Title: Before The Dawn
Author: Will 0'the Wisp
Rating: T
Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Status: Complete
Length: 212,427
Fandom: Game of Thrones/A Song of Ice and Fire
Pairings: Jon/Margaery Lyanna/Rhagar Lyanna/Robert
Summary: Having barely survived childbirth by the skin of her teeth, it seems like Lyanna Stark has had a lucky escape. But after Robert Baratheon emerges triumphant from the rebellion, with lions circling ever closer, the world couldn't be a more dangerous place for her vulnerable infant son. Her own future couldn't be more frightening. NOW COMPLETE!

So, I've been binging on Jon-centric stories lately and I came across this one. Hopefully it hasn't been recced here yet.

It's quite good. And finished, which is a rarity in itself in this fandom. I was particularly impressed with how the overarching plot against the Starks took place. The only real gripe I have with this story, is that, despite it being such an enourmus secret, the Starks seemingly really like talking about Jon's real parentage. Both in Winterfell and in King's Landing. Other than that, only small annoyances.

4/5

The author has some other stories worth checking out.

 

Oh man, thanks for the rec.
That tidbit in early Chapter 5 was worth it.

Hmm, since the Queen doesn't have any sons, the spare should marry someone more... ah, fertile, won't he?
Edit: bah, no change here. But I guess a heir (Stannis) and a spare (Renly) is enough... Then again, not everyone is into PoDs and butterflies and stuff. Still, this is a very interesting fic.

... where's Bran?

 

I really didn't love this. It's okay, I guess, but at no point was I ever excited. Ever. Within a few chapters it became a hell of a drag, and I had little to no investment in the characters.

The writing may not have contained grammatical or spelling errors, but I hesitate to call it good. It feels thematically incompatible with the fandom at times - the egregious errors of modern slang creeping in, turns of phrase and attitude more common to middle America than Westeros, and so on. This reads like a YA novel set in Westeros rather than a GoT fanfiction.

Perhaps I'm being a little harsh. I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to this particular fandom, so it's very easy for a mediocre fic to get my back up. I'm leaning towards putting it a point lower, but for now it can have a precarious score at the lower end of average.

3/5