I am sure that, like so many other readers, my first love for non-canon pairing fics started with a vampire named Jasper, and as such, I have read many Jasper fics—too many to count, many similar to the next, and the majority being him and Bella. Also like most first loves, I moved on. At least, I thought I did.
I'm not going to lie and say that I can never tire of the man. I stopped reading Jasper fics over a year ago, having grown bored of him and, honestly, very picky with how he's portrayed. Yet, I could never pinpoint what I was looking for exactly, not having found the perfect canon Jasper and AU circumstances.
That is, until I read Built on a Lie by FrozenSoldier.
For one, the protagonist is Angela, someone I find so much more endearingly human than Bella, and FrozenSoldier has captured the lens-hidden beauty—her shy and muted exterior, the observant yet never pushy or judgmental disposition, as well as her quiet will to do what's right, her insecurity as woman, and how she dreams—but never acts—big and is okay with the fact.
Two, although it starts in New Moon with the infamous birthday scene and picks up three years after Angela discovers the Cullens' secret, Built on a Lie is original with its absence of her and Jasper being mates (so far). From the moment she sees him, Angela is infatuated with Jasper. But that's all it is—an infatuation, a crush borderlining obsession—because she doesn't actually know him, has never really spoken to him, and he is with Alice.
As ridiculous as it sounds, the notion is relatable. Who hasn't crushed, borderline obsessed, over someone they can't have? (*coughs* Rob? Taylor? Peter Facinelli? Sound familiar?) But what's more, what I love, is that FrozenSoldier made it realistic. The more time Angela spends with Jasper and learns who he is, she questions herself. Each interaction with him is not only less than ideal but also very uncomfortable.
