Book Review: Twilight
Posted in Lisa Pawlowski, books on 24. Sep, 2008
You’re lucky to be reading this. I almost never got this article written. You see, I’ve been worthless the past few days. My house is a pit. I haven’t done hardly any writing. I’m neglecting my husband and kids. I’m barely eating or sleeping, and I can’t be bothered with checking e-mail. Why am I doing this? Do I have an illness? No. My daughter got me addicted to the Twilight series of books and I can’t stop reading until I’m through the entire series.
I realize I’m coming late to a party that, seemingly, everyone has been to. Some of you already know the powerful allure Stephenie Meyer’s vampire romance/thrillers hold over unsuspecting readers. I was aware that the books were out there, I mean, I’d seen the endcap displays at Barnes and Noble and heard the hyperbolic comparisons to other successful series and dismissed them. Anymore, every publisher who prints a sci-fi/fantasy book shouts out blurbs from unheard of critics who claim, “Best thing since Harry Potter.”
The thing is, I’m not really a fantasy/romance-type reader. I like my stories grounded in reality, with a few exceptions. But, just as Bella is hooked on Edward’s smoldering good looks and raw sex appeal, so too am I addicted and need to find out as quickly as possible how the story arc ends.
I’m in the middle of the fourth book and the series has turned from a mostly romance, with a little bit of thriller story to a fantasy thriller with romantic elements. I did read an article where readers were so disappointed in this turn of the story that many went to the bookstore and returned their copies. But think about it, the romance between the characters would be hard to keep up. All stories need conflict. People don’t buy books where nothing happens and everyone gets along. That would be dull.
