Reading Log: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

    About three things I was absolutely positive:
    First, Edward was a vampire.
    Second, there was a part of him–and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be–that thirsted for my blood.
    And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

The book Twilight is a teenage bestseller which is written by Stephanie Meyer and was first published in 2005. This book debuted as New York Times #5 within the month of its release and soon took the first place. What made this book such a success? This question intrigues me and so many people all over the world, but yet the mystery remains unsolved.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying my instincts and satisfying my desires. This is a love story with a bite.

Twilight is what it is. It's a teen romance with supernatural elements. That's it. Twilight satisfies my cravings for an entertaining vampire love story I can sink my teeth into.

Stephenie Meyer’s first book in the Twilight Saga quatrology takes an idea that has been stewing in the underbelly of fantasy thought, namely the idea that vampires can be rather excellent chaps when they’ve forced themselves to stop drinking human blood, and brings that idea into the shining, prismatic light of the bestseller list.

Twilight is a remarkably sensuous novel. Vampires are mysterious and alluring, with powers that alternately confirm and contradict traditional vampire lore. The sci-fi/ fantasy spectrum that surrounds the story is very intriguing and well captured. Another interesting fact about the book is that the cover of the book ties into the story. The apple on the cover represents the forbidden fruit from the book of Genesis. It symbolizes Bella's and Edward's love, which is forbidden, similar to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, as is made obvious by the quote from Genesis 2:17 that opens the book; it also represents choice.

Now I know there are those who would say that the idea of “good” vampires has been around for at least a few decades, but the blood-sucking members on the side of the protagonist take this farther. They try to be good and peaceful. None of them draws a modified robotic katana and slays other vampires while taking hits of a human-blood drug replacement.

So, as I launch into the bloody meat of this reading log, let me start by saying that the humanity expressed in this book is more real than in a lot of other Fantasy novels with only human casts. Part of that realism comes from the fact that the “good” vampires in Twilight do not serve as a foil to the humanity of the non-vamps, but express incredible depths of humanity themselves.

Isabella Swan, Bella to both her bloodsucking and omnivorous friends, is forcing herself to live with her father in the remote town of Forks, Washington. Upon arriving in the spectacularly small town of Forks, where Bella’s dad is the chief of police, Bella is thrown into the cloak-and-dagger cut-and-thrust of small town society. If that sounded a little sarcastic, it was, but luckily Meyer quickly moves on to what is obviously the secondary focus of the book, the Cullen family. Comprised of five high-school age kids and their parents, the Cullen family children are stand-offish from rest of the student population, and Bella is advised by her newly minted friends to not even try getting acquainted, with the pale-complexioned, supermodel-esque Cullen children. Bella, of course, immediately notices a Cullen brother by the name of Edward, and sparks fly. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Bella summons all the cool and courage she can simultaneously muster, and is repeatedly snubbed.

Bella is almost killed in an accident in the school parking lot, but is saved by Edward, who seems to stop a car with his bare hands. This makes Bella even more interested in Edward, despite the fact that an old friend named Jacob Black makes Bella suspicious of the fact that the Cullen family might actually be vampires, a fact she confronts with and gets confirmed by Edward. In a moment of either spectacular love or ludicrous insanity, Bella decides she doesn’t care that Edward could kill her as easily as she can breathe, and sticks to her guns on that fact for the rest of the book. Edward, displaying amazing will power and sense of right, keeps trying to push Bella away for her safety but is irresistibly drawn to her as she is to him. Their relationship grows at astounding rates, and all seems well until some wandering, non-friendly vampires come in for a visit and try to make a snack out of Bella. Edward saves her, she ends up in the hospital and despite her undying love, and Edward seems unsettled by the sequence of events and wants to leave her for her protection.

Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

At first, it seems as if the book is just about a stereotypical young girl’s life. Yet if you read deeper into the book, it is very well written to the point that it becomes more than trivial problems. Instead, I ache with Bella and muse over her agonies. In another instance, every inch of my body screams for Bella to run away from the evil, sadistic vampire that stalks her. I became engrossed in the book, only to step back and ask myself, why is this plot so mesmerizing? Its heartbreaking romance and suspenseful twists made it hard for me to put the book down.

          This book is well-suited for people like me who likes a story that focuses on feeling. While there is a general plot to this story, most of it more or less is built on the development of the emotion of each of the characters in the book. It also tells of the epic story of star crossed lovers. It’s interesting because I can clearly see the protagonists’ relationship blossom, as they try to learn about each other and to help each other throughout the novel. While this is mainly a romance novel, there is also some action aspects in it, and the discovery of a new world, one that is thought to be only supernatural.

