Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
by Stephenie Meyer
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Book Reviews of Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)
Book Review: Terrible Twilight
Summary: 1 Stars
"In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed" (Patty Campbell). This book review, found on Amazon.com, gives prospective buyers a glimpse of what they might read should they choose to purchase a novel from Stephenie Meyer's hit book series Twilight. Certain readers may also be tempted to buy the book because it has been a best-seller on the New York Times Best-Seller List for over 102 weeks, and has sold over 70 million copies worldwide since its publication (Wikipedia). Others may be swayed by the stunning face of Hollywood hunk Robert Pattinson, who stars in the Twilight movies, which have created a storm in the box office. Be forewarned, though, good readers! Don't let this review fool you: if you were expecting a novel of Romeo-and-Juliet proportions, don't hold your breath. This reviewer's claims of "exquisite fantasy" and "star-crossed" lovers simply do not deliver - Stephanie Meyer is no Shakespeare; this book, cherished by millions of tweens and young children who don't know any better, is nothing but a piece of literary trash. Those who applaud Twilight for its exciting plot and well-developed characters ignore the undisputable fact that the book is poorly written. It's a travesty that this piece of work, which has been compared to deserving bestsellers such as Harry Potter, should be so exalted in America's eyes.
The premise of the Twilight story is about a young girl, living in a small town with her estranged father, who falls in love with a vampire. At first, this sounds like some sort of joke; indeed, when I first heard of the book from a friend, I literally laughed out loud at her for reading something that sounded so dumb. Despite the lame sci-fi-meets-romance-novel genre, however, I decided to submit to my friend's suggestion: after all, she was my friend, and when had she ever led me astray, before? After seeing the Twilight movie, which was actually a decent film, I thought "what the heck" and purchased Twilight to see what all the fuss was about. After finishing the first book, I realized Meyer's conniving scheme: end the books with a completely unsatisfactory ending so readers are basically forced to buy the next one. The series, I found, is not really four books, but merely four chapters of one book, which means that readers are forced to spend four times as much money on more books than they should have to buy.
After being held captive in Meyer's evil plan, trudging to Barnes and Noble every few days, I finally finished the Twilight series. In the few weeks that I spent reading her famed work, I can honestly say I did not go away from the experience a more intelligent, well-rounded, enlightened, or literarily fulfilled person. That is, to say, I did not finish the last book, let out a cathartic sigh, and say to myself: "Wow, I am glad I read that." On the contrary, I felt a sort of resentment at Meyer for wasting two weeks of my life. I was utterly confounded, surprised, and amazed, though, at how Meyer had managed to keep me reading, despite the inanity of her writing. How had she gotten the better of me?
Although she falls short in her writing ability, Meyer surprisingly manages to excel in certain areas of her writing. For one, Meyer does an exceptionally good job at developing her protagonist, Bella, and her lover, Edward, as characters in her stories:
About three things I was absolutely positive. First, Edward was a vampire. Second, there was part of him -- and I didn't know how potent that part might be -- that thirsted for my blood. And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him. (Twilight, 195)
An adolescent female reader can really tap into Bella's loneliness and can see her preoccupation with the mysterious and beautiful Edward, who is torn between his life as a vampire and his ability to love her. After reading the four books, or even only one of the books, readers feel like they really know the central characters in the novel. There is no doubt, however, that these sort of characters appeal to a limited audience; I cannot see my younger brother - or any male, for that matter - curling up with Twilight and being able to identify with Bella and Edward's struggles together. The characters, though static and well-developed, cannot speak to a universal audience.
In spite of well-developed characters, I find hardly anything else redeeming about the Twilight series. Sure, cliffhangers at the end of each chapter and at the end of each book keep you reading late into the night, but there is nothing significantly impressive about the story being told. In fact, although Twilight is marketed as an "easy read," this really shouldn't be flaunted; Twilight is an easy read to a point where Meyer's writing seems juvenile and bare. The SAT words Meyer throws in every once in a while don't match her otherwise unadorned prose, and jump out at you awkwardly, as if she were trying to impress her more scholarly readers, as if there were any. Words like "omnipresent," "chagrin," "insidious," and "convoluted" seem utterly out of place in Twilight - a book where gorgeous vampires woo awkward underage girls with lines like "Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night" (New Moon, 514). Others agree: fellow horror writer and best-selling author Stephen King goes so far as to say: "Stephenie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good." Clearly, many people agree that Twilight doesn't deserve the praise it has come to know in recent years. I certainly trust Stephen King's opinion over the adolescent babblings of teenage girls, and would tend to agree with him that her writing, to put it plainly, sucks. In addition to its poor quality of writing, its appeal to a very limited audience makes it wholly inaccessible for most of the literary population, and is simply a waste of time to read.
