Rec: Need A Cure? ZM's The One For You

The STATS:


Story: A Cure for a Tragedy 
Author: zm4u
Universe: Book - Twilight
Summary: Everyone knew who he was, the Night's Guardian Jasper Hale, quiet and dangerous. No one knew who she was, but Jasper wanted to know. In a world where vampires are feared, the people rely on a protector, but what happens when he falls in love with the enemy?
Genre: AU, Romance/Action
Pairing(s): Alice/Jasper, Emmett/Rosalie
Status: Complete


The THOUGHTS:


Yes, I am a massive fan of zm4u's and have been following most of her stories for a long time. I guess we started writing seriously at the same time and then reviewed each other's work and supported each other. Anyway, it seemed like a good place to start, with regards to my new desire to read and review and anaylse fan fictions.


A Cure for a Tragedy is AU, set in a world where vampires roam freely and steal victims in the night. The answer to this problem is to have a Night's Guardian, a member of the royal family who is slightly more than human, guard the unsuspecting humans through the night. Surprisingly, for a Twilight fiction, the alternative world is breathtakingly beautiful and believable, a mixture of old traditions and modern appliances. It has a sense of Romeo and Juliet about it, a Shakespearean flare and yet, it is nothing like it at the same time with technology entwining around tradition. 


The world is made up of four cities, each with a different trait and namesake. One city, the City of Noctis, has longer days then nights: fitting for vampires. Another is pleasantly warm, another rimmed by mountains and cliffs. And, of course, there is the description of the world as a whole. Geographically, the world is spread and the cities distant from each other. It gives a feeling of claustrophobia and separation, perfect when there are vampires everywhere, in every shadow, in every corner.


Other then the feeling of claustrophobia in the sense geography, there is a sense of claustrophobia within the city. All the cities are overcrowded, with people fighting to be near the centre of the cities where the royal family live and the better protection lies. Everyone wants to feel safe and yet, due to the number of people within the city, it is unlikely that disappearances will all be accounted for. Again, this raises tension and it is a fitting description and scenery for this story. It also adds fear as vampires can blend in easily with this city, even as the people flood the streets with light for protection.


Anyway, the story begins with a party; fun and lighthearted, and a fitting place to bring the main character, Jasper Hale, to our attention. Everyone at the party is merry and cheerful, all except our very own Jasper. Immediately, we are given a sense of his importance, "The men eyed him suspiciously and enviously while the women took him in greedily", and yet he glared through the crowd dangerously, showing a harsh and hostile nature. If you thought this story contained a canon Jasper, you were very wrong.


zm4u's Jasper is cold, protective, stubborn and unemotional. He is the perfect warrior who does his duty and looks for nothing else in life. He has a younger sister, Bella, who he is fiercely protective of and he seems to be the sort of person who is incredibly loyal. Unwavering and unrelenting. At first, he seems egotistical, not dancing with any woman, yet fully aware of his looks and his reputation. But a certain pair of gold eyes seems set to change that.


Alice Brandon, canon in her warmth and her visions, yet there is something more to her character. She is secretive and mysterious, appearing and disappearing like shafts of light and she almost always manages to rise a smile out of Jasper. The first Jasper we know is hard and unhuman; Alice, as of chapter seven, has managed to melt the cold heart of Jasper Hale, making him seem more human with his actions and showing him that there is more to life than fighting. Alice always seems to draw out a honesty in Jasper, where with others he would be guarded and suspicious. She causes him to fall in love, something he initially hates.


Minor characters play an important part in A Cure for a Tragedy and are infuriatingly intriguing. There's Edward Cullen who is missing and yet happy. There is Bella Hale, seven years old, yet she holds everyone's lives in the balance. There is Rosalie, sweet and sometimes neurotic, who is unyielding in her love. Emmett, a fellow Night Guardian; Jacob, a wolf who has lived for centuries and is wise behind his apparent physical years. Although Alice and Jasper are the focal point for A Cure for a Tragedy, the minor characters are mixing into the background where a bigger plot seems to be bubbling.


Enigma runs deep in A Cure for a Tragedy where strange vampires have broken out. But, more impressively, the origin of vampires is strange and, you guessed it, mysterious. A love so strong, one could not let go. A creature born from such love. A price to pay. It is a legend that Stephenie Meyer would be proud off. Original and breathtaking and heartbreaking. Yet, it still tells us nothing of the Hales or what they are. Just what they must do.


Every minor detail, every small fact, every breath, every move seems to entwined into a bigger meaning, a bigger plot. Something is going on and zm4u manages to involve everyone and set them up for this fall, whilst keeping her readers in the dark. There are plenty of surprises to be had and, if you haven't already twigged, there is a tragedy to befall our love sick couple. What, you didn't figure the title out? A Cure for a Tragedy?


A Cure for a Tragedy is beautiful and careful. There is the right mix of description and dialogue. It moves effortlessly between chapters and between times. It is knitted together with care and attention. There are fights and there are celebrations. In fact, it celebrates life and shows that in order to appreciate good times, we must ride with the bad times. A Cure for a Tragedy is now finished, so there will never be an agonising wait for new readers. You'll probably devour the story in one go. Which is a good thing as a sequel is waiting for you.


Even if you start the story now, one thing is known for certain: You will never know what direction A Cure for a Tragedy will go in next, so relish the journey it takes you on. A stunning read if there ever was one.
                                                          
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