(contemplating) The Problem with Purity by Silver Birch
Link to The Problem with Purity
First, I want to celebrate the ending of the saga of fixing-autumnmist's-internet-connection... It only took, uh 8 days for me to regain functional and reliable internet service from AT&T. (Whyyyyy can't FiOS be sold here???)
I've been reading and enjoying The Problem with Purity (henceforth TPwP)--probably currently my favorite WIP that is regularly updated. I love the descriptions of the magic and research Hermione's been doing into the wards/potions. The Hermione in TPwP is most definitely Mary Sue-ish, and yet, I don't really have a huge problem with it. It's a bit hard to swallow that she'd develop the Weresbane potion, become a master-level potion and charms brewer, have little need of sleep, etc. all within one year... and yet I don't mind all that much because the writing is good and the grammar is impeccable (pet peeve--I always get jolted out of a story when I read its/it's exchanged). Plus Silver Birch clearly has tried to at least justify/tie this specialness back to Hermione's identity as a Pure Adult. It's not that Hermione is acquiring abilities out of thin air--the unicorn Animagus and the reduced need for sleep, the ability to work with the castle and wards and Solace's prophecies. Although I am wondering, now that I think of it, what characteristics is Harry going to acquire out of his Animagus alter ego? Presumably if Hermione gets some from the unicorns, Harry will too?
I do think this Hermione has some weaknesses and flaws that make her more normal, though I'm not sure if Silver Birch will ever explore them... Hermione may always seem like she can deftly manage the emotional/relationship tangles with her peers in this story, but she's clearly completely incapable of understanding Snape or Viktor (leading him on much?). I rather hope that Hermione will have to face Viktor's feelings for her and realize she hasn't been handling them well/at all. And most of all, I'm willing to forgive a lot of the Hermione-is-awesome because TPwP kinda reminds me of the Hermione in Anna's (coldcoffeeeyes) Travelogue trilogy -- which I recced recently in my fangirl_tour submission.
What do you think?
First, I want to celebrate the ending of the saga of fixing-autumnmist's-internet-connection... It only took, uh 8 days for me to regain functional and reliable internet service from AT&T. (Whyyyyy can't FiOS be sold here???)
I've been reading and enjoying The Problem with Purity (henceforth TPwP)--probably currently my favorite WIP that is regularly updated. I love the descriptions of the magic and research Hermione's been doing into the wards/potions. The Hermione in TPwP is most definitely Mary Sue-ish, and yet, I don't really have a huge problem with it. It's a bit hard to swallow that she'd develop the Weresbane potion, become a master-level potion and charms brewer, have little need of sleep, etc. all within one year... and yet I don't mind all that much because the writing is good and the grammar is impeccable (pet peeve--I always get jolted out of a story when I read its/it's exchanged). Plus Silver Birch clearly has tried to at least justify/tie this specialness back to Hermione's identity as a Pure Adult. It's not that Hermione is acquiring abilities out of thin air--the unicorn Animagus and the reduced need for sleep, the ability to work with the castle and wards and Solace's prophecies. Although I am wondering, now that I think of it, what characteristics is Harry going to acquire out of his Animagus alter ego? Presumably if Hermione gets some from the unicorns, Harry will too?
I do think this Hermione has some weaknesses and flaws that make her more normal, though I'm not sure if Silver Birch will ever explore them... Hermione may always seem like she can deftly manage the emotional/relationship tangles with her peers in this story, but she's clearly completely incapable of understanding Snape or Viktor (leading him on much?). I rather hope that Hermione will have to face Viktor's feelings for her and realize she hasn't been handling them well/at all. And most of all, I'm willing to forgive a lot of the Hermione-is-awesome because TPwP kinda reminds me of the Hermione in Anna's (coldcoffeeeyes) Travelogue trilogy -- which I recced recently in my fangirl_tour submission.
What do you think?