I really don’t think I’ve ever reviewed a lemon/smut portion of a fanfiction. Partially because I haven’t read many chapters or fics specifically dedicated to that content, and also because it’s a little awkward to react to something so HEATED and SEXY. But, here we go. Things I loved about this chapter(there’s not anything I hated, and there’s no in between either so you’ll receive pure, unadulterated, awkward fangirl devotion here):

1. “Peel her off like a stick starfish” has me straight DECEASED. That is the single best line I’ve ever read in this kind of content. BRILLIANT.
2. I appreciate Dimitri understanding her so well. The fact that he can see through her quick movements and instantly looks through to her nervousness is so telling. And Anya giving in and being a little honest so quickly is equally sweet.
3. “He needs to. He needs to tell her with lips and hands everything his words cannot.” This made me cry.
4. I’ve read quite a bit by now with nothing specific to say. I don’t know how to make commentary on something this SCORCHING HOT.
5. I LIVE for their back and forth! This is exactly how I would have imagined them: one upping each other(even if, in this case, it’s mostly Dimitri winning lol) and just continually leading the other to indignation.
6. “lingering over the scars she encounters on his stomach and chest - old wounds from his past life, soon enough forgotten. She doesn't ask about them, just delicately presses her lips to each and every one like a gentle benediction and a wave of emotion closes his throat.” This made a lump form in my throat. Such a tender moment and so sweet.
7. “She stares up at him with her whole heart in those deep blue eyes and Dimitri forgets how to speak.” This, and the following few moments, also made me cry.
8. “but the woman she's become is all Anya - a woman whose life has been hard fought and hard won, who will not be dictated to nor controlled. She is not some perfect porcelain doll in danger of being broken” BIIITCH YES! I love this! I always felt like she was taught everything she knows so harshly that she could never truly be Anastasia again, at least not entirely. Anya is who she is, and I think Anya was in her even when she was young because she was known to be mischievous, brilliant, and stubborn. The difficult life she experienced just gave her more fortitude to be herself all the way. THANK YOU for showing us who our girl really is!
9. “terrified that she loves him so much no amount could ever be enough” I just incoherently whined at this. Then cried.
10. “With the bricks from the walls they've torn down between them, they built a bridge instead.” And the ending. My most favorite line in just about the entire story. Reading this leaves me with warmth and goosebumps all at once and it’s the most perfect resolution.

What do I say now? I’m both left with absolute joy and emptiness all at once. This story, which I know has been a huge part of your life for a decade, has been huge for me too, albeit for a shorter amount of time of course. It was a manifestation of all the things I loved about the movie, a correction to the things I didn’t love, and it gave me so much that I didn’t know I needed. It seems strange to say, but this story helped me grow. I feel like I journeyed, fought, wept, bled, and sang at the top of my lungs with Anya. She is the strength that we all deserve to know within ourselves.

Anyone can read this story and relate to all of the people in it. The desperation and guilt inside Dimitri, the grit and stubbornness in Anya, the regality and gentleness in Marie, the selflessness and wisdom in Vlad; even the beautiful window of kindness you gave us to view within Sophie. You have given each of these characters all of the depth that they always deserved and told their story with raw humanity; in the most honoring and dignified way possible.

I’ll never be able to thank you enough for this story. I’m going to continue to come back to it for the rest of my life. I know this because it’s impacted me deeper than anything else I’ve read. And I’m thankful that I just got an added bonus to bring you along with me.

Congratulations honey. You KILLED that.

I’m finally here, providing my long overdue review! I’ll skip the apologies and move on to my loves/hates(Are there even actually any? The answer is no)/observations.

