Welcome to Gaia! :: View User's Journal | Gaia Journals

Alright, I want to lay down the law here so I don't get sidetracked later. I am a 15-year-old girl. Therefore, I am quite fangirly over this book series (see previous few entries for rabid examples). But I am also not an idiot lunatic. I am on the Honor Roll. As a matter of fact, I just earned a letter at my school for having a 3.5 GPA or higher all year (it was actually more like a 4.2). I would wager that I'm advanced in all intellectual accounts considering my age and even personality. I am capable of deep thinking and objective reasoning, even if it can be difficult for me. My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, not exactly a quick read for teens let alone adults. I don't want to sound braggy, but those are the simple facts of who I am.

That said, I would like to attempt my very first, honest review of one of my favorite books. I'm going to try to be objective and non-fangirly as best as I can. This is a test of myself to see if I can even do this as well as me wanting to express my feelings in a coherant way.

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

--

Book Title: Twilight
Author: Stephenie Meyer
Rating: 5/5

Now, I'm not a big fan of vampire stories. I think "Another one?" and proceed to block the story from my mind. Vampires are everywhere these days. They're an over-used plot device used to grab the attention of the hoards of morbid-frenzied teens out in this day and age. Vampires are repetitive and unoriginal, but in the end the sell. Period. I take book recommendations with a grain of salt to begin with (I'm picky when it comes to using my free time on a book I may or may not like), so when my friend told me about Twilight I was quick to judge. What she told me was that it was a story about vampires and that the main male lead was, and I quote, "amazing". She would sigh dreamily and refuse to elaborate on what she meant. I didn't have any other information about it other than that. I pushed it out of my mind and forgot about it until a month or so later when I spotted Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse all on the shelves of my school library. On a whim, I checked them all out. (And it's a good thing I did because I tore through all three of them in four days.)

At first, it was slow going. The writing style's detailed in the most minute sense (a lot of sometimes unneeded description to fill in holes and add a general roundness to the story) and it took some pushing through the first few pages to get to "the good stuff". As soon as Bella, the female lead whose POV the story is set in, reached lunch on her first day in the very first chapter, Twilight had my full and undivided attention. I was intrigued by the mysterious Cullens and Hales just as much as Bella. I felt my reactions mirroring hers as she spent that first day questioning Edward's obvious revulsion at her. I found myself putting off homework and other duties to keep reading. That night I was up until approximately 2:00 in the morning reading. I was hooked, it was offical.

As far as characters go, Bella is pretty normal. She doesn't have any outstanding abilities or traits except for the fact that she's immune to Edward's thought-hearing power. She's a klutz and goes into panics pretty easily. She's not outspoken, actually she's quite shy. She's mature and observant when it comes to the people around her, but she still is pureposefully stubborn. She's the girl next door; not stunningly beautiful, but not cursed by her gene-pool either. It's easy to fit into her shoes because she's the "normal" one in the Twilight universe.

I, personally, like that she's so... human, for lack of a better word. She let's her emotions make decisions for her sometimes and faces the consequences of them. Besides being completely attracted to Edward physically (one of the quirks of him being a vampire is that he's astonishingly beautiful and everything about him lures in his prey), she also identifies with him on a mental scale. While Edward is extremely intelligent from living for so long, Bella is just reasonably brainy in the first place. She loves to read. Bella was first intrigued by Edward because of his beauty, she was also interested because he was so different from every one else. Her intuition told her that there was something very unique about Edward and his family, and it mystified her. After their first Biology class encounter, Bella only has more questions about him. Little by little, she learns about him and when she knows that he's a vampire, she decides that she doesn't care. She realizes that she's in too deep and that she doesn't want to leave Forks anymore. The initial feelings of intrigue became love in the end, and not the crush-y, sappy, hormone-driven, teenage love. The real deal, true love was what she felt. Bella's not shallow about it; when she knows it, she knows it.

Some reviewers think that Bella's selfish and stupid for wanting to become a vampire. Well, kinda, duh. But she's in love. And she knows that that'll never change, no matter what. She doesn't know how else to really be with Edward than if she's a vampire. He could kill her at any given moment because of his lust for her blood; maybe it's a good idea to change the situation so that doesn't happen, yes? It's an obvious "fix" to their problem. The killing of innocents is a heinous act, but Bella's hoping that her new family will be able to control her. And that she'll control herself. If you were Bella, what would you do? To her, becoming a vampire is the only option.

