The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (The Twilight Saga, #3.5)

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The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (Twilight #3.5)

3.54 of 5 stars 3.54 · rating details · 97,498 ratings · 8,110 reviews

Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, superhuman reflexes and unstoppable physical strength. Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood... life before she became a vampire.

All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has few certainties and even fewer rules: watch your back, don’t draw attention to yourself and, abo...more

Kindle Edition, 213 pages

Published June 5th 2010 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (first published June 1st 2009)

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Jun 22, 2010 Tatiana rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: die-hard Twilight fans

Shelves: romancelandia, ya, short-stories

To be fair, I think if you are a fan of Stephenie Meyer and all her books (including The Host and Breaking Dawn), you will enjoy this novella too. Alas, I am not. Gone are the days when I used to be entranced by the Twilight Saga. I have to give credit to SM for introducing me to the genre of paranormal fiction, but as I read more and more of it, it is getting more obvious how subpar her writing is.

I didn't finish this novella. I abandoned it because it was boring, one-note, lacked excitement,...more

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Sep 13, 2010 Dana Salman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It would've been so cool if there was a shadowed hour-glass on every page, with the upper bulb being full on the first and then depleting as you near the end of the novel until it's empty on the last page. For once, the illustration on the cover coincides with the story. I still have no idea why there's an apple on the cover of Twilight.

Okay, I think I should give a heads-up for people planning to read this book, whether you liked Twilight or not. It's not my favorite series, personally, but I t...more It would've been so cool if there was a shadowed hour-glass on every page, with the upper bulb being full on the first and then depleting as you near the end of the novel until it's empty on the last page. For once, the illustration on the cover coincides with the story. I still have no idea why there's an apple on the cover of Twilight.

Okay, I think I should give a heads-up for people planning to read this book, whether you liked Twilight or not. It's not my favorite series, personally, but I thought, hey, since Bree was just a very small character in eclipse it might be kind of interesting to read her story. You know, actually, when I reached that part in Eclipse I was kindof hoping the Cullens would adopt Bree. It would've been nice to have a new character that would be most certain to make horrible mistakes (and not the bumbling idiotic mistakes Bella makes, but justified ones), but now I realise Meyer was just trying to stay true to the nature of the Volturi by killing off Bree.
One of the only things she's managed to do right.
I did not like this book.
You'd think, by writing from a crazed newborn's perspective, Meyer would move away a bit from her usual writing style. All her protagonists so far (Wanderer, Bella, now Bree) have nothing between them I can deferentiate with. That is, they are all the same person. Meyer should work on character-originality. I mean come on, she's gonna bore us to death if she does this again. I'm not saying this book was superficial; Bree is smarter than Bella. But that's just it. She's smart. She's a more civilized newborn than the others. Sure, she can't control her thirst, but she can think for herself. I saw no difference between her adjusting to the vampire life and Bella when she was first blooded (er, sorry, that's a Darren Shan term I got used to), except that Bree wasn't feeling guilty about trying not to harm humans, of course. She's just smart about it. She and Diego. And that's another thing; she only spends like a day with the guy and already they're comfortable enough to kiss (well, he kissed her).
Near the end we reach the scene when the Cullens are facing the newborns. That was a disappointment. Don't know if I'm spoiling or not, but the missing fight scene in Eclipse between the rest of the Cullens and the newborns is missing in this book too. That is, it happened, and Bree was there, but she took no part in it. She was looking for Diego. Stephenie Meyer seems to be afraid of making decent fight scenes. I mean, apparently the newborns fight alot amongst themselves, but the ripping off limbs thing can get pretty boring. As it is normal for Bree.
True to its name, this book is pretty short, only around 170 pages or so. And maybe now I should just give you guys a summary so you can understand what I'm talking about*spoiler alert!**spoiler alert!*:

Basically, the newborns live with Riley, who keeps them in order, and they are ignorant. They believe the old myths, about the sun burning them (which is the way it should be if you ask me, none of that sparkle stuff!) and the stake through the heart thing, and they know nothing about Victoria and only refer to her as her. Diego and Bree befriend each other while hiding out in a cave underwater waiting for the sun to go down, and they start questioning some of the things they've been told. Diego 'experiments', and finds out that the sun really doesn't burn at all. So um, they want to go tell Riley, in case he doesn't already know, and they overhear him and Victoria talking with the Volturi (whom they know nothing about); turns out Jane wants Victoria to defeat the Cullens, and gives her five days to prepare the newborns before she wipes them out. So Diego waits up for Riley and Bree goes back to the house, and Riley comes home without Diego, and he starts training the newborns, who even when the time finally comes to fight the Cullens are too disorganized to do anything (he feeds them this lie that once every four years the sun can't hurt them so that they'll go outside). And, well, you know the rest. Bree doesn't see the wolves because Jasper has her eyes and ears closed after she surrenders. She thinks they're another breed of vampire. Here is where you can really sympathize with Bree whilst comparing her to the Cullens because she really doesn't know anything about vampire life. And, as you know, she never will.
And that's basically it. I mean, it was interesting, but good for an online short than an actual book. It wasn't worth my time. I got a massive headache when I'd finished.

