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August 23
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Saya
gave
 
to:
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series, Book 4)
by Stephenie Meyer
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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February 29
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Saya
made a comment on
Eclipse (Twilight Series, Book 3):
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Saya
made a comment on
Twilight (Twilight Series, Book 1):
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February 28
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Saya
made a comment on
Twilight (Twilight Series, Book 1):
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February 16
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New comment on Saya's review of
Twilight (Twilight Series, Book 1)
(see all 189 comments)
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January 27
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New comment on Saya's review of
Eclipse (Twilight Series, Book 3)
(see all 26 comments)
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January 25
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Saya
gave
to:
Twilight (Twilight Series, Book 1)
by Stephenie Meyer
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: Romance obsessed teen girls
read in September, 2005
Saya said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
The romance- some love it, some complain how unrealistic and stupid it is. Well, it is Bella's first love, despite all the male attention she didn't care. Edward has read the minds of everyone around him for 90 years, immediately labeling someone and (most likely) not giving them a chance beyond politeness, then comes along a girl whose mind he can't read and whose blood drives him to the edge of insanity; when he learns more about Bella he sees a, mature girl who shares similar hobbies, and enjoys old fashioned things (like himself). Alas, what I have pointed out (actually based on someone else's review) is not remarked upon in the book; we are to accept that they love each other and that is all- no questions, their love transcends time and they shall die for the other and blah, blah, blah. If only Meyer had Bella and Edward explain their attraction to each other, then this book would be more liked.
The main character is either called smart or stupid. Bella does display positive traits: unlike the sequels she is selfless enough to get her friends together and move to Forks so her mother can be happy with her boyfriend, Bella is also intelligent enough to be placed in an advanced program, she displays a sarcastic wit which eventually turns into decent humor rather than complaining, she reads the classics like Austen, listens to Debussy and other music quite often, and most importantly, is very observant- she notices the Cullens vampire speed speaking to each other, how they don't eat their food, how Edward's eye color changes, their abnormal camping season, and how beautifully alike they all are.
On the bad side: Bella is not wise enough to think that as a danger prone, clumsy, bad luck magnet that she may be in danger at night, alone, in an unfamiliar city. Her intelligence is arguable when she is in Edward's presence since she either is too consumed by first love to think clearly or she is perhaps, so stupid and selfish she doesn't care (which becomes apparent in the sequels). A neutral trait is Bella's clumsiness- a common Moe Moe trait- which is actually rather cute given that it is random and not serious (unlike the sequels) but her clumsiness is questionable in it's realism- though thankfully, her clumsiness didn't set in motion events (unlike the sequels which only happened because of an ACCIDENT than her clumsiness). Her issue with blood is my biggest gripe, I know real people are hemophobes (fear of blood) but it just seems out of place with Bella, of all her traits, this one feels the most tacked on, existing only for irony.
The biggest flaw is not even of her character but of her appearance. If you read Meyer's FAQ you will see just how similar Bella is to Stephenie only her appearance reminds me of a cute anime girl- the clumsy Moe Moe. Bella's name is even worse: Isabella Marie Swan- Beautiful Swan- gee, that's subtle. I cannot fathom how Eric, Mike, Tyler, and Jacob all came to pursue Bella- Eric is desperate, Mike is popular so he doesn't make sense, Tyler only wants to make up nearly killing Bella, and Jacob falls in love with Bella with nothing more than the knowledge that this girl used to hang out with his older sisters. Then of course is Lauren- the most popular girl in school- who becomes jealous of Bella for the rest of high school for having so much attention and not wanting it.
Bella reminds me of Fujioka Haruhi from Ouran High School Host Club, only Haruhi is cool and special, I can understand why four guys and a girl love her and why a mean girl is envious. Only Bella chooses to fight because she knows she will trip if she tries to run while Haruhi will choose to fight to protect girls from jerks.
Edward's appeal comes largely from the fact that no man (or woman) can be THAT romantically perfect. My fangirl coos at Edward's suave, flirtatious, and mysterious nature (also because he wears a turtleneck) while my author longs for a more solid character. All of Edward's charming characteristics stem from his experience as a vampire rather than the son of a wealthy lawyer in Chicago who dreamed of fighting in the war- but either 90 years of mind reading and some of killing bad people leads to a questionable conclusion, I just don't feel that Edward's past is part of the vampire Bella meets. Also, his angst- laughably dumb. Sorry Ed, but I just don't care, perhaps it is Edward's nature to try and help others but his past escapades of murder and heroics are forgotten after they are mention and are not recalled in the sequels.
The writing was simple and had a nice magical ring to it, it brought a real sense of the misty, green atmosphere behind Bella's house and the sunny yellow meadow of Edward's.
