A review by will_cherico
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

emotional mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

Twilight has been dragged through the mud in a way that no other series has (especially in a way no series made for BOYS has), and I really wanted to approach this book with an open mind when I read it. Let me say to begin with that I can absolutely understand that not only am I not the target demographic for this book in the slightest, but I can also absolutely see how this would be so popular with preteen girls. It's easy to read and it fulfills a very basic fantasy of what a relationship with a mysterious man would look like to someone who's never been in a relationship. Unfortunately, I thought this book was pretty disastrous. Edward's behavior towards Bella is genuinely sickening to the point where no part of the book works as a romance (not even as a dark romance, as we're expected to root for Edward unconditionally throughout). The characters are entirely one-sided, the plot doesn't kick in until the last third of the book, and the whole thing is oozing with this gross, hyper-conservative religious bent that peaks with Bella blaming herself for if she were to be raped (to which Edward agrees and the reader is expected to agree with). It doesn't even have enough so-bad-it's-good moments to call it a fun read. I suppose it's better YA fiction than anything Ernest Cline's ever written, but good lord is this awful.