Reading the Twilight series is sort of like watching The Bachelor on TV. Sure, it's entertaining to watch, and you might even tune in every week to witness all the sappy drama, but in reality, you don't get much out of it: it's just another trashy show that you end up feeling guilty for watching. If you are a young, confused teenage girl, or if you're looking for a book that won't give you much satisfaction - something you don't have to think about when you're done reading it - then by all means, go read Twilight. If, however, you are looking for a more substantial work which will give you something to walk away with - something that could teach you a lesson, or enlighten you somehow - steer clear of this series.
Book Review: Lovin' Me Some Twilight!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first venture into the Young Adult genre and it was completely based off not only the surrounding controversy of the novels, but the overwhelming out pour of reader love and devotion. In addition, it seemed that not only teens could appreciate the saga but people of all age groups were transfixed by these hefty novels as well.
So after dragging my feet for a very long time I finally succumbed to "Twilight Mania" and got my butt down to Wally World to purchase my very own discounted copy. Even though all four installments sat gleaming before me in their ebony covers, I decided I would only purchase the first for I was still skeptical in regards to their greatness. Plus I thought I would hate any romance novel that didn't have sex in it so I decided not to waste me money.
To my utter and delighted surprise, I fell in love with all things 'Twilight'. Now I'm not going to go into too much plot detail in this review of 'Twilight' for I truly think that what these characters go through is an amazing journey through the forbidden that should be left up to the individual reader to explore. That being said here are my thoughts.
On a personal note, and this may sound stupid, but simply put 'Twilight' touched upon all the fantasies of my teenage years. As a awkward late bloomer, I was very much on the fringe of high school society and I always longed to be a girl like Bella Swan. The subtly pretty girl who had no idea she was pretty. Plus I wanted to be conflicted, silly I know but it's the truth. I had no ghosts, nothing to make me sad. I was a privileged girl going to a school nicknamed 'Snob-halla" because of all the rich kids enrolled. Instead, Bella exudes sadness in such an intriguing and mysterious way that she unintentionally draws people to her. Yet at the same time Bella shuns all attention. While I most definitely embodied the latter trait, I most certainly never drew people to me in high school.
Also Bella is smart. Not that I was an idiot but Bella is knowledgeable in such a way that I had longed to be. She's well read, great at math, and has a knack for science. These are all areas that I struggled in and being within Bella's POV and her ease at academics felt liberating in the reader sense.
Bella and Edward's love story, the overall nitty-grittiness of it, does not in any way resemble the "teenage romance". In some respects it's juvenile but if you stripped the time and age from the equation one would see the epic quality of a love that transcends all time and place. It's an intangible, all encompassing, once in a life time kind of love. I think this is partly the reason why adults can appreciate and enjoy 'Twilight' because it speaks to the romantic soul. The renewal of wonder in that there is some truth to the term "soul mates" and that in our universe you are possibly destined to become consumed with love for one and only one other person - your perfect match, the other half of your soul.
While this concept is vast, Meyer brings it to life with flowing prose that sweeps the reader along into the world of innocence. Where love and it's corresponding emotions are lived and breathed for the first time for these characters, but acts as a youthful reminder and a passage back in time for us veterans of love. It brings our jaded and cynical souls back to when we were filled with youthful optimism and heartache was never something you had experienced so you didn't think much over the fact that this first love could end. In fact you spent a lot of your time defending it from people who continuously admonish that "first loves never last" and "you never end up forever with your first" and so on and so forth.
As the parent of their mother/daughter relationship, Bella has acquired an old soul. One that feels more comfortable taking care of others. Because of this Bella has shaped into a self-sacrificing person who is fiercely protective of the ones she loves. But she's willing to sacrifice her mortality for one very odd but very beautiful boy. It's this old soul trait that makes her so compatible with Edward for he is in fact a hundred year old vampire. Each and every encounter between Bella and Edward was amazing to me. I was turning the pages so fast in an effort to reach their next scenes together that before I knew it, the story had ended.
