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paigeinabook's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Cannibalism, Stalking, Car accident, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sav_22's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Decided to reread this, I read it in middle school and used to be a fan but decided to revisit. Whether you like or hate it, its such a landmark in pop culture; I never take it seriously, it’s a fun read if you just like shallow paranormal romances.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Cultural appropriation, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
darkefyres's review against another edition
emotional
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Medical content, and Stalking
Minor: Animal death, Death, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation
my3bb8's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I found that this book was really good it’s even one of my favourite books but I found that the chapters were very long and it was kinda hard to read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, and Cannibalism
Moderate: Child death, Medical content, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Stalking, and Colonisation
alishamegan's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.0
Initial rating: 2 stars
Re-read as adult: 3.75 stars
Updated after writing review and thinking: 4 stars
I'm only not giving it 5 stars because of the author and their intent, and its marketing because of that intent (a teenage romance for teenage girls, rather than a adult horror about and from the perspective of a teenage girl of her seduction by a predator and his family and her desires and autonomy and what they mean through this seduction). If this was the same story, written by another woman, that was intentionally a disturbing horror with themes like desire, lust, the teenage girl experience, power, seduction, the autonomy of a teenage girl specifically in a relationship with a much much older, stronger, powerful man, cults, violence, predatory men, rather than unintentionally that, maybe I would. But is that wrong? If an author accidentally writes a masterpiece, and views the book entirely differently than I, the reader, does does that make the book any less worthy? This book and its mark in culture is like if Lolita was marketed towards teenage girls about a story of a man who loves a girl but tragically doesn't end up with her. Except imagine if the 1st person pov was from Dolores (as that is her real name), Dolores is infatuated with (and I guess loves, in her mind) HH and they do end up together and HH is a vampire with a vampire family, and she never escapes and stays with him and somehow ends up in a twisted happily ever after forever for eternity. That's kinda what this book is and explores for me as a reader now as an adult woman. That's how I see it. Except Edward is a less repulsive predator, in fact the opposite, he's presented as the most perfect, alluring predator there can be. Edward doesn't need to be the unreliable predatory male narrator convincing you of his romantic love and desire for a child, or his prey, or his food etc. Bella is the unreliable narrator who puts Edward on the pedestal of a god rather than a monster, even above how Edward seems himself, telling you she loves him even more, she wants to be with him forever and will leave her life as she knows it to achieve this out of her choice and desire.
This story is about a 17 year old girl (child) who gets seduced by a very old predator into his cult family and they happen to be vampires. Also he wants to kill her all the time but resists the urge to. And because she's only 17, she is blinded my first infatuation/love and as an adult I cannot blame Bella at all. She's just acting how a lot of teenage girls her age would act. She had neglectful parents, her only family, and so this close large strong protective family of vampires are enticing to her, even without their built-in appeal in order to attract prey. This is a story of how a girl like Bella, can genuinely want to be with a dangerous man, and part of a dangerous cult and then eventually, hopefully, become one of them. Knowing how this series ends (from the films), it's a horror tragiromance. Bella gets what she wants. She gets everything she wants. Her parents matter less and less as she gets involved with the Cullens more and more. Bella knows exactly what she wants from book 1. But she is also only 17 and the person she wants to be with is like a 150 year old vampire man who wants to eat her. As the story progresses you see how infatuated and addicted to Edward Bella has become. At the end of the book in the hospital she says he is the only thing in her life it would hurt her to be separated from. The relationship is told from her POV and it becomes very dependent from her side very quickly. Ultimately, throughout the book until she meets Edward she is a lonely creature. She has no real friends, whether by choice or her awkwardness as a teenager where she is still lacking in confidence and social skills. She finds it hard to relate to others. In her otherwise humdrum existence (in her eyes), Edward is an escape and thrilling fantasy (but become real). This dependency is further cemented by the extremely traumatic event Bella goes through at the end (partially with Edward). You could use the term trauma-bonding here. So why does Bella do what she does? Why does she want what she wants? Well, in summary, as mentioned before, she is lonely, neglected by her parents, awkward and finds it difficult to relate to her peers, and a teenage girl with all that comes with that both internally and externally. Edward presents a forever ever after, literally. Eternally youthful, immortal, indestructible with inhuman strength, inhuman beauty. Through the Cullens and him she can get never-ending security and a forever tight knit family. Something she does not have and wants. Of course, if she wants all of this she must cease to be human, and then become a vampire. But that's an easy choice for Bella to make. Why be an ordinary human when you can be something special? And top of that get everything you want? Giving up a human life seems a cheap bargain to be honest. It's a chance to live in a fantasy, and be a fantastical god-like creature, surrounded by your god-like creature family and beautifully attractive devoted partner for all eternity while being supremely powerful and forever young. What Edward represents to Bella, the fantasy that could become a reality for her, is what she is addicted to. There is not a single personality trait, a quirk, a human quality, that Bella likes in Edward or even notices in Edward. Everything she admires and notices about him are exactly the things that make him inhuman. If Edward were to suddenly turn human, if his vampirism could be reversed, what would be left of him that would be attractive to her? Would she still want to be with him?
