The Count of Tuscany by withany

Official Description:

“She gets kidnapped, he gets killed, but…” This was the Princess Bride plot, not necessarily mine. If you’re expecting vitamin C from this, sorry, you’ll get scurvy. However, there may be gore. I hope.

I need to be upfront about something.

The Count of Tuscany is an incredibly frustrating story to recommend.

“Wut?!?” you say…

What I mean is that it’s incredibly EASY to recommend this fic, because frankly, it’s rather brilliant.

(Yes, you read that right – I said, brilliant, and I don’t say that terribly often.)

But (there’s always a but)… it’s really freaking HARD to actually write the recommendation itself, because in doing so, I run the risk of giving away wayyyy too much. Spoiling, you see, is pretty much a cardinal sin in my world, so, plot-wise, I can’t even speak past chapter one for this fic (you’ll see why later on).

As a quick aside, see, the fun in reading suspense / mystery / action / thriller / awesomeness is not knowing. It’s in not knowing what’s coming around the bend, in not seeing precisely where the story is going. It’s all about the journey… like a mental roller coaster ride driven from the comfy confines of your living room sofa.

And that’s exactly what you get in withany’s The Count of Tuscany – an action packed thrill ride of a story that takes all varieties of twists and turns and dips and loops, all of which keep you, the reader, on the edge of your seat.

For the most part, the characters here are all canon, and you can assume that the story takes place post-Twilight. I’ll place The Count in the New Moon alternative category – a “what if” SM’s NM didn’t occur.

Told in a wonderfully rendered 3rd person omniscient perspective, throughout the story, we jump back in forth in time and place. And as we go along, we’re given hints and slivers of information from various characters – just enough to allow us to slowly begin putting the whole story together.

Chapter 1 starts off with our beloved Cullens frolicking on the beach, Bella in tow, and as in canon, she’s the center of Edward’s world. It’s a fun-filled day, and all is well.

Of course, like any good story, however, bliss is fleeting, a blink in a vampire’s endless existence. Or in this case… about half a chapter!

Following canon, we see that at some point, Edward leaves his human love, presumably for her own good (sound familiar?), only we’re not privy to the exact reasons and wherefores. In true Edward fashion, he tries an existence without Bella, attempting to fake happiness for the sake of the family, but it’s all for naught, and soon, he flees to where unknown.

We then leave Edward, and toward the end of the chapter, we find ourselves instead with one Carlisle Cullen, who is being confronted by guess who? None other than Charlie Swan, father of the aforementioned loved and left behind Bella.

And that is where this story jumps off to a kicking start…

“Bella’s missing.”

Carlisle sat up straight. A leaden dread settled in his stomach.

“Six weeks ago. And she’s not the first. Now, I’m not saying that your boy had anything to do with it, but I need to speak to him, make sure. He might know something, have some idea…”

Carlisle tried to speak calmly. “Charlie, I’m sorry, but you can’t speak to my son.” He drew in a breath over the Chief’s attempt to interrupt. “Edward was killed in Italy six months ago.”

Shortly after I read that line, my spouse rushed into the room asking, “What the *blank* was that noise?!”

My response was a breathy, shocked, and numb, “Oh, no worries… just my jaw hitting the floor. No biggie.”

Despite being the admitted angst whore that I supposedly am, Edward dead in the first chapter?! What? Say it ain’t so!

But seriously, that’s a rather daring move, I’d say. Not many kill off Edward in the first chapter!

All I can say to you is, Trudge on, gentle reader. Trudge on.

It’ll be worth it, because there are some fantastic surprises in store.

And what you’ll find as you read is that The Count is a highly plot-driven story that’s marvelously written.

It’s not some wallowing, angsty character study (which it could have turned out to be considering…). Instead, it’s very intelligent, creative, and bold, and it features some really well done suspense.

The action sequences are Grade A (Hello, Chapter 8 fight scene!!!). There are some beautiful, vivid descriptions throughout, too, and the characters are richly drawn. Specifically, I must comment here that the Volturi are just deliciously villainous. I kind of love them.

On top of all that, there are a couple of twists and plays on both vampire and shapeshifter abilities that never would have occurred to me. You’ll see what I mean…

I mentioned this above, but it’s worth repeating. One of my very favorite aspects of this story is the narration. It’s 3rd person, which is always my favorite because that style of narration is so inherently flexible and well suited for plotty stories. The pace the author sets is brisk and driving, accelerating the reader through each chapter. She doesn’t waste time with long drawn out introspection or filler, instead opting to push the external plot first and foremost. I think you’ll be amazed at how quickly you finish each chapter. Okay, and I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that the last posted chapter (8, as of the time of this review) honestly left me bug-eyed and exhausted. Hold your breath for that one.

Withany is a great writer and she isn’t afraid to break a few “rules”. She’s not afraid to play with the reader a little either! In a good way. This fic is refreshing and it keeps you on your toes. It’s a truly fun reading experience.

I’ll stop here because I’m probably rambling. Vague enough rec for you? I know, I know. I told you rec’ing this story was hard to do without spoiling!

But when I say it’s brilliant, I really mean it. I’m completely in love with this story.

If you’re looking for a good AU, something to sink your teeth into and follow, this just might be the one for you. So head over to withany’s page and give this story a shot! Or bite.

Until next month!

[dcs_p][/dcs_p]