Name: Oregonian (Signed) · Date: 05/02/15 2:14 · For: Chapter 1

Hi, Secret M. This is Vicki of Slytherin House, and I just finished reading your “new” (at least, new to us) story The Game.

There’s been so much James/Lily stuff written over the years, of varying quality, that my first instinct is not to read it anymore, but of course that’s not fair, because in the hands of a good writer, a James/Lily story can be very enjoyable, as yours was.

I enjoyed seeing it in the first person, from Lily’s point of view, so that we could hear all her very considered and refreshingly un-angsty thoughts and reflections. It’s a gentle piece, but there is a plot, a story arc. Lily is thoughtful but not over-emotional; she is able to look at herself fairly objectively, and is even getting insights into James also.

I’ll tell you the point in the story where I started getting good vibes: the point where you said ” He was… so arrogant [yes, everyone says “arrogant”, but you went further and actually said what he was overly-proud about] about his stupid grades, his superior Quidditch skills, his impossibly rich family, and the fact that he could charm anyone into liking him.” When people say James is arrogant, they seem to be just parroting what everyone else has said before, but you made that adjective work.

So I will flip my Don’t-Read-James/Lily switch into the “Off” position, and read your other J/L stories also and expect to be pleasantly surprised. Nice job.

Vicki

Author's Response: Thanks for the input. I'm glad you enjoyed it, especially as it's the first time I've ever written in the first person.