A review by lovelymisanthrope
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I picked this up as a buddy read with a friend because I had never read it and was curious about all of the hype surrounding it.
"Twilight" is the vampire sensation story of Bella and Edward. When Bella moves to a new town, she was not expecting to fall for the elusive, mysterious Edward. But she falls headfirst in love with him, even after discovering his secret.
This book aged moderately well. There are definitely some references and aspects of this book that are immediate indicators that it was written in the early 2000's, but overall, I was surprised that it did not feel too dated. I was also surprised that I think the story holds up for what it is. I can appreciate why everyone loved this story before, and why people are still enamored with it today.
My biggest reservations with this story are with Bella. Bella fell so hard and so fast for Edward that it felt entirely unreal. She was willing to give up so much for him so quickly, but I think it is unfortunately true of a teenaged character experiencing "love" for the first time. Bella also just felt two dimensional. There did not seem to be anything special about her and she was not the most interesting character to read from. She seems so overly concerned with taking care of her father and making sure she cooks him dinner, but she wants to spend no time with him.
I can also see that there is a love triangle brewing, and it feels like the most 2000's, unnecessary plot point about this book. Bella does not even see Jacob in that way, and he does not stand a chance because she has so willing given all of herself to Edward right off the bat. There is no contest, so why even have it in the book?
Will I continue with this serious? Perhaps, out of curiosity. 

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