Review of Twilight (Twilight Saga #1) by Stephenie Meyer

I know, I know, it's Twilight, arguably one of the worst young adult paranormal romance books/series out there. But, since I've been reading through a lot of my young adult favorites, I decided to dive back into this one with a more judicious eye.

Twilight is the first book in the Twilight Saga.

Upon moving to Forks, Washington, to live with her father, Bella Swan meets Edward Cullen. He's indescribably beautiful, almost inhumanly. Before she can get much farther than that, Edward's greeting to her is filled with venom. Then he seems to genuinely regret that and want to make up for it. He strikes up a friendship, elating Bella.

Until he saves her life under impossible circumstances.

Bella tries to figure out what he is as she falls desperately in love with him. What she discovers shocks her, but it doesn't shake either of them from their feelings for each other.

I was a major Twihard for a number of years. I have all the books, movies, and soundtracks. No posters or special edition DVDs. A friend introduced me to the original movie once it came out on DVD, and I was hooked. I read all four books within ten days and was obsessed for about six years.

Then I read books like Tiger's Curse and Waterfall that have been recently reviewed on my blog, and my opinion changed quite a bit. Bella is reactive, not active, and she's virtually helpless to defend herself in Edward's world. Stronger heroines, like Kelsey Hayes of Tiger's Curse, would fight alongside the hero, but the world Ms. Meyer created wouldn't allow Bella to do so. That is my biggest complaint about the series to date.

As for the characters, all of them are pretty flat, especially Bella. Sure they have personality quirks, hobbies, and things they like or dislike, but no real depth. Bella's goal in the book is to convince Edward to make her a vampire which he doesn't (not a spoiler because there are three other books of Bella being human). Edward doesn't have much more depth. On this read, they both come across as desperately obsessed. Bella at one point says her life in Forks is about Edward, and I'd have to agree. From eighteen pages in, nearly every page has to do with Edward in some way. Even when she's not with him.

But the thing that bugged me the most was her lack of friends in Phoenix. A kid leaves their old school, they have friends to keep in touch with. Bella doesn't. She has zero friends in Phoenix. That's either a person holding a lot of pain that should touch the book or very bad planning on Ms. Meyer's part.

The setting of Forks was pretty clear in my mind, though why anyone would construct a high school in that manner in such a rainy place is... well, an impossibility. Multiple buildings where the students have to walk outside to go between them is the way schools are in areas that are warm and dry all the time, like Phoenix where Bella comes from—and where Ms. Meyer lives. I actually only live a few hours from the real Forks, Washington, and I can tell you with certainty that no high schools here are like that. Otherwise the setting is mostly believable—except for the rain. We get a lot of rain, but it's a steady stream of drizzle. We don't get downpours here. Ever. In fact, rain is measured in hundredths of an inch, and half an inch of rain in twenty-four hours is heavier than normal.

Another thing that killed me was Bella's description of how her heart reacted to Edward, it being audible, and other ridiculous claims. Then when she had an actual heart monitor on and Edward kisses her, her heart actually stops according to the beeping monitor. Hello, that's a thing where you can die. The heart does not stop in reaction to emotional or physical stimuli. Ever. Speed up, yes. Stop, no.

Research, Ms. Meyers! Research!

The descriptions varied from great to okay. Her descriptions of people were better than those of places, when the opposite is what's important in my mind. The reader can fill in details on people but not as well on places, especially if they're real places. The description of action also varied. Some pieces were done well, and some weren't. To me, it was the mundane action that happened more smoothly than dramatic action like the climax.

Overall... it was engrossing and I understand why so many people, including me, got so swept up in it. At the same time, it was also pretty bad. The back of my copy has it listed as a New York Times Editor's Choice and a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year for 2005. That's an insult to so many authors out there.

The book gets:

As further study, I also dove into the movie. Am I a glutton for punishment? Possibly, considering I'm intending on going through the entire series.

Even when I was a big fan of the series, I thought this movie was bad. It was what hooked me into the series, but compared to the book, it's bad. The constant blue, the stilted acting, the awkward exchanges that made up the entire movie.

Both Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are very good actors, but the acting in this movie is not good. I don't know enough about the roles of actors and directors to say for certain, but perhaps the reasons point at least in part to the director.

The constant blue tone to the movie kills me, though. Why was that necessary?

One of the few truly bright spots in the movie is Charlie, Bella's father, played by Billy Burke. He has a very believable dad vibe and his awkward scenes are things you'd believe would be awkward and he didn't overblow them. He's probably my favorite part of the movie.

Was this an exercise in pain? No. Cringe? Definitely. Do I regret it? No, but I'm a little embarrassed about my previous exuberance.

Now on to New Moon.

Photo Credit Katherine Elizabeth

Stars Image Credit lovethenerddesigns