Killer seriesOctober 6, 2008 Jessica Gingerich(Tavi, ON, CA) These books are a menace to society. You don't want to sleep, go to work, or do anything but read!!!!!
J.G.
Not the best message to give to young women out there.September 21, 2008 Helena Rasmussen(Edmonton, AB, Canada) 1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book could have been so much better if she had only edited it better and realized that the logical conclusion was to have Bella end with Jacob rather than Edward. I found Edward was the textbook example of a controlling and abusive boyfriend, with him GIVING and TAKING permission away from Bella to do things. The worst was that she was so "in Love" with him that she didn't stand up for herself. I know that the author wrote Bella as weak so that the reader could insert themselves in her shoes, but she did it reaaally badly. Harry Potter was done the same way, but at least Harry WAS Harry. You knew who he was, what he liked, what his goals and values were. Bella could have been a freakin' Stepford wife for all we knew about her. Epic fail, Author.
The fact that they kept bringing up "Wuthering Heights" and glorifying the dysfunctional relationship and trying to justify it by claiming their "happiness" and their determination to stick by each other no matter what sounded totally false. Also, the pressure Edward was putting on Bella to get married was just wrong. Not to mention the once again weak justification of Edward about him being a man of his time. Uhm...and you have spend exactly HOW MUCH TIME IN HS AND NOT UNDERSTOOD HOW THE WORLD HAS CHANGED? GIVE ME A BREAK MAN!
The other thing that pissed me right the hell off was the whole pseudo"Let's make Jacob evil by having him kiss Bella without permission" scenario. Uhm...I have dated people that have made that mistake. That was because I WASN'T GIVING CLEAR SIGNALS! Either that or the author totally SUCKS IN WRITING AMBIGUITY! And I haven't HIT THEM after GIVING THEM INDICATION THAT I WAS RECEPTIVE TO BEING KISSED!! This was a piss-poor plot device and the author threw that extremely STUPID part in to make Edward still be the better choice. Uhm...no. Jacob was still a pretty decent guy that despite that majorly craptastically written scene. If she had had some foreshadowing about it...could be believable. But honestly, EDWARD is the creepy bastard I would be keeping my daughters away from and not Jacob. Sweet Jeebus!
I also note with sour amusement that no one said it was wrong of Bella to hit someone. Huhm...double standard much here?
I think that the series would have been better if Bella had chosen Jacob because it would have shown the growth of the character and it would have shown exactly what kind of a delusion and danger having a relationship like the one she has with Edward truly is.
These books are doing a disservice to the young women that read them because they are painting a very seductive, but horribly dangerous tale of an obsessive and unequal love between two people. This is what makes an abusive relationship where a woman (or man) is controlled, abused and sometimes even killed.
I wouldn't let any girls read this without having a huge discussion about the dangers that a relationship with someone like Edward would present. And the author should really think about what message she is bringing to the masses before she writes another book. Yeah, I'm picking on the author cause is women and girls are reading this like a bible, then they should be aware of what is being sold to them.
This book and this series really suck and if you want to read something that did the concept MUCH better, Try "Sunshine" by Robin McKinley.
Just not worth it.August 30, 2008 iS(Ontario, Canada) 3 out of 4 found this review helpful
There really was no saving point in this book. Bella was as annoying as ever. We were supposed to feel sad for her, yet there wasn't a moment where I didn't wish she would be killed just so the story could move onto someone more interesting.
Jacob, who was the only saving point of the last book 'New Moon', spiraled down into a jerk by physically forcing himself on Bella (twice) and then having the nerve to stand back for a bellowing laugh. I suppose it was lucky that his sexual assault didn't borderline anywhere near rape, yet what really irritates me the most is that Bella's reaction to his assualt was played off comically by both Jacob and her father Charlie. WTF?
This isn't even the start of Eclipse's problems. Then there's Edward, who literally kidnaps the poor girl and holds her hostage in the start of the book, which made me wonder if Bella knew exactly the type of relationship she was in.
I know, I know, he loves her and wanted to protect her, but damn, when I was reading the entire thing from her perspective, it felt like I was watching a horror flick with an obsessed and mentally disturbed stalker instead. Luckily, that kind of over reaction didn't last because Edward was a bit more tolerable here for the rest of the book. He actually seemed to have somewhat matured from the previous book, but again, like in the past, his constant need to cradle or hold Bella's face to tell her how perfect she was became pretty annoying as well.
Even the ultimate alliance between the Werewolves and the Vampires didn't interest me. There was nothing in there that was remotely intriguing, especially since most of their allied battle was told to us off-screen, which is a complete shame because I was looking forward to that the most.
However, the biggest gripe I have about this series is how everything, including the sun and moon, seems to revolve around Bella. As close to a definition of a Mary Sue if I've ever seen one in a long while. Between the hundreds of growls that every character seemed to make in this book, I found myself lowering my IQ just to tolerate the characters and the story.
Why were all these 100+ year old vampires so dumb? The big twist where Bella figures out the connection between Victoria, the newborns, and Seattle was plainly obvious. In fact, after Jasper explained the entire newborn story, I thought that everyone assumed that Victoria was behind this. Imagine my surprise when it's BELLA who's friggin' telling all these smarter, faster, and experienced vampires that there might be a connection. The fact that they found this revelation surprising was what that baffled me.
This was not the only example: The twist of the final battle itself where Victoria used the newborns as a distraction seemed like a big deal to all the characters, even to the great military expert Jasper, but it was just as something that was so obvious and predictable that I felt like I was personally dealing with idiots. The entire thing just made me want to scream. AGH!
The only characters that I found that I could truly tolerate in moderation were the secondary characters - Charlie, Billy, Sam, etc. The stories that both Jasper and Billy's relatives told about their pasts were the only parts where I enjoyed the book. The conflicted romance, and even the danger that surfaced in this book, were laughably bad. I can only shake my head at anyone who thinks this is good writing. Perhaps as a way to fill some time, but other than that, it's a pass for me completely.
Sorry Stephenie Meyer.
1 out of 5.
LOVE ITTJuly 27, 2008 Krisel Q.(Ontario, Canada) 0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was so sad that i read this book too fast just beacuse i couldn't put it down! I loved every page! The epilogue was kinda weird though, i wish it was bella and edward's future or something instead of jacob's anger.
I cannot wait until BREAKING DAWN is out!!
Better than TwilightJuly 24, 2008 J. Cheung(Toronto, Ontario Canada) 1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I started reading this series because I was intrigued. So much hype about a vampire series for teens?! Could it really be that good? Since day one, I've not been able to put them down! After I started Twilight, I immediately went out the buy New Moon & Eclipse. It's been 2 weeks and I don't want to finish Eclipse before Breaking Dawn hits the stores. What would I do without my fix of Bella & Edward?! huh ....
I found Twilight slightly on the slow side ... character development etc... New Moon was sad from the start and I couldn't wait for Edward to return. The 'dog' just bores me. I don't know why Bella indulges him? The 3rd book, Eclipse is flawless. The book flows and there's not a dull moment.
These novels are not just for teens. Caution: Once you start reading, you will not be able to put them down. I cannot wait for book 4! What will I do 'til then?
