Reviewed by Nessa Luna on
I wanted so badly to like this story. But I just have to admit that I did not like it at all. I found out about this about two years ago, when I was desperate to find some nice fanfics about Harry Potter. But when I first started reading it, I couldn't really get into it. So I tried two more times to read it, and eventually the third time I finally got further than the part I got stuck at before. If you are still planning on reading James Potter and the Hall of Elder's Crossing, beware for this review might have some spoilers in it.
Even though at the beginning, I said I liked it so far, I ended up disliking it the more I read. Mainly because the author decided to throw almost everything that was canon. There were relationships in this story that did not make any sense. I mean it was well known that these characters had relationships with OTHER characters than the ones they were dating in this story (Luna and Neville did not date, they married Rolf Scamander and Hannah Abbott; Teddy Lupin (whose name was shortened to 'Ted') is not dating a girl named Petra Morganstern but definitely dating Victoire Weasley already). And the main reason I got angry was George Weasley. According to this author, he was a bachelor and currently dating Katie Bell. But he was actually married to Angelina Johnson, and they had two beautiful children together. This author ERASED that marriage, and ERASED those two children; GEORGE WEASLEY'S SON, NAMED AFTER HIS DECEASED TWIN BROTHER WAS ERASED FROM THIS STORY BECAUSE THE AUTHOR WANTED HIM TO DATE KATIE BELL. No. No no no no no.
I know it's fanfiction; but just - I don't get it. Why you would erase Fred Weasley II. I guess I could live with the other two (because at the end of this book Teddy did start 'holding Victoire's hand' though they could not be seen by her parents (I can't imagine why? I think Bill and Fleur would have happily accepted their daughter dating Teddy because they KNOW Teddy. And they KNOW he's a good guy)). But I can NEVER get over the thing he did to George.
The fact that James Potter, a first year, was apparently able to perform a Protean charm, something that is - according to someone in Order of the Phoenix - a charm that is N.E.W.T. standard. It was very unbelievable for me that James was able to do this charm, especially since he's nothing like Hermione, and Hermione was only able to do it in her fifth year. (It's the charm she used on the coins for the DA, which James used on a bunch of rubber ducks).
Ralph joined James for Christmas break, because his dad was busy or something - and the thing that made me a bit pissed off was that they celebrated it in 12 Grimmauld Place. I do not think Harry would have wanted to come back there after Deathly Hallows, I mean it has too many bad memories, Sirius never loved that house and nor did Harry. But that aside, I liked seeing the Weasley/Potter/Granger family together (apart from the whole George thing); but then there was the presents. Of course, they all got nice presents, and then Ginny and Harry had a present for Ralph as well.
Snape's copy of Advanced Potion Making. Which was in the Room of Hidden Things, which got very very burned by Crabbe's Fiendfyre in Deathly Hallows. The Room of Requirement might have repaired itself, but I do not think it could have repaired all the items that were in that specific room, especially not some stupid book. Which is also a book for sixth years. And something that Ginny would NOT have approved of giving to anyone, let alone a first year. I don't care that he's a Slytherin, Ginny Weasley would NEVER have given that book, that has some horrible spells in it, to ANYONE.
Also apparently the author thought it would be nice to let every student from every year sleep together in the same room; of course girls still separated from boys, but first years slept in the same room as seventh years (and everything in between). And this was the same for the lessons. We know from the Harry Potter books that the Gryffindors had lessons with another house - just one other house (for example, they had Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, and Potions with the Slytherins); but Lippert mashed it all together.
James had Muggle Studies (a subject that they weren't taught until third year, which was also NOT mandatory) with Teddy who was a Seventh year, Tabitha who was a fifth year Slytherin and I believe some Hufflepuffs or Ravenclaws as well. To me, it felt like the author only did this because he wanted James to spend time with Teddy. Because why not have him have classes with his two friends, Zane and Ralph, who are in the SAME YEAR?
The only thing I was really happy with, was that James was not a SUPER MEGA AWESOME QUDDITCH PLAYER in his first year. In fact, his Quidditch try-out (because apparently first years were allowed to try out all of a sudden, while after Harry got in the team this rule was not changed throughout the HP books) he was horrible. So horrible, he nearly fell off a broom and died. Until Ralph saved him, that is. (In my head, Albus isn't a great flier either, but Lily Luna turns out to have gotten their parents' awesome quidditch genes).
Yes, I had a lot of problems with this book, and I think that if I wrote them all down here, this would probably be such a long post, I could make it into a book (hmmmm, maybe I could do it).
I think my main issue with this story, is that it wasn't written by J.K. Rowling. The writing was quite good, though sometimes the author was confused on whether it was 'The Hall of Elder's Crossing' or 'The Hall of Elders' Crossing'. But yeah, I just had too many problems with this story. This story reminded me of the reason I don't read fanfiction anymore, because I find it hard to agree with headcanons/fanon.
Do I recommend James Potter and the Hall of Elders'/Elder's Crossing to anyone? No. Unless you don't care about the things that are canon. No, even then, I do not recommend this story to you. I have read much better fanfiction on fanfiction.net, and they don't have their own website, their own pages on Goodreads. Will I be reading the rest of the series? Maybe. I am not sure yet. I do have the other two available books on my e-reader, but first I need to get over this book. I might try the second one in a couple of months, or years. Or something like that.
My opinion of this book in one gif:
Reading updates
- Started reading
- 23 July, 2014: Finished reading
- 23 July, 2014: Reviewed