P.s: no more vampires for me! I'm sick of all the blood. Between Twilight Saga and the Saga of Darren Shan, I'd go with Darren Shan for true vampire lovers (I repeat, VAMPIRE lovers, not VAMPIRE ROMANCE lovers). I mean, atleast the vampires in there are not totally perfect in every way, and they can grow older and be killed.

P.p.s: Okay, okay, you guys can stop telling me what the book cover of Twilight signifies, as you might've noticed I've received a billion comments chastizing my ignorance. In any case, I don't think it's at all fair to Adam and Eve to compare Bella and Edward to them.(less)

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Jul 02, 2010 Buggy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-rom, shelf-10, vampalicious, not-so-hea, ya

Opening Line: "The newspaper headline glared at me from a little vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SEIGE--DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN."

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, I mean Bree's character only has a tiny part in Stephanie Meyers Twilight world so she and the rest of the newborns can’t really have much of a story to tell can they? Well as it turns out the answer is Yes. At 178 pages this novella manages to also give up some new revelations regarding Jane and the "dark cloaks" (Volturi) -j...more Opening Line: "The newspaper headline glared at me from a little vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SEIGE--DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN."

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this, I mean Bree's character only has a tiny part in Stephanie Meyers Twilight world so she and the rest of the newborns can’t really have much of a story to tell can they? Well as it turns out the answer is Yes. At 178 pages this novella manages to also give up some new revelations regarding Jane and the "dark cloaks" (Volturi) -jeez, that Jane is evil! And I absolutely loved seeing Carlisle, Jasper, Bella and “the red headed mind reader” from an outsider’s perspective.

There was more violence here then I would have expected from Meyer, as the newborns pillage Seattle and dispose of their drained food sources. I was also freaked out by a scene involving the armies seizure of a passenger ferry in the Puget Sound and the insuring carnage as the dine on their human buffet (I live on an island in the pacific northwest) We are also introduced to a couple of fantastic new characters; Diego as Bree’s love interest and in particular Freaky Fred, who I really hope to read about again someday. Because we all know the outcome there is a building level of suspense throughout the story. And as the inevitable Eclipse battle approached I found myself wishing for a different ending to Bree’s short second life as I'd come to genuinely care about her which I believe was Meyer's point.

Bree Tanner can barely remember a life before the relentless burning thirst took over. Now as a newborn Vampire this 15 year old runaway lives a precarious existence, trying not to draw attention to herself while her and her fellow newborns fight amongst themselves, killing each other as often as their prey. Her only other constants would be Riley, who as their leader the army follows submissively and without question and a horrifying creator known only as "her".

After 3 months Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego when the pair discover that they can in fact go out in the daylight without turning into a pile of ash (a stake through the heart is pretty useless too) They quickly begin to wonder what else Riley’s been lying about and question his agenda as a whole. However as their friendship blossoms Bree and Diego soon realize that they’re nothing but pawns in a war that has little to do with them. But when everything you know about yourself as a vampire is based on a lie how do you find out the truth, who do you trust and how do you get yourself free?

With such an insignificant character like Bree getting her story told I realized that the novella possibilities here are endless. Now if we could only convince Stephanie Meyer to finally finish Midnight Sun. *sigh*

"Don't watch" the redheaded mind reader whispered. I closed my eyes." (less)

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Jun 12, 2010 Annalisa rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy

Okay, I'm no longer curious. I'm bored out of my mind. I can't force myself to finish this novella before the movie.
New SM promise: I will not watch either Breaking Dawn movie.
Um, in the movie theater.
Unless someone makes me.
And I promise to put up a fight.
At least in my head.
And by making, I mean asking.
So... who's going to ask me?
I mean, it's got to be so bad it's good, right?
I am so morbidly curious about that one.

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Jul 31, 2010 Sparrow rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, monsters, pacific-northwest-glory, dangerous-hokum, reviewed

I know, I know. This book had police caution tape all around it warning me not to read. I wasn’t surprised that it was as bad as it is. Actually, I think that this book provides a good example of one of the central weaknesses of Stephenie Meyer’s books. I heard someone say the other day that the purpose of art is to make people feel. I know, doi, but I had never looked that one in the face before. Meyer spends most of her time, in all of her books, trying to cushion the reader from really feelin...more

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Jun 23, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: just-plain-bad, kat-s-book-reviews

We went traveling through the upper end of North Queensland once as a family. We came to one of those strange, small-town, out-of-the-way places for a quick bird study tour with my scientist uncle. The place's claim to fame was that it also housed a giant mango. Yes. You heard me right. A giant, massive replica of a mango. Within the giant mango was an ice cream shop.

