Down the Rabbit Hole by Shalu

Down the Rabbit Hole

Shalu

26

87,822

518

AH/AU Alice/Jasper: Alice has traumatically lost her memory, only to discover she possesses the ability to glimpse the future. Her memories unreachable, Jasper drifts through a life with his memories and emotions locked tightly away...or so he thought.

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MrstheKing

I feel like I can’t say enough about Down The Rabbit Hole by shalu. Her unique take on Jasper and Alice has everything I like about a story. Most importantly, I need strong characters. The best way to hand a believable spine to a character is have them prove it to me through their actions. Shalu makes me believe Jasper is dangerous. It rolls off his words and makes me fear him, but his flash backs to a more caring past makes me want to hold his hand at the same time. Alice is absolutely loveable and effervescent in the most organic way. She has lost her memory, though she can see pieces of her future in her visions. I love this use of Alice’s gift from Twilight.

Shalu’s writing is witty and gorgeous and unexpected. She writes the men in such a masculine way, you have no trouble falling head over heels in love with them.

You like your lemons sexy? Well here, shalu instills such fabulous buildup and delivers the scenes in the way I like to think about making love. In Alice’s case, Jasper truly is the man of her dreams, and despite his violent ways, he might be the only one that can keep her past from engulfing her future.

The fiction feels intimate with beautiful quotes from different well-loved novels like Alice in Wonderland. Shalu obviously cares for her readers. As a host, she provides you with the music from her play ist in her profile to accent her story.

I really love this story and highly suggest taking it for a spin.

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So, I was skeptical when I started reading this. I think it's pretty well known that I'm a hardcore B/E lover and I don't really...ever...stray from that. I've read a handful (well, less than actually) of A/J one-shots, but that's it. They just don't interest me. And while I can't say that I'm going to go out in search of them now, I can say that I have genuinely enjoyed this A/J piece.

It took me 2.5 chapters to really get into this and then I was sucked in. The story is so unique and it's full of suspense and mystery and all these secrets that are working to be revealed.

Shalu takes some spins on the canon development of the characters and makes them her own in this fic. It's interesting to see the different takes on certain events and I've loved how she's molded them so far.

Another plus is that I don't hate these characters...in fact, I enjoy all of them. Generally, it is really hard for me not to want to bitch slap Alice every five seconds in fics. Her needy, pushy, overbearing personality grates on my nerves. However, in TRH, she does not embody those characteristics. Instead she's funny, silly and - yeah - she's a little hyper, but I can live with that. Another of my favorites is Emmett...I'm not kidding when I say he might be my favorite Emmett of any fic. Seriously.

If there's one complaint I have, it's the formatting of some of her chapters. All of JPOV is done in lower case - no capitalization unless someone is screaming at someone else. That took a LOT to get used to, but it's pretty easy to overlook now. The second part of the formatting isn't so easy to overlook - the chapters are choppy - dancing from present time to what happened 20 minutes prior, back to present and then back again. It is extremely confusing and hard to follow in an already sort of mysterious and in depth plot.

Other than that, I really have enjoyed the fic and am anxious to see how everything unfolds. I will say, even though this is an A/J fic, I still can't help but latch on to the tiny tidbits we get of Edward & Bella and wonder - hmmmm...wonder what their story would be like if it were told?

I give this 4 out of 5 clementines.


Crapping hell! I LOVE THIS STORY! - Now, I am THE Bella/Edward shipper - like you would NOT believe. But I fell hook, line & stinker for this story. The writing, the story, the characterisation - OHMYGOD - they are all spectacular!

This was recc'd to us by one of our honourary perv's for Feb - Erica. It sounded good but I was a bit sceptic - as I love B/E so much. They are my main ch's you know? But from Chapter one of Down the Rabbit Hole - IT SUCKED ME IN! Incredible writing. Incredible. The narrator's voices were so true & resolute. Their confusion was our confusion. Their lust was our lust. Their pain was our pain. Their love was our love. All just magnificently conveyed. I love how her tight plot is weaving together. I love how A/J are each others salvation, and complete and complicate each others.

Seriously its just WOW!