No. Being a vampire, becoming a vampire, are just ways for Bella to become and be everything she wants to be and the fantasy/reality she wants to live in. This story is about 17 year old girl being seduced by a fantasy that is tailor-made to appeal to her and offer her everything she could possibly desire for all eternity, and despite all the odds, it becoming all true in exactly all the ways she wanted it to be because she willed it enough.
Twilight is compelling not because it's a romance. It's not really a romance, that's just an illusion when you squint your eyes from a distance. It's a disturbing, traumatic, tragic, seductive, sad, suffocating, bewildering tale of a teenage girl who chooses to become a vampire because she thought it was better than being human, and in this tale, it always is.
Obviously, I might just be seeing in this book what I want to see, just like Bella. And is that so terrible, if it makes me happy? If it is what I truly want and how I want things to be? And in the end I get my happily ever after just how I envisioned it?
Side note: so much more could be said about how Bella is characterised as weak, clumsy, lacking co-ordination, being vulnerable, ending up in less than ideal situations, and yet through stubbornness and will, and knowing exactly what she wants she eventually gets everything she desires. It's the ultimate flip on the young strong girl/woman achieving everything and getting everything she wants including getting power and more strength trope, except Bella has no real admirable qualities or strengths apart from being a bit funny sometimes. She gets all she wants because she wants it, really wants it, expresses it constantly out loud to anyone who wants to know, and makes all her decisions based on her desires. There's no other reason for things to work out how she wants them to, but they do purely for that reason. Autonomy and choice or MC syndrome? I would like to believe not the latter :)
Hopefully last update: so I'm still thinking about this book and basically it's a vibe like it's literally vibey and yeah like it's engaging it's got that flavour it's got some sauce it's a burger and fries it's a fever dream and I love women and girls so much and they hate us so much but we livin we thrivin
Re-read as adult: 3.75 stars
Updated after writing review and thinking: 4 stars
I'm only not giving it 5 stars because of the author and their intent, and its marketing because of that intent (a teenage romance for teenage girls, rather than a adult horror about and from the perspective of a teenage girl of her seduction by a predator and his family and her desires and autonomy and what they mean through this seduction). If this was the same story, written by another woman, that was intentionally a disturbing horror with themes like desire, lust, the teenage girl experience, power, seduction, the autonomy of a teenage girl specifically in a relationship with a much much older, stronger, powerful man, cults, violence, predatory men, rather than unintentionally that, maybe I would. But is that wrong? If an author accidentally writes a masterpiece, and views the book entirely differently than I, the reader, does does that make the book any less worthy? This book and its mark in culture is like if Lolita was marketed towards teenage girls about a story of a man who loves a girl but tragically doesn't end up with her. Except imagine if the 1st person pov was from Dolores (as that is her real name), Dolores is infatuated with (and I guess loves, in her mind) HH and they do end up together and HH is a vampire with a vampire family, and she never escapes and stays with him and somehow ends up in a twisted happily ever after forever for eternity. That's kinda what this book is and explores for me as a reader now as an adult woman. That's how I see it. Except Edward is a less repulsive predator, in fact the opposite, he's presented as the most perfect, alluring predator there can be. Edward doesn't need to be the unreliable predatory male narrator convincing you of his romantic love and desire for a child, or his prey, or his food etc. Bella is the unreliable narrator who puts Edward on the pedestal of a god rather than a monster, even above how Edward seems himself, telling you she loves him even more, she wants to be with him forever and will leave her life as she knows it to achieve this out of her choice and desire.
