Name: Renacera (Signed) · Date: 23 Jan 2021 11:30 PM · For: just say yes

What the absolute hell. I talk about this story constantly, and yet it seems I've never actually reviewed it. I think I've nominated it for about a dozen forum awards (a lot of which it's won!) and recommended it to basically everyone who asks about Narcissa stories.

Honestly, this is one of my favorite stories ever. The way you portray Narcissa is stunning. The idea of her as a young woman duty-bound to marry someone she doesn't love is heartbreaking. There's such weight behind all of her decisions, and it's so clear that she's carried that weight her whole life...but it's still so hard to watch her struggle with it. The way the narrative highlights the complexities and difficulties of living in an unyielding society is incredible. Especially because Narcissa does love Florence. She loves her more than any words can say, but she knows she isn't able to act on that love. In a way, I wish she was braver. I know it's unfair to think that she isn't, but I just wish she'd had a chance to be happy with Florence. They have such a stunning relationship and it breaks my heart that it ends so soon.

That's another thing you do masterfully in this story: Narcissa and Florence's relationship and how it evolves clashes so perfectly against the backdrop of the pureblood society's expectations for Narcissa. And the addition of Narcissa's grief over Andromeda's departure is just perfect. The parallels and lines woven together through this make it a story that's incomparable to most others.

And the ending...oh. It rips my heart out every time. But it's incredible nonetheless. I love it.

Fantastic, fantastic job. I love this story and am so happy to have finally been able to review it for you. You're incredibly talented.

Sincerely,
Emily


*for the Fairyland review event*

Author's Response:

The way my jaw dropped and I actually got teary eyed reading this reveiw, like I genuinely hope you see this response because this validated me in such a way I can't even imagine. Thank you so much for nominating this story, for reccomending and caring about it! I wrote this story on an actual whim one night all because of the line about how pureblood magic isn't stronger than non, and I couldn't get it out of my mind and I began to just blindly create something and kept widdling it to see who the story could be about and Florence and Narcissa kind of appeared to me. 

Emily, this genuinely means the entire world to me. Thank you for reading it, for sharing it, for nominating it - I feel so bad that I never knew it won things, because to me, I wrote this story originally in 2014 and I've always loved it because I'd never seen anything like it, just wrote it and posted it and no one's ever really cared about it (which I guess hindsight hurts, but I'd never been bothered because I always enjoyed knowing it was there in the big sea of fic) and knowing one person loves this fic as I do, that's mind blowing. 

Thank you, thank you thank you.

Much love and appreciation!

xo,

Bee!

Name: TreacleTart (Signed) · Date: 07 May 2020 08:23 PM · For: just say yes

 

Hey there! 

 

I'm just going through reading lots of Hufflepuff stories in preparation for the Golden Chalice nomination process. I stumbled upon this one because I enjoy dark stories and minor characters and Narcissa seems like a great character to explore. 

 

I thought this was super interesting how you explored the role of a woman in the Black Family. I guess I never gave too much thought to just how partiarchal they must be, but this makes a lot of sense. Of course, the Blacks would expect their daughters to be passive and ladylike. 

 

I love how you tie in both Sirius and Andromeda as well. Their rebellions definitely would've rocked the family and I could imagine them influencing how Narcissa perceived things.

 

I think the ending is so tragic, but also very in line with who Narcissa was raised to be. She never truly lets herself fall in love with Florence. She's always restrained and conscious of what is expected of her as a daughter. Even when Florence dies, she keeps it all bottled in and hides it to keep her perfect exterior in tact.

 

Good work on this! It was a sad, but enjoyable read.

 

~Kaitlin

 

Author's Response:

When I was younger, I loved reading this one fic, that sadly no longer exists, about Andromeda and Ted, and the way I constantly thought of that fic even to this day definitely fueled the backdrop for the women of the Black Family. I also am obsessed with period pieces, and I definitely will point fingers at those who cast Rosamund Pike and Keira Knightly from Pride and Prejudice (2005) as Andromeda and Narcissa as the reason I see the families as old fashioned and demanding ladylike and passive manners.

I also like to think that Sirius and Andromeda gave Narcissa the will to, not only lie to Voldemort about Harry, but defy him by going to Snape at the start of book six. Narcissa may not have been the rebellion, but she got to join in at the end!

Thank you so much for reviewing, I appreciate it!

xo, Bee!

