Fandom: Harry Potter -------------------------------------------------- In a world with a pragmatic, intelligent Voldemort, Harry discovers that he has the power to live, die and repeat until he gets it right.
I usually avoid Slytherin Harry Potter fics like the plague - especially if they make him overly competent, as it feels it’s rather missing the point of his original character. However, not only does this story give legitimate reasons for his character change but it’s very well written, and with such a intriguing premise. Five out of five, this was a pleasant surprise 😎
I'm not sure about this book. On one hand, it has an interesting plot and is relatively well written (That is, compared to other fanfictions). On the other hand, the atmosphere is so tense that I didn't enjoy any part of the book. Now I appreciate the fact that a work of fiction can make me tense for half of the book, but it wasn't something I expected from a Harry Potter fanfiction, and I didn't like it.
But if tension is what you seek in a book, you might like this too.
Whilst obviously not particularly original as a plot device, this was compellingly-written and I found that I was gripped rather excessively. We've been pulling on the genre at home, my daughter and I, in movies: Groundhog Day, Edge of Tomorrow, The Map of Tiny Perfect Things. TO have this motif applied to Harry worked really well. The opening death was a fantastic hook, and right through to the wholesome and satisfying end, I was very much engaged and finished with a bubble of satisfaction.
This really could have been a really good book for me... But some things that were done in this book didn't make sense... Lot of errors, but I can understand this as this book, not being a published work will have some errors. Apart from that, good writing and dialogues.
This is a retelling of the Harry Potter books, from the premise that since Harry and Voldemort share pieces of soul, one cannot die without the other - literally. So every time Harry is killed (by accident or by malice), he'll be pulled back in time, to a point where he can change the outcome.
This has so many implications, and many of them are ones ShayneT took into account: Harry grows up extremely fearful of forming any social connections, never trying to befriend anyone or stand out in any way. His trauma makes him see threats around every corner, and when Death Eaters find him before Hogwarts he learns quickly to avoid anyone with magic. So by the time he does get to Hogwarts he's the perfect candidate for Slytherin. And a Slytherin!Harry is honestly my favorite Harry. On top of that, this paranoid, antisocial, out-to-survive-above-all-else Harry is the perfect person to end up in Slytherin as well.
Ultimately Harry does need to defeat Voldemort, he does spend a few years in school learning magic, though most of it is something he endures and doesn't cherish. It's a nice change to have trauma evident so clearly on the page; a grim, dark, survival world is what trauma makes you see, and Harry embodies that so well in this fic.