Category Archives: FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

June 28, 2010

This is the end, beautiful friend — @KStew411′s Final Post

By Amber

So. Here we are. This is my last post for Rob My World.

I’ve gotten a lot of questions in the last few weeks about where to get new fic rec’s. The number one place I find new stories is in the “favorites” list of the authors I am reading. Like a story? Check out the author’s profile and see what she’s reading. After that, I find a lot on The Lazy Yet Discerning Ficster. Rec’s, discussion, author interviews–it’s an all around great site for ficsters. I also find a lot of stuff perusing The Writer’s Coffee Shop Library. The search function is great, and grows ever more comprehensive. Twilighted, too, has a nifty search feature from which I have culled many stories. Oh, and lest I forget, JAG at Random Acts of Rob has an excellent collection of rec’s herself; she rec’s every Sunday and she was my early fanfic dealer. I blame her for all of this. As for my rec’s–Amber plans to leave them up for a while. I love all of these stories. I can’t single any one out right now because I think you should read all of them.

Bestie has been my silent partner in this, emailing rec’s, demanding I read a certain story, picking apart updates and possibilities, mourning the end of MotU. She called me the dealer but really she was the one pushing my addiction and in turn, feeding you. Heart you lots, Bestie! And big ups to the followers who emailed rec’s and authors who asked that I read their stories. Without you all sharing your favorites, I never would have read as many great stories as I have. Finally, I cannot thank Amber enough for letting me write fanfic rec’s on her Roblog, and for generally being an awesome internet friend. Next time I’m in OKC, we’re getting coffee. (Amber note: I’m in!!)

To the authors I thank you for giving your time. There’s no money in fanfic and you all have busy lives from which you take time to entertain us with your talent and incredible imaginations. Thank you for sharing, for putting up with stories being reported and hags and hassle, for not bailing on your stories but instead persevering to give us an ending. There are some hugely talented writers out there and I hope that one day I buy a book with your name on it.

And of course, thank you to you, the followers and fellow readers who have kept up with these rec’s. I have loved getting to know you through fanfic, trading favorites, emailing back and forth, and tweeting with fellow obsessers. Without you asking, I never would have done this. I never read fanfic before this last year, nor ever thought about reading so much of it that I’d be able to do two rec’s a week for months and still not cover my whole favorites list. But it’s been a blast, and I will miss it, and you. This has been one of my absolute favorite parts of the 411 experience, thanks to all of you.

Read all of KStew411′s recs on her page!

11 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

June 22, 2010

Leaving with a laugh — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

The time has come. This week is my last set of fanfic recs for RMW. I will be writing next week, but I don’t plan on doing traditional recs, so I am winding up with this week’s recs. A couple more from the lighter side for you.

“Renfield and Chiclets” by katinki

This story kills me. Geeky scientist Edward has a massive crush on, and elaborate fantasy built around, his sexy boss Bella. This Edward is so intelligent, but he can barely relate to other people. His coworker Emmett drives him crazy with his boorish behavior, his closest friend is space cadet Jasper, and he is a self-described social pariah with a slightly disturbing fetish for blood. Namely, Bella’s blood. RAC is a super-smut story, so if you don’t like big ole pitchers of lemonade, this probably isn’t for you. If that sort of thing is your bag, however, RAC is a funny, smutty read with a heart. Edward is blunt to the point of painful and his social skills are atrocious. But as his relationship with Bella progresses and he begins opening up, his insecurities and nerves make him very lovable. His relationship with Bella opens the door to Emmett and even Alice–a supervisor in Edward’s pharmaceutical company he doesn’t much care for–and his transformation from walking encyclopedia to actual human is endearing. RAC has some of the most…creative…lemons I’ve come across and also one of the sweetest love stories. Edward and Bella’s relationship begins on one level and ends up somewhere else entirely. Edward’s reactions to getting in touch with his emotions is pretty priceless. The story is told in EPOV, so as readers we only know Bella as Edward sees her, but she comes across as a successful and confident woman. She encourages Edward to open up to life and she defends him fiercely when needed. RAC is a smutty, funny story with no angst and one of the best Geekwards I’ve found.

