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julesmarie

The Book High

I've always said I'll read anything, and I really do mean that. Lately M/M romance has had my interest, but fantasy and sci-fi were my first loves and will always hold a special place in my heart. I also love histories and biographies.

Currently reading

The Mists of Avalon
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Shakespeare After All
Marjorie Garber
All Life is Yours to Miss - Saras_Girl,  smoochfestmod Saras_Girl's TURN is one of my favorite Drarry stories, so I had high hopes for this one.

And it was pleasant. But also rather predictable. And also somewhat frustrating that due to Harry's accident, there's virtually no interaction between them until like two-thirds through the story. And then even when they do interact, they're just both so very British and stoic.

I thought Stanley was adorable, and a fantastically clever idea. I also loved getting to see what Harry thought Stanley looked like, very cute.

Favorite Quotes:
He knows he's being unpleasant, but he's not sure how to stop, or indeed how else to be.

"He's obviously not in any great distress if the first thing he wants is one of your tall tales."
"My tales are perfectly proportioned," Draco says without looking away from Harry.

"Am I going completely mad, or are these snow boots for my beetle?"


Seeker, Chaser, Keeper - VivacissimoVoce Very fun Quidditch-based Drarry. It starts at the end of "8th year" and follows the boys into the start of their professional Quidditch careers. As close to a sports story as it's possible for Drarry to be. The rivalry at the beginning was delightful, the training parts were fun, and the descriptions of the games were exciting.

Light-hearted, mostly angst-free story that actually portrays Ginny in a way I didn't hate. Definitely on my list of Drarry to re-read.

Favorite Quote:
He blamed Potter's arse.... It made his hands want to do squeezy things and his teeth want to do bitey things.

Teddy Bear Troubles and Other Such Oddities - Kandakicksass I thought the idea for this one sounded cute and intriguing.

The story itself was indeed intriguing. And parts were cute. But parts ended up being borderline-icky with the Drarry happening when Draco's still growing back up into his 18-year-old self.

Draco only has the memories of whatever age he is at the time, and for the most part, the interactions between him and Harry are cute and sweet, and Harry is very conscientious about treating Draco age-appropriately. And because Draco is much more innocent, he's able to say adorable things that his older self wouldn't.

I do like that Draco growing up again gave the two of them a do-over on their relationship. It gave them both a chance to think things through and see how each of their choices contributed to them ending up where they did.

It's difficult to explain exactly which bits made me uncomfortable, because I do think for the most part it was handled well. Every once in a while, though, the Draco's-currently-a-child thing became an issue for me.

Favorite Quote:
"You are my most important person."
Vacuus Fine Finium - Sapphy I had to add this because it's the first vampire!Harry I've come across.

There were several elements in this story that were new to me. Draco has to be without question the kinkiest teenager in the history of kinky teenagers. It's lovely how it works out that that just happens to make him the perfect person for the recently-vampiric Harry.

Bits of this are too much like Twilight, and bits are just way too over-the-top. It was still entertaining overall.

Favorite Quotes:
Wondering at the sheer cruelty of the world, and wondering if this was enough evidence to prove the creator was a drug addled four year old.

Once ... his classmates decided Malfoy was unlikely to do anything interesting or death eaterish--a low hubbub of chat ebbed back into the room.

Every instinct was still telling him that there was something inherently wrong with any universe where Malfoy didn't belong to him.

After all evil megalomaniacs are ten a penny, but sadistic vampires with bodies that good are rare indeed.

"It was a fair exchange. I get protection. Harry gets... well me."

"I don't intend to let Harry kill me, just... maim me a bit."
Fairy Tale Princes and Other Nightmares - Elfflame So, I adore fairy tales. I really love m/m retellings of fairy tales. So combining m/m fairy tales with Drarry just made me like giddy happy. This was fantastically fun to read.

The story starts with Draco showing up at Harry's house to accuse him of cursing the wand he just returned. Draco's been having nightmares every night for the week he's had the wand back and wants to blame them on Harry.

Harry asks Draco to tell him what the nightmares are about. Rather like Scheherazade, each chapter is a new fairy tale, only these are all dreams that Draco has had about himself and Harry. Real-life Draco and Harry chat for a bit at the end of each chapter, and we can see the effect that the fairy tales have on both of them.

Very, very sweet story. And so, so much fun to read! Entirely unrealistic, but to me that's half the point of fairy tales. :D

Favorite Quote:
Draco tried to fall back into his normal patterns, but for some reason, he couldn't recall what they were. The few he could remember no longer felt right. Like he didn't fit.
Organically Grown - twisted miracle Also available at http://archiveofourown.org/works/435317

This was an interesting take on all of the characters. The blurb isn't entirely accurate... Hermione's not directionless (that implied to me one of those aimless, goalless teenagers who don't want to grow up) but rather looking for something worthwhile to which to dedicate her time.

Draco came across as much weaker than I usually like to think of him as. But it provided for an interesting new take on the Drarry dynamic.

