Title: I am the Darker Brother
Author: Kirril
Rating: T
Genre: General
DLP Category: Dark Harry
Pairing: None
Status: WIP
Summary: Harry's twin brother, Caden, is thought to be the boy who lived. Caden's the one who gets the attention, the love, but Harry doesn't mind. His brother loves him, and he loves his brother...right? Dark Harry, Manipulative Dumbledore.
Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3545514/1/I_am_the_Darker_Brother

Although the summary may make many readers here cringe, which I did initially but when I went past that and read the story I found it quite enjoyable. I'm not a grammar-lord or lady like Warlocke or Tinn so I can't outright say the story is excellent in that regard but it reads smoothly enough and if there were spelling errors (which I am very good at picking out) I didn't notice. Also going by the list of story favourites of this author, this story does not seem to be heading down the slash trail of fail. A BWL mistaken identity story that does not feature Abusive!parents, merely a bit neglectful and a golden brother who actually cares about him.

I'm going to give a 4/5 rounded up for now.

Last thing - can't authors at least attempt to use British names for these guys? Canon is inundated with quite recognisably British names for most of the important characters and some effort should be made to match the setting of the story and its characters. /rant


Checked by Minion, August 18, 2013
Dead link is dead. If you know where to find another copy of the story, please inform the library staff.

 

...Good British names like Draco, Hermione and Severus? I don't quite know what you're talking about, as I haven't read the fic (yet), but not all the names in the books are British. Perhaps the muggle-borns' names should be 'British' (whatever they are. John? Matthew? Those get boring fairly quickly), but wizarding names are often weird and derived from Latin.

Anyway - off to read the fic. Will edit later if I have anything smart sounding to say (doubtful).

 

I was thinking the other horde of English/Irish/Scot names in canon ie. Susan, Hannah, Lily, James, Seamus, Dean, Harry, Ronald and many more. Latin names I guess are fine too considering how many European languages and English are Latin based. My rant was mainly directed at the piss-poor but so often seen use of American or some wackoland names for characters made out to be related to essentially British families. It just irritates me to see a character with british ancestry with some contrived "cool" name that would get the person ridiculed past the point of insanity in reality.

 

Like Severus? Or Quirinius? Or Lucius? Or Rubeus? Or the entire Black family? The list goes on.

 

I read this story awhile ago and remember liking it. I read it when I was reading anything that had a twin BWL plotline. From what I remember, the story was good with decent grammar and realistic characters. I hate those stories where, as mentioned above, Harry is either ignored or abused and there is no reason behind the abuse.

Overall, this a nice little story. I give it 3.5 rounded to a 4.
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I thought it a good story. The Dark Itching is a great concept. But the author has the Don Juan syndrome. She managed to update several of her stories at once, and we can only hope that they continue.

The most charming aspect of the story for me was that the story wasn't an elaborate bashing of the Boy Who Lived imposter.

4/5 for now.

 

...What?

I'm pretty sure the Don Juan syndrome, if it exists, doesn't have anything to do with doing a lot of work all of a sudden (uploading multiple chapters at once in this case).

I always liked, for some strange reasons, the Harry studying in secret the Dark Arts, much like this story though there's not a lot. Anyone knows of some similar fanfictions in that regard, by the way?

 

Bad news, guys.

Her other stories are "TRHP" and this one is labeled Harry P. & Voldemort.

So a warning, there. Possible squick material up ahead.

 

I couldn't work out who the TR was supposed to be. I wish I'd stayed ignorant. Tom Riddle.

Yak.

 

It's used to designate a "hero-villain" conflict a lot, and only one of the author's other stories explicitly states a slash pairing, so I'm not too worried.

 

The story is pretty average. Decent writing style with good spelling and grammar, but nothing that really grabbed my attention.

What generally annoys me about these twin-BWL stories is that the author always leaves Lily and James alive. Surely the presence of another kid doesn't change Voldemorts casting style from Avada to Stupefy. What I wouldn't mind seeing is both boys sent to the Dursley's or something and both going Dark, that would be worth reading.

But I digress,

3.5/5

 

Good story, I hate the fics where the characters are too kiddie and the concepts are too simple.

The author of this fic is bringing in some good ideas and the writing style is magnificent.

Though since its starting at first year I'm afraid it will be abandoned.

Either way, 4.5/5

 

This fic is simply your standard TBWL fic and as much fun as TBWL stories can be, every single one that I have ever read follows the exact same path (one of the brothers decides the other is an annoying twat and decides to off him). Would it hurt to actually break from the status quo every once in a while?

In addition to the above, this story contains an exceptionally shitty execution of its only 'difference' and is poorly written in general.

If you happen to find TBWL stories a guilty pleasure then i would recommend this fic. If they are not then I would strongly recommend shoving a Sobe bottle up your rectum, you will get more entertainment out of that than reading this...thing.

1/5

 

Read this the other day. I think it is certainly one of the better ones around when it comes to this kind of fic. It isn't the usual wrong BWL, abusive Lily and James, super powers etc.

I left a review and gave my reason's for no romance and the author replied saying she will most likely not be having romance in the fic.

4/5

 

/me nods.

"Trying is the first step to failure."

 

This is always something that botheres me. Lily doesn't die but her protection of 'twoo lurve' comes into effect anyway. I thought it was neccesary for her to sacrifice herself? I haven't got far enough in the story to see if this is answered but that's a peeve of mine in TBWL stories.

 

A peeve of most people is that Dumbledore believes that the self sacrifice of Lily is why Harry survived, others like to think something else is why Harry lived, which is probably the same here.

I read it when it was first posted, and I do have to say, it is one of the better stories with the same premises. I rated it a 3, because it does need much improvement in order to get some much needed originality.

 

I know that's what bugs me. Lily's sacrifice is the only canon explanation (well that and Harry-the-Boy-Who-Died-Like-Everyone-Else doesn't quite have the same ring to it), so I'm only asking that if you decide to have Lily live at least offer an explanation to why Harry lived. Even an Author's Note about some mysterious ley line or something is preferable to the 'just deal with it' most authors give.