This month's TCWT prompt is:
"Write a letter to an antagonist."
After some deliberation, I have decided not to write a letter to Scar from The Lion King, as I originally had planned. Yes, Scar is my most-despised villain from my most-loved movie. But I don't really have much to say to him other than "You're a filthy, murderous creep and I hope those hyenas suck the marrow from your bones, murderer."
Which, you know, is a nice way to relieve stress and all, but would get really old after a few pages.
So, instead, I'm writing to someone else. Someone I don't hate, someone I can relate to. He's not the most evil villain I know, or the most brilliant, or the most attractive.
He may, however, be the most misunderstood.
Dear Severus Snape,
Before I say anything else, I'd like to establish that I agree that you are an excellently constructed character. J.K. Rowling is to be admired for creating such a potent blend of villainy and humanity. My quarrel is not with her.
My quarrel is with you.
Everywhere I turn, I find your fandom. They swoon over your devotion to Lily. They praise you for your continued efforts in keeping Harry alive. Some even seem to believe that YOU are the true hero of the Harry Potter series.
I disagree.
Throughout the Harry Potter series, I have watched you deal vicious attacks to the students in your care, including, but not limited to: Harry Potter, Neville Longbottom, and Hermione Granger. You have threatened to kill beloved pets, mocked the appearance of vulnerable teenage girls, and openly favored the most malicious among your students.
Were you a fellow student at Hogwarts, this abuse would be reprehensible. But you are not a student. You are an adult, a teacher, designed to be a NURTURER of children.
But do you nurture them? Do you even ONCE express a desire to change, or show a hint of remorse for your actions? No. You are merciless, unrepentant, unrelenting.
And so I denounce you, Severus Snape, as a villain. You may be more real, more human, more sympathetic than the average literary antagonist. But you are not the hero of this story.
Harry Potter is.
Sincerely,
Sarah R. Hudson
Showing posts with label TCWT Blog Chain. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TCWT Blog Chain. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
WHISPERS IN AUTUMN: TCWT Blog Chain
This month, TCWT is celebrating small presses and self-publishers. In keeping with that, the blog chain's topic is:
“Choose one self-published book to read, then briefly review it or talk about your experiences reading it.”
I got the book at 8:42 PM. About an hour later, I decided to read the first chapter, 'just to get a feel for the book.' At 1:30 AM, I read the last page.
This book is that good. It kept me up for hours. I read it on the couch. I read it in the bathroom. I read it in my bed. And now it is my very great pleasure to review it on my blog.
WHISPERS IN AUTUMN: REVIEW
There are three major things that I always assess about a book. They are:
1. The Cover
I confess it -- I'm a cover snob. I do not like covers that look like they were made by a ten-year-old with Photoshop. I have read and loved books with awful covers, but I always feel a little ashamed to take them out in public.
This cover, on the other hand, is gorgeous. I love the font. I love the colors. I love the leaves in her hair. I would like to have a hard copy of this cover just to carry around.
2. The Characters
†† And yes, I realize that this is not the sort of death that is supposed to cause deep emotional trauma. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS, OKAY?!
I was worried about the topic at first, not sure how I would get my hands on a self-published book. I didn't think my regular method would work so well.
But then I mentioned this on the blog, and John (the blog owner and Supreme Cake Lord) was awesome and kind enough to contact his friend Trisha Leigh, and she was in turn awesome and kind enough to send me a FREE ePub copy of her book, Whispers In Autumn.
But then I mentioned this on the blog, and John (the blog owner and Supreme Cake Lord) was awesome and kind enough to contact his friend Trisha Leigh, and she was in turn awesome and kind enough to send me a FREE ePub copy of her book, Whispers In Autumn.
I got the book at 8:42 PM. About an hour later, I decided to read the first chapter, 'just to get a feel for the book.' At 1:30 AM, I read the last page.
This book is that good. It kept me up for hours. I read it on the couch. I read it in the bathroom. I read it in my bed. And now it is my very great pleasure to review it on my blog.