“Breaking Bella” by sixeightshuffle

Slow to update but 30 chapters in, “Breaking Bella” hits the right mix of humor and angst. First impressions are everything, as college students Edward and Bella find out. After their first meeting at a somewhat disastrous tutoring session, Edward thinks Bella is a big bitch and Bella thinks Edward is a prime asshole. The two determine to go their separate ways, but of course circumstances keep throwing them together and eventually they begin to alter their opinions. It’s not all easy, though. Bella attempts to apologize early on and Edward rebuffs her, which ends up justifying her initial impression of him. They proceed with this comedy of errors but slowly they become friends, and maybe, something more. Only problem is, even as Edward is falling for Bella, he’s dallying with his TA and Bella walks in at an inopportune moment, thus ending their budding relationship and setting them back to where they started. Generally “Breaking Bella” runs pretty light, with lots of sarcastic bantering and excellent music discussion between Edward and Bella, but this is a story about growing pains, and some mistakes and miscommunications occur. The point of view switches between Bella and Edward and it’s interesting to see how they each perceive events differently. Edward is kind of a typical clueless college guy, but he starts pulling himself together, though he may be too late… As for Bella, I really like her, but the last couple available chapters have been a bit frustrating. And thus the touch of angst. Still, this has been an enjoyable story, one I wish updated a bit more frequently, but it’s well worth the wait.

Don’t be too #sadpanda! All the recs will still be here for you to go back and relive!

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411, Twilight

June 15, 2010

I refuse to get weepy and sentimental — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

It’s not my scene. Suffice it to say, planning out my last rec’s is making me sad. So, I will instead say that I am obsessed with Sebastien Robichaud’s blog (author of University of Edward Masen), and that I am of the belief that SR is he. I thought that, but then the author-insertion in the outtake and a late chapter of UoEM has me sold. He’s a he, and I’d probably really like him in real life. As long as he would promise not to murder me and stuff me in a deep freeze. That’s the qualification for meeting any of you people in real life. Please don’t murder me and stuff me in a deep freeze. If for some reason you aren’t reading UoEM, congratulations, you’re the one. Get on that shizz.

“Discovering You, Discovering Me” by JSFazz

I really love this story right now. It’s only seven chapters in–lately I am rec’ing a lot of new stories, I know–but it kind of reminds me of The Unaccompanied Soul. Something about the tone, maybe. This is an all human story (I am off my AU tangent), about a post-collegiate Edward and Bella. Edward is a pharmacist, but he is painfully shy. And I don’t mean kind of awkward and shuffling-his-feet adorable. I mean that this Edward was the victim of consistent and awful bullying throughout his childhood and he is now withdrawn and largely silent. Bella on the other hand, is a bit more outgoing. She’s awkward and clumsy herself, her friends call her “Hurricane Bella”, but she is overall a kind, warm person. She returns to Forks after graduating from college, with Charlie recently deceased and she’s jobless to boot. Now saddled with student loans and keeping up an old house, Bella takes a job at the Forks Pharmacy. Guess who’s the pharmacist? Yep–shy, “frightened animal” Edward. Their interaction is really lovely, and the characterization of Edward is so subtle and detailed. He barely speaks, but the smallest moments allow such significant insight into his personality and past (the yearbook thing will kill you a little). Honestly, this story made me think of those kids I knew in school, but didn’t really know, who got picked on a lot. It made me wish I’d taken the time to actually speak with them, and be more considerate than just smiling “hello” in the hallway. Edward has clearly been deeply traumatized by bullying. The story hints at particular event, too, one that involves Emmett somehow and represents a significant change in Edward’s life. A little bit of mystery to unravel. DYDM isn’t super angsty, though. While I can definitely see the potential, I can also see that this story could just as well keep its light, thoughtful tone. Counteracting the tale of Edward’s malicious bullying is Bella’s clumsy presence. She knocks stuff over, dumps pink gunk all over Edward, and pratfalls constantly. The story is narrated in BPOV, and she makes for a dry, witty narrator. It keeps the story from sinking too much in Edward’s situation. Bella isn’t stupid; she feels real remorse over her sometimes careless attitude toward Edward as they grew up, but she doesn’t dwell either. She makes her apology and moves on, determined to know Edward the adult, to draw him out of his shell and help him realize his full potential. And the more Edward opens up, the more I like him. He may be shy and a terrible dresser, but he’s endearing and has a quiet charm. I love him. I love this story. I’ve re-read it a couple times already. I’m enthusiastic about where this one is going.

