Books : Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1)

Rating: - Huge disappointment
Many people have said it before me, but this book was really bad. I kept reading it, waiting for it to get better. Waiting for the googly-eyed teenagers to come back to the real world and for the story to start. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen until the very last few chapters. And even then, it's just not that good. Even the romance had no real chemistry. This book was recommended to be by one of my favorite Youtubers, but I have to disagree. I don't see how any independent, intelligent female could possibly like Bella Swan. I kept waiting for her to grow a spine and wake up. I really wanted to slap her! if this is the kind of book that modern teenagers are dying to read, I really fear for the future of this country. Maybe this book would make good kindling this winter...

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Rating: - Fan of Buffy, Not Bella!!!!!!
Bella is annoying, selfish and not a good role model for girls. I'm not sure why she is so helpless and needy, but she is... and unnecessarily so! I like the NA theme and read 3 of the 4 books as a screening process for my kids, but I will have to discuss what a strong and healthy lead character should look like and why the sudden infatuation with a boy without much thought is common among teenagers, but in the long run it is not healthy.

I wish Stephenie Meyer would have wrote a strong lead female character, but I'm not sure if it's the strong patriarchy stressed in the LDS religion that influenced her character development of a helpless needy girl that needs the strength of men to protect her or what. But it isn't the best book I've ever read, but I enjoy the NA theme and the discussions about selfishness, independence, and healthy relationships that I can have with my kids.

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Rating: - stimulated my gag reflex
I was told this would be a good "mental break" for me. Instead, I found myself criticizing everything from Edward's ridiculous perfection to Bella's constant whining. Where is the story? Why did it take 400 pages to describe Edward's beauty, and his angst-ridden relationship with Bella? Did Meyer ever study a plot line in highschool literature class? And I can't seem to find any depth in these characters, either. They just exist, matter of factly, like Meyer doesn't even care that we don't know them. These are HER imaginary friends, and I have to say I agree with her that I can't see why anyone other than her likes this story.

All in all I found the love story in Twilight to be so ridiculous that I could hardly enjoy it. A story has to be somewhat grounded in reality to be good, and this just... wasn't. I actually found it rather insulting as a woman to have been expected to swoon over this story.

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Rating: - most awesome book ever
This is a great book I had it done in 4 days, I hated to set it down. I would definatly recommend buying this book, you will not be disapointed.

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Rating: - Everyone should read this, including Christians
To my understanding, this is a teen saga (four books in a series). It's a romance, it's a suspense, and it's about vampires. Through all of the debates that I read. One topic was on whether or not as a parent you should allow your teen to read these books. Well, they are meant for teens, which should mean sure they'd be okay. But today that is not always the case, so my best advice and pre-read opinion was to read the book first and discuss it with your teen if necessary, or to read it in cue and the same, discussion, etc. The best comment that I read from someone who had read the series was how to first realize that it is fiction, and not something to "change your theology about". And then, she went on to highlight her opinion that the book was about abstinence as a main theme, and how can there be something harmful in that! She said that the book is about a vampire boyfriend who desires his human girlfriend in a vampire thirst and how he works to abstain from hurting her and going about what is best for both of them. Imagine! So, with this thought in my head, as well as all of the people screaming, burn the books, I jumped in to read.

Wow. Stephenie Meyer is a new favorite author for me. I am just plain ecstatic that I already have the rest of the saga to read, because if I did not, I would be on my way to the store to buy them immediately, before they are sold out! Call it a teen read, I do not care. I would say that it is an everyone read, but that definitely a teen could read it (safely) and love it. This is another one of those books that pulls you into their world and takes you on an adventure ride of love, friendship, family, jealousy, fear, and chills. It is a fact that a main theme through out is to live by what is right and not by what you simply and ultimately desire. There is a path for life and even though you may change it at your will, your efforts may cause more harm than good if you follow yourself instead of what is true and just.

As a reader, I was fully enraptured in the day to day life of Bella and her emotions for Edward. I cannot wait to read the rest of the saga and I cannot wait to see the film! I do hope that it does it justice. Bella is an average teen. Going between parents in two states, and being a klutz prone to humiliation, she just rides on the sidelines of life with her good grades and normal behavior. Her story is one that any romantic girl who has loved or desires to love can fall into and be held to the pages as the story unfolds.

I recommend this book for anyone and everyone. It truly is a keeper for my shelf. Put into the realm of the supernatural, this story portrays all that is dear and near as any Romeo and Juliet story in a different atmosphere can. There will always be two people that by appearances should not be together. It is in the making it work and love enduring that proves that there is a way for anything to happen when you follow what is good and not evil.