Nobody could explain to us why there was a giant mango or why the giant mango has somehow spawned an icecream parlor from its bowe...more

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Jun 24, 2010 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of The Twilight Saga

Shelves: novellas, 2010-reads, reviewed

Everyone who has read Eclipse, the third book in The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, knows the fate that Bree Tanner -- newborn vampire -- met by the hands of the Volturi. . .and this is the tale recounting her last five days of her second life as a vampire.

Bree's story is much different from Bella's, I must admit that. Where Bella's world always seemed muted because she was shielded from much of the violence throughout the series, Bree sees and experiences violence on a day-to-day basis becau...more Everyone who has read Eclipse, the third book in The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer, knows the fate that Bree Tanner -- newborn vampire -- met by the hands of the Volturi. . .and this is the tale recounting her last five days of her second life as a vampire.

Bree's story is much different from Bella's, I must admit that. Where Bella's world always seemed muted because she was shielded from much of the violence throughout the series, Bree sees and experiences violence on a day-to-day basis because -- as we all know from reading The Twilight Saga -- most newborn vampires are just not nice.

I really liked the characters for this one: Bree, Diego, Fred, and Riley (who had his moments where I did like him even despite the bastard he actually was). I just wish, I guess, that the story could have been longer. I would have liked to have known Bree, Diego, and the rest longer. It's really a shame when characters who have so much potential are cut short -- though I suppose that's truer to life that their lives and possibilities are cut short, and I respect Stephenie Meyer for actually giving me a story that -- though bittersweet -- was actually a bit of a metaphor for how real life actually is. (The Twi-critics may say I'm giving Stephenie Meyer too much credit -- but I don't know. Writers often interlace many themes, metaphors, and allegories into their works -- even if they themselves do not always realize it.) Bree's life and even her roots are much more relatable than Bella's ever were, and I think that's why I actually liked Bree a bit more than Bella. Bree's circumstances were far from desirable, yet she worked with the lot she was dealt. . .even until the bitter end.

The ending was. . .succinct. A part of me wanted to know about the after-life that could await vampires, but I like how Stephenie Meyer ended it. It was. . .fitting. Very fitting. It ended simply and quietly.

All I have to say, I guess, is this: I'm glad I was able to read Bree's story. It was a treat that was both bitter and sweet. . .at least to me.(less)

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Feb 09, 2013 Katharine marked it as couldnt-finish · review of another edition Recommends it for: Idiots

Shelves: read-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 04, 2010 UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Twilight Saga Fans

Recommended to UniquelyMoi *Dhestiny* BlithelyBookish by: Dee Marie

Shelves: author-stephenie-meyer, series-twilight-saga, vampires, short-reads-novellas, gift-from-friend, challenge-september, 2010-reads, 4-stars, reviewed-by-me, starts-with-q-thru-t

3.75/5

I want to say, right up front, that I hadn’t planned to read this book because those of us who read the entire Twilight Saga already know that things don’t turn out well for Bree Tanner. She played a very, very minor role in the book, Eclipse - I don’t even think she appeared in more than 2 pages - So, why read something about a character I cared very little about and already knew the outcome of?

Well, one day I went to my mailbox and there was a package from my dear friend and fellow Twil...more 3.75/5

I want to say, right up front, that I hadn’t planned to read this book because those of us who read the entire Twilight Saga already know that things don’t turn out well for Bree Tanner. She played a very, very minor role in the book, Eclipse - I don’t even think she appeared in more than 2 pages - So, why read something about a character I cared very little about and already knew the outcome of?

Well, one day I went to my mailbox and there was a package from my dear friend and fellow Twilight fan, Dee, and inside was my very own copy of The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I was excited and touched by her thoughtfulness and realized that my fate was sealed! I would, after all, be reading Bree’s story.

I’ll be honest, the first 50 pages or so seemed rather ho-hum to me, and I decided it was because I began this book dreading the outcome. Once I wrapped my mind around reading this for the story as it related to Victoria’s “army” of newborn vampires, I couldn’t put it down. I’m not going to go into the plot, because frankly, if you've read Eclipse you won't need details and if you haven’t read Eclipse, you’ll not understand what the point of this book is, anyway, and it would take way too long to explain.