“GYNAZOLE” by Mrs.TheKing

This story also features Edward as a pharmacist, though the tone is considerably different. “Gynazole” may be the outright funniest fic I’ve ever read. It’s like Mrs.TheKing is just trying to be as outrageous as possible, and it’s working. I revisit this story each time something angsty bums me out and it makes me laugh every time. The plot in “Gynazole” is pretty straightforward: Bella meets Edward at the Target pharmacy when he fills her prescription for an embarrassing antibiotic related to feminine troubles. Edward has a tendency to talk a little too loud and Bella is easily embarrassed. They don’t get off on the best foot. But circumstances bring them back together, Bella develops a crush on the hot-if-loud pharmacist, and chaos ensues. I mean literally, CHAOS ensues. At one point Emmett is flinging around a cock ring. When I say this story is ludicrous, I mean it in the best way possible. In the way that Monty Python is ludicrous. It’s just totally out there, completely committed to going as far as possible for the laugh, and wholly hilarious. Emmett is Bella’s neighbor and kind-of friend, Jasper works at Target and may or may not be French, and Alice is obsessed with fashion but always manages to be just behind the latest trends. In the middle of it all is poor, blushing Bella, trying to keep it together. And did I mention they tweet? Bella has created an online persona for herself which doesn’t precisely reflect her reality, and when Edward joins up he insists on calling it “the Twitter”. The drunktweeting part especially cracked me up. This is a quirky, hysterical story featuring a couple of awkward lovebirds who generate chemistry and humor. I have been hunting down funny fics recently and “Gynazole” is hands-down the funniest one I have found so far.

I’m going to seriously get my act together and update KStew411′s FF review page. No, seriously. I promise.

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411, Twilight

June 8, 2010

Don’t panic — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

Favorite words from a favorite book (name that reference). A lot of questions about whether or not I intend to continue doing fanfic rec’s after KStew411 goes dark on July 1. The answer is no. The final rec’s will be posted on 6/29. I do believe Amber intends to leave the library of rec’s up for a while, though. (Amber note: Yes, yes I do!) I have really enjoyed writing these fic rec’s, and many thanks to Amber for hosting this weird obsession of mine. And now, for the last of the AU rec’s.

“Ethan Church” by dryler

Complete and only 13 chapters, “Ethan Church” is a sweet, intriguing read. Bella is a wee bit older, in her twenties, and she is a professional translator. She is approached by the reclusive author Ethan Church to write his biography. At first she declines, not considering herself a writer and also because she doesn’t particularly like his depressing novels. They affect her too much; just reading Church’s words makes Bella feel like she is losing control. But the offer is repeated and eventually, on a weird whim, Bella gives in and goes to meet with Church at his estate outside Seattle, Ferndale. There she finds Adelaide, the housekeeper, who has known Ethan Church nearly her whole life. And Church himself is an old man–not at all what Bella was expecting. Things at Ferndale are a little odd. Bella feels watched, she hears rumbling in the night, finds a book she has translated pulverized as though someone hit it with great force. And then Bella sees the strange, beautiful man in the garden one night. I think you can see where this is going. The relationship between Edward and Bella is given an interesting twist as dryler attributes a physiological reaction to the idea of “mates”. So often people talk about Edward and Bella mating and there’s no real consequence for it. In EC, however, it’s a physical reaction in both Edward and Bella, a compelling force they can’t control. Edward gives a nice account of underestimating the bond between mates because while he knew mated vampire’s thoughts, he couldn’t fathom the emotional connection between them. EC unwinds as Bella unravels the mystery of Ethan Church and the man she meets in the garden. It’s poignant and mysterious and a beautifully written novella, well worth a couple hours to read.

“Entwined” by La.Tua.Cantante.83

I’m going to do my best to get you hooked on another new fic (only 7 chapters), but it’s worth it. “Entwined” is an AU set in Forks, with Bella in high school alongside the Cullens. However, in this universe Edward fled after encountering her in biology and has been gone for six months. Then Edward decides to return home, and then, as he is running back home, he encounters a car accident late in the night. What should he find but Bella Swan, injured and dying. Of course, Edward’s first impulse is to bite but at the last second he shifts his intent and bites her to turn her. He then takes her home with him to suffer through her change with her. So far, “Entwined” is told in Edward’s point of view, which only adds to Bella’s mysterious ways when she wakes up a vampire. Like canonical Twilight, Edward can’t read her mind and Bella is an unusually self-contained newborn. But LTC83 takes that concept much further than Stephenie Meyer ever did, creating a shy, reserved Bella who is sweet and gentle despite being a newborn vampire. Poor Jasper, he doesn’t understand her at all and it makes him nervous. He also can’t get a lock on her emotions, suggesting her ability as shield will be a little more powerful in this version than in real Twilight. The Cullens are amazed by Bella’s ability to channel and control her newborn emotions, but they are also aware that she is hiding something from them. Meanwhile Edward is struck with guilt for changing Bella but is also fascinated by her, while remaining completely oblivious to the true nature of their relationship. “Entwined” is setting up to be a bit of a mystery with Bella’s secret and the reasons behind her ability to function so normally even as a newborn. In Breaking Dawn, Meyer writes off Bella’s vampiric maturity as merely a side effect of her making the choice to become a vampire, but I think things will be a wee bit more complicated (and interesting) in “Entwined”.