          Emotionally, this book is a kick. So when I say how great the emotional and romantic portrayals are in this book, that’s me revealing that it cut straight to the hidden romantic in me, and used vampires to drag my action side along. The deep humanity this book shows is not through the reflection of normal humans against vampires, but also but also by the Cullens themselves. Somewhere between Bella’s reckless abandon and Edward’s experienced caution, deep, meaningful love takes place. In the end, love really does conquer all. No matter what you are. It was recognizable almost instantly for me, and words to describe it correctly are rare in the English language. I think it says enough to mention the way Bella and Edward act towards each other speak of mature affection rather than teenaged passion.

         Then there’s Edward’s wise restraint. Bella, for most of the book, practically throws herself at Edward in ways that suggest Edward has the self-control on Ghandi. I get to enjoy Edward's excruciating attempts to control his animal side, just to be able to stand near Bella, while the latter stubbornly resists any natural fear or sense of self-preservation, because, well, he's perfect. He starts popping up everywhere, with his inhuman speed, fascinated by Bella but unable to touch her until he is absolutely positive he can control himself. It is immediately obvious; however, that Edward’s control is not formed out of a desire to avoid detection as a vampire, but out of extreme concern for Bella. That is a level of care and compassion I have seen in very few human characters. Its almost as if, rather than losing his humanity over the near-century of his life, Edward’s humanity has only deepened.

As things progress, this becomes the only book in the world where, die-hard romantic or no, I find myself thinking wildly, "Oh my god...he touched her cheek!!"

In reality, despite how deeply Edward and Bella care for each other, Bella is a pale skinny, damsel-in-distress type who is choosing to hang out with people that nature made to suck human blood. There is always the feeling in the back of my mind that they’re waiting for the other shoe to drop; the first shoe being that Bella’s true love turns out to be a vampire. A vampire attack serves nicely as the other shoe.

On the other side, the connection between Bella and Edward is also a secret for Edward who realizes that he cannot apply his mind reading abilities on his beloved one. It seems as if two worlds are brought together in order to create a love of imaginable dimensions. This is why even though the target readers of the book are at the age of 15-25, Twilight remains a novel which crosses the age barriers and intrigues the souls of both children and adults. Even though the book is often claimed to have a simple style and plain storyline, the world that Stephanie Meyer draws with her pen is so vivid and real that often I see and hear every picture and every sound. The fast pace at which the action happens as well as the new perspective of supernatural powers brought into the mundane life of a normal girl, makes Twilight very entertaining and easy for me to read. On the other hand, the romance between Bella and Edward is intriguing and passionate, but also shows morality.

The book has an intimate way of writing that is provocative, humorous and incredibly addicting for me. From the preface I was immediately pulled in. I stayed up to 5 a.m. reading this book the first night. I was totally sucked into the book, especially the relationship between Edward and Bella. Twilight leaves me feeling satisfied but hungry for more. Twilight claims the idea of passionate love that conquers all adversities.

The ending of “Twilight” serves as both a good resolution, and as a foreshadow of things to come. This book earns top marks from me, because the book grabs my emotions from page one and never lets go until I’ve finished at some ungodly hour of the morning.

Describe your feelings about characters.

    Sometimes I wondered if I was seeing the same things through my eyes that the rest of the world was seeing through theirs. Maybe there was a glitch in my brain.                                                                                          -Isabella “Bella” Swan

Shy, loyal, loving, caring, responsible, stubborn, clumsy, smart and reserved – these are the common characteristics we know about Bella Swan. But there is more to see about Bella, she is quite interesting and an unedifying character I may call it. As humans we just keep getting habits and new additional traits that we absorbed, that of course influence on our personality.  Bella is constantly changing personality as any of us are. But something so magnificent about this character is that at 17 she’s responsible, more than any of us could say, and even if she has no confidence in herself she somehow manages herself to be true and sure about what is right for her, about what she wants and needs, that is Edward.

    

          Who could possibly be very certain about what you want about life when you’re 17? Of course when you find true love it is impossible to not know what is right for you, when you know you had been made for that person, and that person was made especially for you, when you find your soul mate at 17 you are sure about him about EVERYTHING that has to do with him,who could possibly be so lucky as Bella finding her true love at such a short age and having so self confidence about it? I wish I were. Being a seventeen such as Bella doesn’t sounds bad, it sounds about right. 

Isabella Swan holds a unique stance as well as quite socially awkward personality traits. She is a very reserved and shy person however is seen to contradict this trait through the use of her open-mindedness and ability to speak her mind if something is bothering her. Her character presents one of which is quite nurturing showing the ability to be caring, understanding and mature in both her reactions to incidences occurring around her and also within the borders of her own life. Some of her characteristics in which are distinct are just as the same as my personality, proving it to be at more responsible for the rounding of my character, these include my private mind, clumsiness and again stubbornness. As for the aspect of Bella’s interests it can be noted that they consist of Edward, Edward and more Edward and the constant necessity of being with him. Bella is seen to not conform to the personality of most teenagers, therefore articulating her individualistic nature.

