http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4869681/1/Burning_The_Edges

Official Description: Bella is an anti-social pyro with a colorful personality. However, she soon begins to make friends, face enemies, learn what her family means, and finds out some things she never knew she was missing in her life. AH, AU, OOC mostly for Bella.

Don’t miss the outtakes, Trimming the Edges.

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Ooohlalaaa says:  Burning the Edges is an adorable, coming to age story about an anti-social Bella who’s obsessed with fire (hence the title) and the ups and downs that she faces as she makes new friends and breaks out of her shell.

There are a number of reasons why I love this story. The first one being gangsterdorothy’s writing. Often times I find it hard to get into a story from the beginning because writers tend to throw in lots of unnecessary details in order to introduce their characters and their plot. Her writing is straightforward, to the point, and completely effective without being wordy, holding your attention from the very first chapter. 

Secondly, I adore her characterization of Bella. She’s a social outcast/pyromaniac who’s grumpy, lovable, witty, and endearing. Although she has her issues and often gets picked on, she isn’t bratty or excessively self-pitying. Her internal monologue is funny and always amusing, and it gives a good insight into how naïve she is.

Third, the plot of this story pulls you in from the get go, and luckily she had a good number of chapters up when I began reading. For me, what’s been captivating about this story so far isn’t just her relationship with Edward; it’s her relationship with herself and how she’s transformed since the beginning of the story that’s kept me intrigued. 

Of course, her bond with Edward is well developed, ingenuous, and realistic, and the UST is adorable- you probably need to read it to understand what I mean by that. Also very well developed are her connections to her friends, which often times gets overlooked in stories. I’m just as intrigued reading Bella’s scenes with Alice as I am reading her scenes with Edward. The author weaves twists and turns into each character’s back story, and there are a bunch of little mysteries that I’m dying to find out about. Overall, it’s a well told, fun and easy read, which isn’t too emotionally draining (yet), and gets better and better with every chapter.

RedVelvetHeaven says: Have you ever read a fic that grabbed you from the beginning and made you wonder at it’s simplicity, only for you to realize it’s anything but simple? ‘Burning the Edges’ did this to me! I was just reading along, enjoying the scenery…trying my best to figure out what Bella gains from burning things then BAM! The subtle beauty of this story slammed me! And then enters licorice boy…gah! Adding to the mix of amazing characterization is Edward. Quirky, quiet, mysterious Edward. The story is written from BPOV so we really see her, begin to understand her…but E…he’s a mystery. A black licorice smelling mystery! Gangsterdorthy lines the periphery of this story with all the usual’s, however, they are anything but usual. She slowly and amazingly unfolds each character with impeccable timing and only reveals what she wants you to know, thus leaving you thinking, wondering, waiting for more.

This beautifully told coming of age story is filled with feeling and truth. Not your average types of characters, but quirky, cute and sometimes sad teens trying to find their way despite the hands that they’ve been dealt. I can honestly say that this is a DEAR story for me….Drop Everything And Read! And it’s really because I have no idea what Gangsterdorothy is going to do next! As fresh at chapter 24 as it was at chapter 1! I highly recommend giving this story your attention.