Twilight Saga

Twilight book 4: Breaking Dawn

2009-06-29T23:17:00.000-07:00

This is the last installment of the Twilight series, the novel picks up pretty much where the last one left off and Stephanie Meyer did an awesome job with this novel. She managed to tie up all loose ends yet still keep the reader interested and on the edge. There were differences in this novel compared to the others; this novel seemed more to concentrate on character development, both individual and interpersonal, rather than plot development. As readers, we get to know Emmett, Rosalie, Jasper, Seth, and Leah much more personally than the other novels allowed. Also, this novel branched out into more than just Jacob-Bella-Edward; it became less of a romance story. Meyer used wonderful rhetoric and characterization, especially when writing from Jacob's perspective. She kept it funny while at the same time never letting the reader forget about the weight of the circumstances.

I do agree with the statement that it was almost too good to be true; it’s impossible for everything to turn out that perfectly. At the same time, though, I must admit that if the story wasn't as "happily ever after" as it was, I would have hated it. Meyer developed all of her characters so well that it was impossible not to feel attached to them. Great read and I highly recommend it.

Twilight book 3: Eclipse

2009-06-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

The third book in Stephenie Meyer's vamp series, the Twilight introduced us to Bella Swan and the mysterious Cullen's a family of vampires. New Moon pulled Bella and Edward Cullen apart, and tested their love and introduced us to Jacob and the battle between wolves and vampires. It also left us hanging with a decision about Bella and immortality: when?

Eclipse is different. We return to the town of Forks and find that nothing much has changed. Graduation is closer than ever (after which, the Cullen's have agreed to make Bella a vampire) and a serial killer is loose in Seattle. Bella cannot see Jacob, her best friend because he is a Werewolf, and due to her ties to the vampires, it would break treaties and bonds made between them.

As the days go by, and graduation gets closer and closer, Bella must choose her fate. She wants to become immortal and be with Edward, but she must give up her family to do so. She is also worried about the change: will she be able to be "vegetarian" like the Cullen Family, and refrain from human blood? Or will her new blood lust cause her to kill innocent people?

The serial killer that is in Seattle turns out to be supernatural: newborn vampires on the loose. This brings up even more issues for Bella and her decision to become immortal. Not that anything could ever persuade her to give Edward up, but it makes the choice more difficult by showing her the realities of becoming a vampire.

Twilight book 2: New Moon

2009-06-25T00:53:00.000-07:00

The second novel in Stephenie Meyer's Edward Bella Series begins with a disaster strikes when an accidental paper cut on Bella's birthday party causes the Cullens to have to fight to resist the sight of her blood. After this Edward begins to think and grows distant and that worries Bella. Bella wonders if things will ever get back to normal when Edward announces him and his family's departure. Edward is thorough and wants to leave no trace, as if he never existed, hoping Bella will get over it with time.

Months go by and Bella becomes more zombie-like when an incident out with a friend has her hallucinating that she hears a familiar voice. Bella tries to figure out the key to her hallucination while building back a relationship with an old friend. Bella is finding that she feels happier, and also confused, about her feelings, wondering why the one friend that brings her joy is suddenly very distant, when she finds herself in serious trouble. Being hunted by old enemies and with Edward nowhere to be found Bella panics.

With the discovery of more secrets, Bella gets sucked back into dangerous yet familiar surroundings. With the arrival of a visitor, Bella finds out that Edward is in danger and to save him it may cost her own life. She feels she must make a difficult choice between the two people she cares for deeply. Also, the subject of Bella becoming a vampire (that was discussed in the first book) is finally decided upon.

Movie: Twilight

2009-06-18T00:44:00.000-07:00

If you read the book, you'll love the movie for exactly what it is -- bringing the characters to life.

The first time I saw it, I just lamented on how certain scenes were gone and how quickly it seemed Edward and Bella fell in love. So I waited a month, saw it again and enjoyed it better. The leads were good, although I thought Robert Pattinson did a better job with Edward, Kristen Stewart seemed a little too harsh to play Bella, such a lovable character in the books. But they did have a lot of chemistry brewing there and that alone will bring fans to go see the follow-up movies. Bella's dad Charlie was a stand-out as was Alice. The rest of the Cullens were well-cast and fun to watch. The villans were in no way as scary as The Lost Boys but they served their purpose and the fight scene was very cool. I read that the scenes that had to be cut will be on the DVD, so that is a main reason why this DVD is a must have. That and if you are feeling like dropping in on Edward and Bella's freaky world, it visually takes you there.

Twilight

2009-06-18T00:31:00.000-07:00

For a first novel, the story is amazingly well-plotted. Stephenie Meyer seems to have an instinctive sense for how to entice the reader into turning those pages, revealing just enough to keep us absorbed. Without leaking too much of the plot.

So, can love conquer all? It's triumphed over many things - jealousy, envy, spite, circumstances...but how about when the other person literally wants your blood?

Isabella (Bella) Swan has always been an unusual girl, more the grown-up than either her mother or father (who have been separated for years). After her flighty mother's re-marriage, she chooses to go live with her father in the gloomy town of Forks so her mother can spend more time with Phil. Charlie, her father, is a lot like his daughter: quiet, a little taciturn, and used to being alone.

Things are a little different in tiny Forks from Phoenix. For one, Bella finds herself dealing with unexpected popularity. She can't understand why there are three...and perhaps four...boys that have a decidedly more than friendly interest in her. In fact, she finds it rather annoying.

The one boy she'd really like to learn more about, Edward Cullen, seems to alternate between hating her and being fascinated by her. But when he saves her life (Tyler's pick up truck hits a bad icy patch in the school parking lot), they start to get to know each other, whether Edward wants to or not.

Bella discovers that Edward and his entire family are vampires, but relatively un-dangerous ones as they live only on animal blood and do not hunt humans. But the more she learns about them and grows to love Edward, the more her life - and that of her father and mother - are in danger.

Can true love survive against all of that? Can Edward conquer his own deadly impulses? Will his family accept his love for Bella? There are a lot of questions to ask yourself here...and the joy is in finding out the answers.