairy tales, am I right?  

Your writing in this is so beautiful.  It reads just like a fairytale; how it starts when Hope is young and so sheltered, and all she wants is to be loved by her mother. I loved her love of reading, though, and how it starts when her mother reads stories to her before bed and it just grows from there, expanding her world and her curiosity to when she's older.

And I suppose in a way, her mother's not wrong; there are some horrors in the world, but there's also beauty, and it's horrible to not let Hope experience them herself.  If she's so delicate, I can't help but wonder if there's something medically wrong with her, or if it's just poison from her mother's mouth.  Ugh, you made these characters so real, Eva.  Even her mother, and I can't help but wonder if her mother is someone we know.  I had a horrifying moment when I thought Bellatrix was her mother -- and it would make sense, given that she's always escaping into the night, and when she came back so excited, it really sounded like a Death Eater. But I'm just not sure :P 

I loved watching Hope try and figure out a way to escape.  The pacing here was perfect; nothing felt too dragged on, and I was definitely cheering with Hope as she finally managed to make her way out the window and escape into the real world.

There are so many other wonderful things about this, but I'm going to sign off here.  Thank you for your unique take on this challenge, and for the reminder that goodbyes aren't always sad and heartbreaking, but also full of hope.

Excellent job, and thanks for participating in the challenge! ♥



Author's Response:

Hi Jill! I'll forever be impressed by how quickly you reviewed all the entries. <3

 

Fairytales are the best things ever. I had a phase as a kid where I would just live and breathe fairytales each and every day, and it drove my parents insane haha.

 

Eep I'm so happy you think it reads like a fairytale! Especially since Rapunzel is one of my favorite fairytales ever, so thinking of ways to adapt it into the Harry Potter world was a lot of fun. I think that reading is so, so important for children and teenagers (and adults as well, to be honest), and of course I love it, so I seized to opportunity to just ramble on and on about reading in this chapter (as you can probably tell haha).

 

Yeah, her mother is...quite subtly abusive. WHOA Bellatrix being her mother would be an amazing plot twist, but unfortunately this takes place after Bellatrix's death, and also, Hope and her mother are both Japanese. But I was so excited by your idea that I actually walked around just sort of marveling at it haha. It would be a really cool idea. I just wanted to work with someone that you wouldn't be familiar with, so that there's this empty slate as to who they are as a person. :P

 

I'm glad you liked the pacing at the end here; it was really difficult to write, so thank you! And I'm relieved that this goodbye fit within the constraints of your challenge haha.

 

Thank you so much for your absolutely wonderful review. <3

 

~Eva



Name: victoria_anne (Signed) · Date: 08 Mar 2018 10:37 PM · For: tower

Hey there, gorgeous!

 

Wow oh wow! I was drawn into this story straight away. Part was curiosity over why Hope is kept inside her house her whole life, and even when I learnt the answer - that she's sick or has some ailment - my curiousity only grew. Then I was hooked because of Hope's character. Dear lord, I love her. I think mostly because I can relate to her. I, too, am locked in my house all day. ONLY JOKING, it's the part about reading to escape and how she's so imaginitive. I love it so much!

 

I love reading about her internal dilemma. I find the struggle fascinating and realistic. How she's desperate for two things, but ultimately she'll need to sacrifice one to have the other.  It leaves me totally on edge about what's going to happen. I especially adore how much she's inspired by the characters in her stories.

 

Okay, to answer your concerns...

 

UM, YES, OBVIOUSLY I WANT TO READ MORE?! How dare you just leave it there in the first place?! I need to know the real reason Hope is kept inside, what the heck her mother is up to, where Hope ends up. PLEASE UPDATE THIS SOON I AM DYING HERE!!! I can see how the story of Rapunzel was an inspiration for this, but I think you've handled the adaption really well. Hope's circumstances aren't the same, plus there's magic involved, and I don't think Rapunzel had a Kindle :P And I love LOVE that Hope losing her hair was a symbol for her leaving, that cutting it off marks the beginning of her new journey. It's perfect.

 

So, in conclusion, I loved this so very very much, and I can't wait for more! Good luck in the challenges! <3



Author's Response:

Bianca, you are hilarious and I love you. This review made me laugh so much, thank you.

 

HAHAHA I am glad that you were able to relate to Hope. Can you imagine life without reading? Where would I be as a person if I didn't have my lovely books as I proceed in my extremely antisocial activities? And I know you read a lot too! You're knocking this year's reading challenge out of the park. Anyway, yes, I think that Hope reading books saved her life and gave it meaning in some ways. Imagine what she would've had to go through if her mother had actually understood the consequences of letting her read and had taken her books away lmao.

 

At some point while I was writing the ending to this chapter, where she really starts to war with herself, it hit me that Hope has lived eighteen years of her life in a space so small and isolated that housing animals there would probably be immoral, and I was like, "...How is she going to be able to interact with anyone." I'm glad you liked her internal dilemma! I think she sacrificed a lot to leave, so we'll see if her book characters helped her or ruined her haha.

 

YAYAY THANK YOU! Thank you so much for this review. <3

 

~Eva



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