What stands out most to me about Bree’s story is how all of the newborns were manipulated. It made me think of charismatic leaders around the world—political, religious, corporate or yes, even vampire—and how much influence they have over the people who are dependent on them, because if you can convince someone or some group that they ”need” you, that you’re ”only looking out for their best interest” and that life without you as their leader would be filled with pain and anguish, possibly even death… you’d have absolute control over them. Such was the case with the newborn vampires and when looking at them in this light, as people violently torn from humanity and forced into a new way of life which they nothing about– were literally newborns and dependent on someone else for their survival—I found myself actually feeling sorry for them. I started wondering about the families who are missing them, what kind of people they would have been had they lived out their human lives. So what started out being a dreaded read, became one that really made me think about life and those we trust to lead us.

And for the first time since reading Eclipse, I wished with all my heart that things could have been different for Bree Tanner.
(less)

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Jul 24, 2010 Kristen "Kirby" rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: kiddies who loved Twilight and enjoy Evermore, Fallen, etc

Shelves: reviews

Short Second was like a so-so fanfiction that let allowed readers to jump back into a generic form of Twilight. You have barely constructed main characters, who in this case were Bree, newborn vampire of a couple months, and Diego, the obvious nomination for Bree’s love interest and companion. Is Diego Mexican? Does he speak Spanish? Did the author even pause to think that maybe, just maybe, readers would want to know a bit about the characters personalities, backgrounds, APPEARANCE? How do you...more
Short Second was like a so-so fanfiction that let allowed readers to jump back into a generic form of Twilight. You have barely constructed main characters, who in this case were Bree, newborn vampire of a couple months, and Diego, the obvious nomination for Bree’s love interest and companion. Is Diego Mexican? Does he speak Spanish? Did the author even pause to think that maybe, just maybe, readers would want to know a bit about the characters personalities, backgrounds, APPEARANCE? How do you read a book when you don’t know what the characters look like…ugh, moving on.

Why was Diego so different from the other vampires and wholeheartedly trusting of Bree? And why did he even survive as long as he did with this way of thinking? Did Meyer just think, Bree has to have a boyfriend, and since I’m on a hurry to grab a few extra bills, I’ll just make Diego a mindless idiot who instantly likes Bree?

And Bree, was she really that lonely? In one chapter she went from solo anti-social vamp, to swinging hands with some guy she just met… He was gorgeous though, so I’m told. He wasn’t exactly described so I can’t say for sure. Good looking brain-dead guy+ new lonely vampire girl= love in a couple of pages.

But I know what freaky Fred looks like! Stringy blonde hair down to his shoulders and really tall. He’s a minor character, but hey, I’ll take any descriptions that I can get.

(PS: Did Edward dye his hair? My fuzzy memory believes he had golden brown hair, not red. Hmm.)

As for all the revelations I was expecting to become common knowledge, zilch. Nada. My questions as to why these Twilight vamps sparkle, why newborns are so powerful, why there are voulturi, why Victoria’s newborns were so expandable…etc were not answered.

Short Second was basically just a half-*ssed short story that Meyer threw out and a publisher automatically stamped just because he knew it’d sell. Even I, a person who is capable of overlooking grammar and spelling mistakes, sighed at the many I found with every flip of the page….

There you have it. And from a fan, too. Tsk, tsk.

(less)

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Jun 30, 2010 Shawna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Twilight fans

Shelves: e-book, favorite-romance-series, pnr-vampires, series-twilight-saga, stephenie-meyer, anthologies-novellas-shorts, quick-read-romance, freebie-gift, young-adult, first-person-pov, 2010-reads, angsty-dark-heavy-lotsa-drama, 4-stars, small-town-lovin

4 stars – Vampire/Young Adult

This provided a nice Twilight Saga fix while waiting impatiently for the "Eclipse" movie to come out, and I enjoyed Bree's alternate viewpoint and insight into the army of newborn vampires that battle against the Cullens.

But I think I speak for a large majority of Twilight fans that what we really want is for Ms. Meyer to move past her hurt feelings and wounded pride and just finish Midnight Sun, darnit! Seriously, the Meyer the Martyr routine is getting a little old...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Alexis (The Literature Lion) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: vampires, werewolves

Great story, and I was on the verge of tears near the end. I love the last line, and SM has a way of capturing other characters as well as Bella. Great plot and idea and I now think that Riley is very arrogan! :D

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Jul 17, 2010 Lady Jayne *~*The Beach Bandida*~* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, young-adult, cyber-book-of-the-month, reviewed, owned-read

(4 Stars)

(This review assumes one has read Eclipse)

I actually liked this a lot more than I thought I would! It certainly kept me engaged and was a quick read.

