Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) Review

A few months ago my preacher spoke of a series of books that was taking our nation's young people by storm and it was in our very own Christian school.  He spoke of vampires and teenagers and love and everything else that would beguile you.  I wasn't sure what series he was referencing but knew that my best friend's 15-year-old was also reading the series.  So, what happens when stars get misaligned and two galaxies collide in the universe?  You get a love story that teens are raving about and adults can't get enough of either!

I was drawn into the hype after the book Twilight by Stephenie Meyer became a major motion picture thanks to this2shallpass19.  And then I read jmdobies  book review.  I was hooked!  I had to have this book!  All around me was a hub about this book and my curiosity got the best of me.  So, I requested it for Christmas and someone listened and gave it to me.  I just finished it and I am waiting for New Moon, the second in the series to arrive from amazon.com

Never before has a book left me so spellbound.  This book took me through a range of emotions.  I was drawn into a beautiful and innocent love story and into the most alluring world of vampires I could ever imagine.  My heart was racing from one sentence to another.  I just needed more--one more sentence, one more paragraph.  Just get me to the end of the chapter and then I'll put it down!  I was like an addict on heroine--each chapter brought me closer to that elusive high and there was no coming down.  Or maybe I could smell the blood or taste it--perhaps I needed what they needed, just a little bite.  Anything to satiate the deep hunger inside that said, "I need more!"

Twilight is one of the most spine tingling books I have ever read and believe me; I have read my share of romance novels!  Never before have I been so caught up in a fantasy type novel of epic proportion where I felt that I could put myself in the world of the characters.  They came to life!  They jumped off of the pages!  Sometimes they made me laugh and cry and other times I was furious or frightened.  Meyers did a great job developing the characters.  They weren't just names assigned to individuals.  She gave them dimension and she breathed life into them.  She made it seem as if they could be living right next door to you.   

Bella Swan leaves Phoenix to go live with her father Charlie in a small town, Forks, Washington.  When grace was given out Bella missed the boat but she got a double portion of charm and intelligence and she was going to need every last bit of it to get the boy of her dreams or could he possibly be part of a nightmare she was diving into? 

Bella meets Edward Cullen at Forks High School.  Bella is 17 and Edward is 17 and holding and they both have eyes for each other but neither will relent to that fact.  When they are near each other Bella can feel a surge of energy go through her body and she can tell that she is making Edward uncomfortable, but why?  Bella starts to settle in at Forks.  She makes friends with a group of guys and girls and not believing in her own beauty and charm she soon finds several guys interested in her: Tyler, Mike and Jacob. You'll also see how each boy pursues her and how she handles every approach.  But she only has eyes for one guy--Edward.

Edward is always seen with siblings.  They appear to be inseparable.  What is the mystery behind the Cullen family?  Their father, Carlisle is a surgeon.  Esme, is the mother.  Edward, Emmett, Edwin, Rosalie and Alice are all fair-skinned with raven black hair and Bella is mesmerized every time she looks into Edward's ever changing eyes.  They appear to change with his moods.  If he is angry they are dark black, if he is more loving and nurturing they appear to be topaz.  How can someone be so handsome, so breathtaking and yet feel as if he has hands as cold as ice?  If looks could kill his would and someone may be dying to be in love.  

Why is Edward absent from school so much?  And why do the Cullens take so many weekend camping trips and why won't Edward accept invitations to go to the beach?  These are all questions that Bella is dying to find out.  Then one day she is told about a vampire coven that lives, breathes and thrives right here in Forks.  Who are they she wonders?  Could it be the Cullens?

Okay, so Bella researches information on the history of vampires and begins to piece things together.  She is quite certain that Edward is a vampire but she wants to know for sure.  She is looking for love but may be going into dangerous territory to find it.

While reading Twilight I knew that Bella was going to discover Edward's true identity so it killed me to get to the point where I could discover it too.  The suspense has you sitting on the edge of your seat because every time Bella encounters Edward you wonder if this is going to be the moment. 

Meyer's detailed the life of vampires so well that I found myself falling into the wonderful fictitious world of coffins, bats, thirst for blood, and so forth.  I would be at certain parts of the book and find myself zealously anticipating what was going to happen next.  Parts of the book humored me, like the Cullen family baseball game.  Other parts made me the romantic, as Bella and Edward found the young love and Bella pleading for just a little more and Edward resisting.  I wanted them to kiss but then I feared him sinking those sparkly white teeth into her throat and tasting of her blood.  I wanted them to experience true love but not at Bella's expense?  So did they?  You'll have to read the book.

I was just as fascinated with Edward as Bella was.  How he could travel at the speed of light and always know when she was in danger?  How could he appear out of nowhere and save her every time she was in trouble?  I thrilled at his strength as he could lift her with one arm, he could carry her for miles on his back, and he had the discipline to love her without hurting her.  Edward was a skilled vampire who chose to only hunt animals so as to never harm a human.  But when he falls for Bella will this put him over the edge?  Will a kiss turn to something more and will he need to "quench" his desires?  You will have to read the book to find out the following and more.

• What are the special skills or powers that each Cullen family member has and how do they all affect Bella?
• Will Bella and Edward profess an undying love for each other and will she cross over to the dark side?
• Why does Bella leave Forks?
• Who tries to kill Bella?

The following excerpt stuck out in my head and I marked it in my book:  

I intuitively knew--and sensed he did, too--that tomorrow would be pivotal.  Our relationship couldn't continue to balance, as it did, on the point of a knife.  We would fall off one ledge or the other, depending entirely upon his decision, or his instincts.  My decision was made, made before I'd ever consciously chosen, and I was committed to seeing it through.  Because there was nothing more terrifying to me, more excrutiating, than the thought of turning away from him.  It was an impossibility.   

When the flames of passion are ignited and young and innocent love is ablaze can the fire be put out before it is too late or will someone get burned?  Will twilight be the ending of a beautiful day and a love story that has just begun or will it be the ending of a young life?

"So ready for this to be the end," he murmured, almost to himself, "for this to be the twilight of your life, even though your life has barely started.  You're ready to give up everything." 

"It's not the end, it's the beginning" and with that said you will have to find the book to discover what happens!   

I now understand what the hype is all about!  I will be anxiously waiting for the movie to be released. You can now read my Twilight movie review by clicking here. At the end of my copy of Twilight there is a chapter from the second book in the series called New Moon.  I deliberately chose not to read it because I didn't want to get frustrated while waiting for my book to arrive.  There is also a discussion guide for groups that may be using this as part of a book club.

I enjoyed reading Twilight because it didn't have the crude language and sexual innuendos that most authors believe are necessary to make a good romance.  This is a book that you could give to a teenager and not worry about it messing him/her up.  People are still amazed that, I, as a Christian chose to read a book of this caliber but I thoroughly enjoyed it and make no apologies for having done so.  If you are grounded in your convictions and beliefs then this is just a book to entertain and fascinate.

The Twilight series has four books:

1. Twilight
2. New Moon
3. Eclipse
4. Breaking Dawn

Additional Book Information:

• ISBN-10: 0-316-03837-7
• ISBN-13: 978-0-316-03837-9
• Publication Date: 2005
• Publisher: Little, Brown & Company
• Format: 498 pages, excluding bonus material (paperback)
• Cover Price: $7.99
• My Price: Christmas gift