A big problem I have with Twilight is how we must exit Bella's head to analyze characters. Bella's self esteem seems fine in the beginning given how she doesn't care for the male attention nor cares for Lauren's envy but as she falls in love with Edward he is seen through her "first love and with the perfect guy" eyes and Edward as a person is lost to Bella considering him perfect. Luckily, we only encounter a few of her self-depreciating comments- only when she is caught by surprise by Edward's vampiric beauty (and for the first time). But I do not enjoy having to analyze these characters through the eyes of a girl who can see nothing but absolute perfection. Bella is supposed to be observant and yet cannot pick out characteristics like how much Edward questions her since he can't read her mind and especially not what someone would be like after 90 years of immediately labeling someone by reading their thoughts.
As an author and reader, I roll my eyes at Meyer's biggest mistake- whereas my fangirl was excited and happy with the random encounter of James' coven, I still know how desperate Meyer must have been for an exciting conclusion and so tossed this in. Albeit, fangirls will enjoy the cat-and-mouse game at the end (as well as the character development of Alice and most definitely Jasper) but critics will scoff at the sudden appearance to conclude what just was a mystery and romance driven plot where the only danger was Edward himself. The worst part of the encounter is how this completely random wind sets in motion the hunt, not even Bella's clumsiness (which may have improved the chase), but a wind.
Meyer had plenty of opportunities to be the new Anne Rice (with actual literary credit rather than a strong fan following) and yet she fails to create strong supporting characters, secondary characters, world, vampire mythology, and overall a strong story. Her vampires have NO WEAKNESSES, rather than die in sunlight they sparkle, they even have super, special, awesome powers- some which effect Bella and some that don't, which goes unexplained for two books. While I am not a romance fan and have no interest in romance myself, I was still enchanted with Twilight. Alas dear reader, the magic shrivels up and dies in New Moon and Eclipse; trust me, stop here- maybe read New Moon since a lot happens plot and relationship wise, but DO NOT read Eclipse for even though important stuff does happen it is handled so poorly I can scarcely acknowledge it....less
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January 23
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Saya
gave
to:
New Moon (Twilight Series, Book 2)
by Stephenie Meyer
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended for: The fans and romance obssessed teen girls
read in October, 2006
Saya said:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Edward leaving wasn't surprising, he kept thinking about it before when Bella ...more
Not as good as Twilight having chosen to abandon EVERY element that made it so great but still manages to keep this book afloat with the new mystery and dangers.
Edward leaving wasn't surprising, he kept thinking about it before when Bella was in the hospital and it was a drama and angst inducing twist- it was bound to happen in due time. I just can't believe Bella's self esteem went from feeling occasional envy and remorse due to Edward's perfection to not considering herself worthy of him and constantly reminding herself how unworthy she is- she couldn't consider him lying to her at all! Hey, Meyer, where did the observant, sarcastic Bella go that we grew to know and love? Because this spineless, pathetic shell can't be true- I thought Bella was smarter than that. I actually googled "psychotic" and found "psychotic depression", the symptoms being: suicidal thoughts (Ed's voice itself could qualify), suicide attempts (all of her attempts to hear Ed's voice), audio and or visual hallucination (Ed's voice again and her vision of him before passing out in the ocean), not feeling as you once did when well (hole in chest), aggression (well, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at Edward, even if she forgave him and understood his actions, her subconscious should still be mad), frustration (perhaps her visits to the Cullen home and meadow), and feelings of hopelessness (the entire book, from being upset to aging at the beginning to her woes of the Volturi and Jake at the end). Great, we got ourselves a crazy person (no offense to those actually afflicted with this). Sheesh Bella, get back your old spine then fix it so you can stop embarrassing teenage girls. At least Bella is now certain that Edward loves her.
I know many fans were upset at Edward's scarce appearances and even more upset and even mad with Jake taking his place. Now, I like Jake, he's fun, sweet, loyal, has a temper, fixes automobiles- wait, that's- that's a personality I spy. Whodathunkit. Besides Alice and Carlisle, none of the other characters have displayed a prominent hobby that they do on a regular basis for fun rather than as part of the plot. Though not nearly as perfect as Edward, Jake offers a sorely needed element to Bella's tale: humanity. Jake is a human with all its flaws and gifts- he jokes, he mocks, he fixes motorcycles, he fears, and he loves. Of course is not only human. I just don't understand why he loves Bella, Meyer actually gives a brief second person POV to help us better understand Jake, the only thing it did was make me question his love for Bella even more. She offers him nothing besides a free motorcycle. Poor Jake, forced to love Bella for the sake of plot.
