Breaking Dawn (Twilight -saga) - book review

Breaking Dawn is the fourth and last novel of the immensly popular Twilight-saga by Stephenie Meyer. It continues the story of Bella the human girl, Edward the vampire and Jacob the werewolf. With its over 700 pages it is the most massive of the series, but I have to admit that the story is so addictive, I read the book in two days (when also working during the days and taking care of my two-year-old in the evenings).

It is impossible to describe the book without spoiling the story. The book dives deeper into the complex relationships between the supernatural creatures and humans which makes it interesting, a story you don't want to let go from your hands. Some aspects of the story are a bit disturbing. Some even more disturbing.

It is fun to notice how Meyer has developed as a writer during these books. When reading Breaking Dawn, it feels like Twilight was just a piece of practise. The books definitely get better in time, the story gets more complex, the characters more deep. Breaking Dawn does not use most of its time describing how beautiful Edward is - the part repeated until its annoying in Twilight. Instead it binds the story into a thrilling web of relationships, and when in some previous books you might have thought of characters a certain way, you most likely will start feeling something for each and every character in this last book.

Meyer's style of writing is similar to the previous books: reader still knows all the time what's going to happen next (or in the next few hundred pages), but all events are again written in such an addictive way, that it absorbs the reader totally.

My suggestion: if you have read Twilight and are planning on giving up the saga after the first book, just give it a try - the story gets so much better in the books three and four!

Written by Stephenie Meyer
Year 2008
Pages 768
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Eclipse (Twilight -saga) - book review

Eclipse is the third novel in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight -saga of altogether four books. First novel was filmed in 2008, the second novel New Moon will be released as a movie version in November 2009, and based on the popularity of the series, I would be very surprised if the whole saga was not made into film. Wait for Eclipse in cinemas in 2010?

It is very difficult to review this book without spoiling the story. That's why I won't tell much about it. Eclipse continues directly from New Moon, and focuses more and more on the complicated relationships in the series. It introduces new creatures and monsters, it deepens the original story and the characters familiar to us from the first two books and that way it gives the characters history.

After getting Edward back in New Moon, Bella faces a new problem: her relationship with Jacob has formed into such a deep friendship it is difficult to balance. Especially when some new magic steps in. Bella is also (again) in mortal danger - Victoria is still hunting. And this forces people to form unexpected alliances with each other.

In a way Eclipse is better than the previous novel - the deepening of the character's motives and backgrounds gives things perspective and interesting history to the whole story universe. Also there is more action, cool fights that would be interesting to see on screen.

The weakest point of the saga is in my opinion the central character Bella. Even though the author has mentioned in some review that everything is done the way Bella wants, and that way the story is a feminist story, I just don't see this. I see Bella as a self centered, whining and even stupid girl, who does everything according to other people's will. She seems to be almost totally lacking the ability to logical reasoning and she is being irrational in so many ways. Other characters - especially Jacob in this book - are so much more complicated and interesting. They have souls that are able to think outside the box.

Meyer's way of writing is still holding the reader. Despite the annoyance one may feel towards some events, characters or motives, the events and actions are still described in such a detail that it is easy to picture the steaming hotness of certain things in one's mind. However, she does not give the reader much surprises. All events are hinted so clearly along the way, that once the characters themselves finally figure out the case, the reader has known that already 100 pages before. But somehow it is not what happens, but how it is described to the reader that counts in these books - very often the "how" overrides the "what".

I felt incredibly bad for one of the main characters in the end of the book. And even though I have already spoiled myself with the final novel, I'm still looking forward on reading the story wrap up.

Written by Stephenie Meyer
Year 2007
Pages 640
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New Moon (Twilight -saga) - book review

New Moon is the second book in Stephenie Meyer's vampire romance saga and direct continuation to the story of Twilight.