Bella truly is the most endearing and amazing character and while there is huge fan base for Edward, I'm of team Bella. I admired her complete unselfishness, which is not a teenage trait in my experience and in hindsight could be considered a character flaw, yet with out this trait there would be no 'Twilight'. She consistently burdens herself with others guilt by always discovering the way in which the guilt had somehow been brought upon by her. She could go as far as thinking "if I'd never been born then this could have never happened" and she would precede to feel guilty. Hmm...this sounds bad but it was truly an endearing quality. Bella always viewed the good in others no matter what and while that may be naive, I think this brings a certain optimism to each and every situation whether it be good or bad.
With regards to Edward, while he was of course romantic and I hung on his every speaking word, I also thought he was the more juvenile of the two. I know he is simply trying his best to not inadvertently kill Bella, but I thought he was a bit of whiner and at times irrational in his fear. Yet when he decides to break all the rules he certainly doesn't waste any time securing Bella for his own and I enjoyed his take charge attitude. Plus I've always had a thing for stalker heroes. This is of course not to be confused with the creepy stalkers of real life but more along the lines of being inexplicably drawn to the one you desire above all others (found only romance novels).
In the end 'Twilight' was refreshing for the fact that Bella was denied the gift of immortality based on the simple grounds that Edward wants her to live. If given the choice, all the vampires of the Cullen clan would choose life over immortality and none of them wants Bella to waste hers on them. It is in this one particular area that Bella proves she's selfish, yet her inner debate is fascinating to read.
And finally in closing I feel that anyone can enjoy 'Twilight'. Some might focus solely on the teenage side of it and never grasp the transcending romance within but many will. It's a very fast read despite it's girth and it's not a love story that romance lovers should miss.
Oh, and I didn't even miss the sex. :0)
Book Review: 4.5 Pink Hearts from Kooritsuki's Novels Reviews
Summary: 4 Stars
Twilight by Stephenie Meyers is a popular Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel and the first installment of the the Twilight Saga. I've picked up a soft cover copy a couple of months ago in the supermarket due to it's attractive cover (movie cover in fact), and it certainly did not disappoint. The book is a very pleasant read for the ones young at heart and is well worth 4.5 Pink Hearts in my review.
Isabella Swan, who was very particular at being called Bella instead of Isabella, was a 17 years old high school student. After her mother remarried, she volunteered to move from Phoenix, Arizona to Forks, Washington to live with her father. The move was a drag to her, she disliked the town Forks, the weather was always gloomy, and she hated the attention that everyone gave her in school, since she was the "new girl" and police officer Chief Swan's only daughter. That is until she met gorgeous Edward Cullen, who acted as if he had bi-polar personalities and wouldn't stop telling her she should be scared of him.
Edward Cullen was a vampire of nearly a century old. He was gorgeous, lightening fast, extremely strong, can read other people's minds and even sparkles like diamonds under sunlight. Having practiced "vegetarianism" along with his family for a long time, his self-control towards human blood had only been second to his sire/father Carlisle, until Bella Swan came to his Biology class to sit by his side. To Edward, Bella was different. Not only was her blood much sweeter than anyone else's, her mind was also silent to him. She intrigued him, and he couldn't stay away from her, but he had to let her know that he was dangerous, far too dangerous for a human.
In Twilight, Stephenie Meyer did a very good job developing both her characters and the plot. Although the whole story was written in Bella's first person POV, it was easy to see how much Edward loved her, and how unselfish his character can be (although one can argue that if he was selfless, he would have just stayed away from Bella, but then we wouldn't have such a book to read, would we?), hence, making him so lovable that I fell in love with him instantly. The fact that he repeatedly warned Bella that she should be afraid of him, and to try to scare her off was also very cute of him.
The plot of Twilight, being a paranormal romance, was very believable, and the introduction of Stephenie Meyer's concept of vampires were also made very smoothly. There was no long awkward explanations, we just found out little bits here and there about them as Bella did. The plot also flowed very well without any unnecessary scenes, and the introduction of James, the antagonist vampire, was, although a little sudden, but not at all unexpected.
The secondary characters in the story was also fantastic, especially Edward's sister Alice Cullen. She was cute, funny and can also see the future. She was my second favorite character in this book, just after Edward. Her character was not only essential to the development of the plot, but also very entertaining to read.