And having Harry enjoy gardening and baking was original and interesting, if a little difficult to believe.

Favorite Quote:
contemplating the idea that, by embracing his incompetence instead of fighting it, he'd actually been a more competent friend than at any other time he could think of.
Leopardspaw - Lomonaaeren This is the first Drarry fic I've yet discovered in which Harry is the aggressor in pursuing a relationship. His reaction to being able to see when others are lying is to stop hiding or avoiding telling the truth himself.

It was delightful to watch these two dance around each other. Harry especially (and both he and Draco acknowledge it in the story, which was interesting) is nothing like the boy he was in cannon. He doesn't hesitate to tell Draco exactly what he's thinking or feeling, and it drives Draco crazy not being able to tell if Harry's sincere or not.

I thought Harry's moral relativism here was equally as fascinating as the story. And the explanation for how he turned from the boy he was into the man he is in this fic was absolutely plausible, and fun to see explored.

3.5 stars

Favorite Quotes:
"I begin to wish for your ability," Malfoy murmured. "Not only could I have conduced this investigation on my own recognizance, I could know how much of your preoccupation with my arse is real."

Kingsley, he knew, hated it when he showed up the stupidity of the other Aurors, which Harry thought was an excellent reason not to hire stupid people to be Aurors.

Malfoy stood there for a few seconds, breathing in and out, in and out, in a way that Harry recognized from when Hermione was tired of dealing with him. Harry sighed and leaned back against the bookshelves. The only thing he could do with someone who found him so tiring was wait until they had some of their energy back.

Sometimes he thought the universe was difficult just to fuck with him.
A Kind of Magic (The Most Noble House of Torchwood #2) - Merzibelle Spectacularly creative and fantastically great fun! Getting to see the way that Jack and Ianto react to Hogwarts and how everyone at Hogwarts reacts to them was hilarious and fascinating and so, so well done.

Minor spoilers, all found out very early on. We've found out that Ianto is really Sarin Lestrange, son of Bellatrix. He was resorted from Gryffindor into Slytherin after his parentage was discovered during a potions class experiment, and it alienated him from everything magical to the point he left the Wizarding World behind completely once he graduated Hogwarts.

In book 1, Ianto finds out that Hermione is his (and Jack's) daughter (never fully explained, but attributed to Jack's time-traveling mojo) and when the students at Hogwarts find out that Hermione is Bellatrix's granddaughter, she goes through almost exactly what Ianto did.

Jack and Ianto arrive at Hogwarts just in time to see both Harry and Hermione be resorted into Slytherin. (But not before the rift-activity warning goes off, a dementor appears, and they kill it--apparently dementors are aliens... :P Hilarious!)

At that first dinner, Ianto blithely pulls out his pda and is sending out emails and messages to the team. Everyone is shocked: technology can't work in Hogwarts! /gasp... So Jack rolls his eyes and asks if anyone has actually ever TRIED getting their mobiles to work there. Again, hilarious!

Anyway, as I said about #1, this idea is just brilliant. The Torchwood and Harry Potter worlds are blended just so creatively and it was so much fun to read!
Bloodlines - Merzibelle Fantastic and fascinating premise, and a delightful intermingling of the Torchwood and Harry Potter worlds.

This one is just a super-short intro to the series, in which we find out exactly how the two worlds overlap.
The Mirror - Bell Ellis Interesting paranormal story, although I admit I'd hoped it might be a little scarier when I saw the mention of a ghost in the blurb.

I thought the pacing was nice, getting to see Vic get to know both Philippe and Jules, while watching the carvings in the mirror slowly change.

And I did like that I wasn't able to predict the ending, although perhaps I should have been able to...

And any story that can give a happy ending to that many people totally satisfies the sappy fluff lover in me.

Favorite Quotes:
"I saw myself in this mirror last night!"
Jennifer stared at him. "Yes, I've heard that's what happens."
"No, I mean, it was me, but not me. It was this other guy, who looked exactly, and I mean exactly like me. But he wasn't me! But he seemed to think he was me!"
Jennifer grinned widely. "Skolieeee!"
Skolie's head popped out from the back. "Yo."
"Vic is on druuuuuugs.


"An abominable plunderer? Um, these days we just call it 'gay'." He paused. "Abominable plunderer is kind of stylish, though."

"I learned that you never know your limits, because the moment you test them, they change."
Catching Fire - Suzanne  Collins This has been in my tbr list forever. I tried reading it not long after I finished the first book and I just couldn't get into it. Katniss was frustrating me, and the descriptions of President Snow just turned me off to the point I put it down and didn't return to it until last weekend.

Perhaps the greater length of time from when I finished the first book helped? Because this time through I found myself so caught up in the story I had a hard time putting it down.

My favorite thing: there were several elements here which surprised me. I love it when books can do that. I'm so glad I read this before the movie is released, because being surprised along with the characters was part of what made the experience of reading this so enjoyable.