In New Moon Bella is facing a different problem from being killed by a vampire: aging. Her 18th birthday makes her freak out because then she's officially older than her beloved, always beautiful and 17-year-old Edward (even though in real years he's about 100 years old). Her birthday party becomes a chaos after she gets a bleeding cut in her hand at Cullens' house - a house full of vampires.

This leads to events that cause the whole Cullen family to move away from Forks, and Edward leaves Bella behind. Her world comes tumbling down and she spends months in a deep depression. Finally she starts to recover with the help of Jacob Black who eventually becomes her best friend, but who also has a dark secret to bear.

The writing in New Moon has the same kind of gripping hold of the romance-thirsty reader, but the story does not handle much deeper investigation. I suppose it is the author's own views on life that jump up in the story too much - the glorification of the good vampires and the inclusion of religious views in such a story make me sigh in disbelief. Also I find it difficult to understand that a 18-year-old girl who is officially and legally adult, would be fine with being grounded at home by her father. It does not make any sense to me.

Sex is prominent between the lines but is still not really mentioned in the story. Marriage is mentioned though, and that clearly shows the author's disapproval for pre-marital sex. This does not make any sense in the real world, at least not to a person living in a sexually liberal Nordic country. It just makes me wonder, if this kind of beliefs, which were common in this part of the world many many decades ago, really still are that strong in the US.

Is there then any good in New Moon? Yes, of course there is. It has much more action than Twilight, it has new creatures and monsters, interesting revelations, but the author also digs pretty deeply into the area of depression. It describes thoroughly how the changes in life can cause total chaos in one's mind, making everything meaningless, even survival. Because depression and other forms of mental illness are so common in the world today, I find it good that such things are also discussed in literature targeted to young audiences as it may help also them to deal with the difficult time as a teenager and also with the emotions that may lead to serious depression.

The movie of the novel is set to be released in November this year, and it will directed by Chris Weitz, the director of The Golden Compass. Robert Pattison and Kristen Stewart will be returning to their roles as the lead couple Edward and Bella. It will be interesting to see how the new movie turns out as New Moon will require much more efficient visual effects than Twilight, in which the effects were a bit crappy. Also interpreting Bella's depression will be a difficult task for Stewart.

Written by Stephenie Meyer
Year 2007
Pages 608
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Twilight - book review

After finishing all the Harry Potter-books I needed something to fill in the void and started looking for something new that would hold my interest the same way as J.K.Rowling's story of the wizard boy had done. And because the young girl inside my woman's body required something targeted to younger audiences, I became interested when I heard about a series of books about a love story between a teenage girl and a vampire.

After few sceptical glances on the first pages I dived into a story that awakened the teenager in me, the one that is looking for the perfect love, perfect lover, all the electricity of first love, and I was hooked, and read the whole book with butterflies in my lower stomach.

Twilight is the first novel in Stephenie Meyer's vampire saga which at this moment is four novels long. The story is about a 17-year-old Bella who moves from Phoenix to live with her father in cloudy state of Washington, in a small town called Forks. She is insecure, a bit of a lone wolf, and is surprised by the warm welcome she receives in the local high school. There's only one boy who does not seem delighted of Bella's arrival, and his behaviour starts bugging the girl.

Bella clearly has the same stubborness and police instinct in her like his father the police Chief, and she starts digging information of this strange boy whose eye colour changes along with his mood changes, and his weird family who never eat at school. She finds out a truth that could terrify others: the boy, Edward, is a vampire. However she is not afraid but instead finds herself falling in love with the boy...

The storyline of the book is very simple and all actions predictable. However it is not intended to be a literary masterpiece, but a story that grabs people in its iron hold to follow how the relationship between a girl and a vampire could be possible. The relationship is so full of dangers, so full of the wonderful feeling of the electricity of the first love, so impossible, that it does not let you go.

The story is targeted to young women especially, but older ones can enjoy it just the same. One can always go back to those times when everything about love and sex was new and fascinating.

After finishing the book I just *had* to go to cinema to see the movie version...

Written by Stephenie Meyer
Year 2006
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