I must confess however, that I did love the wee glimpses of Bella & Edward - so relieved was I that they were together and happy in their relationship. I am so lame that if they had not been that would have caused me to struggle! :) Yes I am that lame! :) But Alice & Jasper are the stars. The proper and rightful stars of this story! I now love JALICE!! Who knew?! :)

For a pure brillo story, that is engrossing, sexy, passionate, mysterious, complex and tight - I give DTRH 4 clementines plus 4 segments out of 5! READ IT - EVEN IF YOU NORM DON'T LOVE JALICE! - you will be missing out otherwise!!! xx

I don't think it's any secret that I love Jasper. I think out of all the Cullen's he got the shaft the most. There was so much potential for his character besides the vampire struggling with his thirst. le sigh.

Shalu takes us on an intriguing and mysterious journey through the lives Alice and Jasper. When we first meet them they are empty shells; one because of circumstance, the other because of choice. Over time they both fill up and find themselves, the people they were supposed to be. They both get a "Do-Over" as Alice put's it.

Not gonna lie, this Jasper is dark and damaged. I kinda, really love it. I think this might be my favorite Alice of all time; she's smart, clever, funny, and just a good person. This story parallels what I imagine the canon meeting and journey of Jasper and Alice, it's done in a very clever way, through future visions and random flashbacks. I dig the writing style, each pov is unique, and the story is funny, breaking up the heavier moments.

Jasper & Alice's first kiss came out of nowhere, but it fit. It was intense and magical and so effin' perfect for these two. Now the smut, Holy Hell. Just read it and experience it for yourself.

4.5 out of 5 Clementines from moi.

I like Bri rarely stray from E/B stories. If I do it's NEVER A/J. It's no surprise to anyone that he is in fact my least favorite character ever.

I blame Jackson's constipation face.

This story sucked me in, in a way that I can't explain. I've never read anything else that focused on Alice & Jasper that was so descriptive and lyrical that I literally couldn't stop reading. I am FLOORED that it has so few reviews, I'm actually shaking my head again as I type that in disbelief.

Alice in this is close to the best canon Alice I've seen done. The character is so much more than a one-track mind revolving around shopping and nonsense. Shalu has expressed that in her characterization and made her so endearing and so easy to adore.

Now Jasper was of course a harder sell for me but somehow she managed to write him and make me feel for him, his pain his confusion, to question everything that happened to him in the past. All of it. To see him meeting Alice is just wonderful and beautifully done.

Lemons. Well first let me say that while Jacksper does zero for me, the thought of the cowboy hat? Yeah, even I find that hot JFC. Like Stephie this "Go ahead baby, scream for me..." made my brain MELT. Mother of God. Anyway. Yeah. That one sentence pretty much sums it up.
H-O-T.

4.5/5 Clementines


This story pulled me in so fast. I was hooked almost immediately and so happy that there was a large amount of chapters to keep me satisfied. That said, I still died when I got to the end of what's posted, so very, very ready for more.

I've read a couple good Alice/Jasper stories, but this one just, wow. It's incredible. Their backstories are a very unique spin on canon and I love the way she was woven it all together into such a beautiful story. I just can't get enough of it.

I adore what she's done with Alice, I find her so much more likeable than in so many other stories. Yes, she has a positive attitude, but she's not an overbearing, obnoxious, shopaholic pixie with nothing better to do than play Bella barbie all the time. In light of what's happened to her and then as the story progresses, the things that begin to make themselves known, in light of all that to have such a positive outlook is just incredible.

Then, poor Jasper. My god, how my heart breaks for his story. But to see his progress, to see the changes he undergoes and especially once he and Alice meet, just WOW.

I don't think I could say enough good things about this story. Go, hurry, read it now.

5 out of 5 sweet clementines from me!


I don't normally read Alice/Jasper stories because I don't normally get pulled into one. With DtRH I was pretty much immediately sucked in. Alice's back story, which we don't even really know of at the beginning made me want to keep reading. It is a great way to take canon Alice and twist and turn it into something new and more contemporary.

Same goes for Jasper. You know something pretty major happened. You know he's living a dangerous, fucked up life. It's reminiscent of canon Jasper's time with Maria. But it's new and refreshing. And quite honestly, the danger is sexy. The fact that he isolates himself from everybody tugs at my heart and just makes me yearn for him to find a way to be his true self.