Bella is a highly clumsy person who falls into accidents so much that even if she were walking, she would fall. She is also very stubborn when it comes to something that she decides and in the entire Twilight Saga, this is depicted very patiently. Just like me, when I decide on something, I do it without giving it a second thought.

Also Bella is a very bad liar. Unlike me, I guess that’s one of my advantages to Bella. She does not possess the ability to speak crisp clean lie and ends up getting caught, though when its the need of time, she can play well with the lie. This shows that Bella is an honest girl who loves to speak the truth, but when the truth is harsh, she knows how to get rid of it.

Bella’s personality is very loving and caring, but in whatever she does, she is extreme. Either she loves or she hates and there is just nothing in the mid.

She always under estimates her own abilities and skills. In the entire Twilight Saga she is seen to think herself to have below the average look which makes her feel that she is no match for Edward.

Most teenage girls are interested in boys and fashion. But Bella Swan is not your typical teen. She takes little interest in the gossip and trivialities that preoccupy her friends. Just more likely as me, I don’t care about being popular or having a social life and has to force myself to hang out with my friends. Preferring her own company (or ideally that of her vampire boyfriend), Bella Swan is quite content to sit in her garden reading a romance novel.

When it comes to fashion and style, Bella’s personality is simple and straight. She likes to wear anything comfortable and relaxing. Shoes with no heels and always flat. She does not like standing alone in the picture getting admired or looked on by others. She likes to stay in the crowd and as hidden as can be.

Much more like Bella I have little interest in music or movies and have few hobbies. I am clumsy and uncoordinated, which makes me really bad at sport, and is always falling over and hurting myself. I have absolutely no interest in my appearance. I hardly ever wears make-up, pays little interest to my hair and prefers wearing loose comfortable clothes to anything high fashion. 

 Bella Swan is definitely not the materialistic type. She can have anything she wants and yet she wants nothing – nothing that is, except for her vampire boyfriend Edward. She could care less about the luxurious life Edward can offer her. She refuses to let him buy her expensive gifts or to replace her banged up old truck with one of his slinky fast cars (at least until after she’s become a vampire). In fact, she barely tolerates him – or anyone - buying her anything at all. 

Like Bella Swan I’m matured, selfless and compassionate. I often put the feelings and interests of others before my own. More like Bella, she gives up her life with her mom in sunny Phoenix so that her mom can spend time alone with her new husband. She hides her occasional fear of Edward and his family (when their true vampire natures are revealed) to spare their feelings. And time and again when she’s in danger of being murdered by vampires, she risks her life to save the ones she loves.

Even when Edward leaves her, Bella tries to suppress her heartbreak to stop her father worrying about her. She copes with Edward’s absence by living in a kind of lifeless limbo, going through the motions of living while feeling dead inside. The only times she feels alive is when her life is at risk, which is why she takes to doing crazying things (like riding a motor-cycle and jumping off a cliff). At those times, she hears Edward’s voice scolding her for her carelessness.

The only thing that stops Bella Swan ending her life to escape her grief at losing Edward is the pain it would cause her parents. However, when she accidentally almost drowns, she feels relief and not distress at the prospect of death.

All of Bella’s Features, Characteristic and Personality make her an Over All vibrant, down to earth and strong yet polite person with enough spark of energy to achieve what she wishes.

And this makes her everyone’s favorite person.

Reading Log: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

    "Tonight the sky was utterly black. Perhaps there was no moon tonight—a lunar eclipse, a new moon. A new moon. I shivered, though I wasn't cold."  ―Bella Swan

Ready to dive in to New Moon, the second book in the Twilight Saga? Just like the first novel, this one pulls me in. It’s another book that’s hard to put down. The story picks right up where the last one left off. Again our narrator is Bella. Edward is of course another main character of the story, though surprisingly is absent in a good chunk of the book. I was excited to see that a minor character from book one – Jacob Black – prominently features in this book. He becomes a second “hero” to the story and becomes quite the lovable guy. On the surface he’s your typical easy going teenage boy who develops a crush on Bella. Below the surface, he’s a kind, caring guy very unlike Edward, but very lovable non-the-less.

New Moon is narrated in first person by Bella and has an obvious parallel with Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and I mean obvious because even Bella recognizes that she is in danger of playing out history’s greatest romantic tragedy.  I think keeping Romeo and Juliet in the forefront of the readers mind actually helps the author build the tension for the climax of the story because we can all see the tragedy that is waiting to happen.

New Moon is the continuing story of Bella Swan's unusual life in Forks, Washington. The book opens with what can only be described at the birthday party from you know where.  A small cut on Bella causes members of Edward's vampire family to go into frenzy.  As a result, Edward in an effort to protect the disaster prone Bella from herself and being torn apart by vampires decides that they will all leave her alone.