What didn't like about Twilight was that, although, after Edward and Bella got together, everything was logical and lovey-dovey, I did not quite understand why Bella fell so deeply in love with Edward in the begining. Yes, he was drop dead gorgeous, he saved her life, and was everything a girl would want, but that did not lighten the fact that he was a vampire. And Bella, not only that she was not one bit bothered by that fact, she didn't seem surprised either. Now, I did not think that was normal; especially when she didn't seemed to believe in the supernatural before (or at least Stephanie Meyer did not mention that she believed in it). In my opinion, it would probably be better if it was written in a way that she fell for him, but not too hard in the beginning, then gradually began to love him so much that she would have done anything for him.
As for Edward, although his character was very well developed (as in actions did not clash with personality, and how he could melt your heart anytime), he acted like a teenager, or at least, a person under 30 most of the time. He certainly did not have the wisdom a 100 years old vampire should have. I guess one could argue that this is because once you become a vampire, things do not really change, and these "things" include personality and the way they think and act. But nevertheless, the impression it gave me was that Stephenie Meyer's characters were a bit on the shallow side. Yes, Bella being shallow I can understand, because she was only a 17 years old teenager, how can she not be? But the fact that Edward was a little shallow took away quite a few points for Twilight in my books.
Unlike some other reviewers, I had no problem with Bella being "helpless." I didn't believe it was true helplessness in her part. Keep in mind that she was only a fragile human, and she was up against all these strong unbreakable vampires, what else could she do? Put her with the other humans in the story and she would definitely be above average on the weak-strong scale. Plus, one of the things made her seem more "helpless" than she really was, was the fact that Edward had always been over protective. With a boyfriend like that, one is bound to look a little weaker than she really is. And I'm glad that Bella didn't argue about it, like some other female characters in other books, trying to act all tough when she wasn't. (I guess it doesn't take much to see that I really hate characters who act strong and I-can-take-care-of-myself, when the next second, she lies on the floor half dead and helpless because she thought too much of herself. It's better to embrace your weakness and let people help.)
In conclusion, the paranormal romance novel Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is a book I would definitely recommend to anyone. It would leave a smile on your face by the end of the book, if not throughout most of it. However, do keep in mind that this is a book for Young Adults with aims to satisfy girly fantasies, so the characters does have more shallow personalities, and the quality of writing is not necessarily the best (it did not bother me though). If you'd like to read a well written paranormal romance with truly strong female characters, read the Immortals After Dark series by Kresley Cole instead. But if you're more interested in a light hearted easy read, you should definitely try Twilight if you have not already done so.
This review was initially written for my blog.
Book Review: I caved to the hype and found that it meant ultimate disappointment...
Summary: 3 Stars
Okay, so I will be the first to admit that I had never even heard of the Twilight saga until I heard my teenage nieces gushing about the movie...So before I even saw the trailer for the film, I bought the book on a trip to the bookstore, grabbing a copy on my way to the checkout counter. I had heard it was about vampires, which to me is a plus, as I have been an avid fan of vampire lore for many years. I figured with all the hype this book was receiving, perhaps Stephanie Meyer was to become the next Anne Rice; Edward, the next Lestat (both an author and a character that I worshiped not so long ago, as a teenager myself)...boy, was I in for a let-down! Of course, I was aware that the book was geared toward the adolescent girl reader base, but I have picked up some quite brilliant young adult reads in the past, and again, the insane hype!
First off, could Stephanie Meyer have created a character in Bella Swan that the reader could care any less about??? I'm sorry, but I saw absolutely nothing charming or endearing about her character. In the beginning, she had a few likable moments, and I thought perhaps it could only get better...again I was wrong...it became the exact opposite, actually. She is terribly immature emotionally, even for her young age and I could not understand how her extreme klutziness could ever be seen as cute instead of comical, and eventually, annoying as well...a combination of funny-haha and funny-weird. The damsel in distress bit gets old fast. Clark Kent has more luck with Lois Lane. Her character is terribly weak, selfish and totally insecure. She would have to be indescribably beautiful for any guy to ever show an interest in her...especially in high school! Of course, Meyer neglects to shine any sort of light on exactly what Bella looks like, except to tell us that she has brown eyes, brown hair, and is 5 feet 4 inches tall. I could go on all day about how much I grew to despise the character of Bella Swan, but I'll save the rest for the other books, which yes, I have read.
