Series: The Twilight Saga #1
Publisher: Atom
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464 pages
Source: purchased
Genre: YA
Buy it on the BookDepository (free shipping)
Synopsis
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, Isabella'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 Isabella, 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.
I read Twilight just before the frenzy of the movie began, right at the moment of Breaking Dawn's (Book 4) release. It was the first time I re entered the enjoyable book world. Back then, all I was reading was text books for my course and I wouldn't say it was much of a pleasure. Plus, since I was not doing that well - emotionally speaking - in 2008, Twilight definitely brought back a smile on my face.
Now, 4 years later (just before Breaking Dawn Part II's release), I feel overwhelmed by what surrounds the whole series. Haters are ruining the saga and fangirls are definitely not helping it either. But looking at the story itself, the one Stephenie Meyer wrote, there's nothing bad I have to say about it. There are some flaws and perhaps the sexual tension disadvantages the book. However, there is a lot more to it, like tolerance and love. The myth of the vampire is totally revisited and I think there's a sublime touch to it. Yes, the vampires sparkle in the sun. And what?! They don't have to be ugly. They have to be dangerous, to feel endangering. And some definitely are in this first installment.
I enjoyed every chapter, every line. Some gave me goosebumps, other had me thrilled. I loved (and still do) all the characters, though I have to warn you: I am Team Edward. Jacob annoyed me so much until the third part of Breaking Dawn (spoilers) when he finally came around and forgot Bella. I was a big fan of her in the first two books. In Eclipse (book 3), I seriously wanted to shake her and slap her. Fortunately, she righted the wrongs she'd done in the fourth book and though she is so stubborn, she was turning into the heroine I thought I'd lost. All this makes me say that Twilight was definitely the best one in the whole series. I wasn't bothered by anything in particular and I was completely under the spell of the Cullen's family and Charlie's and Renee's, Bella's parents.
The foggy, rainy town of Forks and the whole Portland region somehow added the obscurity that the story needed. It was expected but still an interesting choice and definitely creepy at some points. The mystery around the vampires was easily solved but the real deal was learning about the different stories of the Cullens, their gifts and powers. What they were capable of. The contrast between veggie vampires and blood-craver vampires was really good. Both clans were charismatic and brought a lot to the story, as well as the romance and the family/human dimension.
All in all, Twilight was a fave in 2008 and still a big hit for me in 2012.
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