Book Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer
This book was an impulse buy. I read a lot of Young Adult fiction, I always have. Sometimes it's old favorites that comfort me-- books that I read over and over again with a mug of hot tea, curled under the blankets. Sometimes it's the latest big thing, just out of curiosity.
Why did I buy this book? First of all, at 500 pages, it was a thick book. Harry Potter aside, not very many publishers will allot that many pages for YA fiction, so thicker books tend to be quality books. Also, a quick scan over the jacket intimated that this book was genre fiction (vampires, no less), one of my favorite YA topics. I'm always interested in new spins on old themes. And finally, the most shallow point-- I really liked the cover design. It draws you in as it darkly offers the symbolic apple-- a fruit of hidden knowledge.
That said, this book was definitely not worth the $15.
The Heroine:: Bella, the Mary Sue. I've always loved the name Isabella-- in fact, if ever I should have a daughter, that name is already earmarked. Aside from that, though? What a boring character. Bella is the queen of Mary Sues.
Evidence: Bella is clutzy, to the point where she injures herself or others every time there is some physical activity afoot-- volleyball, badminton, hiking, or, oh hell, just walking. Used once or twice, this might be a cute, albeit hackneyed personality trait that makes the character relatable to the readers. But as it was? Please. It was so irritating.
Evidence: Bella is beautiful, Bella gets asked out all day long, Bella gets shocked when her boyfriend takes her to prom. But Bella says she's completely unaware that she's pretty, and seems stunned that others think so. Oh, come on.
Evidence: Edward, our vampire hero, can hear the thoughts of humans. But not Bella's thoughts! Why, you ask? I don't know why. No one ever takes a stab at this mystery. I kept expecting an explanation, but it was completely glossed over. Also, Bella's blood smells more fragrant than everyone else's. Why, you ask? Um, that wasn't explained, either. She's just specshul.
I think the most irritating thing about Bella is that she's portrayed as completly helpless. She's constantly wandering into trouble and has to be rescued. Never in this book does she rescue herself through brains or wit. She always waits for the heroes to sweep in and save her. In my mind, that downgrades her from "heroine" to "protagonist."
Possibly even "plot device." I can't escape the fact that Bella seems to act only as the plot requires, rather than her own personal motivations. Case in point: the ending. Evil vampire says he's got your mother. You have no proof whatsoever that he does. Do you leave the group of very strong good vampires around you to go find out? Even if he does have your mother, there's no guarantee he won't kill you both. Bella's decision-making process has "dumb" stamped all over it. It kind of made me wish she'd died, because then we might get more character development.
The Hero:: Edward, the vampire. If you've seen one episode of Season 1 Buffy, you've already got him down pat. He resists his nature, he tries to be good. He's all intense and hunky. He's completely without any kind of flaw. He is irresistably attracted to the female protagonist, we never really understand why. In other words, he's a cardboard cutout. Not only that, but I can't remember a single instance where the author didn't describe his hair or eyecolor twice on any given page. If I see the phrase "topaz eyes" one more time, I might have a fit.
The Villain:: James, the tracker. Way to make an entrance in the last bit of the book and not be scary at all. He even gets a totally cliché reveal speech that would have been cool if it didn't feel so tacked-on. Also, with so much being made of his being a "tracker," it's never really explained what that means, or why that makes him so ominous. And in conclusion-- we never get to see him defeated. Bella passes out, and when she wakes up, he's dead. How lame is that??
Everybody else:: The rest of the characters seem similarly 1-dimensional. There's the pretty blonde sister who's snobby for unknown reasons. There's the clique-y group of friends, the moony guy friend, the loveable-but-clueless dad. The only character who escapes the 1D curse and arrests any interest is Alice, a vampire psychic who is both sympathetic and enigmatic.
The Plot:: Plot? There was a plot? Oh, right, the last 1/5th of the book. The book was kind of like this--
Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Ohmahgawdeverythinghappensatonce.
The pacing was really off, and there was no tension build-up. And not for one instance was I worried that anything bad might happen to anyone important.
Overall, my thoughts repeated themselves. I wanted to know more. Why do these vampires shine like diamonds in the sunlight? What are the rules that make up vampire society? Why does everyone treat Bella so specially? More character development, less moon-eyes. The fact that a character is attractive doesn't mean that he or she doesn't need a distinct personality.
When I peeked on the author's website, things made a little more sense. This is her first novel, so I can understand lots of these problems. I'm bound to make some of the same mistakes, myself. However, this is where a good editor comes in. An outside eye less concerned with fangirling over the hero's alabaster skin and more concerned with characterization, consistency, and pacing.
If you've got a serious thing for vampire fiction, borrow this from the library. If not... don't be lured in by the pretty cover, mmkay?
2006 Book Log:: http://sihaya09.livejournal.com/439937.html
This book was an impulse buy. I read a lot of Young Adult fiction, I always have. Sometimes it's old favorites that comfort me-- books that I read over and over again with a mug of hot tea, curled under the blankets. Sometimes it's the latest big thing, just out of curiosity.
