Twilight (The Twilight Saga, Book 1) Paperback – October 28, 2008

This is exactly what I wanted, I'm so glad I ended up buying it. My set is perfect, I don't have bent in edges like others have mentioned. I'm going to have to be quite careful with this set, the white is so gorgeous in person. If anybody reading this is skeptical about buying this collection, I say go for it! It's a great price for what you're getting. This is truly a wonderful gift for any Twilight fan.

The Kindle set of books was fine, until Breaking Dawn. The whole part of the birth and Jacobs imprinting were missing from the book. Instead they repeated the Bella chapter twice. So it went directly into the chapter of the burning. I own the hard cover books and this is not an issue in them. Needless to say, I was unhappy with this purchase.

I love having the full matching box set to add to my library. A part of me wishes I would have stopped by half price books to pick up the novels but it was great having it delivered and matching for 30 some odd dollars. One star off because the back page (the red side) chips away easily. I have only held them and bookmarked them and the back looks worn. Otherwise, I'm happy with my purchase.

I read this after scrutinizing the five feature films, and found this a very enjoyable read on its own, but as an adjunct to the films it is extra nice and worthwhile too, because it answers a few questions I had about some details. I realize now that fans of the book would have known the details going in, and that's fine because I came late to the party. And the love story.

I like the first person narrative, because there is no one who could tell her story better than Bella herself, making this fresh, light reading, an attractive story, and a romance for all ages.

I picked this up because some of the bad reviews are so well-written my curiosity got the best of me. It turns out I enjoyed the Twilight books, they were fun and kept me entertained. I read the entire series in less than two weeks and taken as a whole they are worth reading. My conflicted feelings about Bella are resolved by the end of the series, where we see a lot of character growth. For a simple fantasy book I actually have a lot to say about it. As to Twilight:

As an early 30's Mom of a toddler, I really enjoyed it. It was a total fantasy, sexy and fun. I wished for more sexiness but I get that they are teenagers. Now if this was "50 Shades of Twilight" I would have given this thing five stars for sure! I also found Bella to be an extremely relatable character for me; we come from very similar circumstances (including the move to the absentee Dad's tiny house in a strange town at 17), we look alike, and we are both very clumsy. Meyer really nailed this character, and from the start I could just jump in and understand the fantasy. As a Mother, however, the relationship between these two kids is way too serious and this Bella needs some self-esteem badly. I did get annoyed every time Mr. Perfect-Face showed up and Bella began brewing about her inadequacy. The fantasy of being the helpless damsel is great for a confident grown woman with a life, scary for a teenage girl. I have to say, the woman in me preferred Edward but the Mom thought Jacob a better choice.

As a life-long lover of vampire fiction, I liked it quite a bit. Meyer chooses her lore with care, allowing for the plot to move without some of the traditional vampire hindrances (aka daytime) without going too far outside the confines of what a vampire enthusiast will accept. I liked the supernatural world and rules she created.

As to the writing. Being somewhat of a literary connoisseur who reads epic historical novels for fun, I can't say that we are reading Shakespeare or Hawthorne here - but the books kept me turning pages. I was thoroughly entertained. Yes, the "perfect" thing got old and there were some issues here and there, but not enough to take me away from the plot. Meyer created some great characters and gave each a personality; we see a lot of humor and insight in here, and the characters experience quite a bit of growth, not an easy feet for an author. The book is written like the author enjoyed writing it, and therefore I enjoyed reading it. Not perfect, but she's good and she gets better as the series moves forward. I enjoyed watching Meyer grow as an author and I will probably pick up whatever she comes out with next.

I will sum up by saying that this was a fun read if you are looking for a romantic fantasy. If you're going for it I suggest doing the whole series. We get the whole world Meyer created this way, and we see Bella grow from an awkward girl with an inferiority complex and poor decision-making skills into a confident (if un-dead) young woman. Who knew I would be so evocative about Twilight? It was good, I'm glad I read it.

I have all 5 movies and I like them a lot so I figured I'd give the books a try. I did like enjoy reading the saga with details and stories that were not included in the movies, but the author's writing bothered me on many occasions. Firstly, it is easy to read, but that's because the writing is so simple. It appears to be written by a teenage high schooler rather than a professional author. Secondly the repetition is very irritating. She writes of Bella's clumsiness over and over. She writes of how breathtaking Edward is to Bella over and over. She writes of Bella's insecurities nonstop. I found myself eventually skipping over these parts as it's unnecessary to reread these things continuously. Thirdly, I know it's a romance novel involving vampires, but there were too many parts that made the story feel so unrealistic. For example, how every boy in Bella's school seemed to be pursuing a relationship with her, how most of the girls in her school were jealous of her, and yet the writing makes Bella seem so overwhelmingly average.

But with all complaints aside I still enjoyed reading Twilight. I got to know each character well. I could imagine the scenarios easily. It's not difficult to get carried away while reading this book. Despite the irritating writing I was not disappointed.