Forbidden love...and not a garlic bulb in sight (Twilight - Stephenie Meyer)

Member Name: eilidhcatriona

Product:	Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Date:	23/06/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A beautifully told love story

Disadvantages: It ends! Thank god it's just the start of the saga...

Having started my Dooyoo "career" with reviews of the Twilight DVD special edition and Breaking Dawn, I thought that now I've found my feet it was time to get round to reviewing the start of all the Twilight mania.

Twilight is the first novel in the bestselling saga by Stephenie Meyer. It tells the story of Bella Swan, who moves to the small town of Forks, where she soon finds that some of the towns residents aren't entirely human, and she falls in love with a vampire, Edward Cullen.

Twilight is essentially a love story, with added doses of nail biting action. The story is told in the first person from Bella's perspective. The characters are all well crafted, and Meyer's storytelling is superb - she really has a knack for drawing the reader in and making you want to be a part of the story.

The Twilight saga is, strictly speaking, aimed at teenage girls. However, right from this first novel the fanbase has been much wider than that. I was hooked from the very first chapter, and that's because the story is well told and I wanted to know what happened next; I felt like I was part of the story, like I knew all the characters and that it was perfectly believable that vampires could be living among us!

The Twilight novels have been hailed in various corners as the "new Harry Potter", and one of the reasons I decided to give them a go was that I was looking for a replacement for the boy wizard! I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and the fact that the Twilight series seemed to have almost as much universal appeal as Harry Potter was quite a selling point for me.

However, I don't think that Meyer's writing matches that of JK Rowling. She tells a brilliant story and really manages to draw you into the characters and the events, but she hasn't created quite such a large "world" as JK Rowling has. Her writing is also not so sophisticated, but that's not necessarily a bad thing for the type of story she is telling. The pace of the novel is perfect, we get to know Bella, then as she learns what Edward is we also learn more about his world. And then of course, there is a lot of action and excitement, which for me was un-put-downable as I had to know what happened next! Never mind eating my tea or sleeping, I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen, where would it end...

I waver about whether my favourite novel in the saga is Twilight or Breaking Dawn...really it depends which one I'm rereading at the time! I do however love Twilight because that's where it all began. I love learning all about Edward and vampires along with Bella, I get butterflies as she begins to realise what he is. And that, for me, is a sign of good storytelling - I can read it over and over again (and I have!), but I still enjoy it as much as the first time, and I find it just as exciting despite knowing everything that happens.

If you've read the book, you will want to see the film (probably have already!). But if you've seen the film, you might not feel the need to read the book. However I would strongly recommend you do. The director of Twilight: The Movie, Catherine Hardwicke, has said that lengthy passages of the book could be summed up with one facial expression, or one camera shot, and while that's true on screen, there is so much more to the book. You interact with the characters much more, and you understand why it is that Bella falls so quickly for Edward.

It's worth pointing out that Meyer is a Mormon, and as such has a lot of wholesome family values. This book is suitable for younger readers, from perhaps the age of 10. There is nothing explicit, and the relationship is passionate but chaste.

I love Twilight. I was hooked as soon as I started it, and I still am. I love the story, the characters, the writing...now I'm hoping, along with an awful lot of others, that Meyer decides to finish the fifth novel, Midnight Sun (for an explanation, check out www.stepheniemeyer/midnightsun). But before that we have New Moon to looks forward to in cinemas in November.

This really is a book for anyone of any age, not just teenage girls. If you enjoy a good story, then I think you should give Twilight a go.

Twilight is currently available from Amazon for only £3.49. I bought mine from Waterstones quite some time ago in their permanent 3 for 2 offer, and I wouldn't be surprised if they still have the Twilight novels included in that.

Summary: A love story...with vampires