Book Recap: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Cover Inspection:
Since almost everyone is familiar with the black cover,
I've decided to post the limited edition white book cover.
It's basically the same apple design, just with the white background.
I am loving the red edged pages though.
I have a thing for those kinds of books.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Bella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. 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 Bella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife—between desire and danger. Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	2.5
Plot	2.0
Writing	2.0
Characters	1.5
Ending	2.5
Overall Rating	2.0 Satisfactory (80% to 84%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
As if we don't know... The book is set in that small town of Forks, Washington. Modern day.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
The most famous YA couple Bella and Edward... Bella is quiet and shy. She loves reading and is actually a loner. Her parents are separated. At the beginning of the series, she used to live with her mother in Arizona, but she decided to liver with her father in Forks. Edward, on the other hand, is a vampire. At the beginning of the series, he tried ignoring Bella, but he found Bella so intoxicating that he cannot seem to get away from her. Eventually, the two fall in love. Edward was turned when he was seventeen, and he has been seventeen since. He is a vegetarian vampire, meaning he drinks animal blood, instead of human blood. He is broody, and is overly protective of those he loves, especially Bella.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
The series is the love story of Edward and Bella. Bella is the new girl in the small town of Forks. There she meets the mysterious Edward Cullen. Deep inside, Bella knows that there is something not quite right about Edward. Eventually, she finds out that Edward is a vampire. But instead of being afraid, Bella does the opposite - she helplessly falls in love with Edward. Edward tried to avoid/ignore/stay away from Bella, but he too, cannot seem to stay away her as he finds her scent intoxicating. The two inevitably fall in love. There is one problem though, Edward cannot seem to control his vampire thirst around Bella - he thinks of her as FOOD, and it's hard for him to be around her. But their love (or lust) is stronger. Enter James and the gang, who are un-vegetarian vamps, and who are also intoxicated by Bella's scent. James enjoys the thrill of hunting for his prey, and he has decided to make Bella his flavor of the month. The thing is, Bella was tricked by James into thinking that he has her mother hostage in a ballet studio, so Bella returned to Arizona to save her mother. Upon arriving in the studio, Bella realized that her mom wasn't with James, and was actually alone with a very hungry James. So now Edward must fight James to save the life of the only girl he has ever loved.

LOVE:
It's been forever since I've read Twilight, but I still remember that this book actually made me feel all fuzzy with its romantic lines. I am not ashamed to say that it did. What can I say, I love a good romance, and Twilight is all romance - an obsessive one at that. There is also something about the danger of being with someone who wants to eat you. (I found the idea of your boyfriend/lover seeing you as food as thrilling.) The young girl in me enjoyed the idea of Edward, that handsome, super strong, super fast vampire falling in love with a plain girl like Bella. The book is narrated by Bella, and Bella described him as flawless, so I couldn't help but fall in love with Edward too.

NO LOVE:
The mature girl in me didn't like the Edward the stalker parts. I mean, crushing on someone, and admiring someone from afar is one thing, but breaking and entering into someone's house to watch them sleep is another. It's creepy. Some might see it as sweet, but I don't. Having some stranger in your room while you sleep is scary. I think that Edward did not respect Bella's personal space by doing that. With that, I'm not sure what the younger readers would think about this kind of behavior. I fear that they might have this notion that having a stalker (even one as handsome as Edward) is okay. It is not okay. Report Edward-like stalkers to the authorities immediately. There is a big difference between fiction and reality. Edward-like stalkers in fiction might make you swoon, but in reality, those kinds of people are dangerous, and must be avoided at all costs.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
I like Mike actually. I like that he's the normal one in this book. He behaves like a normal human boy would, and I actually think that Bella should give him a chance.

FAVORITE LINE:

“I can't always be Lois Lane," I insisted. "I want to be Superman, too.”

MUSINGS:
One looking for a romantic YA book should read this, but younger readers should be warned of Edward's behavior. Like I said, there is a big difference between fantasy and reality. Reading about it in books does not make stalking a normal behavior. With respect to the writing, I have to say that there are authors who write better, but I do not think people buy this type of book for the writing style. In my humble opinion, readers buy Twilight for the romance and the love story, not for Stephenie Meyer's writing.

DOODLES:

Is a trailer really necessary for this one?!

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Stephenie Meyer

SIMILAR READS:
Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Diaries by L.J. Smith

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild
violence: moderate
sexual content: mild
mature themes: moderate
age recommendation: 13+