Twilight is, as everyone already knows, a young adult novel which focuses in on the life of Bella Swan and the strange path her world takes after she decides to move in with her father in the small town of Forks, Washington. To put it very briefly, the story in essence is a love story; a tale of a teenage girl who, after a series of events, meets and falls in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. Through pages and pages of interaction between Bella, Edward, and the rest of the Cullens, the story eventually takes a turn — a turn that could change the lives of Edward and Bella forever. After running into a clan of *non-vegetarian* vampires in an open meadow, things quickly turn from safe to dangerous as these strange vampires’ craving for human blood intensifies. This is when Edward and the rest of the Cullens must step up and protect Bella from this clan of dangerous vampires.
For months and months I had heard about Twilight — probably more than most, and for good reason. I happen to live in the town of Port Angeles, which is indeed, the town where Bella and Edward have their first date. After so much hype, talk, and mass advertisements around town, I finally decided to break and purchase this book. I’ve never been a big fan of romance, so in truth, I really didn’t expect much. This, however, is probably a good thing. If I had really been looking forward to reading this novel, I truly wouldn’t have liked it as much as I did.
To put it lightly, Twilight is a simple but lengthy read. It has it’s moments, and it has its issues (numerous). While I did work my way through the series, and found some parts and chapters enjoyable, I also found many that simply weren’t; THAT is why I gave it such a low rating. Despite several grammatical errors, problems with the characters (lack of depth), etc, the main problem I had with this novel is the way in which the story progresses. While the story does finally heat up towards the end, so much of the Novel was overtaken by the endless, rambling, obsessiveness of Bella Swan. From page to page, and chapter to chapter the reader is constantly reminded of how perfect Edward is; how she can’t live with out him, etc. It becomes so repetitive and constant, that it really makes a large portion of this book unbearable. In several areas I just kept thinking to myself “Come on! Do something! Yes, we know you love Edward!”. Finally, something does happen, but not until the last few chapters of the book. That for me, is unacceptable.
All in all, Twilight just isn’t my type of book. While I did find some good in it, and yes, even a handful of entertaining moments, I ended up being left with too much rambling, not enough depth, and a very small plot. The general idea of this book, in my view, was an interesting one, however, I feel that it just never reached the level of potential it could have. There could have been so much more to this book, yet there just wasn’t. In short, too much gushy obsession, too much filler, not enough interesting story. Not a good book for me.
Though I didn’t care too much for Twilight, and it’s definitely not on my “read again” list, I will say this — Twilight is a decent book for young teenagers. For whatever reason, they seem to love it, and if it gets kids reading again, I’m all for it. So, with that said — if you’re looking for action, deep characters, and a compelling/engaging plot, you’ll probably want to stray away from Twilight. Though if you like sappy vampires, romance, and a simple no-thought-needed read, which is perfect for passing a few spare hours a day, this book is probably for you. It isn’t a horrible book, it isn’t a great book. It’s just okay.
(2 and 1/2 out of 5)
Tyrion Frost's Fantasy Blog. 