My first thought is, pleasant. Bree Tanner is a quick read, an interesting read, and somehow a light-hearted addition to the 4 main books of the Twilight Series.
Bree Tanner is an interesting character whom I would have liked to know more about. The story could definitely have been longer and perhaps included more of her life before she was turned. This would have increased my connection to her. As it was I wasn’t heart-broken that she died in the end, but it might be that since I’d read Eclipse, I already knew the ending. What’s fascinating is that Stephenie Meyers wrote a book, that I thoroughly enjoyed, of which I already knew the ending; well done Stephenie Meyer.
There are some interesting twists of which I never realized by reading Eclipse alone.
I WANT TO BUY THE SHORT SECOND LIFE OF BREE TANNER NOW!
Since you are reading my blog I am going to assume that you know my feelings on the Twilight series. I felt a little duped by Stephanie Myers with her previous books. Due to those feelings I held off on reading The Host for a very long time.
Well, one Sunday night was at my sister’s house while everybody was taking their Sunday afternoon naps. I was bored, and wanted a book to keep me occupied. This book was my only option, so I decided to bite the bullet and read it.
Within a few chapters I realized how wrong I was to judge The Host by another books cover. Stephanie Myers was able to bring all of her best attributes to this book, with out any of the shortcomings. You can see the progression of her writing in each of the Twilight books, and this book definitely reaped all the advantages of that. I have always thought her writing was descriptive, and this book was no different.
It is difficult to describe the plot of this book without giving away too much. This is a story about an invasion, but instead of a land being invaded it is our bodies. The invaders take over lives and continue to live the way the humans did before them.
Spoiler Alert!! If you haven’t read Breaking Dawn and don’t want to know much about it, beware, this review is littered with spoilers. Mostly because of my hatred for it.
Although I typically enjoy Stephanie Meyers, this is her worst book. Amid weird imprints between babies and adults, vampire pregnancies, vampire and human hybrids, and yet another encounter with the Volturi this book escapes my suspension of disbelief on more than one occasion. There’s just too many things that go right for Bella. It’s ridiculous that Jacob all of the sudden gets fixed of his love for Bella because he imprints on her child! It’s ridiculous that somehow Bella still gets to have Charlie in her life amid vampires and werewolves and her monster baby. It’s ridiculous that Bella never goes through a newborn vampire phase! It’s ridiculous that the one group of vampires powerful enough to rid the world of the Cullen clan and use those whom they wish to their advantage and who wishes to do so without cause or reason is convinced to do otherwise! It’s
Eclipse is one of Stephanie Meyer’s better novels. Thank goodness, because another novel like the first two would have been depressing. I love the obvious allusion of fire and ice between Edward and Jacob. Although it’s not a difficult allusion, I feel it represents the two pieces of Bella’s heart, it is still well placed and well used.
The poem that opens the novel is perfect! I can literally hear Bella saying it out loud (possibly because I just watched New Moon). It’s dramatic and slow and carries the weight of Bella’s decision in this book. The opening of the novel is a poem by Robert Frost, “Fire and Ice.”
Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say in ice.
From what I’ve tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
The second novel of the Twilight Series starts off with Bella’s senior year of high school. She turns 18 during the first few weeks of school. As this makes her 1 year older than Edward, she refuses to allow anyone to acknowledge her birthday. On the day of her birthday, Alice lets her know that the Cullen family wants to throw her a birthday party. To try get out of going to the party, she forces Edward to watch Romeo & Juliette.
During this book there is a distinct Romeo and Juliette theme. It is apparent that Bella sympathizes with Juliette, and feels that Edward is her Romeo.
During her birthday party at the Cullen’s Bella accidentally cuts herself. This causes a scene where everyone in the family leaves, except Dr Cullen. Edward reappears to take Bella home, but he has started to become distant. During the next few days he becomes even more distant, until he informs Bella that he is leaving Forks. His family has already gone.
Imagine this scenario: your best friend is going on vacation tomorrow. She swings by the bookstore to buy a new young adult fantasy novel to read on the beach. She then becomes so enthralled with said novel and finishes it before actually leaving town on her vacation. You know this and you now have a copy of the book in your hand. Do you read?
This is how I encountered Twilight, and I was the vacationer. Stephanie Meyer’s first installment drew me in so strongly that I could not wait until our real vacation to transport myself to the rainy climes of her Pacific Northwest forest, a place where vampires and werewolves go to high school and fall in love with innocent and longing girls. I eventually gave Twilight much more of my vacation: I reread it the next day. But don’t let this, or that I read it four more times deceive you. Interesting? Yes. Captivating? Yes. A fulfilling love story? Absolutely not. Meyer gives us what we purport to be a love story, but peel back the wrapping paper, and we realize it is not about love, in any mature sense, at all, but rather is about infatuation, in the junior high sense. Twilight fulfills our inner adolescents, but just like our own dabbling in relationships when we were teenagers seeking fulfillment, Twilight leaves us unfulfilled and still painfully ignorant about real love in the real world.