            When her vampire boyfriend, Edward, suddenly leaves, Bella is heartbroken in a way only a teenager can be, leaving time on her hands to develop a friendship with Jacob Black, another boy with a strange family background. The pain that Bella feels when Edward abandons her is extremely well written and is really what this story is about.  Most of the things that happen to Bella in New Moon are as a result of the overwhelming loss that she is trying to bear. Her friendship with Jacob has a doomed quality to it not only because he obviously loves her while she is in love with Edward but because he is a werewolf and he naturally hates all vampires. After pulling herself from a deep, dark depression mostly is rebounding by spending time with Jacob and also acting out with irresponsible and dangerous behavior.  Being dangerous brings out the voice of Edward in her head, so of course in an effort to stay "closer" to him or to continue to hear his voice, she acts out even more, with her action culminating in the belief by Edward that she was dead.

Meyers does a superb job drawing contrast between the two love interests in Bella's life. Hot vs. cold, dark vs. light, and puberty vs. maturity. New Moon expands on the vampire story and draws new conflicts into Bella and Edward's relationship. It maintains a brisk pace and near-genius balance of breathtaking romance and action. Meyer does a good job portraying the melodrama of teenage life and love in New Moon – it often made me roll my eyes in recognition of my own thoughts as a teenager. She has keen insight into the mind of teenage girls and conveys well the tension between friendship and romance Bella and Jacob struggle with. It makes for a story most readers will relate to, but is more entertaining and intriguing than real life, given the presence of mythical creatures.

For me, the novel has its ups and downs. I loved the second half of the novel. That's when the action really begins, when all secrets are revealed to Bella and when the main conflict arises. At the same time, I didn't particularly like the first half of the novel. For 250 pages, Bella complains about the whole in her chest, the pain of losing her true love. It took me about 4 days to read the first half of the novel, and a little over 1 day to read the second half. Although the middle section is a little slow, the book still manages to hook its readers and rewards them when the adventure begins to pick up halfway through. Some of the plots points are predictable, however, and certain things that are mysterious to the characters, particularly Bella, were obvious to me.

As a fantasy fan, New Moon isn’t all about Bella and her emotional pain.  The rogue vampires Laurent and Victoria return to Forks.  They are looking for revenge against Edward but they only find Bella.  The Quileute werewolves are an exciting addition to the story and it will be interesting to see how this plot line is developed in the next novel in this series.

Bella and Edward are truly in love. Can you possibly dream of finding the perfect match to spend the rest of your life with? To think that he would be so mean that Edward would just disappear and leave Bella behind to fend by herself?  This is a book that anyone male or female can get into. It has action, romance, and a little comedy and there's always a character you can relate to. Would you be like Bella, quiet and shy, or would you be more like Jacob young but wise for his age, a proctor. You should take a read and get lost in a world of disbelief where Vampires and wolves can be either friends or enemies. As others have stated, Edward and Bella are the Romeo and Juliet of modern day love, but I can't really compare Stephanie Meyer to Shakespeare.  I can say that this is a love story with enough drama to keep you involved, so much that you don't want to put the book down. While the writing could be better, this author does find a way with her descriptive phrases and dramatic approach to keep you interested in the story as well as having almost an emotional response to this love story. 

How will it end? Will Bella keep Edward from vampire death?  Will she remain with Jacob? How does the whole werewolf storyline begin and will it end with the leaving of the vampires?  Does the Cullen family return and where does the relationship go from here?

This second book in the "Twilight" series is a pleasant read and a welcome distraction from the worries of the world. It has merit as young adult fiction. I was enthralled from the very first sentence, and rarely put it down for anything. The characters from the first book come back in a new and exciting way with more emotions and more personal history. I can say that the storyline was immensely expanded here and that questions are answered, but many more questions will plague you by the end of the book. "New Moon" makes many references to "Romeo and Juliet," the ultimate Shakespearian story of young loves and uses some major plot devices from the classic play. I do find the overall story to be very interesting, and I do want to know what happens next and I find the overall plot to be interesting. The book kept my attention and kept me reading just to figure out what is going to happen next. It kept my eyes glued to it and kept me grasping for more.  I also loved the introduction of the whole werewolves’ theory and how the author really incorporates traditions of different cultures.  This book makes you want to keep reading the series and it fast paced action packed and not a sickening romance novel in my opinion. Blending real life situations with the realm of make believe and romance, this is a thrill ride I will not forget.

New Moon is nevertheless a fitting continuation of the Twilight saga, endearing me as a reader to its characters even more, and leaving plenty of unanswered questions for the following novels.

Character Profiles

Character Profiles: Draw a picture of how you imagine a character would look if he/she was standing before you. Underneath his/her picture describe his/her role in the book. Describe his/her good qualities as well as any shortcomings.