1. Dimitri’s thoughts on seeing the pain he caused her—ugh. I just appreciate that he could see through her pride because he understands and knows her so well. Then the comment about her anger removing his romantic fantasies, and his “departure was the most loving thing he could do for her” man. Just, kill me why don’t you.
2. “Bruised and fragrant, the tight bud it had been was now in full bloom as each petal curled away from the base.” Maybe I’m reading too much into this—but this sounds an awful lot like Anya. Or maybe Dimitri, I’m not sure. I won’t be able to unread it that way now :)
3. Just a thought: Anya would never have caught Dimitri had he not stalled. His hesitation to leave is so unlike his character—a true testament to the way that Anya has changed him, and the way this experience has left him so shaken he doesn’t really know himself anymore.
4. “Dimitri resigned himself to a marriage, indeed” that entire section before and after this is just *chefs kiss* masterpiece. Brilliant. The connection is incomparable.
5. “Dimitri washed his hands over and over again when he finished” did he... go to the bathroom, or something else? The something else would make it somehow more sad.
6. From the moment that Dimitri sees Anya until they make it into the bathroom... I am so tightly wound I think I need a deep tissue massage.
7. I love that Anya just starts the conversation by making it Dimitri’s fault that she looked through all seven train stations. She is not capable of not starting a fight with him in every conversation. It’s amazing.
8. I swear I almost cried reading the lines from the film. It never gets old, and you placed them perfectly.
9. The way she pins him in the conversation with “Tell me something real” is just so absolutely perfect. This interaction is brilliant and so raw, truly Anya, and exactly the way I would expect her to talk to him in that moment. I think this is my favorite part of this chapter. Aside from what follows later of course.
10. And likewise when she begins to remember... man, that was the moment I never knew I wanted and needed SO bad from the movie.
11. THE MOMENT. Just, wow. Perfection. It had me in puddles of giddy tears.
12. “As Dimitri's hand traced the delicate curve of her cheek, he watched her shiver. ‘I will never want another woman as long as I live.’ “ um IM DECEASED. I felt this so deep. Just. Wow.
13. “Pinch me” moment... so hilariously good and truly them!
14. “Anya wordlessly turned her back to Paris and clung to him” Such a small line that speaks so many volumes. She made a great sacrifice for him, albeit one that I think was best for her with or without him, but a sacrifice nonetheless. So beautiful.
15. I just love that the captain is so excited and happy for them lol it’s so adorable and I can totally imagine a plump little almost bald pudgy guy marrying them! So wholesome, I love it!
16. “An image of his parents standing together in a corner of the little room came unbidden, his mother dabbing away happy tears and father's chest puffed with pride for his only son.” You did NOT have to do me like that. Damn, girl. This got me right in the heart. So touching.
17. This entire scene is just so DISGUSTINGLY SWEET I literally CAN’T handle it.
18. “His chest warmed. Between his wedding vows and this dance, he supposed his parents had shared this day with him after all.” AGAIN. Brb, gonna go cry.
19. Dimitri’s nervousness is both hilarious and so sweet. I love that he can’t figure out how to act with her.
20. That ending *applause, chefs kiss*! “Was be in? Hell yes.” BITCH ME TOO!

This chapter is EVERYTHING. It began with so much angst and pain and longing then tension and release and just insane giddiness, and ended on a high, funny note. AH-MAZ-ING!

So here's how my day went:

First, I had Once Upon a December stuck in my head. Then I decided to watch the movie because it had been a few years since I'd last saw it. After I finished the movie, I started to think of my favorite retellings of Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty by Robin McKinley and thought, "I wish there was an Anastasia retelling." So I hopped onto ff, sorted by length, came across "Anastasia: Retold", and I'd found exactly what I was looking for. Rated M huh? Awesome! Then I put aside most of my responsibilities and spent the day reading your story and I've been satisfied in the way only a good book can do. Thank goodness I came along shortly after you finished your decade-long project, because if it had not been marked complete and I saw you had started writing this 10 years ago, I would have assumed you'd abandoned it and I wouldn't have clicked to save myself the pain of an unfinished story haha.

You wrote beautifully, and I really really admire the way you've written Anya specifically. She feels very flawed and complex in the way a good character should be and I think you're really consistent in writing her, which is especially impressive since you've been writing this over a very spread out time period. Loved the last chapter tooThanks for taking the time to write this and good luck in your writing career!