This story is about a 17 year old girl (child) who gets seduced by a very old predator into his cult family and they happen to be vampires. Also he wants to kill her all the time but resists the urge to. And because she's only 17, she is blinded my first infatuation/love and as an adult I cannot blame Bella at all. She's just acting how a lot of teenage girls her age would act. She had neglectful parents, her only family, and so this close large strong protective family of vampires are enticing to her, even without their built-in appeal in order to attract prey. This is a story of how a girl like Bella, can genuinely want to be with a dangerous man, and part of a dangerous cult and then eventually, hopefully, become one of them. Knowing how this series ends (from the films), it's a horror tragiromance. Bella gets what she wants. She gets everything she wants. Her parents matter less and less as she gets involved with the Cullens more and more. Bella knows exactly what she wants from book 1. But she is also only 17 and the person she wants to be with is like a 150 year old vampire man who wants to eat her. As the story progresses you see how infatuated and addicted to Edward Bella has become. At the end of the book in the hospital she says he is the only thing in her life it would hurt her to be separated from. The relationship is told from her POV and it becomes very dependent from her side very quickly. Ultimately, throughout the book until she meets Edward she is a lonely creature. She has no real friends, whether by choice or her awkwardness as a teenager where she is still lacking in confidence and social skills. She finds it hard to relate to others. In her otherwise humdrum existence (in her eyes), Edward is an escape and thrilling fantasy (but become real). This dependency is further cemented by the extremely traumatic event Bella goes through at the end (partially with Edward). You could use the term trauma-bonding here. So why does Bella do what she does? Why does she want what she wants? Well, in summary, as mentioned before, she is lonely, neglected by her parents, awkward and finds it difficult to relate to her peers, and a teenage girl with all that comes with that both internally and externally. Edward presents a forever ever after, literally. Eternally youthful, immortal, indestructible with inhuman strength, inhuman beauty. Through the Cullens and him she can get never-ending security and a forever tight knit family. Something she does not have and wants. Of course, if she wants all of this she must cease to be human, and then become a vampire. But that's an easy choice for Bella to make. Why be an ordinary human when you can be something special? And top of that get everything you want? Giving up a human life seems a cheap bargain to be honest. It's a chance to live in a fantasy, and be a fantastical god-like creature, surrounded by your god-like creature family and beautifully attractive devoted partner for all eternity while being supremely powerful and forever young. What Edward represents to Bella, the fantasy that could become a reality for her, is what she is addicted to. There is not a single personality trait, a quirk, a human quality, that Bella likes in Edward or even notices in Edward. Everything she admires and notices about him are exactly the things that make him inhuman. If Edward were to suddenly turn human, if his vampirism could be reversed, what would be left of him that would be attractive to her? Would she still want to be with him?
No. Being a vampire, becoming a vampire, are just ways for Bella to become and be everything she wants to be and the fantasy/reality she wants to live in. This story is about 17 year old girl being seduced by a fantasy that is tailor-made to appeal to her and offer her everything she could possibly desire for all eternity, and despite all the odds, it becoming all true in exactly all the ways she wanted it to be because she willed it enough.
Twilight is compelling not because it's a romance. It's not really a romance, that's just an illusion when you squint your eyes from a distance. It's a disturbing, traumatic, tragic, seductive, sad, suffocating, bewildering tale of a teenage girl who chooses to become a vampire because she thought it was better than being human, and in this tale, it always is.
Obviously, I might just be seeing in this book what I want to see, just like Bella. And is that so terrible, if it makes me happy? If it is what I truly want and how I want things to be? And in the end I get my happily ever after just how I envisioned it?
Side note: so much more could be said about how Bella is characterised as weak, clumsy, lacking co-ordination, being vulnerable, ending up in less than ideal situations, and yet through stubbornness and will, and knowing exactly what she wants she eventually gets everything she desires. It's the ultimate flip on the young strong girl/woman achieving everything and getting everything she wants including getting power and more strength trope, except Bella has no real admirable qualities or strengths apart from being a bit funny sometimes. She gets all she wants because she wants it, really wants it, expresses it constantly out loud to anyone who wants to know, and makes all her decisions based on her desires. There's no other reason for things to work out how she wants them to, but they do purely for that reason. Autonomy and choice or MC syndrome? I would like to believe not the latter :)
Hopefully last update: so I'm still thinking about this book and basically it's a vibe like it's literally vibey and yeah like it's engaging it's got that flavour it's got some sauce it's a burger and fries it's a fever dream and I love women and girls so much and they hate us so much but we livin we thrivin
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence and Blood
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail