I had high hopes after reading all the raving reviews, but abandoned it after first chapter (and couple of random checks over the next 18 chapters)

this is not a fresh harry potter for me, but a deadpool ripoff with a wand instead of guns and katanas.

 

I’d say the early chapters are misleading to the tone and overall quality of this story. If you really like the Harry you see at the beginning, the rest of the story will probably be disappointing. If you think he’s an annoying asshole at first, you should probably give it a second chance and keep reading.

In my opinion it ends up being a surprisingly clever fic. Avoids the most common tropes in this genre and does some things I can’t remember seeing before. Great take on professional dueling. Harry, Tracey and Daphne all end up being more interesting and ethically nuanced characters than they first appear.

 

Given the reviews, I gave this fic a go. These days I read a fanfic on average every 2-3 years.

Honestly kinda enjoyed this. When it finished I was left wanting more.

That being said, as others have noted, the start is of a higher quality than where it ends up. I really liked the take on the professional duelling, even though Harry is way more powerful than is reasonable. But hey, I'm kinda here to see that so why not. Characterisation was interesting, had potential, but it's not really believable. It suffices though.

Overall, 4/5. Would read more if it was there. Will probably forget about it by the time the author comes back to it though.

 

When DLP has reviews like this in the year of our lord 2024, my ears perk up.

Ended up reading it all in a day, so that should tell you something right there. For better or worse, it's a page turner and if there was more I'd have read that, too.

I'd hesitate to call it a straight 5/5; I think it's got some pretty shaky sections and Harry's internal monologue is very hit or miss for me. Definite shades of trying too hard. I think the author is funnier and on more solid ground when writing dialogue.

The standout for me would be the dueling champions. Each one that Harry goes up against feels interesting, over the top yet grounded in some degree of realistic nuance, etc. They're all different and unique, and the way the fic talks about skill, training, gaps in talent, Harry's abilities, etc, all hits this very nice middle ground of being, well, fun and semi OP but not to a degree where it actually becomes boring like a lot of OP fics do.

The relationship is interesting though as I write this (22 chapters I believe) it hasn't developed to a point that I'd consider the real test of quality. I respect the author for making all three of them pretty flawed people, even if those flaws are somewhat glossed over at times. The Tracy PoV chapters definitely didn't mince words with how fundamentally damaged she is, for example, yet the actual consequences of this and the way it ends up playing out in practice doesn't feel particularly high stakes - at least for the moment.

This fic reminded me a bit of Knowledge is Power - it's nowhere near as over the top, but the whole non-BWL Harry, Harry does lots of stuff outside school and loves to snark and be the knight in caustic armor, super talented etc etc, it's got shades of that feel. Thankfully it lacks the weird anime-esque treatment of women.

4/5, adding it to my list of things to check in on.

 

This kicks pretty decent bricks. I think a solid editing pass could remove a lot of crust and the triangle isn't the best in the world but it's fun and has momentum. Haven't seen a story at its level in years for the fandom.

 

It is definitely a 4-star fic. I really disliked the Harry Dumbledore interactions except for the last one when they talked about Magical Theory; that was a top-notch dialog.

And finally, Voldermort, HOLY SHIT! Really really good characterization, I was on the edge of my seat reading it.

The romance is fine, barely an inconvenience and the mystery of what happened with James, Sirius and Lily will probably keep me going.