I am most definitely a fan of the Twilight series and the books will always be special to me. I have to say, though, that I wasn't super excited to read this novella by Stephenie Meyer on The Second Short Life of Bree Tanner, when I first heard about it. One, because I know how it ends…and well, it’s not a happy ending, which is what I’m al...more

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Jan 11, 2011 Terry (Ter05 TwiMoms/ MundieMoms) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As a Twilight fan, this book was a fun read and added dimension to the story. However, I had to rate it on the same level I try to rate any book and could not give it more than three stars. I have read some incredible books within a series but given the ones I liked a little less three or four stars because they didn't come up to the other(s) even though they were outstanding. This is a novella and must be rated as such, but it was just a nice little story to me. I wish I had read it online inst...more

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Jun 09, 2010 AH rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: zzread-june-2010, young-adult, vamps

OK. If you like the Twilight Saga, you will probably like this book.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella is a short book. 192 pages, double-spaced. It is a quick read. However, there are no chapter breaks, no breaks whatsoever.

We know how the story ends. This book tells us how it began.

Bree Tanner's story gives us insight as to what was happening in Seattle when Victoria and Riley were building their vampire army. Bree is one of the smarter "newborns" - she knows how to keep...more

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Apr 02, 2010 Melanie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: twilight fans, vampire fans, paranormal book fans

I think I'm going to read this. Hearing this from Bree's perspective should prove interesting. I wonder if Meyer will talk about what happens when Bree dies, as in if vampires are really damned in the world Meyer has created or if they go to heaven or if there isn't anything after that, there's just death.

Anyway, can't wait (well, I probably can wait) for the novella to come out. I hope it'll be worth the wait.

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Oct 04, 2011 Tokidoki Zenzen rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

For God's sake, how did she screw this up? This should have been the best book of the Twilight universe! Stephenie Meyer is now my least favorite author.

I started this book figuring that it had to be better than the actual Twilight Saga. For one thing, there's no Edward and Bella; for another, it's short. I like the novella format: short enough to avoid the useless filler that inevitably creeps into novels and long enough to go into a little more depth than a short story; it's the perfect format...more

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Jun 08, 2010 Brandi rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

just picked it up, excited to crack it open...oh how I miss my Twilight books!

It was fun to jump back into a world I love so much, Twilight. It was like a nice little treat that reminded me how much I love this series. I miss my TW books. I miss SM. And now my hunger is ignited again and I want more. I didn't have very many expectations for this book, I don't think anyone did. I mean Bree? Really? Why do we want to know more about her. But I will take ANYTHING I can get in the form of TW literat...more

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Dec 30, 2011 Traci Haley rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, horror, teenbooks, series-books

Say what you will about Stephenie Meyer, but she obviously has SOME sort of talent/method/magical fairy dust in order to write stories that get people hooked and make them react (whether positively/negatively doesn't really matter -- her stories garner very intense reactions). I fell in love with the Twilight books and harbored a cheesy adoration of the movies as well, though my fangirlishness came a little late to the game as I'd been turned off of vampire lore by all the Anne Rice books (happy...more Say what you will about Stephenie Meyer, but she obviously has SOME sort of talent/method/magical fairy dust in order to write stories that get people hooked and make them react (whether positively/negatively doesn't really matter -- her stories garner very intense reactions). I fell in love with the Twilight books and harbored a cheesy adoration of the movies as well, though my fangirlishness came a little late to the game as I'd been turned off of vampire lore by all the Anne Rice books (happy to say that my eyes have been opened since then and now I enjoy quite a few different series in the vampire genre). Lately, though, I've found myself doubting my love of Stephenie Meyer. It really is hard to be a Twilight fan in a world where Stephenie Meyer gets little respect. I also don't really like to be lumped into the giggling gaggle of girls that make up the "twi-hards". So to be honest, I wasn't terribly excited about The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I didn't remember the character of Bree and it's been long enough since reading Eclipse that I don't really remember the whole scene where her character shows up in Eclipse. But the novella made its way onto my Kindle and I thought, hey, it's a 200 page guilty pleasure, might as well give it a try. I figured I'd get a ways in and give up, uninterested. Meanwhile, 2 hours later, I finished the whole thing in one sitting and found my faith in Stephenie Meyer and the world she's created renewed. It's such a simple story, and when you really think about it, not much happens in the story, but in those 200 pages, Meyer is able to bring to life Bree Tanner and make you care about her -- no, LOVE her, and Diego...and Fred. Oh, Fred. How I adore him. I hope he is, to this day, frolicking and repulsing people in Vancouver and parts unknown. Moreover, I sincerely hope that Fred makes another appearance sometime in the future.

Reading this novella has left me feeling excited for the Eclipse movie coming out, as well as feeling a bit sad about Bree and Diego (even though one knows the outcome going into the story). I also really, sincerely hope that Meyer will continue exploring this whole universe she's created -- just like after reading Breaking Dawn, I want to know more about the vamps with (as Diego put it) "skillzzzzz", I want to know more about the individual tribes of vamps, I want to know more about the Volturi... I just want to know more!

