Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger.Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

What more is there to say about Stephenie Meyer's Twilight? I understand that it is a very popular book but this book didn't capture me as it should have.

I struggled while reading this book. First of, I didn't really get the obsessive love/relationship Bella had with Edward. The times that Edward was watching Bella while sleeping without her knowing really creeped me out. I thought it wasn't very romantic (although some might view it as romantic) and it felt stalker-ish. Next, I hated that these breed of vampires glittered in the sunlight. This really re-wrote the vampire lore that I just could not accept. I mean, how scary can a vampire be if he only GLITTERS in sunlight?  No.  Vampires burn and turn to ash.  Period.  Lastly, I just did not get Bella's attitude towards her friends. Not spending time with them and devoting all her time to her new boyfriend is not a good thing to write in a book meant for teens.  Teen angst and social pressure notwithstanding; I think it is just giving teens (and adults, for that matter) that obsessive love is good.  Which is not. IMHO.

I have to admit though, that Bella and Edward did have chemistry together. I felt that their first meeting was electric, and their second meeting was like "love at second sight." I appreciated the inner struggle that Edward had to go through and his hesitance to be with Bella. It does help that I read Midnight Sun, based on Edward's point of view, that was leaked before it was even released.  That made me understand his inner struggle with his attraction to Bella.

I gave this book 3 stars because I thought it had some promise but the glittering and the attitude of the characters just ruined it for me.

I have also read the other 3 books in this series.  May or may not be reviewed.

 

Rating: 3

Heat Level: 1