November 24, 2010

Guest Review: Rising Star by HopeReborn


Rising Star by Hope Reborn

Summary: Leah moved on, studying and working toward her goals. But her life soon changes greater than she ever expected when a new resident with powers beyond imagination arrives in Forks. Will they be strong enough as one to defeat an old enemy of the Volturi.

Pairing: Leah/Other Character

Rating: T

I came across this story quite by accident. At some point, HopeReborn had become one of my followers on Twitter. We were discussing our stories and I became intrigued about his. Not only was it post-Breaking Dawn, but it included an original character. I had to check this story out.

I was pleasantly surprised with what I found. HopeReborn’s original character, Gabriel, is a delightfully conflicted, complex young man. At first glance, the reader wonders just what he is. He doesn’t appear to be a vampire or a werewolf, yet he has strange abilities and powers that normal humans don’t have.

The story starts with a catchy prologue that references a very powerful event, an imprinting. But whose? The following chapters introduce us to Gabriel, a young man, orphaned, and completely confused as to what is happening to him. He finds his way to Forks, Washington, where his parents had a home.... and where he meets the Cullens and the werewolves:

I looked to the Clearwaters' picture while Charlie continued to search for my papers. They shared the same characteristics: black hair, brown eyes, copper skin. Sue appeared to be a strong woman, and could take care of her and her children without help. Seth was the youngest, with a big smile on his face. He seemed to be a good person to befriend. Leah, however... How to describe her? She was beautiful; the features of her face were exotic and perfect at the same time. She wasn't smiling like Seth, and she had a very sad and resentful look, like someone with no reason to be happy. For a moment, I thought that I could help with that, if I ever met her.

The story isn’t entirely in Gabriel’s POV. It does switch as necessary. HopeReborn offers a very refreshing perspective of Leah. Not everyone in ficdom likes Leah or can write a good Leah. HopeReborn is one of the few that can. Here is a snippet from one of Leah’s chapters.

I wasn't prepared for what I saw. When I saw the face in the picture, I felt a chill go down my spine, and the sensation that someone has when they discover something crucial.

The picture showed a young man in his twenties. He had dark, blond hair and light, olive skin, and appeared to be relatively tall. Despite being beautiful, he wasn't the kind of guy who ordinarily would catch my attention on other occasions.

However, I couldn't stop looking at his eyes. They were very sad, as if he had suffered a great loss at the time of the photo. And the color of them, despite the sadness, was astonishingly beautiful.

And have I mentioned that English isn’t his first language? And that he is a he? Not only is it impossible to tell that his English isn’t native, he is able to handle the romantic parts of his story with grace and beauty. He claims his betas have all the credit but I’ve talked to him enough on Twitter to know that his English is better than some native born speakers I know.

The story is currently eleven chapters in and the action is really starting to take off. One such example is after Gabriel meets the Cullens and some of the wolfpack, he meets REAL werewolves: the children of the moon.... and they aren’t exactly throwing him a welcome home party.

I highly recommend this story to anyone who is looking for something a little different from all the typical fandom story trends. You will not be disappointed.


-- Review by @Burntcore



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