Just to add to this, here is my statement about the recs that I posted last week:

Since you all follow @KStew411, you may have seen her tweet that they are retiring the account on July 1. This also means that as of July 1, she will no longer be adding any new recs or reviews on fan fiction to this site. I know, I know. I thought about trying to find another friend to do it, but decided that I’ll just leave that page up (a little memorial to 411 if you will) so everyone can still refer back to it until Breaking Dawn is complete. Because after that point, assuming I am still here, I will begin to move away from Twilight and keep everything very Rob-centric. And at that point, I will make the decision whether to leave it or not. We have plenty of time till then, so continue to enjoy it!

So no worries! These recs will be here for a long time still, long enough for you to read them all, I am sure. :)

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411, Twilight

June 1, 2010

And we’re back to this again — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

Remember that time I was so busy I was barely eating or sleeping? Yeah. That again. More alternate universe rec’s this week.

“Metaphysics” by Anais Mark

“Metaphysics” is a Twilight destroyer. It’s one of those AU fics that reaffirms my complete inability to tolerate real Twilight anymore. This is a story, like La Canzone and Dead Confederates, that has been through several re-readings and picking aparts. It’s mysterious and cerebral and complicated. The story opens in 1688 in Carlisle’s point of view. He’s in London, attempting to live among humans, and he’s having a bit of a problem with one Sophie Copeland. She seems to have discovered his secret. The specifics of Carlisle’s relationship with Sophie, and her uncle William, Carlisle’s friend, are revealed in short sections scattered throughout the story. At present, there are still many questions about the precise nature of their relationship and what happened to sever it completely. In the present day, Bella Swan is a twenty-four-year-old graduate student at Queen Mary University in London, studying the poet Sophie Copeland. Aye, there’s the rub. Bella is, seven years removed from the initial danger of the Cullens, poking her nose into trouble once again. Because Carlisle corresponded heavily with both Sophie and William, prominent intellectuals of their day, and his secret remains buried in that correspondence. And here is Bella to find out, at long last, why Edward Cullen was always such a prick to her in high school. And poor Edward, who overcame both his bloodlust and lust lust for Bella, who successfully managed to remove himself from her sphere, only to be thrown together with her once again. And this time, he just can’t stay away. I love “Metaphysics” for not only its high-brow plot (the lit major in me adores all the references), but its twisting of Twilight canon. Jacob and Bella have grown up some, but Jacob is a werewolf. The Cullens reflect their canonical characterizations, but everyone is more interesting. Carlisle especially benefits from the 1688 flashbacks and seeing how he coped in the early days of his second life as he adjusted to being around people. This is a story that demands attention to detail for there is so much going on in subtle moves throughout both timelines. These Cullens will charm you, and this Bella, more mature and independent, will draw you into a complex and intriguing story.

“Bite to Break Skin” by Jillian Landers

New-ish fic, only nine chapters in, but trust me, you’ll want to get in on the ground floor with this one. BTBS follows the original Twilight plot a bit more closely than “Metaphysics” does–Bella is in high school in Forks–but it, too, takes a vastly different tack with the Edward and Bella story. Here Bella is human (or is she?) and has been adopted by the Cullens. She is aware that they are vampires, but she has been living with them for years as “one of them”, even if she isn’t really one of them. While Bella is attending high school with Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper, Alice and Edward spend much of their time traveling around the world. In fact, Edward spends so much time travelling that Bella has never met him, unless one counts the maybe memories/maybe dreams she has from her early childhood. The Cullens have known of Bella since she was a tot, and there is a strange circumstance that surrounds Bella, but I don’t want to spoil it here. Just know that I have theories. Now seventeen, Bella isn’t quite as willing to go along with the Cullens’ blithe excuse that Edward and Alice just really really like to travel and she starts baiting Edward when he returns home. Inevitably the two meet, and the chapters from Alice’s and Edward’s points of view shed some light on why Edward has been so doggedly avoiding Bella all these years. Still, fate is fate. On her seventeenth birthday the Cullens offer Bella the choice to be changed, but Edward, of course, interferes. And this is the crux of the story. The Cullens want one thing, Edward another, and here’s Bella stuck in the middle. This Bella is pretty feisty, though, and she keeps Edward on his toes. So far this is an interesting, not super angsty AU that has left me waiting impatiently for the next chapter.

