Book review: Twilight

I’ve been reading some pretty heavy books lately. Not only is the subject material weighty, but so are the books themselves. Overall, I’ve enjoyed these books on pregnancy, childbirth, child-rearing, and child care (I have yet to tackle the last chapter on the actual birth). But, I needed a change – something fun and something quick - basically a book in which I could lose myself.

Last Thursday, gift card in hand (thanks A&A!) I headed into Barnes & Noble in search of four books to fit my criteria. I didn’t have to look far – these books are everywhere, due to their huge popularity and a movie coming out in the next week. They’ve been called the new Harry Potter series, and after reading two and almost halfway through the third book, I can see why. I bought the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn).

Much like Harry Potter these books are set in the present time and introduce characters that live among humans, with most humans being none-the-wiser. Meyer’s characters are vampires living in Washington state. I came to these books late in the game, much like I did with the Harry Potter series. I never thought I’d be interested in these books, aimed at young teens (around ninth grade), but the escapism and imagination of Meyer’s world is catching. I’m glad I didn’t have to wait for each subsequent book to be released; I can relish them all in (almost) one sitting!

I always tease my husband for enjoying the vampire movies Underworld and Underworld 2. However, I was always secretly interested in the plot and the mythological relationship between the vampires and lycans. I think that’s how I always felt about Meyer’s novels; I was secretly interested in her interpretation of the vampire mythology. With Twilight, she introduces the reader to a human 17-year-old, Bella Swan, who unwittingly falls in love with a “teenage” vampire, Edward Cullen. So, start off with a love story and I’m there, right? Well, Meyer’s novel not only explores the love between these two beings, she writes from a teenage girl’s perspective, which is very realistic. She also uses suspense, humor, and fantasy to create a novel that I could hardly put down.

My favorite thing about Twilight was that it made me feel like vampires really could exist in the human world. That’s what I loved about the Harry Potter novels; I felt like there really were wizards and witches on earth. Twilight and its sequels are a great escape, exactly what I was hoping for.

**** stars