 WinterChanterelle 2007-08-04 . chapter 30 I knew it was her, of course. Right from the very first murder. Still, this was... horrifying. The fact that I knew somehow doesn't affect the fact that I'm currenly shaking.
And you put this under 'General'?! This is horror, that's what it is.
Very well written horror. |
 Tharin 2006-03-21 . chapter 30It was interesting to read a HP "muder mystery", especially such a well written one. I suspected her for some chapters, but it still was surpirsing. Your story showed in a great way that the world really isn't divided into good people and deatheaters. I liked especially this line from Harry: "How can she be a murderer, and still be a good person? How can I like her one way, and hate what she's done?" |
 Erised Burning 2006-03-13 . chapter 30Hi,
I just read your fic, HP and the Slytherin Spy. It's brilliant. Not only do you have a strong, capable style with command over pacing, rhythm, creating cliffhangers and so on, you also have an amazing ability to cultivate rich relationships between the characters.
Your portrayal of Dumbledore is great. He's benevolent, powerful and yet distant at the same time. He's also at odds with Harry, due to the strained circumstances from book 5. You didn't just wash that away, nor did you villify Dumbledore. You navigated this fine line that kept Harry's and Dumbledore's relationship tense but not overbearing.
The same goes for Harry's relationship with Ron and Hermione. I like that he doesn't tell them about the prophecy. Part of the Harry Potter charm is that he's a lone hero. He's had to suffer through a lot on his own and you don't shortchange him in that respect. You've written out his isolation very well where it's deserved. At the same time, you don't shortchange Ron and Hermione either, both by giving them their own drama and also by giving them their rightful place at Harry's side.
You set up the astralmancy really well (and it's a cool word too). I might have to steal that concept, assuming you don't object.
Jane was a wonderful character. There are always so many pitfalls when introducing original characters, and you dodge them all expertly. She has her own personality, her own story, and she doesn't overwhelm Harry's story. Their first scene together when Moody and Tonks barge in was a lot of fun. So was their adventure to Grimmauld Place. It seemed likely that she was the one knocking off the Slytherin students. The story had a chronic sense of foreboding running throughout it, which led up to the scene atop the Astronomy Tower. I half-wanted Harry to let her kill Malfoy and Snape and escape, and half-wanted him to turn her in. It was among one of the most intense scenes I've ever read in fanfiction. You really know how to put a person through the emotional ringer, especially with the march towards the cage of flame, and Harry running out to hug her and then Malfoy being a total jerk to Harry afterwards.
These "destined-to-fail" true love romances are really tough to pull off, both because the build-up tends to be tortured (in a bad way), and because writers tend to fumble the climax. You're deserving of a lot of praise for your work. The fact that Harry was aware that Jane might have been the perpetrator took the edge off the moral horror that so often accompanies the revelation. By foreshadowing in advance that she was the killer and downplaying Harry's shock, it heightens the emotivity. It left me flipping through all the likely outcomes and coming to the realization that none of them were very good for our young hero. Moreover, it had me wishing for a happy outcome, regardless of how implausible it would be, just by virtue of the fact that I loved the characters so much, I didn't want them to suffer.
Again, brilliant.
Regards,
EB |