The Twilight Saga
Stephanie Meyer
(Books 1-4)
PRE-READ:
okay, another crappy YA series that girls are squealing over. Yawn. . .
MID-POINT:
Okay, in my defense, I bought these for my wife. I picked it up in a moment of weakness, and of course when you start a series, you can't stop.All that being said, the novel's are not that bad. You could cut out all the relationship and teenage angst crap (but more on that in a moment) and it would be a decent vamp novel/series. Meyer's use of legends, and her fresh take on their origins, are interesting. She does a good job of building her stories upon one another, and she makes great use of contrasts in book 2. It's good to see villains that are strong enough to survive more than one book and still be active in driving the plot forward in the later novels.
About the angst crap: It works. Personally, it annoys me, but I'm 33. BUT, I can remember being 15-18, and that age group seems to be her most fanatical. One reason they are so successful is the novels strike a cord that only that age can bring. So I get it, and forgive her.
I will compliment her on the angle she takes with Bella's virginity. I think she handled that perfectly. (Not that I'm a prude, but I would be really uncomfortable letting my 8 year old little girl read the series if Bella had hopped right in the sack with Edward.)
I am at the point in the series where they are leaving the island. (To give a reference point)
I'll update when I finish Breaking Dawn. I'll have to look and see if #5 is out. I believe there is a novella out as well.
Mid-point update:
Don't have but just a second, but chapter 20 is just about the best chapter, in any book, that I've ever read.
Final Verdict:
This series got stronger as it went on. It doesn't surprise me it got stronger the more she moved away from the relationship angle. You could also see Meyer get stronger as a writer as she progressed through the series. This is one series that is saved by the final book. (North and South, by John Jakes, was the same for me.)
Rating: Mixed set. You'd want the series, but not concerned if it's a matching set.
