This is Madness (Katniss/Madge)

Hey everyone, and happy whatever-day-of-the-week-it-is! Time to bring another fic onstage and into the spotlight, so here it is. Ladies and gentlemen, today I bring you the amazing:

Title: This is Madness

Author: Ares is Awesome

Summary: Written before CF came out, so perhaps it doesn't quite have a place where it could be stuck in, but it's still there. T for romance

My Recommendation:

"This is Madness" focuses on one of the rarest pairings I've found yet: Katniss/Madge. There are lots of Gale/Peeta fics out there, so why not?

The characterization here is spot-on - though AU, the author has captured Katniss' voice so perfectly you feel like you're reading a chapter straight out of one of Suzanne Collins' novels. The romance is developed in a nature similarly enough that you still have that voice, but different, because there's different characters. Speaking of different characterizations, for such a minor character, Madge's characterization is also pretty impressive.

"...you're not listening to a word I'm say—" I lean in and kiss her. It's like I swallowed a stick of dynamite. The fire in my stomach explodes through the rest of my body, scorching every inch, inside and out. But it doesn't hurt. It sort of tingles, although it is impossibly to describe the sensation in words. My hairs stand on end, and all the heat rises to my face. This is nothing like any other kiss I've ever given, received, or even taken for myself without permission. It is a thousand times more potent, more full. In almost every way it is perfect. But in one it is not.

It was stolen, not earned. With difficulty, I pull myself away. "I'm sorry, I..."

"Don't be."

That all said, the actual events of the books are not ignored - Gale and Peeta are both mentioned, as are the cameras constantly on the "star-crossed lovers".

Overall, "This is Madness" is a great exploration of what could've been, and is very highly recommended.

That's all for now--stay tuned for more next week!