Isabella Marie "Bella" Swan

 

In the box office shattering Twilight Saga, Isabella Swan is the lamb to Edward Cullens' lion. Since Bella moved from sunny Phoenix to the rainy city of Forks, her life has been forever changed. With an endearing level of clumsiness, the wise-beyond-her-ears and freesia-scented Bella might seem like an unlikely object for a physically flawless vampire's affection, but its this "opposite-attract" formula that manifests a love that goes beyond regular comprehension, and possibly a regular lifetime. Bella has been through a lot for a high school student over the past two films. She fell in love with a vampire and gained acceptance from his perfectly imperfect vampire family, she fended off an attack from a ferocious tracking vampire named James, and she fueled her adrenaline-junkie needs by befriending a dashing shapeshifter. The most important of these, of course, was the first; Bella's life would never be the same after she met Edward Cullen, and she'd have it no other way. She wants nothing more than to be with Edward for eternity, and to make this happen, she's willing to be transformed into a vampire -- more specifically, into one of the Cullens.

Her description is given as extremely clumsy, and falls into accidents and gets hurt all the times but all changes when she turns to a vampire. Bella feels a very strong love for Edward Cullen in her heart. She also has a great feeling of care towards his family, her mother and father Renee and Charlie respectively and also a friend of her called Jacob Black. She is selfless and this is clearly shown when she goes to save her mother without caring about her own safety even though Edward had promised to do so for her.She also doesn’t like asking for help from Edward and his family because she feels like this is just a bothering act towards them. It was safer for they are vampires themselves- this was before she was transformed into a vampire. She doesn’t like dressing up, hates makeup saying that it is pain; she claims to feel discomfort whenever she puts on unfeasible elegant clothes. She hates spending money by buying luxurious goods which makes her tell Edward not to use a single cent on her birthday and continues to say that fast cars don’t seem to have any necessity. She explains that Edward has already given himself to her and anything more will only ruin their relationship. Bella is said to have a private mind and that’s the reason why Edward cannot hear her thoughts and she is gritty to turn in to a vampire. She is an awful liar, but yet reveals an extreme acting ability in the story when she tricks her father into believing that she has broken up with Edward and that she is going away from Forks.

Another character of Bella is that she is caring and understanding and owns a desiccated sense of humor. She is stubborn and has the ability slab painful memories and thoughts; this gives her special ability as a vampire.

Reading Log: Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

In the dead silence, all the details suddenly fall into place for me with a burst of intuition. Something Edward didn't want me to know. Something that Jacob wouldn't have kept from me. . . . It was never going to end, was it?

                       - Bella Swan

Eclipse is the third novel in Stephenie Meyer’s popular Twilight series. With the question of Bella’s fate sealed, new sources of conflict felt heavy-handed at some points and over-the-top at others. The book begins sluggishly, with the first several chapters stifled by issues of jealousy which are slow to develop. Still, Eclipse picks up steam as it revisits the tensions of romance and friendship between Jacob and Bella. I find the deepening of Edward and Bella’s relationship pleasing, and the final battle delivers on excitement, though it seems thin on justification.

Eclipse carries on not long after New Moon left off.  Eclipse opens with teenager Bella Swan and her vampire boyfriend Edward reunited after their tortuous parting in New Moon. Bella’s high school graduation is approaching and she will soon be leaving Forks forever, ostensibly to go to college - but in reality she is planning to join her boyfriend in his vampire existence and will therefore be unable to return home, due to being dead and possessed by a terrible blood lust for the first few years. Meanwhile, in Seattle there has been a rash of unexplainable murders that soon the Cullen family links with vampire activity. I soon learned the killings are being committed by an army of newborn vampires created by Victoria (from the first 2 novels). As the murder toll goes higher, the Volturi are more likely to make the trip from Italy to investigate - and while they are there check up on Bella as well. But the situation suddenly changes when Bella realizes that the activity in Seattle is linked to her. 

This is only one part of the story though.  Eclipse is primarily a romantic saga, so Bella and Edward’s relationship is the primary focus of the novel.  Or as I should say Bella, Edward and Jacob’s relationship - because there is a love triangle in the plot of this novel. 

Bella and Jacob have always been friends, at least they were - right up until Jacob became a werewolf.  Then the enmity between vampires and werewolves put a huge strain on their friendship.  Besides which, Jacob is in love with Bella, who is in love with Edward so this is going to make things awkward between them.

 At this point, Eclipse descends into soap opera territory – Bella has found her soul mate in Edward but Jacob is the soul mate she should have / could have / would have had if Edward didn’t exist.  She loves him too but not as much as Edward.  Why she loves Jacob is beyond me – he knows that she loves Edward but Jacob still tries to make her feel guilty that she can’t love him like he wants her too.  Blatant emotional blackmail is unattractive whatever way you serve it up and it detracted from his otherwise fine character.  I’m sorry, but when it comes to love, blackmail just isn’t cool!

Eclipse revolves around the confusion in Bella’s mind to choose between the love of her life and her best friend. She is again in danger, as Victoria the enemy vampire has created a vampire army to kill her. On the other hand, the vampires and the Quileute werewolves unite together to face the deathly vampire army who are eager for a revenge on Bella. So in all this tussle of emotions, the battle of vampires, her life in danger, she has to choose between the two indispensables of her life and further choose the path of immortality. Will she be able to take the right decision??

