by Rosaline (link)
Genre drama, romance, suspense
Pairings Isaac/OFC, Taylor/OFC
Length prologue, 12 chapters and epilogue
Status Completed
There are several cliche plots one can expect from an older hanfic, especially one written by a young author. Although Vindictive hits one of them in the first chapter, with a girl being forced to move to a suburb of Tulsa where she immediately meets the Hansons, the prologue set several years earlier hints at a mystery that I hope will be well-developed.
Although the chapters are lengthy, too much of Vindictive is dedicated to teen drama and silly, pointless scenes full of inside jokes that aren’t improved by Rosaline’s author’s notes. While she ends up taking a fairly mature stance on certain issues, it all reads a bit too much like an after school special and none of the characters feel quite real.
Eventually the mystery plot comes back, but with so much telegraphed early on, there isn’t much surprise to it. At least it isn’t overly convoluted, as the climax of the story happens far too close to the end for any twists to work. Had Rosaline worked a little harder to amp up the suspense gradually and not revealed the mystery too early on, the plot would have been much more balanced.
Abrupt point of view changes also mar the story, even if the writing isn’t overall bad. With a few more years writing experience under her belt, Rosaline would have something good to offer; as it is, Vindictive is only great compared to other stories by such young authors.
Review by Bethany (website)