Why did I buy this book? First of all, at 500 pages, it was a thick book. Harry Potter aside, not very many publishers will allot that many pages for YA fiction, so thicker books tend to be quality books. Also, a quick scan over the jacket intimated that this book was genre fiction (vampires, no less), one of my favorite YA topics. I'm always interested in new spins on old themes. And finally, the most shallow point-- I really liked the cover design. It draws you in as it darkly offers the symbolic apple-- a fruit of hidden knowledge.
That said, this book was definitely not worth the $15.
Amazon Synopsis:: Headstrong, sun-loving, 17-year-old Bella declines her mom's invitation to move to Florida, and instead reluctantly opts to move to her dad's cabin in the dreary, rainy town of Forks, WA. She becomes intrigued with Edward Cullen, a distant, stylish, and disarmingly handsome senior, who is also a vampire. When he reveals that his specific clan hunts wildlife instead of humans, Bella deduces that she is safe from his blood-sucking instincts and therefore free to fall hopelessly in love with him. The feeling is mutual, and the resulting volatile romance smolders as they attempt to hide Edward's identity from her family and the rest of the school. Meyer adds an eerie new twist to the mismatched, star-crossed lovers theme: predator falls for prey, human falls for vampire.
The Heroine:: Bella, the Mary Sue. I've always loved the name Isabella-- in fact, if ever I should have a daughter, that name is already earmarked. Aside from that, though? What a boring character. Bella is the queen of Mary Sues.
Evidence: Bella is clutzy, to the point where she injures herself or others every time there is some physical activity afoot-- volleyball, badminton, hiking, or, oh hell, just walking. Used once or twice, this might be a cute, albeit hackneyed personality trait that makes the character relatable to the readers. But as it was? Please. It was so irritating.
Evidence: Bella is beautiful, Bella gets asked out all day long, Bella gets shocked when her boyfriend takes her to prom. But Bella says she's completely unaware that she's pretty, and seems stunned that others think so. Oh, come on.
Evidence: Edward, our vampire hero, can hear the thoughts of humans. But not Bella's thoughts! Why, you ask? I don't know why. No one ever takes a stab at this mystery. I kept expecting an explanation, but it was completely glossed over. Also, Bella's blood smells more fragrant than everyone else's. Why, you ask? Um, that wasn't explained, either. She's just specshul.
I think the most irritating thing about Bella is that she's portrayed as completly helpless. She's constantly wandering into trouble and has to be rescued. Never in this book does she rescue herself through brains or wit. She always waits for the heroes to sweep in and save her. In my mind, that downgrades her from "heroine" to "protagonist."
Possibly even "plot device." I can't escape the fact that Bella seems to act only as the plot requires, rather than her own personal motivations. Case in point: the ending. Evil vampire says he's got your mother. You have no proof whatsoever that he does. Do you leave the group of very strong good vampires around you to go find out? Even if he does have your mother, there's no guarantee he won't kill you both. Bella's decision-making process has "dumb" stamped all over it. It kind of made me wish she'd died, because then we might get more character development.
The Hero:: Edward, the vampire. If you've seen one episode of Season 1 Buffy, you've already got him down pat. He resists his nature, he tries to be good. He's all intense and hunky. He's completely without any kind of flaw. He is irresistably attracted to the female protagonist, we never really understand why. In other words, he's a cardboard cutout. Not only that, but I can't remember a single instance where the author didn't describe his hair or eyecolor twice on any given page. If I see the phrase "topaz eyes" one more time, I might have a fit.
The Villain:: James, the tracker. Way to make an entrance in the last bit of the book and not be scary at all. He even gets a totally cliché reveal speech that would have been cool if it didn't feel so tacked-on. Also, with so much being made of his being a "tracker," it's never really explained what that means, or why that makes him so ominous. And in conclusion-- we never get to see him defeated. Bella passes out, and when she wakes up, he's dead. How lame is that??
Everybody else:: The rest of the characters seem similarly 1-dimensional. There's the pretty blonde sister who's snobby for unknown reasons. There's the clique-y group of friends, the moony guy friend, the loveable-but-clueless dad. The only character who escapes the 1D curse and arrests any interest is Alice, a vampire psychic who is both sympathetic and enigmatic.
The Plot:: Plot? There was a plot? Oh, right, the last 1/5th of the book. The book was kind of like this--
Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Nothing happens. Ohmahgawdeverythinghappensatonce.
The pacing was really off, and there was no tension build-up. And not for one instance was I worried that anything bad might happen to anyone important.
Overall, my thoughts repeated themselves. I wanted to know more. Why do these vampires shine like diamonds in the sunlight? What are the rules that make up vampire society? Why does everyone treat Bella so specially? More character development, less moon-eyes. The fact that a character is attractive doesn't mean that he or she doesn't need a distinct personality.
When I peeked on the author's website, things made a little more sense. This is her first novel, so I can understand lots of these problems. I'm bound to make some of the same mistakes, myself. However, this is where a good editor comes in. An outside eye less concerned with fangirling over the hero's alabaster skin and more concerned with characterization, consistency, and pacing.
If you've got a serious thing for vampire fiction, borrow this from the library. If not... don't be lured in by the pretty cover, mmkay?
2006 Book Log:: http://sihaya09.livejournal.com/439937.html