Author: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher/Year: Hachette / 2007
Date Finished: 21 November 2011
Source/Format: B&N / Print
Book #: 89
Buy | Borrow | Accept | Avoid
The Short and Sweet of It
Hmmm..... Jacob loves Bella loves Edward. Angst. Vampirism in exchange for Marriage. Angst. Sex in exchange for putting off vampirism. Angst. Baby vamps. Angst. Revenge. And some more angst.
A Bit of a Ramble
I probably remember the least about this one. I read all four books in six days, so there's a great deal of blending going on. As such, my comments on this one are tied to a rather specific issue (and no it's not angst). It's love triangles (which are clearly angst-inducing).
The love triangle is a common plot line in contemporary YAL. And I hate it. Seriously. To me, it's never as dramatic as it's played out to be. Did anyone reading Twilight not know that Bella and Edward would end up together? The choice of life partner is never a question in these books. While I am quite firmly a Jacob-over-Edward fan, despite Jacob's self-deluding angst, it was 100% clear from page 1 that Bella and Edward "belonged" together and would eventually end up together.
I think it would have been absolutely, positively, super cool to make Bella and Jacob best friends with no romantic interest between the two at all. Now that would have been cutting edge and intriguing. But, apparently, boys and girls can't be just friends (at least not if both are straight) in YAL. The ultimate resolution of this "love triangle" does not take place until the final book, and may I just say, in advance, that I found the ultimate relationship squaring away quite ridiculous and much too pat for my taste.
The story here, like the story in the other books, is certainly fast-paced and simple enough to let me just fly through, devouring the tale in large chunks. I will say, though, that I may be suffering from a Twilight overload as my enjoyment of the novels decreases with each subsequent book. Part of the reason for this may also be that the characters seem to get more annoying without any deepening of development. We don't learn much more about them as people from book one through book four. They are who they are and there you have it. It would have been nice if they (Edward, Jacob, and Bella at the very least) had a bit more complexity.
I read these books all in a row and I was feeling the same thing. Annoyance for the whining and lack of any character development. I also share your irritation in general with love triangles. They are pretty cliche. I'd really like it if somebody came up with a new hook.
ReplyDeleteWell what about the deal where the guy tucks a piece of hair behind the girl's ear before kissing her? Is there ANY ya book in which that doesn't happen?!!!
ReplyDeleteSandy - Something new is definitely needed.
ReplyDeleteJill - Ha! That is so true.
Yes the triangle is ridiculous and really does assume that we can't just have male and female characters be friends. So frustrating. Also, clearly Bella and Edward were going to be together, it was so obvious, I agree. Jacob as friend would have been much better and MUCH less creepy (the whole I was in love with an essence of you or part of you that became the kid - WAIT WAIT WAIT IN THAT CASE HE SHOULDA BEEN ALL OVER EDWARD TOO!!!! Right????????)
ReplyDeleteThis is book #3, right? I read the first two books and then I decided it wasn't worth it to finish the series. I didn't like Bella, so I ended up not caring who she was with, which made the books seem veeeeeeeery long!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it it seems that these love triangles started with this series! I hate love triangles that are NOT love triangles. There's was NO doubt in my mind that Bella was going to end up with Edward. So annoying. I don't remember the books that well but I do remember after this one I just gave up and never read the fourth one.
ReplyDeleteThese books are like candy. You know it's bad for you, but you can't stop yourself. Speaking of YA, I highly suggest Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins. It's a romance and a YA book, but it's sooooo good. Also, it's set in Paris.
ReplyDeleteI don't enjoy angst or love triangles, so this book is probably not the one for me. I haven't actually read any of these, but I am pretty sure that I never will. It's interesting to hear that the enjoyment of these seems to lessen from book to book, and that you aren't the only one to feel this way. Though these books took the world by storm, I'm afraid they are just not my thing :(
ReplyDeleteI actually couldn't agree more with what you said in this review and I felt very similarly about this book. I ended up stopping with this book and then had my Mom tell me what happened in book 4. I'm glad I didn't end up reading the last book as I feel like she copped out. These ended up being fun reads for me but nothing spectacular. Great review!!
ReplyDeleteI kind of liked this book the most … but, at this point, I barely remember what happened in it so maybe it was just the return of Edward.
ReplyDelete