Story Rec/Review...The Blessing and The Curse

Its time again for another Fan Fic Rec/Review.  This story Rec/Review is brought to you by DiamondHeart78. (The Twigasm Admin) 



Every once in a while, there’s a story that completely knocks you off your ass. All of us have that one fic that took us to another level and opened the door to fandom. We can sit here and discuss the legends in-depth for hours and everyone will have their favorites. I’m going to talk about one in particular. Not only because this story is one of the best-written stories out there. No. It’s also because after months of waiting, and waiting...and waiting, it’s COMPLETE.

Anyone who’s read The Blessing and The Curse by The Black Arrow will always tell you the same thing: It’s so beautifully written, Edward’s so amazingly dark, it’s so sexy. All of that is true. My first impression was that I was reading a gothic novel, like Bronte. The sensory descriptions do exactly what they’re meant to do-- the reader can see, smell, taste, and feel everything that the characters do. Whenever a story manages to that so perfectly, the reader is immersed in that fictional world.

The writing of the story is not without it’s controversy. After constant updates, the author simply stalled, claiming writer’s block and whatever RL issues were at hand. I heard many complaints about her lack of updating from readers, and while she never ignored her critics and kept her readers abreast of the situation through Twitter, some critics simply stopped reading and became upset with her. This, I will never understand. And although I was sad at the length of time it took for her to update the last three chapters, I knew she would not leave it incomplete. I was willing to wait.

Bella returns to the home of her childhood, where she’s practically raised by her mother’s best friend, who is now facing terminal illness. But Bella is reluctant to return because she’ll have to face Edward: her brooding, possessive childhood friend. but ‘friend’ is such a superficial word for what Edward and Bella really are. After being born hours apart, they are inseparable through life, and Edward’s gift of hearing her thoughts through touch only manages to deepen their connection.

Now as an adult, with a life back home and a ring on her finger, Bella forces herself to deny what she truly feels for Edward. He doesn’t help at all either-- always trying to regain control by knowing what she’s thinking. He’s manipulative: he makes Bella promise to pretend they’re together for his dying mother’s sake, since Esme always believed they were true soul mates. She reluctantly agrees, which allows Edward to get closer to her.

Their past is revealed slowly through the progression of the story, and we learn that Edward is hiding much more than he’s leading on.

TB&TC is not lemon-heavy. But it does not mean it’s not one of the most passionate and emotional stories in fandom. Here’s just one of the many moments that give me goosebumps every time I read it:

He had kissed her several times during their teenage years, experimentally, and she had almost forgotten what it was like. Like every atom in her body had simultaneously vibrated. She pulled back.

"No, Edward, I'm engaged to Michael. I have made a commitment to Michael."

Her voice shook with conviction, and Edward's eyes darkened. He wrapped an arm around her waist, dragged her across his body and rolled smoothly to pin her on her back. She was alarmed to feel his hard erection pressing against her thigh, and she struggled, imprisoned under his heavy, muscled body.

"Stop saying shit like that. You know it makes me mad." He growled roughly against her neck.

"It's always made me mad. You're not for anyone else; you're for me. And you're not going to be able to remember that jerkoff's name by the time I get through with you." As his velvet tongue slid down her neck, and Bella felt her nipples tighten in response, alarm bells began to sound. She was in trouble.

"You sure are," he agreed, sucking lightly on her collarbone, his soft, full lips dropping open mouthed kisses.

Um....yeah....I told you.

Actually, all I have to say is one phrase-- Chapter 14, “Alchemy,” and most TB&TC readers will moan and squeal and sigh. It’s utter perfection.

As if it couldn’t get any better, any hotter, any more romantic, Edward says one of the best lines in fanfic history after discovering that after everything, Bella might very well stay engaged to a man she doesn’t love:

She felt the hot burn of his stubble against her jaw, and knew he would use the weapon she could not resist. The kiss was coming, building, like the wave that would knock her under. As she heard him taking a deep breath, she pushed him away ineffectually.

She braced herself. "Don't. Please don't. I can't now."
When it came, it was a soft chaste kiss at the base of her throat, before he surprised her by sinking to his knees between her feet.

"He wants a wife." He pressed his face to her stomach, putting his hands on the door either side of her, his body momentarily going slack and heavy against her.

"I want my soul back." His breath was hot, right through to her skin.

Wow. Just reading that again after so long, and I still get misty-eyed.

The chemistry between Edward and Bella is electric, magnetic, and when Bella can no longer deny her feelings she must make a choice between the safe, and the risky. What will she choose? You’ll have to read the story to find out. You will not regret it.

Fanfiction in all its forms is meant to be something enjoyable-- for the readers and for the author. As an author myself, I do not write for the sole purpose of pleasing my readers. I write because it makes me happy. There may have been a time the author was not happy with her drafts or whatnot, but once she was, she gave us perfection-- which for some people, cannot be rushed. So settle down, people, and read the pretty. The wait was DEFINITELY WORTH IT.

(Link is above just click on name of story or the writers name!)

Thank you so much Diamond for this amazing Rec! I hope you all go and read this story...I know its caught my attention!