This was such a great story! I was hooked the entire time, looking forward to each chapter! I was so happy about how Anastasia and Dimitri eloped, getting their happy ending! They deserved it after all they went through! Congratulations on finishing your story!

THIS WAS SO PERFECT!

You finished it! You are amazing, it was such a long and detailed story and as I said sooo perfectly done! Thank you for coming back to finish the job, I love this story so much and would be so sad if it didn't finish. What a beautiful ending, too! Thank you!

Wow..I am speechless! I don’t know how to accurately express with words how much I loved these last two chapters, hell this whole story really! I started reading this story months and months ago maybe even almost a year ago and yet I never gave up on it. No matter how long in between updates (which I’m not blaming you life can be so busy) I kept checking back in to see if you updated I would have held on for years cause this story is that good!
The writing, the characterization, the plot that you changed a bit to make it a little different than the movie, I mean it was all perfect! I always try to think of some constructive criticism to give to people who’s art I experience not to be a dick but to help them become better at what they do because I always want people to do the same to the stuff I create, I really believe that I can always improve and as long as the criticism is healthy and constructive I love it. So I tried to think of some to give to you but I really can’t! I can’t think of any because you are such an amazing writer! I want to start writing myself some day and you are now one of the writers I will look up to as inspiration :)
This is a story that I will revisit again and again and probably never get tired of. The best art to me is the ones that make you feel things and you think back to from time to time and this story is one of those. It had me tearing up, laughing, stressed, happy, smiling like an idiot cause Anya and Dimitri were so stinking cute! These last two chapters especially destroyed me my god! Well done just well done.
I could go on and on but this is getting long enough already. You are an author I will definitely keep up with to see what other work you will have in the future and whenever you get your own books published I will definitely buy them!
So thank you SO MUCH for writing this..for taking time out of your days to give us this story FOR FREE with nothing in return. You are a queen...

WOOOOOOOOOW! I'm completely stunned! I cried my lungs out, believe me! What a beautiful story you've written! I've been in love for this brilliant piece of litterature for years and my feelings are divided now. On one hand, I'm in heaven for finally having witnessed its (perfectly crafted) denouement! On the other hand, my heart is shattered for I know I will no longer feel the excitement of reading new chapters! I swear to you that whenever I saw the updates in my email box my heart raced hahaha! Thaink you soooooo much for those thrills! I'll really miss them! Anyway, one thought comforts me: Anya and Dimitri will follow me throughout my life, and thats due to your touching, deeply emotional and genuine story! I've felt all the love and passion and desperation in my skin, girl! That's something only great writers are able to accomplish! So congratulations! You nailed it!

I'm pretty sure I've been following this since I was 13 (I'm 21 now haha), so I felt I had to leave a review. The last two chapters are great. I'm actually glad these chapters came when they did, because I don't think I would have appreciated them as much at 13 lol.

Will reread from the start when I have the time, but congrats on finishing this!

Haven't read it the update yet, but Welcome back!

it’s been a long road haha. But it’s finally here! It’s kind of sad to see it end but seriously, you wrote a great story. I loved every part of it and it added more to the characters and I feel in love with them again and again. You’re a fantastic writer! Thank you so much for the story!

Nous attendons la fin avec une telle impatience! Bon courage pour la suite. Au plaisir de vous lire.

Sorry to be a pain.. but will you be posting the final chapter anytime soon? I understand that writing takes a lot of time and editing, but I have been in love with this story for so long! I discovered it a year ago, and I am still dying to see how things end with Anya and Dimitri! Take your time, but please do finish it! I want to see these two end up together 3 3

i liked your fanfiction...thats just how i imagined when i first saw the film when i was 5 years old. thank you xoxo

can’t wait for more i love this story so much :’(

Such a good story! I wish they remade the film and used your story as the script! Hope you finish it!