I may actually prefer this to the first book. I feel like the characters are all much more honest with each other here. Katniss knows everyone well enough now to not need to bother with pretenses--and to be able to see through those of the others. (mostly. she's still surprisingly dim when it comes to a few of the new characters' motives)

I'm usually not a huge fan of cliffhangers, but I really actually liked where this one ended (perhaps because I already have book 3 and can start it right away) because I feel like I've got time to process everything that happened in this book before being introduced to the new elements we're obviously heading for.
Take The Air - dysonrules I really liked who both Harry and Draco were in this one. I really liked that we only got to know Draco slowly, and that we did so through Harry's investigations and through Harry's eyes.

And Draco taking advantage of Ron's absence to charm everything on his desk to sparkle in different colors was hilarious.

Very fun story.
Take The Air - dysonrules I really liked who both Harry and Draco were in this one. I really liked that we only got to know Draco slowly, and that we did so through Harry's investigations and through Harry's eyes.

And Draco taking advantage of Ron's absence to charm everything on his desk to sparkle in different colors was hilarious.

Very fun story.
BTW I Love You - Nico Jaye This was one I could tell from the blurb and the reviews that I would enjoy, so I was saving it for a night when I needed a nice, happy story.

And this really was just that: nice and happy and sweet.

Dirty Little Secret - Ella Sheridan Very like a m/m version of [b:The Hunger Games|2767052|The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1)|Suzanne Collins|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1358275334s/2767052.jpg|2792775] but with aliens, sex, and mate-claiming instead of killing.

The beginning is rather jarring, as we're dropped into the arena with Shane, who immediately starts talking about all of these species of aliens and things he learned during training, but we still don't know why he's there or what it's for. And the Hunger Games comparison only gets you so far... as soon as Shane tells us that the melee at the start is an orgy instead of a bloodbath the similarities become fewer and fewer.

Once Shane has a chance to explain a little more about why he's there, and we get to meet a few of the fascinating felines the hunt is for, the story became thoroughly engrossing and was very fun to read. The setting is beautifully described, and fits the idea of what a planet inhabited by sentient humanoid feline aliens should be like.

I honestly finished this wishing it were part of a series. I'd love to spend more time on that planet, either with new characters in the hunt or with Shane in his new home.
His Only Defence - LunaCanisLupus_22 An AU of season 2 of Teen Wolf. Very interesting one, with mates and heats and knotting and a bunch of things that I've not yet found in other fanfics I've read. But also with all of the same people still werewolves, just for different reasons.

It was indeed hot, as many other reviewers have said. I suppose I may have just begun this with the wrong attitude. I was taken so off guard by how everyone reacted to Derek "claiming" Stiles at the beginning that I found myself unable to sink fully into the story. I mean, Stiles is sixteen, but just because Derek's an alpha suddenly that doesn't matter. As soon as Derek claims him, everyone's fine with them being "gay werewolf married" as Stiles keeps calling it.

Stiles's dad even helps him pack so he can move in with Derek...

And Stiles keeps referring to himself as a teenager...

Idk, just that whole scenario struck me as so unrealistic. Not that it made the story unenjoyable; I just couldn't lose myself in it like I wanted to.

The rest of the story, with the rogue and the Argents and the different alliances was a lot of fun to read. And the whole Derek/Stiles dynamic was done wonderfully well.

Favorite Quotes:
He'd learned to be adaptable and to accept that some people just thought that you were a freak.

Although he did slam his hands on the wheel in a frustrated display of macho masculinity, nearly breaking his hands from the manoeuvre, wailing like a girl at the freaking pain of it.

He could've sworn he was wearing his paying attention expression so he was surprised to suddenly be caught out.

He slipped out of the car before the alpha really lost his temper because Stiles knew that wasn't going to help his whole existing thing.

Allison looked surprised too. "Oh no," she muttered grabbing her bag and quickly hurrying off because she was such a goody goody when she wasn't shooting people with arrows.

Scott sighed. "Why do I get the feeling you're about to do something stupid?"
"Because you know me well and I am," he agreed.

the werewusses.

Derek literally pulled away this time removing Stiles hands from around his waist and stepping back and that made it clear that the conversation had very much just ended. Or died, or been murdered in its sleep by an angry alpha.

Derek was an enigma, wrapped in a wolf and covered in prickly spikes to ward off curious bystanders.

Maybe the alpha werewolf's cock possessed magical powers that induced hyperactive horny teenagers into a state of obsessed and no doubt embarrassing levels of adoration and feelings.

Derek's expression went strangely blank and Stiles was curious if he'd just gone into shutdown mode or if the emotions inside him had finally died from lack of use.

If they weren't already gay werewolf married Stiles would put a goddamn ring on that shit.

Because he was in love with him and apparently Derek's werewolf penis felt the same way which was nice.

Stiles wanted to laugh and cry at the same time because oh God it hurt to look at him when he was that perfect. It was just so Derek and seeing it felt like everything might be okay.