Review: Windows by shoefreak37

Windows, by shoefreak37

Summary: I put my hands against the spots, understanding the dark masses were what kept Rosalie alive. They might as well have spelled out ‘The End’ because that was how I felt—not just a chapter was ending, but my story was done. It began and ended with her.

I’d like to be able to say that I’m sort of an advocate for femmeslash in the fandom, but truthfully, I fail at it. I try, but it really isn’t easy to find the kind of story in this genre that tugs at your heartstrings and makes you all warm and squirmy at the same time. They certainly are few and far between, so I find myself shying away from them more and more lately.

Regardless of my scepticism, I was excited to see some femme come in with this contest, and thrilled that one was actually able to capture me the way that it did.

I love it when stories of friendship bloom into something more, but the way shoefreak brings us into the past without the burden of a huge backstory was fantastic. We only get small hints of the childhood Rosalie and Bella shared, but the way this writer weaves her words, there’s more than enough to draw you in, making you feel almost as if you’re there with them.

She was like skinned knees and grass stains, part of my childhood. Unforgettable, she was, like the first breath of Autumn sneaking in on a summer breeze. Like markers that smelled of fruit, a glue stick colored purple, she was different and she stuck out to everyone…

In so few words, we travel down a road with these characters, watching as they experience true friendship, comfort, exploration, a first kiss…but just as they’re discovering what lies beneath the surface for both of them, all of it is snatched away. Shoe managed to hold on to some of the canon aspects of Rosalie’s would-be death, making this story all the more heart-wrenching.

Bella has never known life without Rosalie, and none of the small details included here fail to convey that loss to the readers.

Glancing at the pictures—high school graduation, packing for college, my first apartment—I can’t help but see the empty spot Rosalie should have inhabited. Each photo features me huddled to the side, leaving a gaping space that has no hope of being filled.

Such beautiful descriptive throughout this story, something I’ve come to expect from this writer. What I didn’t expect, though, was her incredible knack for creating a piece that’s both full of beautiful, undying love, and laced with gruesome gore at the same time. Not a feat easily accomplished by many, in my opinion.

I can’t say much without giving away the entire ending, but I will definitely say that this is very much worth the read. Beautifully written, perfectly paced, different in an unexpected way.

Windows won both best femmeslash, and third place judges vote in the vampslash contest. Be sure to check out the wide array of equally beautiful stories by shoefreak37. She’s certainly got something for everyone.