Subject: Good story!
Author:
Posted on: 2012-10-13 18:24:00 UTC
Seeing all the rave reviews, I had to take a look, and I concur most heartily! My only "complaint" is that it feels like we've picked up in the middle, and I'd love to read the beginning. 'Course I want to read the rest, too, but I'm very curious to see how Val found herself in another world and became friends with Eleanor and started on this quest in the first place.
I approve of that second name, by the way, even if it is a little surreal seeing it refer to someone else. I have a rather personal attachment to it. ^_~
There were one or two lines that gave me pause, though:
- "She squinted at the pages before her, then scowled at the dim red balls of light floating at various points between the shelves and the black clouds visible through the high windows."
I think you mean she scowled at the balls of light between the shelves and then scowled at the clouds outside, but it took some work to get there for me. The construction "between the shelves and the black clouds" could put the floating balls somewhere between the library and the sky—not terribly useful for the people trying to read. {= )
- "'And what would be the reason for their discomfort?' Eleanor asked absently, continuing to scan the pages and on the right-hand one."
Not sure where you were going with the description from "continuing." Maybe "continuing to scan the right-hand page"?
- The dialogue between "There is a seat on this side as well, Valerie" and "That does not look natural."
There seem to be two conversations happening in parallel here, one about behavior and the other about the lake. This happens a lot in writing, but isn't how people usually talk—there isn't enough time. Given a choice of topics, a person will respond to the thing they feel is most pressing, and the other person responds to that, etc. Here, you could easily have them banter about each other's behavior for a few lines and then bring it back to the lake when Val leans over the book to see the illustrations.
That's all I caught. I loved the descriptions of the weather once they got to the lake. I could really imagine how heavy and cold the rain is, and hear it crashing down, muffling the girls' words and making them shout.
Also... heh. "Royally screwed." I do believe that is a pune, or play-on-words. *g*
~Neshomeh