With Malice Aforethought is a very good attempt at mixing the drama of a war with the usual teenager concerns that seem to plague a student of Hogwarts without fail. While many fanfics seem to put emphasis on either the war or the shifting relationships of the characters, Aforethought manages to mix them in a very believable way. This doesn't carry over into With Malice Towards None, however; the first few chapters are so sappy that you'd think it was written by someone completely different, and the action only picks up two chapters before the story is left off. The "mix," as it were, is completely ignored (though that might change if the story is ever picked up again, as the students arrive at Hogwarts). Overall, a good read, but the second installment lacks the magic of its predecessor.
FanficRecs You'd think Rowling wrote this...
With Malice Aforethought is a very good attempt at mixing the drama of a war with the usual teenager concerns that seem to plague a student of Hogwarts without fail. While many fanfics seem to put emphasis on either the war or the shifting relationships of the characters, Aforethought manages to mix them in a very believable way. This doesn't carry over into With Malice Towards None, however; the first few chapters are so sappy that you'd think it was written by someone completely different, and the action only picks up two chapters before the story is left off. The "mix," as it were, is completely ignored (though that might change if the story is ever picked up again, as the students arrive at Hogwarts). Overall, a good read, but the second installment lacks the magic of its predecessor.