Eclipse (The Twilight Saga, #3) in Sequel Reading Challenge

Apr 03, 2010 Nicole rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites, vampires

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Those of you who rate it low like 1's and 2's seem like you're only doing that because it's so overhyped now that the movies are out that it's getting annoying or you read it after it was already hyped up and hated it from the start, so try to think of what it was like to read it for the first time or as if it wasn't overhyped and maybe you'll reconsider your rating. This series of books got me interested in reading again so I'm very protective over them. Ok I've said my peace; now onto the book Those of you who rate it low like 1's and 2's seem like you're only doing that because it's so overhyped now that the movies are out that it's getting annoying or you read it after it was already hyped up and hated it from the start, so try to think of what it was like to read it for the first time or as if it wasn't overhyped and maybe you'll reconsider your rating. This series of books got me interested in reading again so I'm very protective over them. Ok I've said my peace; now onto the book!

It's hard to give reviews for sequels just because you put so much effort into building up the first one that you don't have much to say for the sequels. Bella and Edward are mostly inseperable in this one, unlike New Moon where every minute was like torture. Hence Eclipse's appeal, for me anyways. And yet once again Jacob is able to get on my nerves, and surprisingly even more than in New Moon. He has this new unwarranted confidence that he can somehow win Bella back, though he never really had her. And she loves him (sadly more than a friend or a brother, which broke my heart), but Edward says he isn't going to lay back and let Jacob take her, so it all works out in the end. And as always, the self-sacrificing and self-loathing continues.

The proposal is a slow, yet exciting part. In New Moon, he asks her as sort of a joke, but in Eclipse he couldn't be more serious and it couldn't have come at a better time. Finally, Jake can be silenced! Or so I thought... That Jacob plays some dirty mind games and puts Bella in more pain. I've realized everyone in this love triange in pretty selfish, but you have to fight for what you want. And of course, Victoria is finally defeated, which again makes this much better than New Moon. Her death was sweet revenge for causing all this uneeded stress.

I feel like, though Jake has matured, it's not enough for Bella. He never takes anything seriously and everything is a joke to him, and while Edward is still fun to be around he still understands the consequences of everyone's actions much better than Jake does. Bella wants Jake to be a part of her life and she does love him more than she should, and if Edward wasn't there they'd be together. But the point is Edward is there and he's the one she belongs with. And she knows that and that's why it hurts more when she has to break it off with Jake, because she can see herself with him and it makes her happy... but not happy enough. She know's she can't live without Edward. She's tried it before and it didn't quite work out. She's let the part of her that loves Jacob to mourn and now she can focus mostly on Edward. Ah, peace at last.

I was glad I read the Eclipse novella that Stephenie Meyer wrote before I read Eclipse again to get ready for the movie coming out soon. It made what Bree said after the battle make a lot more sense, even though she had a pretty insigificant part in the book as a whole. But in Bella's world she WAS significant because she thought it was a glimpse into who she would become when she was turned, even though it turns out to be far from the truth. I was just going to read this book before going to see the movie, but I feel like I can't stop now with the wedding to Edward on the horizon, so I'm moving on to Breaking Dawn and reading that again! ...more

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Dec 30, 2008 Andrea at Reading Lark rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, 5-stars, young-adult, paranormal, vampires, pacific-northwest, werewolves, read-in-2007

Review Posted on Reading Lark 12/9/13: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2013/...

I have finally finished my reread of the first three books in the Twilight Saga; Jen will be reviewing Breaking Dawn at a later point so I decided not to reread that one right now since it's my least favorite. This series is truly my happy place. Even though I have read these novels multiple times, I always reach for them when real life becomes overly stressful and I need an escape. There is something comforting about Review Posted on Reading Lark 12/9/13: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2013/...

I have finally finished my reread of the first three books in the Twilight Saga; Jen will be reviewing Breaking Dawn at a later point so I decided not to reread that one right now since it's my least favorite. This series is truly my happy place. Even though I have read these novels multiple times, I always reach for them when real life becomes overly stressful and I need an escape. There is something comforting about losing myself in a world that is so familiar and characters I know so well. I also find myself reaching for this series when I begin to miss living in Washington State; Meyers' writing is so vivid that it can evoke the places that I love so much.

Eclipse is my favorite novel of this series. I feel like one of the main reasons for this is the amount of action. Twilight is a lot of explanation and world building while New Moon focuses on Bella finding her own strength, but Eclipse is a pure adrenaline rush. The tension in this novel kept me on my toes the first time I read it. I was so anxious about Bella's fate. There also was a bit of apprehension about who Bella would choose: Edward or Jacob. The wait for Breaking Dawn to be released was brutal.

I also loved the Cullens in this one. It was so nice to have them back after missing them for the majority of New Moon. Emmett has a larger part in this one which I also appreciated. I love when he gets all riled up; his humor and loyalty make him an endearing character.

In addition to Emmett, I really enjoyed Jasper in this one. It was interesting to finally get more of his back story. His expertise on newborns is invaluable to the epic battle. I have always found him and Rosalie to be the most sympathetic characters in the Cullen family. Both of them came into their vampire lives in violent, unexpected manners. Neither of them were given a choice. Their lives were stolen.

Finally, in spite of being a vampire girl, I do enjoy the wolf segments in this one as well. Jacob still isn't my favorite, but he does grow on me the more I reread the series. I can at least see his appeal at this point which wasn't clear to me at all the first time I read the novels.

One Last Gripe: The way Bella needs Edward always irked me. I felt like she needed to learn to stand on her own two feet and not always rely on him.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: The battle preparation scenes

First Sentence: All our attempts at subterfuge had been in vain.

Favorite Character: Emmett Cullen

Least Favorite Character: Victoria

...more

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