We got tons more fics for you to read on KStew411′s FF page!

2 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

May 25, 2010

Exploring alternate universe — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

If you’ve been reading these rec’s for a while, you know I’m not super into AU stories. I am obsessed with Dead Confederates and I adore Last Rites and La Canzone, but I’m not a heavy reader of AU. Or, I wasn’t, until I started really striking out with all human fics. The last couple weeks have been pretty thin as far as finding new AH stories. So I started following the favorite stories of some authors I like and I opened up a whole new can of worms in AU. So today I have a couple AU rec’s for you, and unless something really grabs my attention, it will probably be AU rec’s for the next couple weeks, too. Side effect of reading some really good AU stories–I can’t read real Twilight anymore. It’s too chaste.

“The Dark Side of the Moon” by Blondie

How have I not recommended this story?! This is a MAJOR oversight on my part and I apologize to you all. This was one of the first fanfics I ever read. JAG from RAOR recommended it to me almost a year ago. I can’t imagine there are many out there who haven’t read DSOTM, but then, I am always surprised by the number of people who miss some of the fics that have been around a while. DSOTM is New Moon told entirely from Edward’s perspective. Basically, the Midnight Sun version of New Moon. I have to say, one thing that has always bugged me about Twilight is that Stephenie Meyer gave us half of Breaking Dawn from freaking Jacob’s perspective, which let’s be honest, no one cares about, but we have no idea what’s going on with Edward during New Moon. Want to do a POV switch? How about cutting that whole part of New Moon where Bella moped around in favor of showing us what Edward was up to? (Granted, there is an outtake on Stephenie’s website of when Edward got The Call.) Still, DSOTM is what I always wanted from New Moon. Blondie does a fantastic job staying in canon. Her Edward is completely consistent with canon Edward, yet he is a fresh and interesting character. And her concept of how he spent his six months away from Bella is amazing. The tendency is to kind of dismiss Edward’s melodramatic tendencies, but Blondie’s characterization is so good that it’s easy to understand why he is making the decisions he makes, and to see them not as melodramatic overreaction, but as poor decisions made by a desperate, grieving man. The other characters are well drawn–Bella especially comes off as a bit stronger and more self-determined–but it’s Edward’s show. If you’re Team Edward and you haven’t read DSOTM, get on it.

“Laid Bare” by Brits23

While still AU, LB is considerably out of character. The story opens with Bella, daddy’s little girl, at a poker night with “her boys” from the rez, drinking, smoking, fooling around with Embry. This Bella is chameleonic. For Charlie she is daddy’s little princess, for her boys she is a tough-talking, Tequila drinking bad girl. Bella isn’t a bad person, she just hasn’t decided if she’s going to be what everyone else expects her to be or if she’ll just be herself. Bella’s personality crisis starts to clear up when she begins speaking with Edward Cullen, her biology partner. LB takes some liberties with the Twilight plot. Here Edward tried to turn Rosalie so he would have a mate like Carlisle did in Esme, but his venom “didn’t work” and Carlisle ended up having to turn her. Edward is moody and a virgin, but beyond that he doesn’t have a lot in common with canon Edward. LB Edward smokes, cusses, and when Bella chooses to be changed into a vampire, though he doesn’t love her choice, Edward respects it. Gasp–Edward listens to Bella and respects her choices! LB Bella is even more out of character than Edward. Tough, no-nonsense, she strong and determined not to let vampires and werewolves push her around. No cowering and hand-wringing here. LB has a unique twist on James and Victoria that I don’t want to spoil for you. Suffice it to say, the James scene is one of the most tense I have read. And did I mention the lemons? Oh yeah–this story is super lemony. Edward and Bella get it on early and often. They have a magnetic chemistry they can’t deny, and I love that here is an Edward who does not hesitate to get what he wants. Despite their vampire/human differences, Edward and Bella are a well matched pair and they don’t waste a lot of time lamenting their differences. They just deal with their reality and are committed to doing whatever they have to in order to remain together. And man, do they really have to commit to sticking together. Laid Bare never fails to take an unexpected direction and keep me guessing with what’s next and how else fate can conspire to screw over Edward and Bella.

