This story is fantastically entertaining and unique, especially if you love Dawn (as I very much do), but it does have some issues.
The main negative is the slightly-off characterization. Buffy seems even less self-aware than in canon at times, Joyce's alcohol consumption is much more noticeable, and Spike has definitely been fluffed a bit. It's like every character has been slightly exaggerated, and while it's not terribly distracting, I do think many of them have been watered down from their canon complexity. The only character who always seems spot-on is Dawn, and the worst offender is probably Angel (though Angelus is fairly in-character).
Speaking of Angel, there are some fairly disturbing things in this fic, many of which happen to Dawn. Luckily, the author puts warnings at the beginning of each chapter, so it shouldn't end up taking you by surprise. Just realize that the fic isn't entirely sunshine and kittens.
The writing is never distractingly bad, but the prose can get a bit awkward or purple in places. It's definitely good for a fanfic, but maybe a step below most published novels.
In the end, all of that is outweighed by the fact that Dawn gives season two, baddest-of-the-bad Spike a FRIENDSHIP BRACELET, after which he's willing to do pretty much anything to keep her safe. It's hard to make objective quality judgements in the face of awesomeness like that. Buffy is dead-set on protecting her family, and Dawn just wants her two favorite people to stop trying to kill each other. The Dawn-Spike and Buffy-Dawn interaction in this fic is glorious, and since those are two of my favorite platonic relationships, I can't help but enjoy the fic as a whole. Any interaction involving Joyce is also fantastically entertaining, even if (or, occasionally, because) she seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown half the time.
In short, there are a few distracting details that may pull one out of the story every now and then, but I'll still be waiting for the next update when it comes. If you think Summers solidarity and adorable Dawn-Spike interaction are worth overlooking some quibbles about characterization and less-than-completely-perfect prose, go ahead and check this fic out.
It Has Some Problems, but it also has FRIENDSHIP!
This story is fantastically entertaining and unique, especially if you love Dawn (as I very much do), but it does have some issues.
The main negative is the slightly-off characterization. Buffy seems even less self-aware than in canon at times, Joyce's alcohol consumption is much more noticeable, and Spike has definitely been fluffed a bit. It's like every character has been slightly exaggerated, and while it's not terribly distracting, I do think many of them have been watered down from their canon complexity. The only character who always seems spot-on is Dawn, and the worst offender is probably Angel (though Angelus is fairly in-character).
Speaking of Angel, there are some fairly disturbing things in this fic, many of which happen to Dawn. Luckily, the author puts warnings at the beginning of each chapter, so it shouldn't end up taking you by surprise. Just realize that the fic isn't entirely sunshine and kittens.
The writing is never distractingly bad, but the prose can get a bit awkward or purple in places. It's definitely good for a fanfic, but maybe a step below most published novels.
In the end, all of that is outweighed by the fact that Dawn gives season two, baddest-of-the-bad Spike a FRIENDSHIP BRACELET, after which he's willing to do pretty much anything to keep her safe. It's hard to make objective quality judgements in the face of awesomeness like that. Buffy is dead-set on protecting her family, and Dawn just wants her two favorite people to stop trying to kill each other. The Dawn-Spike and Buffy-Dawn interaction in this fic is glorious, and since those are two of my favorite platonic relationships, I can't help but enjoy the fic as a whole. Any interaction involving Joyce is also fantastically entertaining, even if (or, occasionally, because) she seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown half the time.
In short, there are a few distracting details that may pull one out of the story every now and then, but I'll still be waiting for the next update when it comes. If you think Summers solidarity and adorable Dawn-Spike interaction are worth overlooking some quibbles about characterization and less-than-completely-perfect prose, go ahead and check this fic out.
Final Verdict: B