My best friend told me about this series of books this past summer when I asked her for book recommendations. I was out of things to read and was looking for a new book. She actually seemed a little embarrassed to recommend it them to me.
"It's about vampires," she said, "but it's not like that."
You know what she means right? Scary, dark, creepy vampire stores all about blood and killing. That's what most people think of when you say the word 'vampire.' I know I did. So when I put a hold on the book at the library (with 7 other people ahead of me on the waiting list) I was reserved but optimist. I knew that Shannon was not a fan of scary books either and if she enjoyed it, I probably would too.
I was very pleasantly surprised. From the first pages of the book Twilight I was hooked. Laundry went undone, dishes were left to sit and children were ignored while I read the story between Edward & Bella. You see, Bella is 17 year old human girl, but Edward, whom she has just met after moving to a new town, is not human. Edward is different, which Bella notices right from the beginning. The book tells the story of how they meet & fall in love, although not so simple as that. There are complications for a vampire falling for a human, such as a desire for that human's blood. All these things and more made for a book that I couldn't put down.
There are 4 books in the Twilight Saga: Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn. I was lucky. I didn't get into the series until just before the fourth & final book was released. I could not have imagined having to wait months for the next book to be released. When I got Breaking Dawn, I actually started it at 9 a.m. on a Sunday morning & finished it at 2 a.m. Monday morning.
For those you you that have a hard time getting past that it's a vampire book, I wanted to mention that Edward & his family are, what they jokingly call themselves, "vegetarians." They drink the blood of animals instead of killing humans for moral reasons, although it is a continuous struggle for them. A lot of their time seems to be spent keeping Bella, who is a fragile human and not an indestructible vampire, safe. The books are very tasteful and make for wonderful fantasy series. They are advertised as Juvenile Fiction, but the author (who is my age) says that she wrote them with herself in mind, which explains their widespread appeal. My 16-year-old sister has read them and loved them, as has my mom. They're just that good.
I have read through the series twice now (yes, I am a freak & I don't mind admitting it) and loved it just as much the second time through. I've even read the partial PDF release of Midnight Sun, which is Twilight from Edward's viewpoint. I'm sure it goes without saying (especially with that countdown clock at the right) that I'm very excited about the movie release next week. Shannon is even flying up from Californina to visit on Thursday & we are seeing the very first showing at 12:01 a.m. It's good to see it with someone who is just as crazy about the books as I am. I'm really hoping the movie stands up to the quality of the book.
