Reviewing Fics

I have been an avid reader and an amateur book reviewer for as long as I could remember. I'm also a huge fan of...well...fanfiction because it's a great way for people to show off their creative side with well-loved characters!  I started this blog to show my love and appreciation for those writers by offering to review any and all stories (though, I'm most familiar with THG, DW, Supernatural, and HP). Send me the name and fandom of a story and I'll review it - it can be new or old, WIP or one-shot, any pairing, any genre, popular or not-so-well-known.

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Review: Damage Assessment by FyreBirdRises

Damage Assessment

Rated: Teen and Up

Length: ~900 words

Pre-Epilogue Mockingjay

Peeta discusses his return to District 12 with Dr. Aurelius. It isn't Peeta that the doctor is worried about.

Damage Assessment is a bit longer of a drabble than FyreBirdRises' last drabble, The Phoenix, but the two definitely felt like they could fit together. This time, the story is told from Peeta's point of view and is set right before his return to District 12, but is able to provide insight into Peeta's recovery and the long road Katniss still had toward recovery. The explanation given by Dr. Aurelius seemed to fit what actually happened in Mockingjay when Peeta returned - why he wasn't necessarily surprised by her appearance but just accepted it and was so willing to help with her recovery when he still had so much of his own.

Again, for a new writer, I thought FyreBirdRises did a great job filling in some of the missing pieces in Mockingjay. One issue I had during this drabble was there were too many paragraph breaks during the dialogue. It was a little difficult to keep up with who was talking at which point in the story. A new paragraph often indicates a new thought or speaker, so I would suggest keeping dialogue from one speaker together. If it starts to look too blockish, it can get broken up with character actions (would they sigh or pause or maybe clean their glasses before continuing, for example).

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Review: The Phoenix by FyreBirdRises

The Phoenix

Rated: Teen and Up

Length: ~300 words

Pre-Epilogue Mockingjay

Katniss realizes that she has risen from the ashes, and is ready to live again. Set sometime before "Real or not real".

FyreBirdRises' summary is spot on. This short drabble is told completely from Katniss' point of view and is basically an inner monologue of her own personal growth after the Rebellion. Even though Katniss is the narrator of the entire story, her own mental recovery in Mockingjay is a bit glossed over, so it's difficult to know exactly what was happening in her own mind. This drabble feels very real and in-character for the most part, which is always a good sign for any writer. 'The Phoenix' is written in an almost poem-fashion, which works well with the general flow and feel of the drabble, in my opinion.

Overall, for a relatively new writer, I thought this was a great start into fanfiction. Worth checking out as a reader and I encourage FyreBirdRises to continue writing.

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Review: It's Not A Game by FyreBirdRises

It's Not A Game

Rated: Teen and Up

Length: ~4,000 words

Post-Mockingjay

Almost 25 years after the final Hunger Games, what do people remember? Katniss discovers the children of District 12 playing something she can't see as a game.

It's Not A Game is told from Delly's point of view (though it took a little bit of reading to figure out just who was the narrator of this one-shot) about life 25 years after the Rebellion. Families have moved into Victor's Village (and Haymitch has moved out), including those who were not old enough to remember the last Games or those involved other than what they were taught in school. The children of VV decide to play "Hunger Games," which sends Katniss into a tailspin and frightens some of the younger parents.

INaG echoed some of Katniss' last few lines in the book about her children not knowing they play on a grave yard but at some point, they (Katniss and Peeta) will tell them (the children). In this story, it's Delly who initiates the conversation with the parents who don't know the full history of the Games, with Katniss and Peeta filling in some of the details. The whole storyline reminded me of the scene from The Hunger Games movie when Haymitch watches the Capitol children playing, showing how the more removed one is from the horrors of a situation, the less they realize the power of their "pretend play.

I also really enjoyed the addition of Rory into the story because it definitely fit. The two shared a relationship with Prim and the woods that they could use to help one another. He fit really well even in his small role and I appreciated that extra bit.

There were two major complaints with INaG. The first, similar to Damage Assessment, is the way the dialogue was broken up into too many paragraphs, sometimes causing some confusion about who was doing the talking at any given point. The second problem is the over-use of dialogue as exposition (Delly talks way too much). The readers of this fic are already aware of what happened and the complete rehashing from Delly was unneeded. I'll admit I found myself skimming over the explanation which is never a good sign.

Fyrebird has some great potential! I've thoroughly enjoyed reading these three drabbles/one-shots and I can tell she has great ideas. I think with a bit more practice and some tweaks, she'll be a great addition to the fandom.

[reviewmyfic]

This is such a kind service for you to set up! I'm sure that authors will really appreciate it. Are you fine with reading/reviewing smuttier fanfics?

YES! Oh…was that too enthusiastic? ;)

I am really up for anything. I, like every reader, have certain ick-factors? But the truth is, we all like different things so I’d like this to be helpful for everyone. If I read something that has a specific trigger, I’ll mention that at the beginning but, yes, I’ll read/review whatever people would like me to.

(P.S. it’s a little selfish on my part because I’m hoping to find some fics I may not have found otherwise hehe)

[reviewmyfic]

I'd love it if you reviewed any of my fiction, although I'm a beginning writer. I'm on FF and AO3 as fyrebirdrises. I'm looking forward to reading your reviews.

Fantastic! Do you have a preference with which one I start with? :)

[reviewmyfic]

Welcome to...whatever this is ;)

Hi, everyone! I'm a huge fan of fanfiction and am currently a little too obsessed with THG series (though I have a soft spot for Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Supernatural, and probably a lot others that I can't think of off the top of my head). I thought it might be nice to have a place to go to get a review of a fic you might be interested in reading or see where you, as a writer, and strong or might need some work (all constructive and never personal, I promise!).

Anyway, this is a call for volunteers. If anyone would like their fics to be reviewed, let me know! It can be completed or in progress, multi-chapter, one-shot, or drabble, in-cannon or AU, popular or less-well-known, any pairing, any genre, any rating. Send me your favorite fic or your own fic and I'll read it and give it an honest review.

I'm still working on my review criteria so once that's figured out, I'll post that as well. :)