Edward...Oh Edward, where for art thou?! In the beginning of this book, I found the character of Edward to seem quite appealing. I must say, the image my mind drew up was tremendously fetching. But as Edward grew to "love" the character of Bella, I couldn't help but tsk and shake my head at him time and time again...what is wrong with him??? Is he not 108 years old? Yes, I think so...so wouldn't that mean that, 17-yr old body or not, he's still a 108 year old man, would it not? I would think that he would have more sense than to fall head over heels for an abrasive yet ordinary 17 yr old girl. I think that's even illegal in some states. I could understand if she had been granted a very old soul, wisdom beyond her years, and Meyer states this as fact several times over throughout the book, yet never shows us anything to back it up. Everything that Bella is is not unlike any other normal, weak, severely insecure-to-the-point-of-needing-therapy, obsessive, selfish, immature 17 year old girl. The only logic I could glean from the description of the "love" they feel for each other is as follows...Edward isn't really in love with her but instead thirsts ravenously for her sweet smelling blood and is fighting against the innate temptation to kill her and drain her of her life, and he's fascinated and confused by the fact that he cannot read her mind, unlike everyone else he encounters, which is unfortunate because he ain't missin' much. Bella, on the other hand, is so insecure with herself that she falls head-over-heels for the first boy that looks like he wants to eat her, mistaking the desire to murder her for affection, as so many of us have done at some point.
In short, Stephanie Meyer failed miserably to sell me on the love story part, and in the end, didn't seem to care. There was simply nothing about Bella that would have made a 108 year old man fall for her so quickly. And she failed to make Edward seem like a 108 year old man. He acted more like a 17 year old boy through the love story part than I would think he should have. And I was terribly disappointed when I should've been impressed by all of Meyer's made-up out of her own head vampire lore. No fangs...I can live with that, I guess. Not allergic to garlic, holy water, crucifixes, and sunlight, hey I can even handle that. But vampires...that....glitter??? Come on! That was a bit much for me to stomach. It's kinda...well, it's a bit wienie. And no matter how many times Eddie describes himself as a "horrible monster", everything he does only contradicts that belief. Vampires are supposed to be damned souls, void of any humanity whatsoever, killing machines...animal blood should not make them just as strong as human blood. And whether or not the very "noble" vampire leader, Dr. Carlilse Cullen is turning only those who have "no other choice" into vampires, he is still creating them and taking away their eternal peace against their will...therefore, he is the most terrible of all the monsters!
But my review isn't all bad...I don't think. There were some characters that I did enjoy, mostly without Bella in the picture (at least when I ignored her). I found Edward to be one of them, though I still can't figure out how, if he's so uber-brilliant, he could be so stupid all at the same time...that's a man for you I guess. Second would be Jacob Black, the native boy who also has the hots for Bella, though there is no reason he should. His crush seems a bit more plausible, however. I also enjoyed the minor characters of Jacob's dad, Billy, and Bella's emotionally detached father, Charlie, which could offer some insight into why Bella would go seeking love from such an old dude, even when he treats her like crap. Very Freudian of you, Stephanie Meyer.
Overall, this book was an easy read, flowing quickly from beginning to end, and taking me all of a day and a half to finish (that's on days I also worked 8 hours, mind you). I found myself laughing out loud a few times, sometimes at inappropriate moments, and even sighed aloud at the reaction Eddie had to the feel of Bella's warm hand on his cold skin. But that would be all for me. I found it funny at times, and had Meyer been brave enough to delve a bit deeper into the vampire lore, it might've been a bit more interesting. And if this statement tells you anything about the rest of the saga, Twilight was by far my favorite of the series...consider yourselves warned.
Book Review: Incredibly stupid book but an incredibly fun read
Summary: 3 Stars
After all the publicity this book got, I figured I might as well read it. I was tired of telling people "I haven't read it" when they asked my opinion or talked amongst themselves. I first heard about it from Brooke (I'm Anne) who said she liked "Twilight" hated "New Moon", couldn't get through "Eclipse", and didn't even try to read "Breaking Dawn." I'm still on "New Moon" but that's beside the point. When I finally did get around to reading "Twilight" I found that it wasn't as good as all the cult-like fans raved nor was it as bad as Brooke or other Twilight haters said. I found that while a majority of the book was rather moronic, it did keep me turning the pages rather quickly. The "moronic" part I'm referring to of course is the stupid love scenes between Bella and Edward. When I was talking to someone who had already read it about where I was at in the book, I was told "You'll get another 100 pages or so about how wonderful Edward is and then it'll start to have a plot" which is pretty much what happened. Towards the end, when they were running from the bad guys in a life or death situation, it was a much better book than it was when I got to hear stuff like "His topaz eyes were stunningly beautiful as he smiled my favorite crooked smile. He pulled me close to his chest that was as cold and as hard as marble, and his body as well shaped as a sculpture. As I ran my fingers through his perfectly bronze hair and observed his breathtaking beauty, I realized I was in love with him." I'm not exaggerating here. She literally writes crap like that and more surprisingly, the editor actually allowed it to appear in the final draft.
