I tried this one...again. Still can't get into it, no matter how hard I try. 3/5

 

I agree. It's way to over used. The author should have done something a little different from all the other 'Harry's been hiding his whole life, and when he comes to Hogwarts he has to hide his identity from either Dumbledore of Voldemort' kind of stories.

But still, the story is pretty decent with very good characterization. So I'll give it a 4.6/5 for now.

 

Just thought I'd bump this from page 2 since there has been a few updates since this thread was last posted in.

 

I'm at part two of the first story, and thusfar, it's been brilliant. Everything's been kept realistic, and the author's done a good job of keeping up with everyone.

The relationship between Harry and Sirius isn't the played up center of attention in this, in which they hug and bond and cry and love, like with most stories. It's more of a gradual thing, as one should expect.

5/5

 

Huh, Harry seems to have turned into a fag these past couple of chapters.

 

At first I thought, "Wow. Not much of a review", but then I read the latest chapter. The writing is still, technically, very good, but I think this author and Jono have been trading ideas: Harry is a huge pussy. Even ignoring the fact that the author is a woman, this Harry she's characterized is so "sensitive male" that I'm almost tempted to give it up. Dursley sympathy? Don't be silly.

And then THIS shit

Spoiler

His mind was mostly taken up with what he’d seen in Snape’s mind. The way she’d smiled at him and called him Sev . . .

“I think she loved you,” he said. “Like, really loved you. Did you know that?”

Snape stood up. “I have no desire to discuss it with you, Potter, as I said.

- takes the cake.

2.3/5

 

The author has taken Harry's "saving people thing" simply into another level, though here it would be better called "helping people thing"...

Befriending Malfoy was acceptable, then trying to help Hermione out of pity for the "poor" girl... somehow still alright but it had a bad aftertaste, then with the latest chapters and "Dursley sympathy" - disappointing. I couldn't imagine anything more irritating until the episode with Snape...

I can't wait to see if in the end of the story, Harry won't actually try to show to the people how misunderstood Voldemort actually is.

Perhaps "The power he knows not" would be leading a group session for anonymous Dark Wizards, where Snape will finally replace his lost love and find his "soul mate" in the face of Bellatrix which surely is another abused woman which didn't want to actually do anything of what she'd done.

A truly bad sequel to somewhat nice story...

 

Another Update, and it looks like the 'DA' is coming soon.

 

Well whatever issues this story has had have been at least partially forgiven by me after this last chapter. Harry seems to have jumped back into a no nonsense mode and finally smacked Draco down after all this time. This chapter seemed to have a fairly serious tone when compared to the other chapters thus far.

 

Eh, I really liked Book 1 of this series. Well, I liked the circumstances, but I don't think I've ever really liked this version of Harry. In book 1 he was serious and stoic to a fault (which is only cool if there's lots going on on the inside, ya know?). But then in this one, he's like a totally different person. And... I don't know about this whole jumping in at fifth year. I keep trying to think of Harry as having history with all these people, but he really doesn't, and I can tell the author is having a hard time with that too.

But probably the biggest problem for me is that the entire premise of the second book (Harry at Hogwarts, but disguised!) is... needless. Why is he disguised? I can't even remember now, but it wasn't a very good reason, and it's outlived its usefulness. I'm sort of resentful that the only point of it is to have the big reveal, probably by accident, where everyone goes 'GASP! You're Harry-frickin-Potter?!?' and then gets super pissed at him for not trusting them or telling them sooner. Disguised Harry I don't mind (could even like) but when there's not a veeery good reason, it's annoying.

Other than that, its a pretty respectable story. The update rate is very consistent, and the writing quality is good. Its just hard to care about what's happening, because Harry is barely invested. He's only got lasting ties with one person, and that person isn't even getting much screen time. *shrug* I keep reading though, because it might get good, and its frequently at the top of the updates list.

3.5/5

 

the only thing that I dont like about this story is that its still in year 2
but i guess its not bad

 

What the fuck are you talking about?

Edit: Book two is now finished apparently. Book 3 should be added to the first post when it comes out, I think. I'll post the link when it does.

 

3.5/5 from me.

It's good -- not great. The writing is top-notch and the update rate is uber awesome. Nothing else really stands out.

The Harry/Sirius interaction was sickening -- nonjon did a WAY better job in his fic. And Draco ... urgh ... I won't even get there! The battle scenes were a total let-down, considering all the training Harry got beforehand. The story seems to drag on for quite a bit -- author introduces pointless subplots for the sake of progression and promoting characterisation. Most of the major events stick true to cannon with only a few variations here and there. You could easily summarise the entire story behind the second book in a short para.

This fic's Harry might not be a pussy but he's still obnoxiously righteous. He strives to change traditions that have been upheld for centuries and succeeds -- a massive cliche in the HP fandom.

I will keep an eye out for the third book though. I have followed this trilogy from the start - no point dumping it just now.

