Twilight by Stephenie Meyer | Teen Ink

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer MAG

May 30, 2008
By Anonymous

I was never in love with vampires until Twilight came out. I didn’t know it was possible, but Stephenie Meyer changed the stereotypical blood-sucking vampire into a beautiful god-like creature.

In Twilight, an average high school girl, Bella Swan, falls in love with one of the most beautiful boys at her new school, Edward, who happens to be a vampire. What does one call a stunning, mysterious vampire and his stunning, mysterious vampire family? I believe “The Cullens” would suffice.

The author’s style and characters will glue your hands to the book and your eyes to the page. In no time, the book is over. But don’t worry – there are three sequels: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn.

Twilight is well written from Bella’s point of view. It feels as though a movie is playing in your head. If you don’t feel that way, have no fear, the actual movie comes out November 21.

Twilight is such a magnificent book that it was a New York Times bestseller. Who would have thought that the idea for such an astonishing book could come from a dream the author had?

The theme is love conquers all, even the supernatural. Nothing stands in the way of love for Edward and Bella. Or does it?

Meyer’s style of writing will have you wanting to believe that there are gorgeous vampires roaming our world and just hopefully there will be Edwards for all of the girls who have fallen in love with this fictional yet breathtaking character. Since the characters’ love is forbidden, it only makes it better. ­After all, forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest.



JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 724 comments.


on Aug. 27 2010 at 4:04 pm
MusicNote3 GOLD, 23071, Virginia
11 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.&quot;<br /> &mdash; Oscar Wilde (The Critic as Artist)

As a horror movie/literature fanatic, I have an explanation for you. Vampires are a staple of classic Horror tales. Stephanie Meyers takes the concept of a bloodsucking monster and makes it into this romantic caring nonsense. Atleast Anne Rice kept the terror aspect but added a little romance.

on Aug. 22 2010 at 11:35 pm
Blue-Eyed BRONZE, Jacksonville, Florida
1 article 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
Wake up with a smile. Live the day to the fullest. And go to bed with a prayer.

IM A TOTAL TWI-HARD!! I THINK YOUR REVIEW WAS GREAT! AND IT DEFF GAVE MEYERS SERIES JUSTICE! YOU SHOULD DO A REVIEW ON NEW MOON, ECLIPSE, AND BREAKING DAWN! ONE MORE THING! IM ALL FOR TEAM JACOB! SO YEAH! WE ALL WULISH THERES AN EDWARD FOR US! BUT I WANT A WEREWOLF!! LOVED YOUR WORK KEEP WRITING!!

on Aug. 20 2010 at 4:01 pm
emmilove24 BRONZE, Erlanger, Kentucky
3 articles 13 photos 73 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;True strength is holding yourself together, when everyone expects you to fall apart.&quot;

well thanks :)

Safeleo said...
on Aug. 19 2010 at 5:15 am
Safeleo, Iwakuni, Other
0 articles 0 photos 118 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Looking up into the night sky is like looking into infinity - the distance is incomprehensible and therefore meaningless.&quot; <br /> -Douglas Adams

Even if I hated the book, I like your review.

Gateskp said...
on Aug. 17 2010 at 7:38 pm

I completely agree with EVERYTHING you said about HP!  IT IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE BOOK BEING REVIEWED (I don't say the name if I can help it)! (It was a nicely written review, though, very eloquent and polite and all.)

Honestly, Harry Potter had an underlying message throughout the whole series (the choices you make define who you are) and in the entire series (not just the first book) being mentioned above (henceforth known as "THAT series") I don't see much of any message (unless it's "Dont fall in love with an immortal being who wants to kill you" or some rubbish like that). The characters are flat and cliche and, half the time, boring (to me at least).

And for the record, THAT series doesn't have "real" werewolves or "real" vampires (as BETTER literature dictates) it has other people who change into wolves and sparkly immortal people who drink blood. (Yes, I'm one of those people who think Dracula was the real deal in establishing vampire stories. It was a real book!)

One last thing- I ship Orange Crush and Herons! :)

 

(Yes, I am a total Harry Potter geek. 93 more days!)


on Aug. 17 2010 at 6:35 am
ThisBreRulezYouSonnn BRONZE, Wake Forest, North Carolina
4 articles 0 photos 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;<br /> Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;<br /> Thy fate is the common fate of all--<br /> Into each life some rain must fall,<br /> some days must be dark and dreary.<br /> --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

No, Stephenie Meyer. Vampires do not sparkle and they do not pity humans by drinking the blood of animals. Nice try, though.

