Twilight (yes, goddamn Twilight) - Stephenie Meyer
There is a reason for this, I swear.
So, the thing is, I read a lot. I read too much and I read too fast. It's not a brag. If anything, it makes reading (well, purchasing books) an expensive hobby. But I started my blog with the intent of reviewing all of the books that I read in May and June, currently sitting behind me on my "Already Read" shelf, and then any new ones that come along (big book haul arriving this weekend). Which means, I have a lot of catching up to do. Which also means, I have to admit to re-reading Twilight.
I had a reason. I finally bit the bullet and bought Midnight Sun, and I wanted to re-read all of the original books first. Get me back in the right headspace for Twilight.
I first read Twilight when I was about 17. Like a lot of you, I loved it. I'm now 32, and refreshing my memory on the things that I enjoyed then was... an experience, to say the least.
Also, because everyone has either read Twilight by now or has decided they're not going to, this is NOT going to be a spoiler-free review.
This book is where we find Bella at her most self-sufficient. Pre-awkward relationship with Edward, Bella generally handles her shit. She falls down a lot, sure, but seems fine with it. When presented with the impossibility of vampires, she does research. She stands up to Edward (which I'm pretty sure never happens again) when he's being dishonest or cruel.
She is, however, determined to get herself killed at every turn for almost no reason. I mean, think about it. She's surrounded by people/vampires who are eminently capable of handling things, and she DOESN'T tell them that someone has kidnapped her mom. Like, I swear to god, the first thing out of my mouth would have been, "Hey, the hunter is here in town, he has my mom, and he wants me to go to him. He says if I bring anyone with me, he'll kill her. Can you guys make some kind of plan?" Because, uh, guess what, Bella? The vamps aren't as fragile as you are!
Also, if I had to listen to Edward say he has to leave Bella for her own good ONE MORE TIME, I was going to lose it. Dude, go or don't, but repeatedly saying you were gonna leave is just dumb, and whether he meant it or not, it's emotional manipulation.
Am I being overdramatic about a book for teenagers that came out fifteen years ago? Sure, most definitely. My great criticism, my biggest problem, is that apparently they fall in love through a combination of Edward being mean, then being suspiciously nice, saving Bella from being crushed by a car, being mean again, and then preventing Bella from being assaulted. And suddenly, oh no! We're in love! Ladies and fellas, if someone acts like that, that is NOT husband material. Run fast and run far. Thank them for saving your life, and then hit the bricks.
This book makes me unconscionably angry. I'm not mad at myself for enjoying it when I was a teen. I AM kind of mad at myself for reading it again now. One star. Zero stars. Negative 3 stars. I'm done.