Love her, or hate her, anyone who is able to create such a compelling world deserves her place in our culture. Thank you, Stephenie Meyer, for reminding me of that.(less)

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Aug 30, 2010 Ana *Moonlight Shadow* rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 1st review:
The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner might be a kinda uninteresting subject for an Eclipse novella.. at first!
But when you get to read it, you'll see it's... wow!
Shocking when you see how the "Newborns' Coven" (as named so by Riley) could be so united-is-not-for-us.
Funny when you see how best friends Bree and Diego are (Ninja Club part was really hilarious).
Pissing you off when you see how Riley lies in front of the newborns, even if he has no reason to, as he's his interest to defe...more 1st review:
The Short Second Life Of Bree Tanner might be a kinda uninteresting subject for an Eclipse novella.. at first!
But when you get to read it, you'll see it's... wow!
Shocking when you see how the "Newborns' Coven" (as named so by Riley) could be so united-is-not-for-us.
Funny when you see how best friends Bree and Diego are (Ninja Club part was really hilarious).
Pissing you off when you see how Riley lies in front of the newborns, even if he has no reason to, as he's his interest to defeat the Cullens.
Heartbreaking when you see how sad is Bree for the loss of Diego, and how she discovers too late, and how she's accepted by the Cullens but still killed by the Volturi.
Stephenie Meyer combined a lot of emotions and feelings in this shocking, 190-page Twilight Saga book. Twilighters, you should really read it.

2nd review:
At first I had no idea of what could really happen in this book except the battle between the Cullens with the shape-shifters vs. the newborn army with Riley and Victoria. But, as any enthusiastic Twilight fan, I decided to buy it because, after all, I had nothing to lose. Plus, one day before the purchase, I saw the Eclipse clip with "Introducing Bree Tanner" and I thought of it as an interesting idea.
But I was enthralled by Bree Tanner's story. It was amazing. I finished the book in three days! (and that's because I had a lot to do every day, or I could've finished it in 2 hours maximum). It was amazing to see Bree's point of view. When we thought, in Eclipse, that Bree's just another bad vamp, Bree convinced us she really isn't bad. She's forced to. And she's still on her principle: Hunt humans that Earth doesn't really need. Even if she's shy and always hides in a corner, near Fred (who has the ability to keep people away from him), she meets a true friend in Diego, who has the same principles as her. It's funny how they have their own "Super Secret Ninja Club". I liked that part.
Anyway, I give this book 5/5 stars. Congratulations to Stephenie Meyer for another great Twilight Saga book.

(less)

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Oct 25, 2010 Joyzi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Twilight Fans who don't mind wasting money and time on okay books

Recommended to Joyzi by: Stephenie Meyer

Shelves: e-book, fiction, ya-books, reviewed, don-t-judge-me, disappointing-books, author-was-possessed, book-series, vampires, author-american, paranormal-romance

This book is okay, it's not really exciting and there's not really much happening that would keep you from the edge of your seat or something like that. The romance is also pretty subtle. I'm not really recommending to read this if you don't like twilight and if you like twilight it's a nice short filler to read.

I think that the story is not really that gripping and my fave parts are mostly when Diego and Bree are together but it was lost I think in the middle of the book when Diego was gone. Th...more

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Jul 21, 2010 Kristen "Kirby" rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviews, ya

Introduction (that really isn’t essential towards my review, but I included anyway…)
The Short Second life of Bree Tanner. Ah…When I first saw this book on Goodreads, I thought to myself, well, the title is pretty unimaginative and slightly cheesy, but Stephanie Meyer wrote this. Sure, she can’t actually write well, but her story lines are soo absorbing.

Just look at Twilight. I was like a little Edward fangirl in Middle School. I was tamer about it then those obnoxious girls that came about afte...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Mandy Moody rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, vampire-smut, fanstasy

You know what I hate? Fan fiction.
I find it pathetic. Mediocre, amateur authors writing stories about characters that someone else has created. Uhg. It's like watching someone sit in the corner and pick his nose. It's gross. It's not fit for public viewing. It makes you embarrassed for them - because they don't have the social skills to realize this is something that should be kept private - and embarrassed for yourself - because you were unfortunate enough to see it.
Fan fiction. The literary eq...more

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Aug 30, 2011 Caz Edmunds rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Stephanie Meyer wrote in this book’s prologue that “no two writers go about things in exactly the same way. We all are inspired and motivated in different ways; we have our own reasons why some characters stay with us while others disappear into a backlog of neglected files.”
Now, if you have read Eclipse, 3rd book in her bestselling Twilight Saga, you would wonder why did she even bother to write about Bree as we all know her fate in the books. But as Meyer says, some characters just take on a l...more Stephanie Meyer wrote in this book’s prologue that “no two writers go about things in exactly the same way. We all are inspired and motivated in different ways; we have our own reasons why some characters stay with us while others disappear into a backlog of neglected files.”
Now, if you have read Eclipse, 3rd book in her bestselling Twilight Saga, you would wonder why did she even bother to write about Bree as we all know her fate in the books. But as Meyer says, some characters just take on a life of its own; and vie for attention. I guess this is what happened to Bree.

