Title: [Blindness ]
Author: [AngelaStarCat]
Rating: [M]
Genre: [Adventure/Friendship]
Status: COMPLETE
Library Category: [AU]
Pairings: [Harry/Hermione]
Summary: [Harry Potter is not standing up in his crib when the Killing Curse strikes him; and the damage done by the cursed scar across his face will not be easily dealt with.]
Link: [https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10937871/1/Blindness]

I figured I'd post this fic since I thought it had a decent twist to the whole deformed Harry genre. Yes Harry is super powered and blind but I thought it was decently written grammar wise and decent idea. I'd give it a 3/5 rating for keeping me entertained. The update rate seems passable as well for the length of the chapters.

-Updated from WIP to Complete by Ched

 

Why not post this in Almost Recommended if you think this is a 3/5 fic? Library is for 4/5 and 5/5 fics.

Decently written and easy to read. Naturally, Harry is the greatest genius in both muggle and magical worlds born in recent times. Hermione is the center of his life. Had a bit too much muggle stuff for my tastes.

All the muggle science concepts, AU concepts, Harry's "perfect, nice hero" morality and mentality, and staff instead of a wand were pretty cringy.

I guess 3/5 is fair if you can stomach Hermione as a main character.

 

I tried and was told that I didn't have sufficient privileges to post there.

 

It is decently written, but IMO it fails. The concept of disabled Harry could be interesting if done in a more realistic manner. Let show his struggles, sucesses and defeats as a disabled person - and don't give him fucking magic vision that completly undermines the concept of blindness. "Oh noes! Harry is blind! But don't worry! He can see MAGIC(TM)!"

Harry is basically Daredevil with Magic - ok, slightly tweeked, but the basic concept remains - and he's a young genius. Let's just call him Gary and be done with it.

Oh, and he has a staff...

Fuck it. 2/5 because it's written in proper English.

 

Because this is the new order of things. (I'm going to update the first post of that thread tonight - I totally forgot to do that.)

Pete91888 You did well, son. You posted the story exactly where you are supposed to post it.

 

Personally i love the story. If you can overlook the Super!Harry aspect of the story.

I'll give it a 4/5 would be a 5/5 if Harry wasnt so ridiculously overpowered.

 

Until chapter 16 (the point until which I've read this) there is really no sign of any tension - any problem not related to science is disposed of immediately.
One example for that is the solution the author comes up with for the unvanishable potion in the cave:

Spoiler

We will simply cut the basin free and take the entire construct with us out of this godforsaken cave.

Oh, we have a potentially interesting problem? Let's get rid of it with a solution as unlikely and lazy as possible!
The fic just completely lacks any real conflict and I dislike that quite a lot which is why it is finished for me after 16 chapters of trying hard to enjoy it. 2/5

EDIT: OK, this now has to be moved to the Trash Bin.

 

It's a good enough read if you are bored with nothing to do. It's a "superpowered" story, and conflict and plot in those kind of stories never bode well.
It is well written and has the capability to keep you entertained the whole time, so for me it's a 3.5/5.

 

I enjoyed the story, its better than alot of the superpowered harry fics out there. At the very least, the author tries to give realistic reasons for his powerups, or makes it easier to stomach. Harry's power boosts are not just atuffed down our throats.
A 4/5 from me

 

I recall reading the author's works two years ago.

Her technical skill has grown tremendously, but the other aspects of her writing have only managed to become depressing rather than deplorable.

2/5 at the moment, reserving final judgement for later.

 

3/5


Having Hermione apply anything she's learned from her and Harry's cooperation would of been interesting. Actually, I don't remember her using any magic at all.

Spoiler

A better title could of been "Sight" or some derivative of it. Blindness is a bit misleading with how much Harry can actually see.

 

Harry has a disability that is actually a super power. Honestly a lot of disability fics fall into this category. Somehow Harry (or whomever) being blind, deaf, or mute makes him better at magic. Blindness takes that to it's extremes.

Harry's "disability" basically gives him the power of a god. I get the feeling this fic is just going to run out of steam and end up going nowhere. Harry's opponents don't match his power level and so he ends up just curb stomping them. So the only way that it levels out is by either introducing an equally powerful opponent or suddenly taking away Harry's powers.

A fic I enjoy despite it's flaws.

3/5

 

Eh. I started reading it, then realized that it was just going to be another wizard-bashing fic. It's not too egregious, but it's still bad. 2/5.

 

Rating a fic that you didn't read.

Like a boss.

 

Update

Interesting chapter. I find that this is one of those stories I can skip an uninteresting update and come back and read and interesting one without loosing my place in the story.

 

I actually started reading this one before seeing it was here. It's updated recently (just this week) too. The writing is good, although it has this strange, sparse sort of description that reminds me a bit of AngelaStarCat's other work, Ruthless. It worked for that story but it strikes me as slightly off for this one. I have the feeling that it would have been better served by a warmer, more personable narrative tone. That said, the prose is clear and understandable, which is always a plus. My issues with it have also decreased in the more recent chapters.

This is a powerful and independent Harry fic, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The author does those sort of fics right in my opinion. Sure, Harry's using "special" magic, but he has to learn how to harness it, which is what places this above the cut of other stories in the same mold. The other characters are not blatantly useless or incompetent to make him seem better, and although there are criticisms of characters all around, those don't seem to reach egregious bashing-levels. Her take on familiar tropes is most unique aspect, since Angela isn't afraid of unexpected twists or fresh ideas in a particularly large field.

That said, the plot tends to meander. It's more an exploration of the magical world than it is Harry beating down bad guys. (Not to say that there's no fighting, but there are gaps between those scenes.) There's a growing focus on wizard politics.

The main pairing won't appeal to everyone, but it isn't a Harmony!fic where they are in Twu Wuv from page one, so there's that. Anyone who loathes the Dursleys probably won't like this either.

It's a little disappointing in that it makes disabled!Harry into disabled-but-not-really!Harry, which is often a trap in these sorts of fics. He generally doesn't come off as someone with a genuine disability, though there are moments that do sell it. Other than that, the magic system in this story is interesting and different enough to make it worth a read.

Considering its particular genre and type of fic, I'd give it a 4/5.

 

Nailed it. As a story it lacks conflict, Harry is disgustingly powerful and with abilities that any wizard would give up their sight for. The triwizard tournament and Voldemort pose very little conflict.

That said, the exploration of the magical world part is what I have been enjoying. The color of souls, grey and white, the red of Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows plot line I have greatly enjoyed reading and I enjoy the mystery of what happens to dead that Harry has been research. I hope that the author continues to explore that because I am interest to see where that particular plot-line leads to.

Hell I even enjoy the looks into what Werewolves and Vampiric souls are like.

TLDR: Average story with Super!Harry but otherwise cool soulshit going on.

 

I quite liked it.
Even though Voldemort couldn't last 20 against him, I think its history, morality and the mystery of life and death is what the author is emphasizing. Nobody really understands death and the afterlife, I don't think anyone will but she did a great job with the philosophical aspects, enough that is very easy to read. I agree that it's a meandering fic but it's not really hampering it in any way, the political issues are very entertaining.

4/5

 

Yes, Harry is rather OP in this fic, but since Voldemort and death eaters barely play a part in the story, it's not that problematic.

I rather like the slower political / world building fics in general, and since this one is actually well written:

4/5