The first book was appalling. I go to church regularly, and I'm Christian, so when you ask your friend why the cover of the 1st book had a pair of pale hands cupping a juicy, red apple and she says "It's a symbol--it's the forbidden fruit from the bible. The guy in the book is the forbidden fruit,' you're going to be one angry mudda-f&%$ah. So I read the books and got even angrier!

It's bad enough for the book to have only one moral that we've heard over and over again (true love conquers all), but Mrs. Meyer just haaaad to use the forbidden fruit. When I saw this, it was like she was saying, 'Give into temptation... it's okay to eat forbidden fruit.'

Bella's a horrible girl anyway, though--weak, clueless, ready to throw everything away so she can finangle with a 100-something year old man whom she only seems to like for his face and body and 'perfection'... unless, dominance and frigidity is her 'thing'... weird... so she can take one look at his face and body and think, 'he's perfect' and forgive him for being such a jealous d$#& and letting him take away the ONE person who actually brought life to this book (Jacob Black)? Can you say, 'superficial airhead', Bella?

Also, she is self-absorbed. Since the books are mainly in her point-of-view, it suffers from blank characters and blank dialogue--leaving only corny pick-up lines and soap opera-like staccato that doesn't work. It doesn't work in the book OR in the movies.

So if you want a REAL love story with bite and true love-- Buffy the Vampire Slayer. If you want a story full of supernatural beings AND life, The Immortal Instruments. If you want a story with morals, KEEP THIS BOOK ON THE SHELF... and if you want a believable soap opera about teens... Degrassi: The Boiling Point XD


on Aug. 10 2010 at 12:47 pm
Thoughtful-Inker SILVER, Port Neches, Texas
9 articles 3 photos 11 comments

Favorite Quote:
Everything is okay is the end; if it&#039;s not okay, it&#039;s not the end.

To Slushi:

The opinions you've set yourself to make it quite clear how you feel. However, it seems you are judging the characters in the Twilight Saga as they would be judged in the real world. In reality, as if they were walking down the street. 

I think this was a beautifully and passionately written piece of work by Stephenie. The plot, however seemingly drawn-out it may seem to some, led up to a surprising end and made ever word of each book worth while to read. Sure, there were some cliche' moments, but overall, the series was uniquely fascinating!


on Aug. 10 2010 at 12:01 am
Taylor.Sangria GOLD, Deltona, Florida
10 articles 27 photos 24 comments
So I don't understand why everyone is saying "vampires aren't sparkly, they're murderous bloodsuckers blah blah blah". Vampires DO NOT exist, so this argument is invalid. I read the whole Twilight series, and it was all very entertaining but the writing was tawdry and the plot was cliche. Your review, however, was excellent.

on Aug. 9 2010 at 10:27 pm
earlybird_8 BRONZE, Roberts Creek, Other
4 articles 0 photos 115 comments

Favorite Quote:
The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

Twilights basically only the second book EVER (correct me if I'm wrong) to be based on a dream and be successful. The only other was Jeckyll and Hyde. 

 

That factoid aside, I thought the review was good, although I don't agree with it. It was overall well written and polished- I couldn't find anything wrong with it! I found your take on twilight interesting, too. 


on Aug. 6 2010 at 1:10 pm
DiamondsIntheGrass GOLD, Martinsville, New Jersey
14 articles 1 photo 278 comments

Favorite Quote:
Worry is simply a misuse of the imagination.

good reveiw.  would probably make me wanna read the book, except for the fact that i already read it.  well written, but... i dont like bella (shes so selfish, wanting both the werewolf and the vampire.  aand that is jus tso weird. cant she fall in love with someone normal?), edward (too overprotective), jacob (falling and continuing to fal for someone that already has a boyfriend)... and their the main characters! im sorry, but that is just so dispicable. so the article was good, but i disagree with ur opinion.

Mr.Mills said...
on Aug. 2 2010 at 8:21 am
Vampires are not little dancers that are nice and control them selfs from blood. They don't shine in the light there killers and i believe the man who invented vampires would believe that twilight is making fun of vampires. Plus the ware wolfs and making fun of them to there not cute puppy's like they try to show in twilight.