I actually really like how Shalu formats her chapters. For whatever reason, Jasper is so a lower case type character. To me it conveys the tone of his emotions even more than just the standard italics and/or use of periods to accentuate remarks. As if, his mind just functions differently and that's why his chapters need to look that way. And I'll be honest, if I could get away with never caps-ing anything, I totally would.

Reading this fic evokes some pretty strong emotions. From all the characters. You really feel the pain and loss experienced from every single person involved. Even more strongly when all their lives intertwine to create one very intricate web of life, love, and loss.

Have I mentioned how hot Jasper is yet? Um, two words. Cowboy-hat (yes I hyphenated that to make it one word) and Clementines. I think I nearly came unglued at one very sexy moment. It involves Jasper whispering the words "Go ahead baby, scream for me..." Ung.

Even if you are tragically canon, like so many of us are, I highly recommend DtRH. It's so different and unlike anything out there really. And so highly underappreciated if you ask me. I am remorseful that I haven't had time to review every chapter like I want. Being the procrastinator I am by nature, I read this all the night before the post goes up. So I needed to hurry. That and I was so sucked in I just kept clicking the little next chapter button. So, Shalu, I owe you major love for this fabulous story!

I give it 4 out of 5 clementines. So sweet n juicy.


Having made it through chapter twelve before I had to get a review written – because I’m slacking on the job already after two weeks, shame on me – I can say that this story has massive potential.

Personally, I’m all for a hitman, whether it’s Edward or Jasper. Actually, any kind of covert ops will do. I blame it on too much Alias. Mmm, Michael Vartan. …Sorry, where was I? Oh, right, hitman Jasper. What I love about this story is the way shalu has adapted the canon story to fit hers. Jasper working as a hitman meshes very well with canon Jasper’s history training newborn armies, and it brings in other familiar, seedy faces: James, Laurent, etc. Our Alice fits her story, too, having lost everything and everyone in a fire, now suffering from amnesia and a sudden case of clairvoyance.

And then there’s the supporting cast. I know this is a Jasper/Alice story, but picturing Edward as the kid brother who needed a lesson on deodorant from brother Jasper is just too good not to mention here. There’s Emmett, too, of course, who is clearly vying for a part in The Hangover 2, and his wife, Rosalie, with whom he fell in love after receiving a kick to the face. Carlisle and Esme round out the Cullen clan.

I’d be remiss, as an Honorary Perv, not to mention the first lemon. Um, delish. I know I’m not caught up with the story, but I have complete faith it will only get hotter. And of course, the fine ladies here who have actually done their jobs this week can tell you so, as well.

The plot is full of promise, and I’ll definitely be reading more.

4 out of 5 clementines here!


This is one of my favorite stories, it has mystery, love, sexy times, tangerines, jasper in a cowboy hat...what more could you ask for? I found it when looking for Alice/Jasper stories, I needed a break from all this Bella and Edward drama and angst I had been reading.

Shalu has created this wonderful back story for Alice that is very original and very not-the-usual-Alice; her normal "pixie-ness" is very toned down making her a truly believable and likable character. She's alone and felling lost but seeing these pieces of her future while not remembering anything about her past. She is trying to figure out her life. It's a great modern interpretation of the Alice from the books; the way she was sort of pulled out of her old life and put into a new one with no memories and no idea how to live. When she and Jasper meet, it's also a very good translation of the book, but changed for these characters and their history.

Her Jasper is just this lonely loner type that comes across so clearly, his choice of work keeping him separate from everyone he loved and when he finds Alice they create this sort of safe haven for one another. She uses a different format when writing Jasper's point of view and while it can be a little hard to process at first, I really think that as a concept it communicates so much about his character. She is able to translate his isolation graphically in such a simple way. The text becomes more than just the words strung together, it becomes this image, this sounding out of the emotions that Jasper is going through.

I could totally see this as an action movie, sort of Bourne Identity-ish with the love story balancing out the chaos. Pieces of the mystery have started revealing themselves in the last couple chapters and I am super excited to see how this turns out!

I give it 5 out of 5 clementines!

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