Official Description: There are two schools of thought: words don’t lie/seeing is believing. A 289 year old prophecy & a handful of visions gives a young woman the power to change the world, but only if she chooses to take control & guide her own destiny. AU – FGB for Katinki
Word Count: 95,602
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A Vow of Strongest Stone… How do I love thee? Let me count the ways… I love thee to the depth and breadth and height…
No wait… that’s not quite how that poem goes.
But it should.
Because without question, Vow is one of my very favorite fics of all time.
Before I explain why you are crazy if you do not read it, a little back-story might make this more fun.
A few months ago, hmonster4 and I were chatting. Or rather, more like I was begging and she was teasing. You see, she’d just wrapped up I Know You, her foray into the fantastical wonderland of AU – ExB AU, that is. And me, being the absolute basketcase I am for good AU, I was groveling on my knees for more.
After weeks of harassment, erm, I mean convincing, she finally took pity on us starved AU readers, and in doing so, threw down a gauntlet – that gauntlet being The Fandom Gives Back – Eclipse Edition. In summary, hmonster4 agreed to conjure up more of her AU magic, and money was donated to the more than worthy cause of Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
And voila! A Vow of Strongest Stone was born.
Vow is one of the most intelligent and plottiest (yes, that’s a word… don’t question it) fics that you’ll read. I mean that. People talk about smart fics and complex characters all of the time, but I’ve never seen it done quite this well before.
When you first click on the title, the year is 1721, and it’s the Feast of Saint Marcus. It’s a day of celebration for humans and non, although, the vamp menu is a bit more macabre. In a scene that sends shivers down my spine every single time I read it, a would-be victim ignites a spark and changes everything…
The man steps closer, and then, as if in a blur of smoke and vapor he is upon her and his hand is wrapped around her wrist. At the touch of his hand, a flurry of visions spool through the woman’s mind. The walls of the city, her family, the horse that threw her husband and broke his neck. This is her life, flashing before her, and she resigns herself to her death.
As quickly as they appeared, the visions were gone – everything was gone. She sees nothing, no memories, no images, just black. And then the words came forth, spoken in a voice so flat, so hollow; no one would have believed she was the one to speak.
“Within a canopy of green, six months past Saint Marcus Day, Irish servant will bend English oak to make a vow of strongest stone. In the enigma year, purest gold embraces ruby red as the libertines suffer their fate. Regina Vampira, one woman to guide all.”
Fast-forward a few hundred years, and we are introduced to our protagonist, one Marie Geoffrey – or as we soon learn, aka Isabella Swan. For twenty-three years, she’s been hidden away by her mother, desperate to protect her from her destiny. Yes, you read that right – destiny. And as we all know, fate is fate and destiny is well, unavoidable, especially when said destiny involves vampire queens.
In short order, Bella finds herself in Forks, a strange town full of strange people, who reveal even stranger secrets. And more importantly, she finds herself in the eye of a centuries-old battle between immortals. The question is, what does she do about it? Does she yield to the wills of those who wish to control her? Or does she take charge of her own fate?
Hmonster4 is a master storyteller, and she’s woven together a tightly bound, intricate tale of a fearsome megalomaniac bent on controlling the vampire world, the handful of those who wish to stop him, and the mysterious prophesies and visions that hold the key to it all.
Am I being vague? You bet I am. Because this is truly, truly one of those fics you must read for yourself. It’s a puzzle, and there are hints and tie-ins strewn throughout each chapter. Me, I’ve read the story three times – once in pre-read, once as the chapters posted, and then once more after completed – and I’m still picking up details.
As always, hmonster4’s characters are a delight to read. Bella is smart, real, strong, and her reactions are exactly what they should be. Loving this Bella is effortless. And Edward… Oh my Edward. The author has created an Edward unlike any you’ve read before. Just like Bella, he’s not immune to these prophecies; he has his own role to play, and you watch him come to grips with both Bella and his future.
“I will give you my obedience, because you will be the queen of us all,” he said, bending his head. When his lips brushed the back of my hand, they were ice cold and hard. Then, just as quickly, he flipped it over, so that my palm was face up. “But I will not go down without a fight, no matter how much you intend on torturing me.”
But it goes so far beyond just the main characters. Such care is taken with every one of them – the Cullens, the nomads, the Volturi, all of them. Every character has a specific role to play as the story unfolds, and she gives each one his own shining moment. Although, I must point out that the author is just a smidge partial to Emmett *wink wink*.
The writing itself is superb. Hmonster4 paints beautiful, unique pictures that suck you right down into the middle of the story. You feel like you are there, like you are Bella. You see it, you smell it; you can even taste it.
So, what are you waiting for? Go! Go now! Go forth and read excellence defined.
Oh, and please see if you can bribe hmonster4 for more. Seriously, I’m going through withdrawal here.
I just read your review on this story and was interested in reading it. I’m not able to find it on either one of the sites you have it listed under. The author is also missing. Do you know if it is under the Twilighted website? Love your blog by the way. I always come back to it when I’m looking for something to read!