Manacled
Is Dramione my new personality?
Manacled by Sen Lin Yu, A Review:
Did you know there's an entire collection of hundreds (thousands?) of books written about our favorite characters?! Apparently Fifty Shades of Gray started out as twilight fanfiction and there are too many Reylo fics to even count. Draco + Hermione? Hermione + Tom Riddle? The list goes on. Welcome to the world of fan fiction! If you are new here then FANTASTIC, because so am I! Manacled was my first (and for now last) fan fiction I'll read, starring our beloved Hermione Granger and loathed Draco Malfoy.
This is a book that I can't fully recommend, HOWEVER, I don't regret reading it. Am I a walking oxymoron? Maybe. But PHEW, NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.
Manacled begins after Dumbledore is killed and Voldemort has won the war. So, understandably, things are VERY DARK. Thought you hated Umbridge?
Well think again. You're about to be reintroduced to the most vile character I've ever had the displeasure to meet. The book starts out feeling eerily similar to The Handmaid’s Tale, and just like that story- I truly felt sick to my stomach. I kept thinking, "why am I reading this?!" Truly, I fought through the first 25% due to some trusted friends promising me it wouldn't feel like that forever and that the payoff would be worth it. (Honestly, they were right). There were many instances during this book that I was just so impressed with what Sen Lin Yu created. I'm super intrigued to see if she can pull off the published version, Alchemized, which releases later this year.
If you're not scared off, you can download the full EPUB of Manacled below for free. Once you have it downloaded you can send to your kindle to read. Just remember that it's in poor taste to charge for fan-fiction.
MANACLED EPUB
The remainder of this review will contain spoilers for the book, Manacled, so consider yourself sufficiently warned.
Before we begin, I'd like to change your visual of Malfoy. Because sorry folks, (with zero respect) this truly won't cut it.
Once I got going with this book I realized I needed to picture a different Draco for this story to work in my head. Can I just say, BLESS Pinterest. This is the Draco I met in Manacled and forever the Draco I will picture if I ever decide to read another Dramione.
The worst thing that this giant tome did to me, was the absolute emotional whiplash I experienced from page to page. I was so fearful that this book would totally bum me out, and I will say, the first 1/4 of of the story is ROUGH. From the inhumane way Hermione is treated, to the dark themes and ethical issues… I was disturbed. The Handmaid’s Tale of it all was so difficult to stomach, but I got to a point where I felt like I owed it to Hermione to finish the story. (I'm deranged and talking like she’s real, I know). I did very much appreciate the heads up at the beginning of any chapter that the author knew would be particularly brutal. It helped me to know if I should skim or skip. Spoiler alert: I did neither and let myself be tortured right along with Hermione. UGH.
When Draco's betrothed, Astoria, breaks through the wards and tries to pop Hermione's eyeball out of her socket with her wand, I physically yelped!!!! Thought I might vomit. What was so interesting about this is I've definitely read more intense scenes from other fantasy novels (uh hello? basically anything by SJM and her incessant use of “watery bowels”). But- because I am so inexplicably attached to the HP characters and universe as a whole, Hermione’s mistreatment was shockingly brutal. Also, II truly wonder how she will pull off Alchemized without all of the context/ background we care so much about from reading the Harry Potter series. I started reading Harry Potter in second grade and truly grew up with the characters! That being said, once the flashbacks started I was completely reinvested in how it would all play out.
My only gripe with the flashbacks chapters was how Ron and Harry were depicted. I honestly just couldn't get behind the notion that Harry would refuse to use dark magic to win the war. Is this a hot take?? It might be. I just feel like we saw him kind of lose humanity with Bellatrix after she killed Sirius, and I think he would just get to a point to realize they would need to use dark magic to win. At the same time, I do understand that maybe that wouldn't fully align with Harry’s do gooder values.
I did however fully get behind the idea that Draco would be a double agent. Draco asking for Hermione specifically was definitely strange, but as the story progresses all the pieces kind of fall into place. I've heard people will reread Manacled in chronological order (so starting with the flashbacks) and I'm sure that's a wild ride. I think the order of the book is perfect though. No notes there!
Honestly, I came for the revisit to the HP world, and stayed for the imperfect, emotional (and somewhat toxic) relationship that formed between Draco and Hermione. Trauma bonding anyone?? I went from absolutely loathing Draco, to fully loving him despite all of the evil that was still present within him. Hermione working so hard to heal the runes, and her healer abilities were so true to who she is. I just loved it.
But like I said, the entire book is utter emotional whiplash in the best way.
And can we talk about the end of the flashback chapters 😭😭😭😭. Draco saving Ginny (all for Hermione), and Hermione going to blow up the records so that Draco won't get caught?!! All to end up being caught herself. I AM HURT. SCREAMING.
Once we make it back to present day with Hermione pregnant and regaining her memories I felt breathless. There is a quote that Draco says after he and Hermione rehash how they were both just trying to save each other. Draco says to Hermione,
"you didn't save us, you just put us in Hell for two more years"
!!! Cue the dagger to my heart. It felt like nothing ever let up and I was just racing through those chapters to get to the end! The way they kept trying to protect each other, the beauty, the tragedy! The cranes.
When Draco takes Hermione on a walk through the gardens and starts telling him stories of her childhood I honestly LOST IT.
We start realizing that he's going to sacrifice himself so that he can finally end Voldemort and he's making plans to set up Hermione for the best possible chance of survival. He's telling her stories of his childhood so she will have something to tell their unborn child. I WAS NOT OKAY. NGL, I sent a couple of tear filled Marco polos to my friends who've read Manacled. How much heartbreak can one person take?!! (To be clear, we are talking about ME in this scenario, not Hermione 🤪).
And that climax. Good heavens. Everything with Lucius, finally getting the truth out there!! Malfoy’s mom, his love for her and his guilt. (Still crying).
Once they left Malfoy Manor and got to safety with Ginny I felt like I was going through it with Hermione and Draco. I was so restless and just IN IT with them. I thought for sure this story couldn't end happy. I just KNEW one of them would die and kept waiting for them to be found, or for the other shoe to drop.
HOWEVER, we get the most beautiful ending. I loved that Draco stayed the same- broody and dark. That Ginny got to END it all!! (Totally deserves to be her after what happened to Harry, IMO).
The effects of dark magic and the war were so present for both of Draco and Hermione. I know everyone felt annihilated by the quote about Hermione saying, "She was a non-active member of the Order of The Pheonix, and did not fight". But honestly- I was grateful for it. I just want them to stay hidden and rested and be together 😭. It was pretty crazy to think about how this story parallels so much of our history. Women are discounted and discredited and we often don't get to hear our tales of heroism how er quiet or loud they may be. I'm grateful for books that help me see that! (looking at you, The Women by Kristin Hannah). Didn't expect a Harry Potter fan-fiction to make me feel this way, but that's what I love so much about reading!
Would love to hear your thoughts on Manacled. Overall, I'm giving it 4.5 stars.
What a wild ride!