Official Description: Bella is a school counselor, but Edward is posing as a student. Will Edward convince Bella to defy her head and follow her heart? Or will Bella conquer her desire and do what she believes is right?
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What if ‘Twilight’ had been written for adult women instead of teenagers? In ‘Osa Bella’ Myg brings her own version of ‘Twilight’ to life. The story begins with Bella as a 29 year old Forks High School counselor who is daily struggling to right herself after suffering a great loss. Bella finds herself drawn to 17 year old Edward Cullen but can’t seem to reconcile her obviously inappropriate attraction to him. Thus begins Bella’s journey to try and do what she believes is right versus acting on what her entire being yearns for.
I have read a fair amount of Twilight fanfiction…most of it I have considered quite good, exceptionally entertaining, and, ahem, often stimulating. To be honest, I have often been drawn to fics that deal with difficult issues, I suppose it makes the stories more relatable to those of us that know that life is not all rainbows and unicorns. Osa Bella is written for those of us who have lived life a little and experienced some of life’s harsh realities. While the summary implies that the subject matter might be a bit distasteful to some, Myg handles the topic of Bella’s desire for her seemingly underage love interest in a delicate way. The dilemma is there, but the understanding that Bella’s feelings are real, and that she is most definitely aware of her predicament, underscore her every thought….and action. Myg’s Bella is not an inexperienced teenager with no worldly experience…this Bella is smart, snarky, mouthy, scorned, flawed, and oh so believable. I immediately felt a sort of kinship for this Bella because she seems like someone I would like to be friends with…she is real, she is honest….she is a tad fucked up.
Many readers of Osa Bella have claimed that this Edward (often referred to as Sailorward by readers) is their favorite ficward yet. Like Bella, this Edward is just so believable. He is cocky, self-assured, beautiful, smart, selfish, totally hot, impatient, kind, thoughtful and demanding. He is experienced, and not just in the ways of the day to day world….he has depth, passion, vulnerability, and most definitely knows his way around a woman. This Edward is a believable 108 year old vampire and he is VERY desirable. Bella is extremely intuitive in this fic, she is able to pick up on Edward’s deeper character…..she senses, perhaps even knows, that there is so much more to him than his 17 year old persona.
Throughout Osa Bella most of our canon characters are included. These inclusions are not forced. Myg’s gift in her writing is her subtle yet thorough character development…even in the most basic of characters. Every character serves a purpose in this story. Jacob in this story is just plain loveable and likeable….at least in the beginning. Myg has added some characters and highlighted lesser canon characters- you will be glad to meet them. You might not like them all but they fit well into the story and all of them add to the richness of Bella’s character.
Interwoven throughout the plot of this story is the presence of the bears in the Forks/La Push area. I don’t really want to say much about this here because I feel it might give too much of the plot away and the story is not complete yet. Suffice to say that this story is rich in historical Quileute/Native American lore and the way in which Myg weaves this into the story just works. This storyline initially is a tad confusing and a bit mystifying, yet, you must trust that is all beautifully revealed in the end. I love the addition of this very different story line. It is mysterious and supplies many interesting plot twists and turns.
The story of Osa Bella is unique. I think the thing I appreciate most about this story is Myg’s writing style. I am no great literary judge but her writing is at times painfully beautiful. The endings of each chapter both conclude and provoke. A closing line at the end of a chapter has often left me in awe. I have sobbed while reading this story, I have laughed, my heart has felt heavy, I have felt anger, angst, pure joy, and, yes, lust. There are some beautifully written ‘lemons’ in Osa Bella…I mean they will leave you fanning yourself and yearning for more. I do, however, feel I should add that as much as I like my lemons that is not what Osa Bella is about….it is so much more than that…please read it to judge for yourself.
About three things I am absolutely positive. First, Osa Bella is an amazing read. Second, Myg is an amazingly talented writer. And third, you will unconditionally and irrevocably love this Edward and Bella.
Here are some favorite lines that have come up in reader comments:
“What’s wrong?” Edward said.
“The way I feel about you is what’s wrong,” I said. “Terribly wrong.” “Your feelings aren’t wrong. The context is.”
“He smelled incomparable, unearthly good, a mixture of all those things that make the world worth living in.”
“So soon, I’d be the last Swan on the lake without a mate.”
“He’s not people. He’s Jake.”
“I felt my soul wanted to levitate off the couch and hover all around him.”
“His kiss obliterated the agony of my grief, destroyed the ache of my isolation. It redeemed me, but it was a twisted, wretched sort of hope that I found there. And the little death I thought I could fake, the one where I thought I could stop myself from loving him? It was a lie. It was the biggest lie in the history of lie telling. It was legendary.”
“I’m sorry, Bella,” he said, and backed me up against the counter. I felt his hands move over my ass as he lifted me up onto the counter, pressing himself between my legs, holding me fast. “I’m only so strong.”
Then his lips came down, powerful, urgent, onto my own, an impossibly hot, open mouthed kiss. His breath, my breath, his hand on the back of my head, his fingers tangled in my hair, destroying every last bit of sanity I had in me. Seventeen or not, I wanted him. Now. Badly. And I hated myself for this, for what I now knew I was capable of. But I couldn’t stop. Whatever he wanted of me, it would be his.
“Alice told you this?” I asked, hopefully.
“No,” he said, kissing me softly again. “This I’ve always known in my heart.”
Despite the characters and pairings you’ll recognize in Osa Bella, reading this story is more like indulging in a new book than a work of fanfiction. With well-conceived original characters that actually serve a purpose (without come across as contrived or gimmicky), and characterizations of the secondary cast, such as Mr. Banner and Mike Newton, that will undoubtedly changed your perspective on their use, Myg has created a fic unlike any other that I have read. And I flove AU.
Myg takes things beyond the usual AU elements of Twi fic. She incorporates a variety of other supernatural elements to keep readers guessing about WTF is going on and why and
enhancing the overall picture. One of the parts I love most about this story is that whenever I found myself wondering things like, “Why did she choose this character here,” or “What will that have to do with the overall plot of the story?” it always came back around. Nothing bugs me more than unnecessary details thrown in just to make chapters a few thousand words longer, but I promise that Myg uses every word carefully and with well-planned intention.This Bella is damaged, confused, struggles with personal issues, struggles with moral issues, and yet she is incredibly appealing to the readers. Edward is aloof frequently and a little creepy for someone trying to pass as a 17 year old at times, but it just works here.
Forget everything you learned in Twilight before you read this story and just enjoy it as though you know nothing about Stephenie Meyer’s universe. The experience will be exciting, captivating, and much for fulfilling that way. Enjoy this fantastic AU!
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