I'm so glad I was late to the party with "Twilight". I didn't have to wait for new books to come out- I read the entire series over a two-week period. During that time, I neglected my family, work, chores, and this website.
I got my sister-in-law addicted to the series and she has done the same thing over the past week-- even going so far to call Edward her "boyfriend". She's not at all apologetic about her obsession and I envy that because I found myself feeling a little embarrassed about having the hots for Edward! I just need to stop fooling myself that I'm a consumer of stuffy literature - the guilty pleasure stuff is just as fun as the heady stuff.
I've embedded the trailer for the upcoming movie (my sister-in-law and I are having a girls' night out for this). After the jump, I've written my final thoughts on the "Twilight" series.
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*SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!*
*THE SPOILERS!!*
"New Moon" was frustrating. I like Edward the vampire. I felt
impatient with the book because Edward was only in the first few
chapters and the last few chapters. I rushed through the hundreds of
pages filled with Jacob because I knew Edward had to return. I felt
anxious just the way Bella did when she was away from Edward. I
understand why the author, Stephenie Meyer, wrote this book- she needed
to set up an incredibly complicated love triangle. And it sure did get
complicated. I enjoyed the series of chapters where Bella tries
dangerous things so she could hear Edward's voice in her head. And I felt bad for Jacob because she used him to invoke Edward's voice.
"Eclipse" made me a little scared of Edward. He was very controlling
of Bella and crossed the line into an abusive relationship (not
physically, of course) several times- like when he made Bella a
prisoner at his house and when he bought a motorcycle to join her on
rides. Luckily, he did come around and back off when it came to Jacob.
I feared through this whole book that she would somehow choose Jacob
over Edward. Especially when Edward asked her to marry him. I was a
little bored with the long back stories of Rosalie and Jasper. I read
through Rosalie's story and am glad I did because it was a set-up for
her actions in the final book. I breezed through Jasper's story,
though, because I could already tell that a vampire army was being
created to attack Bella and the Cullens.
"Breaking Dawn" had a satisfying ending. I was thrown a little bit
when the book suddenly switched from Bella's to Jacob's perspective,
but it did make sense. It made Bella's awakening as a vampire much more
dramatic and exciting. Meyer writes Jacob very differently than she
writes Bella and I enjoyed the distinct difference in their tones. I
thoroughly enjoyed the middle chapters where Bella wakes up as a
vampire and discovers her own strength (and her passion for Edward). I
actually went back and re-read those chapters after I finished the
novel. The end chapters were a little frustrating because there was
such a tense build-up with the Volturi that ended without a fight, but
I think that was necessary. We got to discover that Bella was always
meant to be a vampire, and a very powerful one at that. And, I admit
that I enjoyed the happy ending. There were several times during the
book when I wondered if Edward would live and honestly thought I'd be
devastated if he did not. Jacob's role became clear - his imprinting on
Renesmee - and it was nice that he didn't end up with a broken heart.
Although I saw most of her major plot points coming, that one was a
pleasant surprise!
"Midnight Sun" - Stephenie Meyer posted the first 200+ pages of the novel she's working on, called "Midnight Sun". It's the "Twilight" book from Edward's perspective. It's terribly interesting to get
a better understanding of Edward's quick mood changes with Bella. Meyer
posted it on her webpage because some slimeball in her editor's office
leaked her rough draft on the internet. She said this book is on hold
for now, but I sure hope she picks it up and finishes. It's very
captivating. As a writer (and an aspiring novelist), I also found her
imperfect manuscript inspirational. It turns out, it doesn't have to be
perfect the first time around. You can download it here.
Do I dare say I liked these books better than Harry Potter? If not....it's a very close race.
I loved the fact that in the end it was Bella, acting as the shield, that really saved her new family.
This series is absolutely awesome.
I too have read the books and can't wait for the movie. Is the move all four books or just the first one?