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Artemis Fowl - CHAPTER 3 - Holly

02/04/2023 - 02/05/2023

Finally we get to see Holly!

And right of the bat, Holly's having a "silent fume." Yup. That's Holly for you-

I really love how easily Mr. Colfer described the difference between the terms "fairy," "elf," and "leprechaun." Fairy being an umbrella term, elf being the species she actually is, and leprechaun being a job. It's finished in just a couple sentences. I've seen this kind of thing in other books, and typically the author chooses to make these kind of descriptions around a paragraph long (which isn't that long, but I appreciate how efficiently Mr. Colfer distinguished the difference between the terms).

Holly's described as having nut-brown skin, cropped auburn hair, and hazel eyes. The reason I mentioned this in particular is because I can practically feel some of you guys about to trash talk the choice of actor for Holly in the movie-

I've mentioned this before, and I'll say it again. In the movie, a lot of characters' external appearances were changed, and I know that a lot of people had a problem with that. Personally though, I didn't mind it one bit. My only problem lies within how the characters were shown (unlike how they were in the books). That and the fact that most of the plot was changed.

Also, Cupid was Holly's great-grandfather!?

I really should have read this sooner-

I love the fact that Holly's absolutely pissed at Commander Root, who has apparently been on her case since day one because she was the first female officer assigned to his squad. Of course, I know the real reason Root's always been strict with Holly, but for now, I won't utter a word about the actual details of it.

Now, something I've never heard of before (considering I'm still actually new to this series) is something called the "Ritual." It's interesting that the first letter is capitalized, because that would signify importance to it. And based off of context clues, apparently it has something to do with replenishing a fairy's magic (I think).

So far, I'm really enjoying the chapter, and I'm only a page or two in as of right now-

There's a casual dig at old leprechaun uniforms (and furthermore how leprechauns were viewed by humans), and I think it's pretty funny. I have to agree with Holly. Buckled shoes and knickerbockers did not seem fashionable, much less allowing a lot of room for movement.

On page 34, there was a sentence that went "In the station lobby, a kleptomaniac dwarf..." Obviously, I immediately knew who they were talking about - Mulch Diggums. I noticed that the scene in which Mulch is introduced is slightly similar to the scene in the movie. Slightly.

Also, the fact that Root's nickname is "Beetroot" is so funny to me? And if that wasn't funny enough, apparently there's an office pool running on how long 'till his heart exploded. My kind of morbid humor if you ask me-

And then Root begins explaining to Holly why he singles out on her every chance he gets, and though it is admittedly strict, I honestly do think that his course of action is the best. Coming from a political standpoint, it makes sense you see. Holly is the first girl in Recon. There's tons of people rooting (pun not intended) for her, but dozens more wishing for her doom. The smallest little mistake is enough for the latter group of people to say that girls shouldn't be allowed in Recon, and use whatever shortcomings (and use Holly) as an example(s).