 

I just finished the second book and I must say this is one of my favorite all time stories. There's just something about great authors with quick update rates. Any complaints I have about the story could be easily fixed if the chapters weren't uploaded so quickly. The story is just ridiculously enjoyable to read--the author has a way with words and never overstates thinks. At lot happens, the characterisation is on point, and the budding romance between Harry and Hermione is done slowly, but enticingly.

In short, I love this story. I can't wait for the end of the "trilogy".

 

It is? The moment they first spoke it seemed clear to me that they were going to end up together.

Anyway, I haven't followed this for a while now. The ending to the previous story was the end for me really. As soon as Crouch Jr. discovered Sirius and Harry so quickly, combined with Harry's sudden OOC-to-serve-the-plot behaviour, the story started going downhill.

I read some of the sequel in my spare time but it all follows canon far too closely. The whole "I'm ahead in some classes and behind in others so everything should average out" thing is stupid too. Learning doesn't work like that lol. It's not like Harry has a certain number of "learning points" which he can balance out his learning by applying with prejudice to the classes he's behind in. Moreover, since when did Harry in this story wish to be average?

It seems to me that the sequel in this series could very easily exist without the first story at all and very little difference would occur.

I read this and I find myself questioning why I'm reading it, when in effect it's the same events as canon occurring merely with slightly different causation.

Finally, and this links in with one of my above objections:

Quote for fucking truth. Just like Jono, UI has almost completely ignored their entire first story and the characterisation therein, instead trying to "pussify" Harry after making him a hard nut in the first story.

She's also pulled something of a "Lighting on the Wave" slash-like character invention, turning Harry from an emotionally and morally secure boy who doesn't have sufficient outward power into a guy who outwardly has everything pulled together but has more overblown and melodramatic emotional and mental problems than a teenage goth who likes to listen to Evanescence and scratch themselves with their fingernails and call it cutting.

In other words, in canon (and generally most fantasy) Harry's problem is that he needs more power to achieve his ends, but that he knows with certainty what it is he wants to achieve and why. In this fic, the reverse is true: Harry easily has the potential to do all he wants to do (judging by his collection of skills, rather than the mediocre performance he put in at the Graveyard), but he doesn't know what he wants.

Harry may not be gay in terms of sexual preference in this story, but it's still slash in terms of writing. The above is a classic slash move.

 

I stopped reading after BCJr had his massive Where In The World moment, to which the author ended by having Wormtail magically appear on their doorstep just in time to see Sirius leave. The whole thing was just...

=/

Might have read a bit after that too, but the story lost my interest.

 

Read and skimmed it in parts. As Taure pointed out, another recap of OoTP is not exactly something that's very enjoyable. Still, its readable enough if you don't expect too much. 3/5.

 

I must say I expected the second story on the same level as the first, but alas it seems as if the author has caved in and catered to the various, unnamed, persons opinions and created a very week willed protagonist. The so called battle in the ministry was a far cry from what one would expect, I mean in the previous story the readers were given the impression that Harry had become a force to be reckoned with, in his own right. But in this story it seems as if he has been reduced to a moody teenager that suddenly wants to be loved by everyone. I would put this story in the Poor Category, from BioPlague's review system.

 

I think most of you guys are being overly harsh due to expectations from action fics you've read in the past. Yeah, I definitely agree it's annoying that despite being an AU certain events are being forced to happen like the Voldemort's resurrection, Pettigrew escaping in the third year (why? He had no reason to be running from Sirius like he did in the original, and trying to kidnap Neville made no sense whatsoever) and even the DOM incident (going into what he knows is a trap to "stall" until the order arrives? What the fuck?) You guys complain about Harry suddenly turning into a weak willed pussy like in Jono's stories (which I agree was a travesty) but you forget that this Harry isn't some fucking superhero battle hardened warrior sent back in time from the future parallel world for the sole purpose of killing Voldemort or any shit like that you've read in other stories. He's a fucking 15 year old kid who has been moving around so much he's never been able to get attached to kids his own age. He never was "super" in the first place. He didn't have an extensive training at the hands of fucking hitwizards or any shit like that. He was raised by a guy who shortly after graduating school was thrown into prison for 8 years and came out mentally unstable. He hasn't been thrown in life or death situations from the time he was 10 or anything. Despite being more driven to learn, he has less experience than even cannon Harry.

So many of you want to pigeonhole every story into being the same goddamn thing. I was pleased that this fic was different from all the other shit I've read (both drivel where Sirius starts calling Harry his "pup" and stuff where Harry is super powered killing machine), so I'm quite surprised to see so many of you complaining that it's not the same standard ass kicking Harry who we've all read about a million times.

All in all I'd say that this is one of the most interesting stories I've read in quite a while. I find it refreshing to see a decently written and mostly well thought out AU that doesn't dip into every over used cliche I've read before despite sharing similar premises. It's not the best fic of all time and it's certainly not without flaws, but I did enjoy it quite a bit. I especially liked the characterization of the Hogwarts students without Harry and Dumbledore's huge fuck up with Neville's childhood. I thought the characterization of a kid raised with the weight of the world on his shoulders only to find out it was all a misunderstanding was pretty interesting and well done.