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halthemonarch's review against another edition
3.0
I really wish I had written a review about this right when I finished it, because now, a week later, I’m left with impressions. Whenever I partake in any of the Twilight books and movies I think wow this is so beautiful/makes a degree of sense I guess, but golly gee aren’t things in established canon and flashbacks 100x more interesting than the love story between Edward and Bella? This isn’t a necessarily good or bad vibe; now that we have Edward’s POV it’s clear he’s a permanent-teenager with a god complex, low self esteem, and gifted kid burnout as he descends into madness (“love”). He’s Light Yagami if he were immortal, if you will. There’s a moral dilemma within him at all times, and as much as he wants to kill Bella he wants, beyond all reason to be with her. And she is this unsuspecting autistic girl who's always had to take care of her mother and has a distant relationship with her father meets Him, inhumanly gorgeous, indecently obsessed with her, and whos every second in his presence comes at great personal risk but he Fights it because he Loves her....
Bella and Edward are made for each other just like all the rest of them are, I mean they were all a power matchup from the beginning; Emmett and Rosalie had that Aries and Aphrodite thing going on. Alice and Jasper were both sensitive and intuitive in different ways. Bella driving Edward crazy as the one mind he couldn’t read seemed inevitable in a different way from his perspective. It also gives a lot of insight about the Swan family and Bella as a character; how she’s kind of an unreliable narrator and constantly putting herself out of mind and drawing what seems like foolish conclusions.
Anyway I read another Twilight book because I heard that the biology scene was funny in Edward's POV and it did not disappoint, though the book certainly began to drag for me after they fell in love (silently with each other's vibes.) Even though I knew the plot I thought I could stomach the whole book, but it took me sooo long to finish it. I enjoyed it don’t get me wrong? Twilight has always been a guilty pleasure for me but each chapter was a leg of the journey— one chapter of Edward and Alice playing mental pingpong vampire coven baseball, one chapter of them driving back to the house in their flashy cars playing mental pingpong to plan their next move, one chapter of the vampires running south to a town, and then north to a different town to drag her scent away then losing the tracker, one chapter of three rich vampires on an airplane to phoenix, and so forth. If you pulled all the exciting chapters with noteworthy dialogue this book would be like 11 chapters instead of 30.
3.4 stars though, because I still enjoyed it enough to finish it! I’m rounding down so the algorithm doesn't go recommending me Evermore and Vampire Academy; Meyer is kind of my one and only cheesy vampire YA romance indulgence, and that’s mostly for nostalgia’s sake. If I were giving this a fair book rating as a standalone, it would probably be a 2 though since it's just the story of a murderous, monstrous, teenage stalker coming across an autistic teenager who happens to develop a hyperfixation with him. It’s a novel I like though, born from a book I secretly loved when I was a kid, in a franchise that's got its problems but I let myself enjoy nevertheless. PS The dedication was very sweet and even though I was a closet fan I feel like it can apply to me
Bella and Edward are made for each other just like all the rest of them are, I mean they were all a power matchup from the beginning; Emmett and Rosalie had that Aries and Aphrodite thing going on. Alice and Jasper were both sensitive and intuitive in different ways. Bella driving Edward crazy as the one mind he couldn’t read seemed inevitable in a different way from his perspective. It also gives a lot of insight about the Swan family and Bella as a character; how she’s kind of an unreliable narrator and constantly putting herself out of mind and drawing what seems like foolish conclusions.
Anyway I read another Twilight book because I heard that the biology scene was funny in Edward's POV and it did not disappoint, though the book certainly began to drag for me after they fell in love (silently with each other's vibes.) Even though I knew the plot I thought I could stomach the whole book, but it took me sooo long to finish it. I enjoyed it don’t get me wrong? Twilight has always been a guilty pleasure for me but each chapter was a leg of the journey— one chapter of Edward and Alice playing mental pingpong vampire coven baseball, one chapter of them driving back to the house in their flashy cars playing mental pingpong to plan their next move, one chapter of the vampires running south to a town, and then north to a different town to drag her scent away then losing the tracker, one chapter of three rich vampires on an airplane to phoenix, and so forth. If you pulled all the exciting chapters with noteworthy dialogue this book would be like 11 chapters instead of 30.
3.4 stars though, because I still enjoyed it enough to finish it! I’m rounding down so the algorithm doesn't go recommending me Evermore and Vampire Academy; Meyer is kind of my one and only cheesy vampire YA romance indulgence, and that’s mostly for nostalgia’s sake. If I were giving this a fair book rating as a standalone, it would probably be a 2 though since it's just the story of a murderous, monstrous, teenage stalker coming across an autistic teenager who happens to develop a hyperfixation with him. It’s a novel I like though, born from a book I secretly loved when I was a kid, in a franchise that's got its problems but I let myself enjoy nevertheless. PS The dedication was very sweet and even though I was a closet fan I feel like it can apply to me
gspear's review against another edition
emotional
slow-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? Yes
3.0
rosa_sophie's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bubski_mcboo's review against another edition
3.0
There is some entertainment value in figuring out why I like this story/world even though there is a lot about the plot and characters that irk me, to put it mildly. It's a guilty pleasure at this point.
sjbentl's review against another edition
5.0
I’d give it 4 and a half if I could. I really disliked the series after the first time I read it. That being said, this made me dislike the Twilight books so much less. I really preferred Edward’s point of view (in part, bc it also included the views of those around him).
After reading Midnight Sun, and now, as I work my way through the rest of the series from Bella’s point of view, I’ve definitely found a greater appreciation for the books. Yes, occasionally, there is a bit too much rambling. Overall though, Edward’s point of view helped erase the weak and idiotic aspects of Bella’s character that I found incredibly aggravating in the first series. Now that I see Bella as a stronger female lead, the books in the first series are just better.
I’ve never been a Jacob fan, and thankfully, he was not often in this version of the story. But, I can see how Edward’s point of view in the following books could probably help resolve some of the frustration I have with Jacob (although Jacob’s character may be beyond redeeming—I really don’t like him). Regardless, I think it will be entertaining. I’m eager for the second installment.
After reading Midnight Sun, and now, as I work my way through the rest of the series from Bella’s point of view, I’ve definitely found a greater appreciation for the books. Yes, occasionally, there is a bit too much rambling. Overall though, Edward’s point of view helped erase the weak and idiotic aspects of Bella’s character that I found incredibly aggravating in the first series. Now that I see Bella as a stronger female lead, the books in the first series are just better.
I’ve never been a Jacob fan, and thankfully, he was not often in this version of the story. But, I can see how Edward’s point of view in the following books could probably help resolve some of the frustration I have with Jacob (although Jacob’s character may be beyond redeeming—I really don’t like him). Regardless, I think it will be entertaining. I’m eager for the second installment.
iamjennetb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
mariahmac29's review against another edition
slow-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
3.0
marlenne_rs's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0