One would have to have read and be familiar with the saga in order to appreciate the novella. Lucky for me, National Glorietta had a major sale and I saw this novella on hardbound and scooped it up.
Basically this is a short retelling of Bree Tanner and how as part of the newly born vampires who fought the Cullens in Eclipse, she had to learn the hard way about truth, vampire politics and burgeoning attraction, if not love, by way of Diego.

Both Bree and Diego were part of a coven that Riley, another Vampire made by Cullen nemesis, Victoria, was breeding and training to be part of the group that is to attack Edward and his family. Victoria has an axe to grind with Edward as he killed her Vampire Boyfriend James in Twilight.

Now, creating and deceiving Riley at the same time to breed an army for her to distract & dispose of the Cullens while focusing all her efforts on Edward and Bella was her plan all along. So, no need to tell Riley the truth and no need for Riley to give details about their “mission” for “her” to these newly born/made vampires and let them wait at her beckon call. Lucky for Diego and Bree, they found each other in all this, but sadly for these two, circumstances kept them apart and they found out about the lies a little too late.

Oh and which lies were these?

That Vampires like them will burn in direct exposure to sunlight. Wrong. They won’t for they will only be sparkling like, “disco balls”. That their Coven in Seattle is being threatened by the arrival of the Cullens who were originally from Seattle and they have come back to lay claim and ownership of their turf. Wrong. The Cullens are living a peaceful existence in Forks and have no knowledge of these newborns and have firsthand historical experience how unpredictable and untamed newborns are. That Victoria, who is unnamed to these newborns and only referred to as “her” or “Maker”, is devoted to the newborns welfare. Wrong, of course. She only wants revenge on Edward and on Bella. A eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. In this case, a mate for a mate; Bella for James.

I’m giving this a meager 3 stars. I liked it but felt Meyer could have done more with it. But perhaps, knowing how Bree’s life fared in the books, why give it your all? Why even bother to tell her tale when according to her it would be just in one of those hidden folders in her hard drive. Had she created another Vampire that lived to tell the tale with the Cullen skirmish and currently is going through their own Vampiric life, then perhaps that would have prompted her to dig a little deeper and paint a more fully envisioned tale; if not spun another one with a darker edge. But since she is writing for the young adult market, I suppose Meyer felt she should adhere to the parameters of that readership as well.

So, it’s a good thing I am an Anne Rice loyalist and that I am typing this review from my flat in Rue Royale close to Louis and Lestat’s while hearing Violetta’s waltz from La Traviata blaring from Julien Mayfair’s Victrolla as it is turned and wound up by Mona and Lasher up until the wee hours of the morning.

Viva Lestat!(less)

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Jun 14, 2010 Mindi Bennett added it · review of another edition

Before I started this book I had read some negative reviews about it and Stephenie Meyer's writing. So I went in with a bad taste in my mouth (because I believe everything I read, resulting in a confused mind). There were a few things I wanted to be critical about, but in the end I was glad I read it and it got me excited for the movie, Eclipse. Then as I thought about the book over the next few days I realized there was a lot more that I liked about the book. It was short, first off, thus I did...more

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Jun 09, 2010 chucklesthescot rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult, fiction, worst-ever-books

RIP OFF! This was without doubt a cheap ploy to fleece money out of Twilight fans by throwing together some utter drivel about characters you don't give a rats ass about. The only interesting character was Fred, and the rest were a waste of space. Bree is nothing like the way newborns are talked about in the Twilight Saga(magically of course she is more restrained than they are...uh huh...). The so-called love story never even starts and the end scenes where Bree faces the Cullens is piss poor,...more

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Jul 05, 2010 Lauren rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I enjoyed reading this book and like other readers, wanted to go back and read Eclipse. A part of me wishes Bree's life had been spared because I think she would have made a great additon to the Cullen clan. However, that was not meant to be. I liked hearing from her point of view as a newborn-life was tough for her!

