Fan-fiction gaining its own fanon, or even a need for its own wiki, is a rare occurrence but kmbell92 of Wattpad fame has done just that. With stories such as Brightest Star (LittleMissHels_) and Mermaid Muse (meowizard_xox) being inspired by Tightly Knit's world, kmbell92 has come along way since Her started reading her HP fanfic all those years ago. And this journey should show to others that unpublished do not need to be publication to inspire and succeed. Today, Her is going to review two books of kmbell92; Tightly Knit and its companion Imagine Dragons.
Title: Tightly Knit
Published: Last Updated in 2016
Format: Fan-fiction
Publisher: Wattpad
Epeolatry London's Rating: ****
Her's Rating: ****
Series List
Gunpowder & Cinnamon
Raising Hope
Last First Kiss
Pranking Prodigies
'The one that began it all ..."
Book Summary
Life was complicated for Eleanor Ross from the moment she was born to a Muggle mother. With her father nowhere in the picture and her magic appearing, Eleanor grows up in a household where her mother, Maggie, is convinced she's gone mental one day and the next is set on hiding her daughter's secret from everyone outside the home. That is until Eleanor receives her letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy. Suddenly, everything makes sense to Maggie, and Eleanor finally finds a place where she doesn't have to hide anything. Fred and George Weasley, the famous twins, are known for pulling off some of the greatest pranks of their time. No student or professor, for that matter, is safe. They have dedicated their fifth year of Hogwarts to prank everyone in the castle. It's a piece of cake, until they try to prank Eleanor Ross, the unsuspecting Hufflepuff. At first, it seems like they've miscalculated the execution of their pranks, but when Fred witnesses one of their pranks, literally bounce off of Eleanor, his curiosity is peaked. He is determined to figure out how Eleanor is dodging their mischievous ways. He wants to figure out her secret but he and George have to get out of detention first.
Her's Review
"It is clear from the get-go that extensive editing has been done on Tightly Knit since I first read it. Bad writing habits abounded in some places but vast improvements are clear in kmbell92's ability to find a good balance between showing the actions and emotions and telling them in the narrative. This is particularly clear during dialogue; speeding up the read and not logging it down with extensive description! Such a skill was even more important in the case of kmbell92's stories with chapter numbers in the realms of the 100s. So being bogged down with long paragraphs, little dialogue, and difficulty creating mental images would lose the readers quickly. A narrative's language should allow for real-time images to play out in the reader's mind bolstering their reading experience. A skill required of any good writer and one that kmbell92 has a good grip on.
When I first read Tightly Knit, I persevered despite the bad writing habits because it was the plot and the characters that sucked me in and kept me there. The romance between Eleanor and Fred is organic amongst a plot that is completely driven by the personality and reactions of the characters; a brilliant and believable plot driver. This gift of her trueness to the original Harry Potter characters' personalities, and the seamless entwining of original content with the events of the Harry Potter chronology is what makes this improved version a standard to which fan-fiction should aim for."
Title: Imagine Dragons
Published: 2016
Format: Fan-fiction
Publisher: Wattpad
Epeolatry London Rating: ***
Her's Rating: ****
' ... dragons! The character I always wanted to see more of ...'
Book Summary
Born with near white hair, Anora Forney was born to stand out but it didn't always work in her favor. Earning herself nicknames such as "Q-tip" and "Frostbite," [sic]; during her youth, Anora tends to avoid most people and finds her company among animals. But when she attends Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, it's the first time she is complimented on her hair, outside of her family of course. The compliment comes from a boy who's fiery hair is as red as her hair is white. Bright locks isn't the only thing the two have in common, their love for magical creatures and the great outdoors sparks a friendship that cannot and will not be broken. Faced with their seventh and final year at Hogwarts, Anora and Charlie have no idea that the adventure is only just beginning.
Her's Review
"Imagine Dragons, a play on a popular band, is a companion narrative to the highly popular Tightly Knit (the above book) and tells an alternating view of the fight against Lord Voldemort. Based around the friendship and blooming romance between the dragon carers Charlie Weasley and Anora Forney, it delves into issues such as poaching, falling in love with your best friend (and also how to deal with a pet that possible hates you). I believe that it was this story that kmbell92 cut her teeth on with the principle of showing not telling and it is all to do with displaying the personality and emotional responses of the animals, character that are just as important to this narrative as the human ones.
Kmbell92's style is perfect for her use of long and drawn out narratives; suited to the slow burning romance between Charlie and Anora. However, it is the slightly mad characters of Imagine Dragons that makes this such an excellence read. Anora is as feisty as the dragons she cares for and as mad as anyone to do so (no matter how misunderstood you view them)! Charlie shows the same level of protection a dragon would over its eggs when it comes to Anora - possible the only reason she has survived for so long. This does not even begin to cover the wonder that is Magnus, Roscoe, Norberta and, of course, Iggy! Giving the animals distinct personalities adds a much more tangible element to the story based in a dragon sanctuary.
With around 179 parts it is a not short and will keep you book-bosomed (more like phone-bosomed) for as long as it goes on. Beginning in Anora's first year and ending at the Battle of Hogwarts it covers a vast number of years and it is done without loosing the flow of the story; no big jumps in time that loses the narrative. Of them all this is perhaps the most enjoyable story for me, filled with tension, mysteries and laugh-out-loud scenes. There is never a dull moment within Imagine Dragons."
What is your favourite of kmbell92? Or is there a fan-fiction series that has kept you hooked from the first day? Let us know below and you could be the reason it is reviewed here!