How Long Have You Been Seventeen? (Twilight - Stephenie Meyer)

Member Name: Andy.mack

Product:	Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
Date:	26/09/09 (65 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: An addictive read that captures your attention with well created characters

Disadvantages: There is perhaps a Stigma attached to these books that will put some people off

Having decided to give her mother and step father some space, 17 year old Bella Swan has decided to move back to Forks, Washington to live with her Dad for a bit. Expecting to slip into small town live in relative silence, she becomes the centre of attention as the new girl from the south. There are a small group, who Bella learns are all family, the Cullen's, who pay her absolutely no attention and one of them Bella is sure particularly dislikes her. They have a secret that no one can know, but Bella is determined to find out why Edward Cullen seems to be trying his hardest to get away from her.

It's fair to say that the twilight saga seems to be the latest books of the moment. They seem to have taken over from the Harry Potter series as the hottest topic in the world right now. As with the Potter series I thought I would try the first book and see what I thought. This really isn't the type of book I would normally read but I thought it'd be worth trying to find out what all the hype was about and whether it was deserved.

To be fair I was expecting to enjoy this book but the more I read of it the more I couldn't put it down. I usually prefer action and suspense stories and Vampire love stories have never formed part of my past reading habits. What Stephenie Meyer seems to have done her is created a story that captures your imagination and draws you in wanting to know where the story is going to go. The concept didn't particularly appeal to me but she seems to have written it in such a way that draws you into the plot.

This is in the main down to her characterisation of not only the lead characters Bella and Edward but all the supporting characters as well. The story itself is told from Bella's point of view and Meyer feeds you little bits of information about her personality and mannerisms all the way through the book and for me that worked really well. It's a bit like getting to know a new friend and once that bond is established it helps to encourage you to keep reading not only this book but the rest of the series.

With the rest of the cast she introduces them as Bella would meet them and again this works particularly well. It helps to reveal the history and the personality of the other characters and I think Meyer makes this work very well. Despite his life as a Vampire you start to feel like the relationship between Bella and Edward should work and you find yourself willing it while you are reading. Not only do you find out more about the characters from her perspective but also as her relationships with the likes of her Dad Charlie improve and again this holds your attention and keeps you reading.

I have to admit I was incredibly impressed with Meyer's style. She seems to capture the details through her characters eyes. Even the locations are well described and give you a mental picture of where Meyer's story is occurring. She has a way of creating suspense in her writing such as the moment where Bella is being stalked by two guys in Port Angles, you fear something is about to happen to her and the way Meyer sets the scene almost puts you in the place of Bella and starts you thinking what she must have been thinking.

Overall unlike the harry Potter books I can see what the hype is with Twilight. It is a series that is clearly aimed at teen to mid 30's girls but it seems to have something to offer everyone. There is tension, romance and even the odd moments of comedy. Now that the books are being made into films it'd be interesting to see how it translates onto the big screen. For now though I can thoroughly recommend the first book in the Twilight series and despite the stigma attached to the books I think everyone should at least read one of them.

Amazon: £3.49
Amazon Marketplace: £1.98

Summary: The first in the Twilight series