Never run out of new fics to read! Check out all the rest of KStew411′s recs and reviews!

1 comment   |  tags: , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

May 4, 2010

A couple of rec’s to tide you over — FF Recs by @KStew411

By Amber

I’m going to be taking a break for the next couple weeks. What’s been busy is getting even busier and I won’t be able to keep up with the rec’s. This week’s rec’s are both lighter stories. Summer is approaching and I’ve been looking for something less angsty to occupy me. These fics have been making me laugh–hopefully they entertain you, too.

“Failure to Thrive” by Julesnerd

Bella and Edward meet in sex therapy. Done. Sold. Emmett is Bella’s sex therapist. What?! Awesome. Sign me up. I stumbled across this story by accident when looking for something else entirely, and man, am I glad. I laughed for three days straight while I read it. Bella has been diagnosed as “clinically frigid” after a series of bad-bordering-on-scarring sexual experiences (there is a brief scene recollecting sexual assault, but it’s short and not graphic), and Edward is sexually insatiable. Poor guy, once he gets going he can’t stop. He’s literally driven away all of his girlfriends, and now he has performance and anxiety issues because of it. The set-up is a little preposterous, but because this is a funy, fluffy fic, I’ll roll with it. After meeting at sex therapy, Edward and Bella exchange their stories and decide (in about fifteen minutes) to help each other out. Of course they’re perfect for each other. Bella’s sense of humor and snarky attitude hide a lifelong hurt, and a sincere belief that maybe she isn’t cut out to have a healthy sex life. Her backstory is a little sad, but she has so much spirit and sass you can’t feel bad for her. You will love this Bella. She acts first, thinks later, which is the polar opposite of Edward. He thinks too much. I want to know this Edward. Despite a penchant for over-thinking, he’s romantic and thoughtful and kind. He is so careful with Bella, working through her fears and trying to control his own anxiety, too. He sweeps Bella off her feet with new deadbolts and trips to amusement parks. What makes this story work is that despite their unusual meeting, which is almost unbearably precious, Edward and Bella are real. Underneath the sharp banter–the dialogue in this story is a real treat–they have insecurities and issues. And they talk about them like grown-ups would. The serious, intimate (and no, I don’t mean intimate in the lemony sense) moments between them anchor the fluffier, sexier side of the story. “Failure to Thrive” is a fun, fast read. Taking your laptop to the pool or the beach? Read this one while you’re there.

“Relative Wind” by Mac214

DILF alert. This is one of those stories I’d been seeing in my fic searches forever and one day I caved and read it. Loved it. Bella’s best friend and roommate Mike Newton is about to move across the country. To celebrate and say farewell, Bella lets Mike talk her into going sky diving. Guess who her dive instructor is? Yep. Edward. They meet, he harnesses her up, she cracks and D/S joke, sparks fly. But after a zesty lemon in the drop zone break room, Edward is called away and Bella slips out. Now roommate-less, Bella interviews potential new flat mates. Enter Alice Cullen. A little uptight, a little hyper, at first Alice seems all right. Then her dad comes over to help her move in and all hell break loose. Because it turns out Edward is Alice’s dad and he’s twenty years older than Bella. !!! Don’t worry, it’s not gross. The age issue is handled in a realistic fashion. Edward and Bella go through things I think anyone would when dating outside their generation. But they have crazy chemistry, and Edward, who stuck out a passionless marriage and nursed his wife through cancer, is hella attractive. I’d totally break my ten-year rule for him. Athletic, adventurous, housebroken. What more could a girl want? Then there’s Alice. What starts out as reasonably normal devolves into manipulative and borderline cruel. You will love to hate this Alice. Judgmental, stuck up, insufferable–I am praying she gets her what’s coming to her. On the one hand, the author does give legitimate grounds for Alice to be upset about Edward and Bella’s relationship. Bella is the first woman Edward has died since Alice’s mother died, and Bella is Alice’s own age. Okay, yeah, that’s going to take some adjusting. But Alice is conniving and downright mean–there’s a hurt coming for Alice and quite frankly, I think she deserves it. This story shuffles some relationships around. Esme is Bella’s older sister, obsessed with STDs, Leah is dating Eric Yorkie, and Emmett and Rosalie are another May-December love story, though their age difference isn’t as steep as Edward and Bella’s. This is a funny fic driven by a straightforward Bella. The whole issue of age and love is dealt with realistically, but overall the story is light and sexy with some pretty hilarious plotlines.

A two week break give you plenty of time to catch up on all the recs from KStew411! No more excuses… just reading.