My biggest problem with the book was definitely Edward. He annoyed the crap out of me. Maybe it was because Meyer's caliber of writing dropped significantly whenever he entered the scene. When he did, she could hardly go a paragraph without mentioning his beautiful this or his perfect that and I got sick of hearing about his awesome good looks rather quickly. Once again, I'm not exaggerating. Perhaps I hated him because of what he did to Bella. At the beginning, Bella was an independent girl who always spoke her mind. She was sarcastic and funny, and seemed like the kind of character I could really like. Next thing I knew, she was a damsel in distress that couldn't live without Mr. H.I.V. (Hunky Idiotic Vampire) and would do anything for him. I felt that he bossed Bella around too much to be a decent boyfriend. He knew Bella couldn't say no to him and he really took advantage of that at some points. Like on their first "date" (if you can call it that) Bella says she's not hungry but Edward tells her to eat anyway. He never listens to her without telling her she's wrong. He also watches Bella sleep which I found kind of creepy. It was also too predictable the way he rescued her from every peril she was ever in. This wasn't so much a problem with him as it was the writing. Not only did it ad to the damsel in distress aspect, it was, like I said, predictable. By the end of the book, some of the scenes that are supposed to create suspense fall flat because it's oh so obvious Edward will come save the day.
One of the things that I know Brooke hates but I don't really mind is the way Meyer re-invents the vampire image. If you're looking for a traditional vampire novel stay as far away from Twilight as you can get. In the world of Stephanie Meyer, vampires don't burn in the sun, they sparkle. They are immune to things that are supposed to be lethal to vampires, such as garlic, silver bullets, etc. The only way to kill vampires is to chop them up into pieces then burn the pieces. And they play baseball.
As with any product I review, negative or positive, I have to include some of the pointless little things that bugged me but don't really make a difference in the big picture. It's my signature thing. You're welcome to skip this paragraph as none of it really has to do with anything. It annoyed me how in the beginning of the book Bella says "I couldn't call Charlie [her father] by his first name to his face" she makes a point of this. She says things like "Ch--Dad" but that rule apparently only existed for the first few chapters because later Bella called him Charlie ever so casually and he didn't seem to mind. If I could pick up on this, a professional editor should've been able to. My other problem was the way Meyer writes about the nitty gritty rules of baseball without actually knowing them. If you don't know that people don't score on the third out of the inning unless it was tag play and the runner stepped on the plate before the final out was made, don't say things like "It was the third out but Edward scored, putting his team ahead by one." Simply say "The Cullen family played baseball" without getting into rules you don't know. Similarly, Bella's mom moved so as to be with her new husband, who was supposed to be a professional baseball player. We are lead to believe that this story starts in January, yet January is considered the off-season in all the professional baseball leagues I know of.
Overall, Twilight was fun to read but still rather idiotic. The quality of writing is rather poor, but the book is still hard to put down. I don't consider Stephanie Meyer a good writer at all. She simply came up with an idea good enough to make her millions. And to all the Twilight-obsessed fan girls, there is a difference between good writing and good ideas. A good idea is just the basic premise for the story. This book had a good enough plot to be entertaining, so I'm crediting Meyer with a good idea. As far as word choice, editing, repetition, etc. goes, Meyer failed miserably, at least when she was writing about Edward, which is about half the book. The fact she spent half the book talking about Edward is a sign of poor writing, like I said repetition. When Bella was alone the writing wasn't near as bad and I actually kind of liked Meyer's style. Anyway, I'll wrap this up by saying that intuitively, I know Twilight is a stupid book and that Meyer isn't very talented in the writing department, but I enjoyed the book anyway. If you think you can endure all the negatives I've described and are in the mood for a good guilty pleasure book, Twilight is for you.