Twilight

Stephenie Meyer

Moving from sunny, dry Phoenix to the wet, gray-green Olympic forest in Washington is the last thing Bella wants to do. Even so, she voluntarily boards a plane and goes to Forks to live with her dad. He bought her a truck (old, but cute) so she can get around. She heads off to school to meet a new group of juniors.

Unfortunately, her desk partner in chemistry seems to detest her. The day Bella was assigned to sit by him Edward Cullen goes to the office to be transferred out of that class. After being gone for more than a week, he finally returns to school and to class. Bella can't help but be attracted to him. He is fantastic looking, has phenomenal eyes, and is mysterious. He also stays as far as he can from her.

After he saves her life he finally seems to give in. He starts talking to her and paying her some attention. The more Bella learns about Edward the more she is drawn in despite his warnings. He insists their relationship shouldn't go anywhere. At the same time, he can' t seem to leave her alone any more than she can ignore or stay away from him. Will knowing Edward lead her to her death?

As I mentioned, I've been reading numerous vampire romance novels recently. They're in vogue at the moment. Thus said, Twilight shines brightly in the field. shadowing out most of them. It is written for the teens/young adult group. It appreciated by romantics of any age. The teaser on the cover quotes the book.

"About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him."

The the first few words of the novel are "I've never given much thought to how I would die though I'd had reason enough in the past few months. But even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this. I stared without breathing across the long room into the dark eyes of the hunter and he looked pleasantly back at me. Surely it was a good way to die, in the place of someone else, someone I loved..." The she goes on to say how she doesn't regret anything as the hunter "saunters" forward to kill her.

With those two hooks, I was pulled right in. I stayed right with the tale, grinning like a sap, saying "aaawww" all too often, and appreciating Stephenie Meyer's vision of her vampires. Hers can go out in the daytime and shimmer in the sunlight. Edward's reluctant attraction to Bella is well handled as is Bella's teen aged romantic angst. The protagonists are sympathetic and the antagonists are properly repellent.

Twilight is a book that ends too soon. Oh, well, there are sequels.

Twilight
New Moon
Eclipse
Breaking Dawn

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