4 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

April 27, 2010

The HunterHunting Special — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

This week I am rec’ing two stories by one author. Many of you (most of you) have probably read “Clipped Wings & Inked Armor” by HunterHunting, in fact, as I was reading this fic it was one of the biggest, most popular stories in the fandom. I just assumed everyone was always reading it. Someone recently told me, however, that not only had she not read CW&IA, she had never even heard of it. What?! Unacceptable. So I am rec’ing it this week, for those who may not have experienced this story already. Also, because CW&IA is such a gut-wrenching read, I think it appropriate to follow it with a rec for HH’s current work in progress, the comic and smutty “The Misapprehension of Bella Swan”. So this week it’s the HunterHunting two-for-one special in the fanfic rec’s. Note: due to smut content, both these stories will be linked to the uncensored Twilighted editions, though MoBS can also be found on HH’s blog (also uncensored) and on FFN (sometimes edited for content).

“Clipped Wings & Inked Armor” by HunterHunting

Oh this story. This one comes with the biggest ANGST warning–it’s way, way up the angst scale, somewhere right around “Wide Awake” for drama. In fact, I think the top-three angstiest stories I’ve read are WA, CW&IA and “How to Save a Life”. The only thing that made getting through CW&IA tolerable was that HH updated almost every week, sometimes twice a week. So waiting through the heartfail was usually never too bad. And now, for those who haven’t read it, it’s complete so you don’t have to sweat out the cliffies. CW&IA is one of the best-written fics out there. This is one of those all-human stories that makes you think, “Change the names and this could be a novel.” It opens in Chicago, where Edward Masen is one of the proprietors of a tattoo parlor, along with Emmett, Jasper, and Alice, the resident piercing expert. This is Tattward in his original form. Edward has multiple piercings and is covered in ink (all of which is detailed in HH’s profile on FFN). Bella arrives as a grad student at Northwestern and goes to work for Edward’s aunt Esme in her bookshop across from the tattoo parlor. Of course right away Edward is attracted to Bella. But Bella has problems. She’s recovering from a terrible plane crash that killed her whole family and all of her friends. I’m not a fan of plane crashes, and while some of Bella’s memories are detailed, I never thought HH was being gratuitous in her writing. In fact, one of the strengths of CW&IA is how well she handles the darker aspects of the story. Edward has a past of his own. His parents were brutally murdered when he was eighteen, and while I pegged whodunit pretty quick, Edward’s memory is a wasteland thanks to years of drug abuse, so he hasn’t connected the dots yet. See? I told you this was an angsty story. Bella goes to Edward for a tattoo commemorating everything she lost in the crash, and Edward begins his careful, fucked-up wooing of Bella. She’s messed up, I’m not gonna lie. She has nightmares, a painkiller addiction, post-traumatic stress disorder–she’s a wreck. But the beauty of the story lies in how Edward and Bella slowly put each other back together. And it’s not all tears and pain. Edward particularly brings some humor to the story. He has a cupcake addiction, the whole TK2 plotline was too adorable for words, and even Edward’s OCD tendencies were a source of comic relief occasionally. Part of what makes CW&IA so great is the distinctive voice of Edward. Like “Dead Confederates”, CW&IA has an Edward that sounds unlike any other. He comes across so realistically, it’s almost like he’s sitting right next to you, telling you this in person. If you haven’t read CW&IA, please do. And if you have, it’s always a good time to revisit a classic.

More goodies, after the jump!

Continue reading

5 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

April 20, 2010

Business continues — @KStew411 FF Recs

By Amber

No opening in favor of getting rec’s done. Still so busy I could throw up.

