Twilight Series (for Lindsey)

Lindsey asked me what I thought of the Stephenie Meyer Twilight series. My sisters both also wanted to know what I thought. First I want to say that I feel a bit amazed that anyone really cares what I think. Granted I am related to all of you, but nonetheless, thanks for caring!

Now that being said, please do not expect a super well thought out review. Part of the reason I never posted about the series was that I don't know how much I have to say, but I will attempt to fumble through my opinion in this blog.

Basically, I did enjoy this series. There were definite problems if you are reading it with a real serious outlook, but if you are willing to suspend your disbelief and just go with the rules in the world she created, it is a fun, interesting read. I recommend reading it if you just want an interesting, strange story and if you are able to suspend your disbelief. If you are Wes or are as cynical and as realistic-thinking as he is, don't bother reading it. You won't like it. Also, if you do not like vampire books, or forbidden love type stories, again don't bother. All Wes had to know about the books was that it involves a romance between a vampire and a human and he was not at all interested. All he could talk about was how that is like a human and a cow love story (because really a human is just a food source for vampires). So, of course he has not read them as he cannot and will not ever get over this block. (For those that are fans, don't even bother trying to explain the whole "vegetarian" vampire thing to him-it just makes him think it is all the more stupid.) So, now that you know Wesley's opinion, I will just say, if you have not read the series, I would recommend not reading this review as I might spoil something for you by giving away a surprise.

First, as I said, I liked the books even though my husband was a bit of a buzz-kill whenever I tried to talk to him about it. I have read a lot of reviews panning it, but as I liked it, I will just note the things I liked. As I said, there were plenty of problems, but I am always willing to suspend my disbelief and just enjoy a book, so here is what I enjoyed:

1-Interesting story and plot lines.

2-I like that Bella is a very relatable character for every girl that has ever felt like an outsider. Probably the girls that were the "it" girls in life do not relate or even get it. I think she is an average character that is well written and that she is really relatable. It makes sense that she would be so amazed by the attention from Edward, the picture of male perfection (who happens to turn out to be a vampire).

3-One thing I loved about it that I have heard others complain about is the fact that Bella is presented as very average and normal and relatable, and yet, all these boys at her school are attracted to her and throughout the book she becomes more beautiful and more extraordinary. I love that because I think that it is true to life. I think a lot of girls reading the books and relating to Bella for being so normal think of themselves that way. Remember the book is told from her point of view (mostly). She is normal and relatable because that is how she feels and that is how she presents herself to us. Later as we see her through others' eyes and as she starts to see where she is extraordinary, we see how she is not as normal and plain as we, the readers thought she was initially. I think that is so true to life that people pretty much all feel like the outsider and they have to find what makes them extraordinary. Granted it is a bit weird that being a vampire is the thing she was destined for, that she was extraordinary at, but, hey, it is something.

4-I love that Bella and I have the same birthday.

5-I like how Stephenie Meyer took the vampire legends and made them her own. Her vampires were aware of the legends and willing to explain how "real" vampires (in the world of Bella) work.

6-I love Jacob and Edward both. I loved when Sweet Home Alabama came out and it seemed for the first time, both of the options the girl had in her triangle of love were genuinely good guys. She had to choose from 2 good choices and the one she chose was still good even after she picked the other guy. It was great! In these books, I felt it was nice that the 2 guys were both likable (granted they were mortal enemies as one is a vampire and the other a werewolf). I thought the fact they were both ultimately concerned with Bella and her happiness in spite of their dislike for one another was good. I had a hard time deciding who to root for. (I will note that I HATE how the triangle pans out-the imprinting thing is too crazy though it is handled well. I just still feel like Jacob gets screwed. The imprinting thing and the whole half vampire child with a werewolf imprinting on her was just weird and it was an obvious device to force the vampires and the werewolves to work together once again to help Bella and her strangely named daughter.)

6-Overall, it was a pretty well developed story that kept me reading and wanting to know what was coming next. I did not agree with the choices, and with how the story developed, and I didn't really love how it all ended mostly all tied up with a little bow. But hey, I still found that as each plot development happened, I wanted to know what could possible happen next. I love a book that I do not want to put down, and this whole series fit in that category for me.

One thing I do have to say as a negative is that I just felt that the whole first 3 books I was being set up for a redemption of sorts for Edward, and instead, in the fourth book I got no redemption, and it seemed that he forgot entirely his whole set of morals (yes-morals for a vampire). I do not know if I am stating what I am trying to say very well here, but for those that read it, do you get what I mean?

So, those are my thoughts, disjointed and at times senseless, but there they are anyway!