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3.28 AVERAGE
3.28 AVERAGE
Don't let the 4 out of 5 stars fool you into thinking this is good, inventive writing. I picked these books up for nostalgic purposes. Back in the early '90s, when I was an adolescent (oh how I date myself), I read and reread these books. They were so romantic and exciting. I remember even then being annoyed by the hack writing, but overlooking it because of the fantastic nature of the stories. I mean come on, who wouldn't fall for a tall, dark handsome vampire with an Italian accent. I'm only human.
Reading them again as an adult was part experiment but mostly fluff fun. For whatever reason, I'm seemingly incapable of getting through "beach reads" or other books with no real substance and sub par writing...with the exception of Young Adult books. There is a soft spot in my heart for those angst-ridden horror-lite, forbidden romance themes that weave their way through the pages and into the minds of pre-teen girls that are waiting to have their braces taken off and dream of such huge life events like homecoming and (take a deep breath) prom. I am not criticizing girls for this. As I've already implied, I was one of them.
My peeve with this particular series is really more of a concern. The greatest attributes of the primary characters are their beauty, elegance and grace. Love is always a reaction to someone's beauty or passion. The protagonist is "queen of the school". In short, each book is like reading a 250 super model photo shoot. There's just no way you'll ever be these fictional characters. Perhaps that is part of the allure for many kids who read these, but I distinctly remember talking with my friends about which character in the book we'd want to be...and frankly, all are either shallow or wracked with glamorized self-loathing.
The remaining question is why on earth after all this criticism did I give the books 4 stars. Well, they were a welcome regression back to days of summer reading, of staying up too late to find out if the heroine would get the guy and save the town against forces of evil. As simple, mindless entertainment goes, they work just fine. I don't know how a reader first approaching them now would feel about them, but with my childhood link to them, I was rather forgiving of the many glaring problems.
Apparently a new book will be coming out in this series early next year. I must confess, I will most certainly be reading it.
Reading them again as an adult was part experiment but mostly fluff fun. For whatever reason, I'm seemingly incapable of getting through "beach reads" or other books with no real substance and sub par writing...with the exception of Young Adult books. There is a soft spot in my heart for those angst-ridden horror-lite, forbidden romance themes that weave their way through the pages and into the minds of pre-teen girls that are waiting to have their braces taken off and dream of such huge life events like homecoming and (take a deep breath) prom. I am not criticizing girls for this. As I've already implied, I was one of them.
My peeve with this particular series is really more of a concern. The greatest attributes of the primary characters are their beauty, elegance and grace. Love is always a reaction to someone's beauty or passion. The protagonist is "queen of the school". In short, each book is like reading a 250 super model photo shoot. There's just no way you'll ever be these fictional characters. Perhaps that is part of the allure for many kids who read these, but I distinctly remember talking with my friends about which character in the book we'd want to be...and frankly, all are either shallow or wracked with glamorized self-loathing.
The remaining question is why on earth after all this criticism did I give the books 4 stars. Well, they were a welcome regression back to days of summer reading, of staying up too late to find out if the heroine would get the guy and save the town against forces of evil. As simple, mindless entertainment goes, they work just fine. I don't know how a reader first approaching them now would feel about them, but with my childhood link to them, I was rather forgiving of the many glaring problems.
Apparently a new book will be coming out in this series early next year. I must confess, I will most certainly be reading it.
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I found the Twilight series a struggle, and reading this I thought at first 'Man, what a Twilight ripoff.' And then I found that this was published LONG before the Twilight series, and this was actually pretty enjoyable. Good solid writing really. But I think I'm vampire-love-triangled out for now. (P.S. I'm rather addicted to the t.v. show though...)
These were good. Better than the tv show actually. I am looking forward to the next few, but I think I need a break between reads - it is a little straightforward so it doesn't always hold my attention.
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I wanted something to make me laugh, this book did it for me. I knew the book was bad but still read it. It was so silly that i actually found it enjoyable to read for that i give a bonus star.
Otherwise it would been 2 stars, if i had taken this book seriously. All i can say if u wanna laugh at the MC, prefect book then.
Otherwise it would been 2 stars, if i had taken this book seriously. All i can say if u wanna laugh at the MC, prefect book then.
I struggled to enjoy this although, to be fair, I am not the target audience. I found the characters unlikeable and could not relate to them at all. A shame really, as I usually enjoy this genre, and I loved the tv series.
An amazing read. Had watched the TV series & being a fan had to read the books too. Must say there are vast differences in the story line hence when I say it was a good read, its solely based on the book.
Although the plot in The Awakening is slow & dredges at the end, The Stuggle is more promising. Some of the high school BS aside, the book is well written with good story telling to support the plot.
Although the plot in The Awakening is slow & dredges at the end, The Stuggle is more promising. Some of the high school BS aside, the book is well written with good story telling to support the plot.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes