Gluku

Girlypop, this RPF self-insert AU should have stayed on AO3.

 I can't in good conscience give this anything higher. Being excruciatingly tedious was its first sin, but that could have been graciously ignored for the fact that after, y'know, 20+ books, not every installment can be a winner. But the epilogue was awe-inspiringly bad, like... guys? Guys, are you writing satirical fanfiction of your own books? Guys? 

Woulda been more fun if they played the supernatural cult plot straight. Instead it becomes a mess so convoluted it trips over itself in the final quarter and took my 4-star rating out with it. 

Intriguing start (lots of atmosphere and dread and intriguing curiosities), followed by a slackening middle, and an embarrassing stumble at the finish. 

Competently written but with the exact sort of emotional beats and flows as every other MFA writer that gets hailed as “luminous” and “thought-provoking,” without anything particularly outstanding. Formulaic, but well-executed, hence three stars.