Bbb4313 GOLD said...
on Jul. 31 2010 at 4:25 pm
Bbb4313 GOLD, Gwinn, Michigan
12 articles 1 photo 14 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Creative minds never get bored.&quot; Unknown

Ok, i did not read this entire review. And i am not going to. Vampires are not sparkly dancers that sing in the moonlight with werewolves. Vampires are cruel creatures of the night, who bite you in the neck without mercy. From what i have heard Twilight has an OK storyline but is terribly written. I mean, Vampires and werewolves falling in love? get real.

ELM522 DIAMOND said...
on Jul. 26 2010 at 8:37 pm
ELM522 DIAMOND, Selden, New York
79 articles 0 photos 139 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;All those other girls, well they&#039;re beautiful, but would they write a song for you?&quot;-&quot;Hey Stephen&quot; by Taylor Swift

I like when people agree because than I know I'm not the only one that feels that way!

on Jul. 26 2010 at 7:49 pm
V.T.Summers BRONZE, Longview, Washington
1 article 16 photos 50 comments

Favorite Quote:
Things rarely turn out as expected.

HOUSE OF NIGHT IS AWESOME!!

on Jul. 26 2010 at 7:40 pm
V.T.Summers BRONZE, Longview, Washington
1 article 16 photos 50 comments

Favorite Quote:
Things rarely turn out as expected.

i know!!  Bella just became an ignorant character that I wanted to yell at all the time.  She lost the  personality she had and became an obsessed, lifeless-without-edward person.  I liked the 1st book; in my opinion the story may have been more tolerable if it had ended there.  The publicity for this series has gone too far.  I percieve it as obsessive, but I do realize people are getting good business out of it.

on Jul. 26 2010 at 7:40 pm
deus-ex-machina14 BRONZE, Stewartsville, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 439 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;There are two main tragedies in life. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.&quot; -Oscar Wilde

I agree completely! People can think whatever they want about Twilight or anything, for that matter. But they don't have to go around putting it down and just being mean about it! That really bugs me, I totally get where you're coming from.

on Jul. 26 2010 at 7:38 pm
deus-ex-machina14 BRONZE, Stewartsville, New Jersey
1 article 0 photos 439 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;There are two main tragedies in life. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.&quot; -Oscar Wilde

I have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the movie, but I thought the books were amazing! You should think about writing your own stories, you have a way with words:D

on Jul. 24 2010 at 2:05 pm
DuchessBlueOwl BRONZE, Salt Lake City, Utah
1 article 0 photos 1 comment

Favorite Quote:
&quot;I see my path, but I don&#039;t know where it leads. Not knowing where I&#039;m going is what inspires me to travel it.&quot;<br /> -Rosalia De Castro

I agree with Mimi8. I also have read all of the books, and actually used to be a fan. Then I woke up. :) Mostly because I reread them, realized that all of her characters are Mary Sues/Gary Stus, that she leaves major holes in her "plot", and one very important thing: Edward is a 108 year old man who watches a 17 year old girl sleep at night. The fact that this is being shoved down the throats of teen girls (and some guys) as "romance" scares me a lot. Edward threatens suicide if Bella leaves him and kidnaps her several times throughout the series. He threatens that he can lose control at any second and hurt her, and even though it is in a supernatural/fantasy setting it's not okay in the least. Edward and Bella's relationship is emotionally abusive. Why should any girl like that?

Meggietwin said...
on Jul. 23 2010 at 2:05 am

I honestly did not like Twilight.

I found it a tedious book, with a boring and predictable plot, and flat, dry and overall ridiculous characters. Bella complains all the time, she doesn't seem able to do anything for herself. Edward is creepy. Climbing through somebody's window to watch them sleep is not normal, no matter how much you love them. Sparkling, too, is way too weird. I mean, I have no problems with taking a different view on vampires, making them different to what you would think them to be ... but honestly, sparkling is just plain weird.

Another thing that drove me insane is Stephenie Meyer's style of writing. It is so tedious! I mean, it's not description. It's more ramblingly observant or something. It made me want to throw the book at the wall, but I didn't because I would never do that to a book.


on Jul. 22 2010 at 12:18 pm
WritingLoverForever PLATINUM, Bowling Green, Ohio
32 articles 2 photos 198 comments

Favorite Quote:
It&#039;s not about success; it&#039;s about significance.<br /> <br /> No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

"Forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest."

That is so so true.

Twilight is a phenomenon.