A PatrickB  “FAVORITE AUTHOR” Review:
This review is of an author’s work I find particularly fascinating and worthwhile.
A PatrickB “PATRICK'S FAVORITES” Review:
This review is of a work I am honored to include in "Invalid Item"  under the description "Rod Serling -esque"
WHY I CHOSE TO REVIEW THIS:
I was browsing through your portfolio for something to review, and I opened this story and just couldn't stop reading it.
INITIAL THOUGHTS:
Wow, what can I say? I'm sure Rod Serling (wherever he is) smiled in approval at you when you finished this story. If you had written this in 1961 and submitted it to Serling, I guarantee he would have had you convert this to a teleplay, and you would have been included in the wonderful writers of the original Twilight Zone. How do I know for sure? I have read over a dozen of the episodes converted to short story format, and this story is better than most of them. All suggestions that follow are what I would call "tweaks" to a nearly perfect and wonderful story.
 OPENING PARAGRAPH/SEQUENCE:
Your opening is excellent, quickly building setting, character, and plot.
SETTING:
Jacob's house and property are perfectly described, and I saw the story play out within that very well.
POINT OF VIEW:
Your third person works very well, here. In fact, I think it is the best choice.
PACING:
Here is where the story shines. Pacing and description play a zero-sum game in our stories; what you give to one, you lose for the other. Finding the balance-point between these two elements is a must for a quality short story. You hit that balance perfectly. I moved along the story very quickly, led by your tightly woven plot.
DESCRIPTION:
Here again, your amount of description was just enough. You gave us exactly as much as we needed to visualize the scene but did not bog us down with long exposition. Your advanced writing skill helps in this, as you use dialogue, dense adjectives, and action to build character and setting. All of these keep the reader moving quickly and doesn't glaze the eyes.
CHARACTERIZATION:
You are careful not to stereotype Harley and Nolan. You could have, if they played a bigger part. I might only suggest a quirk for Harley that does not reek of southern hickness, something that the reader will not expect. For instance, I was born and raised in Kentucky (and until now, had never left it) and I hate NASCAR with a passion that borders on obsession. I also hate country music, line dancing, and just about anything "kuntry." What I am driving at, here, is that Harley does not have to be a 100% redneck. But again, this is a very minor part of your story, and this is only a suggestion. Jacob is drawn very well, from his obsessive behavior over his bonzai trees to his condescending manner of anything "hick." I would also pay a nod of appreciation to the kudzu as a character.
CLIMAX
Your climax is the perfect mixture of predictable and shocking, although those two things seem like a contradiction. I had a feeling as I read that the kudzu would have the final say, but up until the end, I didn't know it would be as drastic as it was!
DENOUEMENT
There is no denoument to speak of, and in this story that is okay. As I picture this as a teleplay, I would imagine that the camera would zoom in on a heart-shaped leaf, vibrating playfully, happy in the victory and the justice paid to humans who think they can control nature.
OTHER THINGS I LIKE:
 I love the title! It is perfect!
The symbolism of this story runs deep on many levels. The contrast between Yankee and Southern ideals and particularly the feeling I got about the kudzu "rescuing" the tamed and controlled bonzai at the end is masterful!
I love the way you build Jacob's character through his half-finished decor of area rugs and art.
GRAMMAR/SPELLING/PUNCTUATION/SYNTAX:
There wasn't much here to speak of, as this has been very well edited already. I found only one instance of a typo:
 "Creaks and groans filled the house as the vine lengthening and grew." I think you meant "lengthened."
SUGGESTIONS:
These next things are simple suggestions, or tweaks, as it were. Please remember that they are only my opinion, and you can keep or discard them according to your own vision of the story.
 Reword suggestion: "The southern sun was already hot, drawing dew up into Georgia’s dense, summer air." to "The southern sun was already hot, drawing the morning dew up into Georgia’s dense, summer air." More specific.
Reword suggestion: "The sun shone bright out of a hazy, near-white sky." to "The sun shone bright within a hazy, near-white sky." The line preceding this one also has an instance of the prepositional phrase "out of." I think "within" is more precise anyway.
Reword suggestion: "...remained was a pile of leafy rubble on the ground." to "...remained was a pile of leafy shreds on the ground." I like the imagery of the battlefield in this sequence, but "rubble" implies to me something much more bulky and solid than leaves.
Reword suggestion: "Jacob stood rooted to the spot; his head dropped back and eyes agape." to "Jacob could not move; his head dropped back and eyes agape." The rationale for this suggestion is because of the nature of what is happening to Jacob. You use "rooted to" figuratively at this point, but because of what is happening, we as readers will read that literally. This adds a bit of confusion as the leaves of kudzu had not quite reached him yet at this point.
EXCELLENT WRITING EXAMPLES:
" Enough light spilled into the hall for him to avoid catching his toe on the framed artwork propped against the wall."
--This sentence does so much and proves your skill at storytelling. It conveys movement and action, provides setting, and reveals a bit of characterization as well.
"Jacob’s New York accent bounced in the air between them like an echo."
--Just wonderful writing! Bravo!
"He swung a leg over the mower’s seat like a cowboy mounting a mustang."
--I love the juxtapostion of Jacob's hatred of all things "country" and Southern and his actions described here. Excellent!
"Nolan raised his eyebrows and rocked back on his heels. 'I’d watch what I say, boy. They say kudzu done got ears.'"
--Here is the moment where your story blossoms, informing the reader (oh so subtly!) what is going to happen. This necessary element of foreshadowing is impeccable -- subtle enough and perfectly placed!
"He imagined he could hear the kudzu’s tortured screams as he dismembered the beast."
--This sentence is superb, adding to the growing personifcation of the kudzu. It also adds to Jacob's personality a sadistic streak that contradicts his love of the bonzai It shades his character just a bit and reveals that it is not the beauty of the bonzai that he loves the most, but the fact that he can control them. This is so important to the story, as it lends more creedence that he is getting his justice in the end.
Nicki, it is not often that I open up a port where I feel genuinely entertained as I would buying a book off of a shelf. Most of that quality is hidden from my eyes in hopes of being published, not because the talent of storytelling here is not that good. I have to say that you gave me a "free read" that I would have been happy to pay for. Because of this and because I just love this story, I am happily including this in my document "Invalid Item" . My respect for you as a writer and artist is assured, and I can't wait to read more of your stories.
Warmest Regards,
PatrickB
Creator of The Art of Criticism, co-founder of Passionate Mindscapes, group leader of Just Because I Want To, and proud member of Simply Positive, Novel Review Group, and Showering Acts of Joy.
** Images For Use By Upgraded+ Only **
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I will not be using the rating system for these reviews. All items will receive a 5-star rating. 
Suggested reword: 
"and leave a darkened husk." This seems more sonorous to me when I read it aloud. The comma-pause that is implied by the imperfect subjunctive verb phrase that begins with 
At the end of the fifth stanza, you may remove the question mark as the sentence is not actually an interrogative.
G
OVERALL
Time is against me, so I must leave you for now! Thank you so much for sharing your work with me! Ali, your talent and creativity are matched only by your growing sense of community, and we are privileged to know you and have you with us here at WDC! 
