The Fanfiction Review

A Review on fan-fiction for the incredible series All for the Game by Nora Sakavic

This series is about Neil Josten, the runaway son of a serial killer, and his love of a (fictional) sport named Exy. While facing the threat of the Japanese Mafia, Neil makes a deal with the goalie of his new Exy team –Andrew Minyard – and they develop a relationship throughout the 3 books.

A Runaway's Forever - TheBashfulPoet

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13927773

This story is told in an interesting way, as the writer varies her sentence structure to mimic the original story. The setting is not really described, and one may be confused about how the scene is set. This is something I would improve for more clarity for the reader. Neil’s complex mentality concerning his past in relation to his future is described with amazing understanding, and the interpretation of his character is quite realistic. This is an interpretation that I would also like to explore. The characterization was slightly softer than in the original but in a believable way – we can believe that Andrew and Neil progress to a point where they can communicate this way and sincerely hope that they do as the very hopeful readers. It can be difficult to discern who is speaking at times, and this is something I would make much clearer so a reader is not confused.

Maid In Manhattan - Stranger_and_stranger

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13728876/chapters/31541730

This work gives a translation of both Neil and Andrew’s characters into the storyline of the movie Maid in Manhattan. Their characterizations do not change – their little quirks and thought processes stay the same regardless of the change in circumstance – something which is very well done by the writer and something I would like to try doing. As well as this the story is written so that you don’t have to see the original movie to know what is happening. You can keep up with the story-line as she shapes it according to both of their mentalities. The setting of New York and the airport are well described places that you can imagine yourself in, while the shift into Andrew’s perspective is a smooth and comfortable transition. These are the best elements of the work and the parts I would personally like to emulate. The only thing I can critique here is the grammar, which is incorrect in some places.

There are bad days and then there are good days - RestlesslyRoaming

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13912986

The writer presents the beautiful understanding Neil and Andrew have of each other’s incredibly complex traumas and pasts. Andrew’s perspective and the paradoxical way he feels towards Neil is a direct parallel with the original novels, and a very important part of the series that I would like to include. However, the idea that Neil is the cure to his depression is misleading as Andrew underwent lots of therapy and personal development to reach this point. This is something I would acknowledge more, while still showing that his relationship with Neil is an important part of his growth. The story also describes the reasons he stayed in the Spear household quite realistically. We come to understand that not all days were bad despite the points that broke him, though some of the story is a bit too explicit, especially when speaking about his foster brother. This character study is both in-depth and written in a fluent writing style, but I personally would not include the more detailed images of his traumatic experiences.