Review of Eclipse (Twilight Saga #3) by Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse is the third book in the series the Twilight Saga.
Now that Edward has returned, Bella remains under the dual threat of being hunted by Victoria and her mortality monitored by the Volturi. Then a new threat arises—vampires hunting out of control in Seattle.
Meanwhile, graduation day rapidly approaches and with it the end to Bella's human life. While Bella longs to be a vampire, Jacob tries to convince her to stay human—with him. She's forced to choose between Edward and Jacob, hoping the choice doesn't wind up starting a war between the werewolf pack and the Cullens.
Bella's life hangs in the balance, and she must decide if she wants life or death and which will lead her to what she wants most.
It took me ages to make it through the first half of the book on this read through, but the second half went quickly. I think I just wanted to get it over with already, which is funny considering how much of a die-hard Twilight fan I used to be.
As I saw in the first two books, Bella's relationships with Edward and Jacob are unhealthy. Both guys manipulate and control her, taking away her choices. Both guys want to win her over whatever the cost, especially Jacob.
During my period of Twilight fandom, I was solidly on Team Jacob, which baffles me now that I'm re-reading the books. Jacob forced himself on Bella, kissing her when she obviously didn't want it, then was dismissive of her anger. He threatened suicide in order to get her to kiss him again, then later admitted he was counting on Edward reacting with anger to make his next move. I get that he loves Bella and wants to be with her, but the right way to go about that is say, "Hey, I love you, and I want you to choose me." Then wait for the other person's decision. And respect their decision.
Neither Edward nor Jacob are a healthy choice for Bella, and she jokes about being stuck with Mike Newton, but Mike probably would be better for her emotionally than Edward or Jacob.
The one thing that drives me crazy about this series after reading other paranormal romance series is that Bella is entirely reactionary. She just reacts to events happening around her—the ultimate damsel in distress as Edward and the Cullens, and Jacob and the pack, save her. It happens repeatedly in the series. She says herself she's weak and tasty as a human, just waiting for someone to kill her. I prefer strong heroines who take charge and kick ass, not ones who cower, whine, and wait to be saved.
This re-read of the Twilight Saga has been eye-opening, and I'm almost embarassed by how big of a fan I was. I'm happy to say I haven't latched onto another fandom since detaching from Twilight. I've been enjoying a wide range of romance novels with a few favorites that I re-read regularly.
One book left, and I'll have made my way through the series. But I'm taking a bit of a break from Bella before diving into the hot mess that is Breaking Dawn.
I also re-watched the film adaptation after finishing the book.
Bella's relationships with Edward and Jacob are even more unhealthy in the movie than they are in the book. As I read the book, I was surprised by the difference between the two, especially with Edward. I'm again reminded about how badly they cast all three big roles. The only role I like the casting of is Charlie.
I watched as objectively as I could this time through and finally realized what a bad movie it is. The realization makes me laugh after all these years. I spent 2009-2017 solidly entrenched in Twilight fandom, and I loved the movies, watching them regularly in mini-marathons while I knitted or crocheted. Boy, am I relieved I've gotten over it.
With different actors, the movies could have been better. Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson are fantastic actors, but the source material, scripts, and direction hampered them. They were not well-suited to the roles, and Robert Pattinson openly despised the franchise. They've both moved beyond the movies and become well-known for things other than Twilight, though Taylor Lautner seems to have lost his career to his role in the series.
I'm glad I'm going through the series again now, but I'm looking forward to being done with this run.
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