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sagajac's review against another edition
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
reader_9092's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
something51001's review against another edition
informative
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
katiejamesreads's review against another edition
4.0
So many fun facts!!! A bit long and redundant in character profiles but overall a fun read for a twilight fan.
angel__'s review against another edition
informative
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
millie_rose_reads's review against another edition
2.0
the twilight saga: the official illustrated guide is an impressively (and at times bafflingly) comprehensive look into this world.
The interview at the start between Meyer and Hale is insightful to Meyer's process and perspective when it comes to writing, and the fact that they're friends makes the questions and answers pleasantly conversational. That said, there's a point where they are discussing how there are no new stories and we get this quote:
With a book like this, the main draw is the lore. I wish some sections were more expansive, or at least objective, rather than drawing conclusions we already have from the series. Vampire history, for example, finishes by declaring the Volturi's motives for their laws: they're power-hungry autocrats that collect uniquely-gifted vampires like Pokémon for vampire world domination. Whether that's true or not isn't the point. A guide like this is an opportunity to expand on a universe that's maintained the perspective of a cul-de-sac's worth of people. The Volturi are evil—to the Cullens—but they must have their supporters? The Twilight Saga is burdened by its limited scope, but this guide didn't need to be, and what we get feels like excerpts from its freely accessible wiki online than insight into the larger, undisclosed information that has informed the storytelling.
The character profiles themselves are a mixed bag. This world is actually very small, and the intersection of their lives leads to a lot of repetitious passages, and then there's the "Famous quotes" at the end of each that are headscratchingly bland. This saga doesn't really have a lot of quotable dialogue. It has some overwrought prose and declarations from Bella and Edward that in the right mood can strike a chord, but nothing worthy of dedicating its own section. For example, here are some of the quotes: "I've never been to veterinarian school" (Carlisle) "We'd never allow anything to happen to you, sweetheart." (Esme) "Hell, yes!" (Emmett) "Edward, you have to do it." (Alice). When you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel like this, maybe don't.
Most of the additional profiles are as passable as they are forgettable, but then there's Kebi. She's basically dead inside, which isn't hard to believe when Meyer reveals she was turned into a vampire and made the mate of her slave master in life. The text even clarifies that immortality does nothing to lesson the power imbalance either, so we can truly appreciate the full horror of being with your oppressor for eternity. Why write this?
Lastly, the rampant heteronormativity of this series holds strong, even as new, disposable characters are given placeholder profiles begging for a crumb of tokenistic inclusivity. One positive of this is Meyer specifies that the existential nightmare that is imprinting is reserved for opposite sex partners. I wouldn't presume to call Meyer homophobic, but if there was a line, she's defying gravity and all laws of physics to be toeing it right now.
Oh, and vampire venom literally whitens the skin. Even if you have dark skin, you become white. Just leaving that there.
The interview at the start between Meyer and Hale is insightful to Meyer's process and perspective when it comes to writing, and the fact that they're friends makes the questions and answers pleasantly conversational. That said, there's a point where they are discussing how there are no new stories and we get this quote:
I was trying to describe this recently, about how you have this universe of possibilities. And every time you pick one thing for your story—like Bella is brunette—all her blond and redheaded possibilities disappear. And then, when you pick the kind of car somebody drives, there are a million other vehicles, makes, and models that suddenly die. And as you narrow it down, you're just taking pieces of it and destroying whole worlds that could have been.Of all the things to single out as fascinating road-not-taken possibilities, you go with Bella's hair and the car she drives?
With a book like this, the main draw is the lore. I wish some sections were more expansive, or at least objective, rather than drawing conclusions we already have from the series. Vampire history, for example, finishes by declaring the Volturi's motives for their laws: they're power-hungry autocrats that collect uniquely-gifted vampires like Pokémon for vampire world domination. Whether that's true or not isn't the point. A guide like this is an opportunity to expand on a universe that's maintained the perspective of a cul-de-sac's worth of people. The Volturi are evil—to the Cullens—but they must have their supporters? The Twilight Saga is burdened by its limited scope, but this guide didn't need to be, and what we get feels like excerpts from its freely accessible wiki online than insight into the larger, undisclosed information that has informed the storytelling.
The character profiles themselves are a mixed bag. This world is actually very small, and the intersection of their lives leads to a lot of repetitious passages, and then there's the "Famous quotes" at the end of each that are headscratchingly bland. This saga doesn't really have a lot of quotable dialogue. It has some overwrought prose and declarations from Bella and Edward that in the right mood can strike a chord, but nothing worthy of dedicating its own section. For example, here are some of the quotes: "I've never been to veterinarian school" (Carlisle) "We'd never allow anything to happen to you, sweetheart." (Esme) "Hell, yes!" (Emmett) "Edward, you have to do it." (Alice). When you have to scrape the bottom of the barrel like this, maybe don't.
Most of the additional profiles are as passable as they are forgettable, but then there's Kebi. She's basically dead inside, which isn't hard to believe when Meyer reveals she was turned into a vampire and made the mate of her slave master in life. The text even clarifies that immortality does nothing to lesson the power imbalance either, so we can truly appreciate the full horror of being with your oppressor for eternity. Why write this?
Lastly, the rampant heteronormativity of this series holds strong, even as new, disposable characters are given placeholder profiles begging for a crumb of tokenistic inclusivity. One positive of this is Meyer specifies that the existential nightmare that is imprinting is reserved for opposite sex partners. I wouldn't presume to call Meyer homophobic, but if there was a line, she's defying gravity and all laws of physics to be toeing it right now.
Oh, and vampire venom literally whitens the skin. Even if you have dark skin, you become white. Just leaving that there.
athornton_2197's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.25
n1c0l3_1905's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5