In the end Bella must make choices about who she is and who she loves, and with what sacrifices can she make and still live with herself. The tension flows through the book and in the end bursts with both a physical and emotional battle. 

In Eclipse, we finally hear the back stories of all the Cullens in this book. Before being changed into a vampire, Jasper was an officer in the Confederate army. He was changed because of his military skills by a female vampire who wanted to claim the southern portion of the continent for herself. 

Since Jasper was so experienced with vampire combat, he trains all of the Cullens, wolves, and Bella to fight the newborn vampires before they take over the town of Forks. Jacob and Edward had to put aside their differences to ban together to conquer these vampires. Edward comes out victorious! He wins the fight against the vampires and the fight for Bella’s heart.

Will Bella actually marry Edward (which is different than a vampire conversion)? Will Bella convert to being a vampire so that the smell of her blood doesn’t keep driving Edward insane (as he attempts vast self-control)? Will Bella stay friends with Jacob even though Edward feels that it’s unsafe for her to be anywhere near a werewolf, especially a werewolf who loves her? (Edward and Jacob were born into their unusual families but at this point Bella still has the choice to remain human, and if Bella becomes a vampire she will be any – in this case Jacob’s – werewolf’s enemy, as Jacob is afraid that Edward will eventually kill Bella if she doesn’t convert, and Edward is afraid that Jacob will kill Bella if she does convert). Will Bella have to leave her high school friends and her mother and father forever without any explanation of her whereabouts? These are some of the questions that are answered in Eclipse, although if you’re a Twilight addict you may have already read Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse. Fate, especially the fate of a vulnerable young female teen with whom anyone could easily identify (and reading this book and its predecessors will bring you right in tune with today’s mass culture!). Kudos again to Stephenie Meyer, whose commercial success is well-deserved and whose readership is definitely not limited to teens! She has turned Bella, Edward and Jacob into immortal American icons.

Eclipse cannot be categorized under one genre; for me it is a collection of several genres like fantasy, action, thriller and romance. This book entirely grasped my attention with its fast pace, freshness and exquisite and detailed description. I got addicted to the way it is written and to the attractive and spectacular characterization. The story is beautifully weaved that keeps me completely engrossed in the plot.

I enjoyed the novel immensely. I got what I wanted from the novel. I got to see Edward prove his love for Bella time after time, defend her honor, and compete with man (well, wolf really) for her affection. For teens already hooked on the series, Eclipse is another solid installment of Forks goodness.  Adult readers may be put off by the teenage relationship angst in this novel but if you have already enjoyed the author’s previous offerings I think there is still plenty here to entertain.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Eclipse is the background of the Cullen family. We find out about both Rosalie’s and Jasper’s pasts. The history that formed them and their reactions towards Bella become clear and the characters much more solid because of this knowledge. I think that is part of the appeal of these books - the fact that you do become so wrapped up in the characters, that they touch places deep inside you. It isn’t just Bella and Edward that capture your attention but Charlie - Bella’s dad, Jacob, Alice, and the rest. 

Stephenie Meyer is so good at painting the emotional image. Not only are you living Bella’s heartbreak - but your own, too. So good at putting into words the fuzzy over powering feeling of that first heartbreak, and of the second, that you are left breathless in the wake of its passing. It is gripping fiction, and Meyer is much more than just a young adult author; she draws from her reader such an emotional reaction, writes so fluidly and propels the reader forward so effortlessly, she truly is a great author for any age range.  

I hit a wide array of emotions while reading Eclipse and once I closed the book I felt emotionally exhausted. When you pick up Twilight, New Moon — and now Eclipse — you must be prepared for the emotional rollercoaster ride of not only being a teenager but a person, with all the thrilling highs and depressing lows that fill everyday life. So, full of trepidation, I’m waiting for the next book and wondering what the future holds for Bella and Edward.

Despite its shortcomings, Eclipse offered me an absorbing read which likely kept me up past bed time to finish. The author’s ability to express the workings of the teenage mind is uncanny, though Bella sometimes frustrates when she is slow on the uptake of plot points which have long since become obvious to me. Ultimately, Bella and Edward’s tale of impossible, fervent love remains compelling, and this penultimate entry in the Twilight series is sure left me thirsting for its conclusion.

The book is a masterpiece with a general message of the good winning over bad, but it doesn’t deliver any particular social message. I personally liked the thrill and the irresistible romance between the three characters. The final climactic war showcases excellent thrill and excitement and this is what I loved most about the book. The author’s skill of portraying the teenager’s mind is outstanding. It feels like you can read the character’s mind on your own with a crystal clear view. As Bella was in my mind as I joined her in Eclipse in her difficulties of dealing with her father Charlie and her mother Renee, applying for college, going out with Edward (with whom she’s reconciled), and longing to help Jacob in his pain at the former withdrawal of her friendship. And, of course, the most important part, fear of her upcoming conversion in becoming a vampire, “the conversion that would make me forever a prisoner to my own thirst,” and her marriage to Edward so that she could spend eternity with him. Other than the conversion issue, the lengthy though easily-read Eclipse does not stray too far from the issues involved in the lives of many teens, parental divorce, trying to choose the right boyfriend and the right college, and possible marriage plans. The book is a romantic thriller that appeals to the young generation because of its innocence. It left me thrilled, anxious, biting my nails and waiting for the final conclusion

Describe your favorite part. Make a prediction about what will happen next.

Bella's Proposal Acceptance

 

In chapter 20, "Compromise"

Edward picks up Bella for her alleged two-day visit with Alice. They're excited to spend time alone together before the fight. Edward gives Bella a hand-me-down from his mother: a heart-shaped crystal that she fastens to the bracelet with Jacob's miniature wolf figurine.

 

Bella has finally decided which human experience she's going to insist on before her transformation: she wants Edward to make love to her. He rejects her request.

"Later, when you're less breakable" (20.139). She breaks down crying:

"But that's the problem. It won't be the same when I'm less breakable. It won't be the same! I don't know who I'll be then." (20.140)

 

After much bartering back and forth, Edward promises that they will try, but that she has to marry him first, because he wants to protect his and her virtue in case he has a soul and therefore a shot at heaven. Bella thinks the time is now and that he's just trying to force her to marry him sooner.

 

Edward promises that it doesn't have to be a big production. He suggests running off to Vegas. He shows his ring to her. Bella finally agrees to marry Edward after a long discussion about demands, immortality, and the losing of one's virtue. It's also a hand-me-down from his mother. He convinces Bella to put it on and it fits like a charm!

 

And how else could it be – Edward gets down to his knees and proposes. Of course, Bella says the right word: "Yes!"

Edward Proposing to Bella. This scene was absolutely beautiful. This scene was all about them. When Edward gave Bella the heart charm, the scene is amazing nonetheless. The emotion in the scene was building and flowing and that’s one element that I loved. 

I loved how Edward explained how he’s from a different era. I love how he told her the steps in which he would have made her his if they were living in his time. “I would have courted you. We would have taken chaperoned strolls and had ice tea on the porch. I may have stolen a kiss or two. But only after asking your father’s permission… I would have gotten down on one knee and would have presented you with a ring…” I absolutely loved it. And after Bella accepted Edward’s proposal, she jumped into his arms and he spun her around and embraced her…I could not have asked for a better and more touching proposal.

Reading Log: Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

When you loved the one who was killing you, it left you no options. How could you run, how could you fight, when doing so would hurt that beloved one? If your life was all you had to give, how could you not give it? If it was someone you truly loved?

To be irrevocably in love with a vampire is both fantasy and nightmare woven into a dangerously heightened reality for Bella Swan. Pulled in one direction by her intense passion for Edward Cullen and in another by her profound connection to werewolf Jacob Black, a tumultuous year of temptation, loss, and strife have led her to the ultimate turning point. Her imminent choice to either join the dark but seductive world of immortals or to pursue a fully human life has become the thread from which the fate of two tribes hangs.

Now that Bella has made her decision, a startling chain of unprecedented events is about to unfold with potentially devastating, and unfathomable, consequences. Just when the frayed strands of Bella's life-first discovered in Twilight, then scattered and torn in New Moon and Eclipse-seem ready to heal and knit together, could they be destroyed... forever?

The astonishing, breathlessly anticipated conclusion to the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn illuminates the secrets and mysteries of this spellbinding romantic epic that has entranced millions.

The story is split into three parts. The first part and the third part are written in Bella's point of view, the second in Jacob Black's.

Part one focuses on Bella and Edward's wedding and honeymoon. Meyer described the wedding so well I could actually picture it in my head. Even with the potentially disastrous little dance Bella shared with a certain hot tempered wolf, everything worked out the way I had hoped it would. The honeymoon was tastefully written. I know there have been plenty of comments regarding the sexual content in the book because it's written for a young adult audience, however, I don't feel it is explicit in any way and it was appropriately written for the young readers it was targeted to. They spend their honeymoon on a remote island near the coast of Brazil. During their stay, Bella’s wish comes true when she and Edward make love. Shortly after, Bella becomes aware of her pregnancy when she misses a period. She contacts Carlisle who confirms her suspicions; the couples made plans to return soon after. The fetus develops rapidly, an occurrence that prompts Edward to request she gets an abortion. Unperturbed, Bella resists his pleas and contacts Rosalie, who has wanted children for a long time.

