FanficRecs It's not as Great as the Fans of the Fanfic Make it Out to be...
I am a fan of well written A Us. Despite that being the case, even if a summary sounds interesting, I am cautious about attempting to read the story. Good summaries and interesting ideas don't mean that the story is well written. I had actually been avoiding this story for some time, and then found it recommended here on TV Tropes and decided to take a look at said story. While I'll give that the author has an amazing idea, this is far from what I would call good writing.
In the very first chapter, very first scene, I find that Nemu is slapped into Momo's role. She just saw her captain Kyoraku dead on a wall and she's received a letter. The difference in the letter was interesting, however... despite the fact that the dialog was changed up, there is no mistaking the fact that the scene is a plot point ripped strait out of the original Bleach storyline.
The first six to nine chapters are comprised mostly of this kind of writing. There is no background information given explaining why three characters with very different personalities from the original three perpetrators happen to be following the exact same plan the original three came up with. Seriously... I would think that it would be different in some way, but it was an exact copy of the original.
Becoming tired of the fact that the early chapters copied the original series storyline, I skipped to where the story began taking its own form. In simple terms, the feel of the writing changed drastically. The characterization was horribly flat. The plot was rather tedious and slow moving. The reason for this I feel is due to the fact that the story was no longer following the original plot format of the original series.
So, while there are people out there who love and praise this story, I am honestly not going to be one of those people.
FanficRecs Downfall
This is really amazing. The switched points of view are always easy to understand, and descriptions of events are not too much, nor too little. There is drama, but it is packed with action, humor, and (maybe) romance, so there is something for everyone. The plot process is at a believable pace, and updates are regular, so worries there! And even though there is a major change in events that initally turned me off from reading this, I fell in love with this story. All the characters are acting like themselves, and with a plot like this, that's near impossible. But Shadow's Forge did it. I'd recommend this to anyone that's a Bleach fan, but Warning: you might want to be familar with the world of Bleach to understand some of the story. Great read! -curledruler
FanficRecs EvilPinky's review
Solid and a "realistic" take on an alternature universe situation. Character interactions are interesting, and the author treats the Thirteen Court Guard Squads as what they are supposed to be: a military force. Action is well-written. However, the pacing is sometimes a bit disjointed at times, and the limited third-person view is difficult to adjust to at the beginning. Despite that, I still greatly recommend this story. Author also uses English dubbed terms/spellings, like "Captain," "Reishi," or "Soul Reaper."