I have never read a fanfiction before, and I have never never wanted to because I feel like every time I start one, they have a very hard time sticking to a good overall plot and character development. But I have never been more happy and surprised by a read in a very long time. This book was so well written, and the characters were so deep that I forgot that I was reading fan fiction in the first place. I am so impressed by SenLinYu, who wrote this book for fun in her free  

time. She is going to turn this into a reimagined book sold in stores that does not contain any Harry Potter content, which I am more than excited about. 

 

THE PLOT

 

The plot was so intriguing and put together, it wrapped me in almost immediately. It is a dark retelling of the Harry Potter universe where the Order of the Phoenix loses. It is shot from Hermione's perspective and shows how all of our favorite characters cope with the loss and their continued efforts to win. Even though there were some parts that dragged on, it was so creative and interesting that I didn't care. It is written like a story told backwards, where half of the book is flashbacks. I rarely see books written like that and I loved seeing how everything tied in to what we already knew. Putting the puzzle pieces together had me gasping and freaking out. 

 

THE CHARACTERS 

 

I love love love how every single character in this book was written. I loved how all of the people that we knew from the books are very included, and it made me look at even some of my favorite characters in a different way. I loved how much depth Hermonie had and the character development was so well done, you could really relate so much to her and what she had been through. Of course, arguably the best part of this book, DRACO. I have never seen him written in the way that he was, and it was genius. It was so much fun to figure out what his motives were and what he truly felt, and then slowly putting everything together as the story went on. The romance aspect was so cute in every way, and you could physically feel their bond. 

 

THE ATMOSPHERE 

 

One thing I will say if you are thinking about reading this, there are massive, massive trigger warnings that should not be taken lightly. Rape is a large plot point that is consistent throughout most of it, as well as torture and suicidal thoughts. The *spicy* scenes were amazing and well written, but also not for the faint of heart. Other than that though the atmosphere was impeccable. You could feel the tension in every setting and it was everything you would want from a Draco centered fanfiction. 

 

IN CONCLUSION

 

I do not say this lightly, but if you are a fan of the Harry Potter universe and the Draco/Hermione ship, this book is a must read in all ways. It was everything you could possibly want and so much fun to read. It was compelling and exciting and had me laughing and crying with every new chapter. If the fact that it is a fanfiction scare you, do not let it. I was in the same boat and I am so happy I gave it a chance. It is amazing to me that someone that was just writing as a hobby could make such an amazing book, and I am so excited for what SenLinYu does in the future.