I suspected werewolves when Jake mentioned wolves being sacred to the Quileutes back in Twilight not too mention being Native American with the skin walker legend- it wasn't very surprising (that and I read werewolves in that copyright page). The werewolves added a very homey, nature sort of feel to the story which I enjoyed, I think I would like a tale of Native American werewolf teenage boys more than the Cullens. Though the fact that only boys are werewolves only added more fuel to my fire of "The Twilight Saga is Misogynistic". You can deny it all you like Stephenie Meyer but Alice nor Jane- only two pros- is enough to fight back the tides supporting this. If you're so "anti-human" then why are all the women so desperate, bitter, and clingy, huh?
The Volturi. Now this was cool. It made the dull middle all worth it here. Aro was fun (the only one to be), Jane was too happy-to-serve-and-hurt-people-while-creepily-smiling, you know, those little girls who won't stop creepily smiling, they annoy me. Sadly, the Volturi are basically, your typical baddies who dress in black, act intimidating, and set a time line to force someone's hand and create more drama and tension. Their role as secret keepers makes them unique but... Why must the vampires remain secret from humans? Unlike your typical vampire, Meyer's are not vulnerable to ANYTHING besides another vampire and werewolves and even then they can survive that unless all parts of the torn apart vampire are burned. Why hide? Bad Meyer, she made such an interesting group yet has no good reason for them to exist.
Victoria... geez, why does her desire to kill Bella for vengeance only strengthen my idea that the universe revolves around Bella? It can't be because the Cullens, James, the Volturi, Forks High, and the werewolves are all either out to get her, romantically pursue her, worship her, or protect her when she doesn't deserve it.
Meyer's writing is nothing special but it made Twilight magical and actually made my heart race in the meadow; it possessed a simple and descriptive prose that definitely helped me envision the setting. New Moon's was not as magical but it was still descriptive (certainly better than the robotic Eclipse). The pacing is also strange- Meyer merely wrote the months' names on the pages to show how detached Bella was from her "hopeless" life and then taking so long to tell us of her bonding with Jake. Interesting and effective but dull and slow nonetheless.
My biggest gripe with New Moon is how Bella never grew as a human. She spent all her time holding onto Edward- who DUMPED her- and then clinging to Jake as a life support, then of course abandoning Jake to save her love and then clinging to him even more desperately then Jake. I can pity her but only when Edward (and the other Cullens) return does Bella return to normal. It was pathetic and sickening. Damn it Bella, you're a human girl, ACT LIKE ONE! Another grip is how New Moon turned into a love triangle (or will turn since that action takes place in the sequel). Meyer has stated that Twilight was meant to be a stand alone novel and it certainly shows. We came for Bella and Edward and now we have this love triangle which I cannot understand. Bella becomes absolutely pathetic and whiny, Jake's love goes unexplained and serves as nothing more than like Paris in Romeo & Juliet, and Edward is seen so seldom it threw the story off balance. The werewolves provided a nature, family, real horror feel, so I enjoyed the book more than an average Edward fan. But trust me reader, it only gets worse! Prepare yourself for Eclipse which spends the majority of its incredible length too strengthening Bella and Jake and leaving Bella and Edward in the "Too Be Developed if Ever" category. Just stop here for nothing more than a supremely lame love triangle of inexplicable absurdities awaits you- and bad writing....less
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January 01
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Saya
read and liked
Lucy's
review of Eclipse (Twilight Series, Book 3):
"I'm tempted to write a review for each of the Twilight books, but I really don't want to put myself through it. So this should do for all three books.
I understand the love for this trilogy. An unabashedly perfect, stunning, 'dazzling' hero who fa...more
I'm tempted to write a review for each of the Twilight books, but I really don't want to put myself through it. So this should do for all three books.
I understand the love for this trilogy. An unabashedly perfect, stunning, 'dazzling' hero who falls in love with an 'ordinary' girl; what teenage female wouldn't want to be in that situation?
Thing is, Edward is far from perfect, dazzling and certainly doesn't have a patch on Heathcliff - or even Michaelangelo's David, come to that. And Bella is nothing like an 'ordinary' girl. What ordinary girl, when faced with her boyfriend hacking someone to pieces and burning the remains, would be completely calm - worried about her boyfriend's perfect face, in fact? What ordinary girl would accept that the two points in her love triangle are actually a werewolf and a vampire? Of course, Meyer wants us to suspend disbelief and enjoy the books as a fantasy; but the characters, the writing and the setting don't allow it.
Edward is far too perfect to go unremarked for so long, even in such a small town. As are his 'family', each of whom is utterly gorgeous physically and generally nice in character. How could such a family simply hide and be unremarked so easily? Why haven't any of them been noticed? Why is Edward living in a tiny town in the US when he has an entire world to explore; surely there are many more interesting places.
