Holy Roller
Holy Roller by flowersinherhair Rating: Teen and Up Word Count: 34k
Complacency rules Dean and Castiel's lives, not any sort of true happiness. Both are too scared to shake things up—that is, until Dean stumbles into Castiel's sleepy Appalachian town held under the iron thumb of Cas's revivalist preacher step-father.
One of the best things about stories— any form of story— is that it takes you to a world you may have never seen otherwise. I had never set foot in Southern Appalachia but, after reading this fic, I feel like I have. Castiel’s town is described so vividly and with so much love from the author that it came alive on the page. The chapter titles, which come from road signs the author has seen in the area, were a nice touch. Every chapter also has a corresponding song, so the author's passion for this fic is evident right from the start.
This mastery over the setting sets a perfect stage to showcase why Cas grew into the man we meet at the start of the story. Dean is the newcomer who’s just passing through on a road trip, until a conversation with Cas makes him think he might stay a while. This fic takes place over a longer space of time and is told in dual POVs, allowing the relationship between Dean and Cas to grow naturally and convincingly.
The author does a great job paralleling their AU Dean and Cas with their canon selves. Their character development is satisfying and you’ll be cheering them on— and sometimes yelling at them to get their acts together— all along the way.