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Jun 05, 2010 Sabrina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ich habe Bree Tanner in mein Herz geschlossen, anders kann ich es nicht sagen. Ich hätte es ja nicht für möglich gehalten, aber Stephenie Meyer hat wieder einmal einen wunderbaren Charakter heraus gearbeitet.
Es war sehr interessant zu erfahren, wie die "Neugeborenen" leben, wie sie "hinters Licht" geführt werden und vor allem die winzige Romanze zwischen Diego und Bree, die um so trauriger erscheint, wenn man das Schicksal der beiden kennt.

Allerdings hat mich auch eine kleine Sache gestört, we...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Stray rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: who read eclipse

Shelves: zzz-2010, in-portuguese, reviewed

Book Name: A Breve Segunda Vida de Bree Tanner: Uma novela de Eclipse
Original Title:The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella
Author/s: Stephenie Meyer
Publisher, year: Gailivro, 2010
Page total: 157
Date Read: 10 June 2010 (read in one day)
Genre/s:YA, vampires, romance, fantasy
First line of Book: (from my english edition) "The newspaper headline glared at me from a little metal vending machine: SEATTLE UNDER SIEGE-DEATH TOLL RISES AGAIN."
Review: Us who read Eclipse know how Bree end...more

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Aug 23, 2010 Arlene rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2010, vampires, paranormal, weres-shifters, ya-paranormal, young-adult

Well, it was a quick and slightly entertaining read if nothing else. Finished it in a couple of hours and was glad I didn't pay a dime for it because I know how Bree's story ends.

It was mildly interesting to read Meyer's vampire world from a different perspective, but I still would have preferred that she finished Midnight Sun rather than this novella.

I want to say this story makes me miss Twilight, but when you know where the story is eventually going to head, I just don’t find myself there y...more

9 likes · like · see review

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topics	posts	views	last activity
The Twilight Saga: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner	15	33	May 14, 2013 08:10pm
Is there going to be a movie?	39	201	May 07, 2013 10:56pm
Did anyone think it was sad and depressing?	48	90	Apr 21, 2013 02:40pm
Twilight groups! They are awesome! :D	2	8	Apr 05, 2013 11:55am
Addicted to YA: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner	25	163	Apr 02, 2013 08:08pm
Compare the lives of Bree and Bella	3	20	Feb 26, 2013 02:55pm

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About Stephenie Meyer

I was born in Connecticut in 1973, during a brief blip in my family's otherwise western U.S. existence. We were settled in Phoenix by the time I was four, and I think of myself as a native. The unusual spelling of my name was a gift from my father, Stephen (+ ie = me). Though I have had my name spelled wrong on pretty much everything my entire life long, I must admit that it makes it easier to goo...more I was born in Connecticut in 1973, during a brief blip in my family's otherwise western U.S. existence. We were settled in Phoenix by the time I was four, and I think of myself as a native. The unusual spelling of my name was a gift from my father, Stephen (+ ie = me). Though I have had my name spelled wrong on pretty much everything my entire life long, I must admit that it makes it easier to google myself now.
I filled the "Jan Brady" spot in my family-the second of three girls. Unlike the Brady's, none of my three brothers are steps, and all of them are younger than all the girls. I went to high school in Scottsdale, Arizona, the kind of place where every fall a few girls would come back to school with new noses and there were Porsches in the student lot (for the record, I have my original nose, and never had a car until after I was in my twenties). I was awarded a National Merit Scholarship, and I used it to pay my way to Brigham Young University, in Provo, Utah. I majored in English, but concentrated on literature rather than creative writing, mostly because I didn't consider reading books "work" (as long as I was going to be doing something anyway, I might as well get course credit for it, right?).
I met my husband, Pancho (his real name is Christiaan), when I was four, but we were never anywhere close to being childhood sweethearts. In fact, though we saw each other at least weekly through church activities, I can't recall a single instance when we so much as greeted each other with a friendly wave, let alone exchanged actual words. This may have been for the best, because when we did eventually get around to exchanging words, sixteen years after our first meeting, it only took nine months from the first "hello" to the wedding. Of course, we were able to skip over a lot of the getting to know you parts (many of our conversations would go something like this: "This one time, when I was ten, I broke my hand at a party when-" "Yeah, I know what happened. I was there, remember?") We've been married for ten and a half years now, and have three beautiful, brilliant, wonderful boys who often remind me chimpanzees on crack. I can't write without music, and my biggest muse is, ironically enough, the band Muse. My other favorite sources of inspiration are Linkin Park, My Chemical Romance, Coldplay, The All American Rejects, Travis, The Strokes, Brand New, U2, Kasabian, Jimmy Eat World, and Weezer, to mention a few.(less)

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“Don't watch" the redheaded mind reader whispered.
I closed my eyes.” — 56 people liked it

“Super-secret Ninja Club sounds way cooler than the whole BFF thing.” — 35 people liked it

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The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (Twilight #3.5)

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