In the first book, I almost sympathised with Bella. She was in a new town, scared, miserable, but clearly strong enough to take a big step like leaving her mother's home permanently and moving to live with her father. I felt slightly sorry for her, and was glad when Edward finally stopped being nasty and patronising to her. I even smiled when Edward suggested Bella tell Charlie that Edward was her boyfriend.
In the second and third books, Bella was selfish, self-centered, whiny, and yet portrayed as self-sacrificing, brave, and 'stronger than she looks'. It seemed that every three pages Bella was swooning, being sick, crying or standing around and staring in shock. I don't read a book for the details of nausea. How could she be so utterly pathetic after all she had been through? Bella did not change at all throughout the three books; she remained ignorant, rude, and absolutely, foolishly blind to Edward's faults and her terrible situation.
Edward was completely flat; when he wasn't giving long, confusing speeches about what was going on and why he couldn't do this, that or the other, and why Bella should apologise and why he should apologise etc. etc., I found nothing of the character to identify with. He was nothing at all. I couldn't understand why Jacob - the only character in the books that I really liked - was so deeply in love with Bella after the way she treated him.
The romance between Edward and Bella was just that; 'romance'. Nowhere in any of the books did it feel like a true, strong, deep relationship. Even when Bella raced to Italy and saved Edward, I felt nothing. In fact, the only time any of these books made me feel something was at the very end of the third book, with Jacob's reaction.
Throughout the three books, the writing remained absurdly simple and badly constructed. More than once I had to flip back to understand who was speaking and who they were talking about; in particular Meyer's constant use of 'he' throughout the second and third novels was hard to follow.
The teenage girl side of me liked these books; pure shallow escapism is nice once in a while, and I did like the unabashed honesty of a 'perfect' hero. Naturally I wouldn't mind an Edward one day.
The writer side of me, the older side and the philosophical side wondered why I was reading these books at all. Surely there are better books with clearer tales, books with heroines who aren't needy, unhealthily obsessed with her boyfriend and utterly selfish? If anyone is looking for a good book to read, I highly recommend reading Wuthering Heights. ...less
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November 22, 2007
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Saya
read and liked
Veronica's
review of Eclipse (Twilight Series, Book 3):
"I had expectations for this book, but I found it to be a terrible disappointment. Where to begin with?
First of all, I have lost most of the respect I had for Bella as a character. Her obsession for Edward has really gone overboard, to the point ...more
I had expectations for this book, but I found it to be a terrible disappointment. Where to begin with?
First of all, I have lost most of the respect I had for Bella as a character. Her obsession for Edward has really gone overboard, to the point of becoming downright annoying, even unhealthy. She worships the ground he walks on, and is all too ready to dump her parents and friends just so she can spend more time with him without growing old. She doesn't seem to have any serious problem with the idea of making her parents worry, or the thought of never see them again... she's willing to stomp over anything that isn't Edward, even things that can enrich her life. She's like a satellite, her boring life revolving solely around him. She has no self-worth, and spends a good deal of the book whining, complaining and sighing, I really wanted to shake her hard at times and tell her to GET A LIFE.
I also find it deeply disturbing that Bella is not more repulsed by the idea of blood lust. How could she accept the thought that she will want to kill people (even her family) so easily, just because of him?
Second, Edward has gone from charming to BORING. There is such a thing as being too perfect (read: dull), and Edward fits the mold perfectly. His character is so flat, and how many times can we hear Bella and Edward exchange their love for one another before becoming bored? I mean honestly, how perfect can he be before it simply becomes ridiculous? Most of the book is spent on the two of them fawning over each other and Bella saying over and over and over again how sexy and good-looking he is. Writing tip for the author: You don't need to tell us countless times that your character is wonderful. Actions speak for themselves. Jane Austen didn't need to remind us several times that Mr. Darcy was perfect... he simply was.
Third... Jacob. He's the reason I gave this book 2 stars. He was the most compelling character in the book. He wasn't perfect, but he was fun, honest, and very human, making big mistakes, but always trying to do his best... he was impossible not to love. He was real, not a perfect pretty doll with no flaws. Sadly, he was mostly wasted.
I also the think the magic Twilight had dissapeared. I liked the books because the author made the whole vampire/werewolf thing so credible, but now, with armies of vampires raging through Washington, credibility has gone out the window. Also the whole book was focused on on a love triangle that everybody knew how it would end, and it made everything very predictable. And how come nobody saw that Victoria was behind the killings, when it was so darn obvious even to the casual reader? Were they stupid? Overall, a great disappointment, I'm not sure if I'll read the next book in the series. Why bother? ...less
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