WHISPERS IN AUTUMN: REVIEW
1. The Cover
I confess it -- I'm a cover snob. I do not like covers that look like they were made by a ten-year-old with Photoshop. I have read and loved books with awful covers, but I always feel a little ashamed to take them out in public.
This cover, on the other hand, is gorgeous. I love the font. I love the colors. I love the leaves in her hair. I would like to have a hard copy of this cover just to carry around.
2. The Characters
Oh. My. Lucas. He was possibly my favorite thing about this book. (I mean, he's smart, he's sweet, and he smells fabulous. What more could a girl want?)
I also thought Althea was an excellent POV character. I connected to her and enjoyed her voice. She did grate on my nerves sometimes with her refusal to realize things that seemed obvious to me, and her occasional use of the phrase 'banana balls' jolted me out of the story whenever it occurred -- it just didn't seem to fit with her character. But overall I liked her, and I LOVED her hair.
All other characters fit neatly into the picture. None particularly stood out to me, but they felt real, and that's all that counts.
I also thought Althea was an excellent POV character. I connected to her and enjoyed her voice. She did grate on my nerves sometimes with her refusal to realize things that seemed obvious to me, and her occasional use of the phrase 'banana balls' jolted me out of the story whenever it occurred -- it just didn't seem to fit with her character. But overall I liked her, and I LOVED her hair.
All other characters fit neatly into the picture. None particularly stood out to me, but they felt real, and that's all that counts.
3. The Storytelling
In a market saturated with dystopian novels that taste like chicken, Trisha Leigh has created beef. Her world was vibrant and immersive: vaguely reminiscent of The Giver, but with defining elements that set it apart from anything I have ever read.
And she made me feel. I fell head over heels for the romance. I was genuinely horrified by the villains. I may need therapy to recover from the death of [***SPOILER DO NOT READ WHAT COMES NEXT TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA Lucas's fish††. TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA OKAY YOU CAN KEEP READING AFTER THIS***]
And so I rate this book a thick slice of pumpkin pie, still warm from the oven. You should go read it. Meanwhile, I will be kicking back with the sequel, which I got for my birthday last week. Winter Omens, here I come!
In a market saturated with dystopian novels that taste like chicken, Trisha Leigh has created beef. Her world was vibrant and immersive: vaguely reminiscent of The Giver, but with defining elements that set it apart from anything I have ever read.
And she made me feel. I fell head over heels for the romance. I was genuinely horrified by the villains. I may need therapy to recover from the death of [***SPOILER DO NOT READ WHAT COMES NEXT TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA Lucas's fish††. TRA-LA-LA-LA-LA OKAY YOU CAN KEEP READING AFTER THIS***]
And so I rate this book a thick slice of pumpkin pie, still warm from the oven. You should go read it. Meanwhile, I will be kicking back with the sequel, which I got for my birthday last week. Winter Omens, here I come!
† Even if you aren't a teen writer, TCWT is cool. Just CLICK THE LINK.
†† And yes, I realize that this is not the sort of death that is supposed to cause deep emotional trauma. I HAVE A LOT OF FEELINGS, OKAY?!
BLOG CHAIN SCHEDULE:
February 5th – http://the-writing-junkie.blogspot.com/
February 6th – http://miriamjoywrites.wordpress.com/
February 7th – http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com/
February 8th – http://fida-islaih.blogspot.com/
February 9th – http://sarahhudsonscribbles.blogspot.ca/ <-- YOU ARE HERE!
February 10th http://avonsbabbles.wordpress.com/
February 11th http://notebooksisters.blogspot.com/
February 12th http://mirrormadeofwords.wordpress.com/
February 13th http://www.lilyjenness.blogspot.com/
February 14th http://www.writerbewildered.blogspot.com/
February 15th http://realteenreader.wordpress.com/
February 16th http://epistolarygirl.wordpress.com/
February 17th http://incessantdroningofaboredwriter.wordpress.com/
February 18th http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com/ (They'll announce the topic for next month’s chain.)
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