I absolutely HATE that this is the first book that I am choosing to post about, but I figure honesty is good for me. It is also what I am currently reading, since New Moon hits theaters this weekend. (I always re-read before a new book or movie release).
I had never heard of Twilight before the first movie came out. In fact, before I saw the movie, I was making fun of all the tweeners who just went ga-ga over the whole thing. Curiosity won out, and a few weeks after it opened, I drug some friends to go see it with me. It was actually pretty bad. Can you scream teeny bopper sexual tension? BUT it had a good story. The basic idea was intriguing, if not narcotic. I decided to read the books.
I read Twilight, the first book in the series, in one day. The writing is not that strong, so it makes for a very easy read, and the ability to lose yourself in the story. You can tell Stephenie Meyers, the author, loves classic romances from the ilk of Jane Austen (by the way Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book - ever). The themes of undying and ill-fated love bleed through her story and touch the heart of a reader already so familiar with them.
So - definitely a girly book.
The story is about a girl, wise for her years, who moves to the rainiest town in the continental US (if not the whole world). She falls for the beautiful vampire, (not knowing what he is at the time) and he falls for her (knowing exactly how yummy she is), despite his raging desire to kill her. He goes back and forth deciding which is better, to be with the object of his affection, putting her at risk - or leaving her alone, guaranteeing her life. She suffers from insecurities ranging from do I stink, to does he really love me...
As usual, hormones win out.
But his fears come true when another vampire begins hunting her, set on killing her slowly and painfully. The story culminates with the handsome, thirsty vampire hero having to suck her blood to save her life. And they live happily ever after... at least for this book.
Let me follow my snarky synopsis with the fact that I absolutely loved it. I would recommend it to anyone with an open mind, and a perchance for endearing love stories (especially vampire love stories). The cast of characters is fun and creative, and there is always someone you can identify with or love to hate. This book made me smile as I read it, and I absolutely craved certain happenings. Believe me when I say, the movie does not do it justice.
I did have some bones to pick though. Since when do vampires sparkle in sunlight? I was always of the mind that vampires were supposedto turn into crispy crtters when exposed to UV rays. And if his saliva was venomous, how exactly did the kissing work, in any way that was satisfying? I do applaud the ideas of special, enhanced powers - sensing and influencing emotions, mind reading, and seeing future events. But sometimes the thread of these 'powers' was a little blurred.
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Did you know this whole series started from a dream? I think that holds some of the draw for me, because my best stories were bread from dreams. Chapter 13 "Confessions" was the dream Meyers had one random night, and the rest of the book grew out of it. A few short years later, she is rich and famous, and her characters are household names.
As a bonus to those who do decide to read it (or have already read it) - check out Stephenie Meyers' website. She posts the first half of her rough draft to the companion novel -
Midnight Sun.