Name: Felpata_Lupin (Signed) · Date: 08 Jun 2019 11:02 AM · For: just say yes

Hello! I'm here checking out Chalices' noms! Congratulations for being nominated and good luck for the awards! ;)

This was really good! I loved your portrayal of Narcissa and how she's impacted by the Pureblood society's expectations. She's not a character I often think about much, but I loved her in your interpretation (and yes, I can totally imagine her in this light)

Her relationship with Florence was so sweet and it was so heartbreaking to see Narcissa choosing loyalty towards her family and sacrificing her own happiness for it, although I can't find it in myself to actually blame her. It can't be easy to know that you are going to disappoint your parents so much, especially after seeing how the previous "betrayals" have affected them. Still, I wish she'd followed Andromeda's example.

Sorry, I'm cutting this review a bit short, but I have a lot of reading to complete for the Chalices still. But great job with this!

Lots of love and snowball hug,

Chiara

Author's Response:

I never knew I was nominated for anything, so thank you for informing me! Ah, this fic is from 2014 and I remember one night, thinking of making an OC about a muggleborn going toe-to-toe with the idea that Purebloods were better at magic and being turned on their side and thus Florence (and this story) was born. I appreciate the time you took writing this review and I'm glad you liked it. Thanks a mil xoxo! 

Name: victoria_anne (Signed) · Date: 08 Apr 2019 04:58 AM · For: just say yes

Hi there!

 

What a strong few opening lines! You've started off super dark and now I'm not sure what to expect from this story, but I know it's going to be good, and it definitely made me sit up a little straighter!

 

The Black's ideas of daughters is really sad, but of course their idea of tradition and what is acceptable isn't a shock. But I like how you've managed to write it, so that when the little acts of rebellion occur, even though I know them I still feel the shock of them.

 

I love what Andromeda wrote about love being an indulgence that would foil whatever plans their parents had for them. It makes their world seem so bleak and cold and real love seem so warm. I just love the image you're creating here!

 

Ahh, I love Florence! I love how they slowly and organically got to know each other and that it slowly blossomed into something more. I loved Narcissa's realisation that blood didn't really mean anything, because she wasn't any smarter or anything like that than Florence. It was really satisfying to read, and to see her question the things she'd always known.

 

It's so sad that she couldn't be with Florence! I wish she'd been brave enough to run out on her family, wah! Omg, and what happened to Florence is devastating, and Narcissa had to read about it in the newspaper :(

 

Well, thank you very much for breaking my heart! But seriously, this was amazingly written!

Author's Response:

I'm so so sorry for a late response, but this review made my heart sing. Thank you so much, I appreciate this review so much. Ah, I'm such a sucker for the Black sisters, and Narcissa is always forgotten, but I love the idea that she, too, had her own rebellion against Pureblood traditionalism (and heterosexuality). Inevitably, Narcissa marries Lucius, had Draco, and then is a key element in the end of the Dark Lord - so in the end, I like to say Narcissa won, and beyond the veil, Florence was beside herself with joy. Thank you again for this review, you lovely angel. xoxo!

Name: Oregonian (Signed) · Date: 16 Feb 2019 12:39 AM · For: just say yes

Hi, Badgerspride.  This is Vicki from Slytherin.

 

I enjoyed this story for several reasons.  You do a good job of describing Narcissa's conflicting emotions and loyalties, her mostly unsuccessful attempts to reconcile the two opposing sets of values that she finds herself living with.

 

One could argue whether her strict adherence to what she sees as her responsibility and duty to her family indicates great strength in forcing herself to do what she doesn't want to do, or great weakness in allowing others to make important choices about her future.

 

Given that nothing in her scripted life was ever decided on the basis of her happiness, it is gratifying to see how much love and joy she has with her child.  She deserves at least that much.  And when her Muggle-born friend is murdered in the war (inevitable), Narcissa cannot even let her family know that she is mourning the death of an old friend who was (gasp!) not a pureblood (also inevitable). 

 

Your story covers a span of many years in less than three thousand words.  Not all authors can carry that off.  You do it well, however.  Your story events are all on the same topic -- Narcissa's indoctrination in the pureblood supremacy philosophy, combined with her very conficted feelings about that, so this story thread ties it all together and prevents its sounding like a jumble of bits and pieces of life.  Well done.  Good job.

Author's Response:

Wow thank you so much! I appreciate you saying that I got the span of years in less than three thousand words, since I always worry I write too little, but sometimes, bogging down a story just makes it lose the point. As for Narcissa's emotions, I appreciate that very much. Thank you so very, very much for the time you took to write this review and I'm very glad you enjoyed! xoxo