“How to Save a Life” by unholy.obsession

So I waited to recommend this story until it was finished. Why? Because it’s angsty as fuck. This is one of the angstiest stories I’ve read. I didn’t want to recommend it until you could read it in one go because waiting for updates–even though the author was good about updating regularly–was killer. But now it’s complete so you can read without the painful waiting through the cliffhangers. “How to Save a Life” is a high-school set, all-human fic in which Bella moves to Forks after growing tired of dealing with her bi-polar mother. In Forks Bella becomes friends with Alice Cullen and she meets Alice’s surly, reticent older brother Edward. At first, HTSAL Edward seemed like such a prick to me. He’s a stoner, he’s high or strung out most of the time, he’s abominably rude to everyone, especially Bella. But as Bella unwinds the events of the previous year, the reasons for Edward’s behavior become clear. Everything hinges on a fatal car accident the year before which killed Edward’s girlfriend, Tanya. They were the golden couple–the popular jock and his straight-A class president-type girlfriend. But as Bella finds, all is not as it seems at Forks High. I really loved “How to Save a Life” for its Bella. She’s pretty amazing. Her life has not been perfect, but she remains optimistic and inherently kind to others. She cares deeply about the people around her. She throws herself into the void of Edward’s problems, trying to restore him back to the happy, together guy he was before Tanya’s death. However, the more Bella probes into that car accident and what lead Tanya to drive out that day, the more she finds an ugly truth. And this Bella is no Pollyanna. She knows that she can only push Edward so far before he has to want to get better for himself. She’s just not going to let him linger in his depression as everyone else has done so far. But of course, this is an angsty fucking story, so Bella encounters plenty of drama of her own (this story delivered one of the most heart-stopping moments I’ve read through so far). And Bella is not perfect. She’s lashes out in anger and she comes to treat Edward about as bad as he’s treated her. But when she’s just about to give up hope for good and throw herself into the same abyss Edward has been living in, he reaches out and gives her back her sense of optimism. “How to Save a Life” is about healing and forgiveness and moving on in the face of devastating tragedy. It swings between unbearably sweet moments and gut-wrenching angst, and through it all is Bella, dragging everyone back toward the light.

Continue reading

Leave a comment   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

April 13, 2010

Busy little bees — FF Recs from @KStew411

By Amber

Ugh. So busy lately. Hate it. I hate being this busy. It seriously infringes on my do-nothing time. I like to just do nothing. My ideal job would be “house cat”. Just lie around all day, preferably in the sun, and do nothing. Heavenly. I hate doing stuff. And not only do I have a lot of stuff to do, for some insane reason it all seems to be happening at half past ass in the morning. If there’s something I hate more than doing stuff, it’s waking up early in order to do some stuff. I’m extra crusty and bitchy lately because of the early hours and long days full of doing stuff. Let’s get to the fic rec’s so I can go back to doing nothing.

“Incubus Anomaly” by elusivetwilight

This story should come with a warning. Caution: IA may cause spontaneous loss of panties. This is one of the sexier stories I’m reading right now. “Incubus Anomaly” is by elusivetwilight, who also wrote “The Rain Season”, one of my earliest fics. Like TRS, IA is very citrusy in nature. But TRS was all human and IA is an alternate universe story; Edward is a vampire. While this story has vampires and Volturi, it is totally out of character and not at all in canon. Yes, Edward is a vampire, but here he is in his mid-twenties, and he has left the Cullens and is living on his own. As an incubus. (An incubus is a demon that has sex with a woman while she is sleeping in order to feed from her soul. Often, mythology indicates repeated exposure to an incubus causes insanity or even death.) Edward isn’t eating people’s souls and he’s not taking advantage of sleeping women, but he is opening a vein and drinking human blood while his lover is blissed out in a post-orgasmic state. So…Edward has lots of sex. Enter Edward’s new neighbor, divorcee Bella Swan Black. Of course Edward wants Bella in every way, and very badly, but she is wary of men, bitter and burned from her husband Jake’s betrayal. This is no weak, whimpering Bella. She kicks ass and takes names. She is fierce and edgy and fully capable of taking care of herself. She and Edward circle each other warily; he wants her but doesn’t want to be controlled by her, and Bella is attracted to Edward despite a basic fear of being in another man’s thrall. Also, Edward is super moody and mysterious, which combined with her trust issues, makes Bella cautious of him. Several relationships are vastly different in IA than they are in Twilight. First, Jessica is Bella’s best friend and you will like her. She is a good friend and she’s loyal and funny. It’s a relief for Bella to have one uncomplicated relationship in this story. The Volturi are also different. They don’t live as a unified group. Marcus actually works in the same place as Bella, and Caius was Edward’s mentor into the incubus lifestyle. It’s a big deal that Bella is Edward’s singer but the exact nature of that relationship is a bit mysterious–I expect the author has a particular idea of how that will play out. As for the Cullens, Emmett is jovial with a distinctly provoking edge, and Jasper is creepy. Like super, super creepy. And Alice has a bit of an edge, too. Oh, and you will hate Jake in this story. He’s a total douche. “Incubus Anomaly” is a sexy, dark, mysterious story; give it a try if you’re looking for some smut with brains.

Continue reading

4 comments   |  tags: , , , , , , | posted in Fan Fiction, FanFicton Reviews by KStew411

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 182 other followers