Autumn into Spring by Crookshanks22
Summary: In this sequel to ‘A Romance, with Dragons,’ Viktor finds love at last… and long shadows of the past. Set in Romania, Bulgaria, and Budapest in the aftermath of the second war. Drama/Romance, 19,292 Words.
Guest Rec’d By: Allie Meril (allie_andromeda)
Why You Should Care: You don’t get a lot of fics that are (a) not set in Britain/Hogwarts/etc., and have (b) really fantastic original characters. “Autumn Into Spring” is one of those rare stories that paints a wholly new picture of a wizarding culture outside of Britain, and a totally believable one at that. Crookshanks’ picture of wizarding Romania and the rest of Eastern Europe is appropriately bleak and harsh, and this reflects beautifully on the development of the OCs: Marina Vasik is the way she is because her life molded her that way. Even more than in “A Romance, With Dragons,” Crookshanks22’s writing is stunning.
Why You Might Not Care: An OC-centric story, paired with a very minor character who only appeared in two books… And to boot, Marina has a tragic past! This sounds like a recipe of bad cliches, but it surpasses all of them to form a beautiful and touching story. I’d say that Marina is one of the very best OCs that I’ve ever seen, and her tragic past has very real effects on her character; it isn’t used as a way to get pity from others.
Coffee and Chocolate 