Edward is also highly criticized. He has flaws just like any other character in any other book out there. He overreacts. A lot. In a number of ways, even! He underestimates himself and in reality has some self-esteem issues as well as depression problems because of what he is. He knows he's a vampire and what he wants is human blood, but he denies himself because he's got a conscious and is a very humane being. He values human life, ultimately, and chooses the hard path because he cares. Add in his ability to hear thoughts and he's a cynical pessimist too. He knows that most teenagers are selfish and shallow, not to mention all of the corrupt adults whose thoughts he can't block out. Edward sees the world as a jaded place that would be better off without him and his kind. He honestly believed that. That is, until he met Bella, who happens to have the most delicious smelling blood he's ever encountered in his entire time on Earth.

But Bella intrigues him as well. He can't hear her thoughts, also a first for him. It's like he's deprived of a sense when it comes to her. What he does find out about her differentiates herself from anyone he's ever met. But he can tell how she's getting closer to him, and he knows how dangerous that is. He tries to push her away more than once, but gives in eventually to his desire to know her and be near her. And he falls in love, too.

The whole scenario creates romantic tension that puts Romeo and Juliet to shame. The constant threat of Bella's life ending by the hand of the one she loves is captivating and doesn't get old. Either Edward could lose control or Bella could make a false move to make him lose control; it's a kind of tension that literally has you holding your breathe whenever the two are a foot from within each other or closer. Going back to Twilight comparing to Romeo and Juliet, it's been said that Bella and Edward fell in love way too quickly to get to know each other very well. Uh, yeah they did. Of course they did, they're teenagers. Bella's totally absorbed by Edward and he's having his emotions re-awakened from the most remote corners of his being! But they knew each other for a lot longer than Romeo and Juliet did. The course of Romeo and Juliet was about three days with Romeo and Juliet falling in love on the first day. Twilight was at least half a year, maybe less and Bella and Edward were in love after a few months. Comparatively, Twilight is much more reasonable.

The supporting characters in Twilight don't get nearly enough credit. Their parts are relatively small in the first book, but by Eclipse, they're as fully fleshed as Edward and Bella. Their personalities are fun and clearly defined. You really sink into the saga because of the little touches they add throughout the story. Alice is one of my favorites; her personalitly is so fresh and quirky you can't help but want her as your best friend/sister too. As for the other humans in the series, they're secondary to the vampires and Bella's family, but in some ways they can be just as relatable. Mike always seems to get the short end of the stick. Jessica is two-faced and very shallow. Jacob is sweet and funny (there's much more to Jacob in New Moon and Eclipse, but I don't want to give away anything).

The other great thing about the writing is the humor. The interactions between characters put me in stitches of laughter as I'm doubled over, rolling around on the floor. It's possible that it's just my type of humor, but I positively adore the wit of Twilight. I can't even count the number of times I had to set the book down so I could cackle my head off for while. The way Stephenie Meyer describes things through her characters is an art form in and of itself; a crowning achievement for sure.

Re-reading Twilight after New Moon and Eclipse is especially great. Because you know where the story is heading and what comes next, you can let the parts that you didn't really pay attention to soak in. I'll say right now (even though this review is only for Twilight) that I had to read New Moon twice to get the middle section completely. (No specifics, but I will say that it's worth it.) It's wonderful to read the first few chapters again and step into Edward's shoes when he first meets Bella and is blown off his feet by the smell of her blood. It's still utterly sweet to read chapter 13 over again (easily the most romantic and touchingly chilling scene in the history of the written word). Every word flows so neatly and clearly, but it's hard to get it all in one go.

In closing, I can't wait for the movie. The dialog is going to be fabulous beyond all words and expression in movie format. (Not to mention the fantastic casting! Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart?! Awesome!) December 12 can't come soon enough. (And neither can August 2; I want Breaking Dawn already.)

So that's my attempt at an objective review. Just to be sure my point is clear, I love the Twilight saga to pieces. I recommend them all to any teen who can appreciate a good story even if uses an over-done plot device!

Loves,
Kylie

PS: Damn, not a single emote. I amaze myself sometimes... And long review is looong!