Part two is written from Jacob Black’s perspective. This was the slow part of the book. Jake does a lot of complaining and muttering rude comments under his breath. As always, Jake hates Edward and "what he's done to Bella" and there's really not a whole lot of action going on to balance out this part of the story. I enjoyed the constant tension between Jacob and Rosalie... it was cracking me up throughout the entire book. The "Fido" bowl was one of my most favorite moments from Breaking Dawn. I still laugh when I read the part where Rose handed him that bowl. Part two also documents the pregnancy of Bella right through to the birth of her child. The werewolves in the novel are unsure of the child and fear of the danger it poses prompts them to make plans to kill Bella to prevent its birth. Naturally, Jacob is strongly opposed to this and revolts. He cuts all ties to the pack and forms his own alongside Leah Clearwater and Seth. Four weeks after conception Bella gives violent birth to the child. In the process she loses a great deal of blood and suffers multiple broken bones. To save her life Edward is forced to embrace and turn her into a vampire. Immediately after the birth Jacob imprints the newborn baby girl Renesmee.

The final part of Breaking Dawn reverts back to Bella’s view point, continuing her story as an excited Vampire who enjoys all the abilities it brings. Bella learns what it's like to truly become a Cullen- in every sense of the word. Learning to hunt and drinking animal blood, getting accustomed to having incredibly heightened senses, and the surprisingly insatiable appetite she has for Edward. Irina, another Vampire mistakenly identifies the baby; she believes Renesmee is an “immortal child, one that has been changed to a Vampire. An act the Volturi outlawed previously. Irina informs the Volturi of the act, they then decide to destroy the Cullens and baby Renesmee based on Irina’s allegations. To prove their innocence and save the life of their baby daughter the Cullens gather vampires to stand up as witnesses and help prove to the Volturi the child isn’t an immortal child. The ploy works, the Volturi realize they have been lied to by Irina and immediately sentence her to execution for the mistake. She is killed shortly after. Despite the news of the childs true nature being revealed they are still unsure as to the threat the childs existence brings to the secret lives of vampires. Soon after, the arrival of Jasper and Alice, who too had a human-vampire child return. They prove the child presents no threat with Nahuel, their 150 year old crossbreed son. The Volturi see the truth in these words and promptly leave, safe in the knowledge that vampire-human crossbreeds can co-exist without bringing any undue attention on the vampire’s existence. Bella, Edward and their daughter Renesmee return safely to their home.

For me, this was the most enjoyable part of the story. The suspense is brutal. It started building from the moment Bella opened her eyes as a newborn and lasted through Alice's unexpected vision and into the final moments of the book, when the Volturri decide the fate of the Cullens, their friends and their extended family.

Beginnings can be tricky but Twilight got this series off to a fantastic start with its modern day fairy tale quality and heart stopping romance.  New Moon further built on that with Bella and Edward’s bleakly painful separation and subsequent happy reunion - but since the end of New Moon the romantic tension that had been driving the story into the heady heights compelling reading has been lacking. As a result Eclipse was a different novel – it was clear that whatever happened in Eclipse Edward and Bella would be together forever – and the stresses on their relationship came from outside forces rather than from within the relationship itself.  

The story is well paced and well balanced, with a mixture of exciting supernatural action as well as good character development and romance.  The strength of Stephenie Meyer’s writing as ever lies in her exploration of love in its many guises and Breaking Dawn gives her the opportunity to examine the relationships between mother and child, father and daughter, husband and wife and the bonds of friendship. Breaking Dawn is more like Eclipse, Edward and Bella are sure of their love for each other but outside forces (this time it’s the Volturi) may tear them apart as the story reaches its thrilling climax.

The only small gripe I have about this novel is that in wrapping up the story every loose end has been neatly tied into a pretty bow - sometimes it’s good to leave something dangling in the breeze!  

If beginnings are tricky, endings are fraught with difficulties.  At the beginning readers have no expectations but by the end everyone seems to have an opinion on how they would have finished the book if they were writing it.  Thankfully Stephenie Meyer was writing the ending so the resulting story is a good one and in my opinion a fitting end to this fantastic series.

Reading Breaking Dawn felt a lot like the diet of animal blood which sustains the vampires’ central to the story. It slakes one’s thirst, yet it doesn’t appeal quite like the "real thing"—it lacks the tantalizing scent, the desirable taste, of the authentic.

Barely more than halfway into Breaking Dawn, all the open issues which have been gathering over the course of the series have been resolved. Though this should be satisfying for the reader, it comes too easily and quickly. What’s more, Breaking Dawn arrives at these resolutions via the frightening plot vehicle of Bella’s horrifying pregnancy. To a somewhat redeeming effect, this portion of the novel is told through Jacob’s incredulous eyes.

With an entire series worth of plot points neatly out of the way, Meyers brings yet another circumstance of impending doom upon the beleaguered vampires of Forks, Washington. But for all the tense build up, this final conflict also dissipates too easily. In effect, it mirrors the arc of the entire saga.

The book closes without sacrifice, loss, or the pain of difficult decisions. Bella and Edward’s concluding bliss is not without appeal as a follower of the series, yet can one reach the peak of true happiness without experiencing the valleys of true loss?