Twilight | Teen Ink

Twilight

November 7, 2008
By Anonymous

“Slowly, slowly, my thoughts started to break past the brick wall of pain. To plan. For I had no choices now but one: to go to the mirrored room and die. I had no guarantees, nothing to give to keep my mother alive. I could only hope that James would be satisfied with winning the game, that beating Edward would be enough. Despair gripped me; there was no way to bargain, nothing I could offer or withhold that could influence him. But I still had no choice. I had to try,” (Meyer 430).

This is a scene from the book, Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. Twilight is Stephenie Meyer’s first book to be published. After Twilight, was published in 2005, she was listed as, “One of the most promising authors of 2005,” (Publishers Weekly). Her books have also been translated into over twenty different languages throughout the world. Stephenie Meyer has written three other sequels to this book, New Moon, Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. Twilight is 498 pages long, but this does not affect the amount of people who love this book.

Isabella, “Bella,” Swan is your average seventeen-year-old girl; there is nothing especially extraordinary about her. She goes to high school, does her homework and has a job at the local sporting goods store. Bella is small for her age and very thin. She has deep brown eyes and hair, and incredibly pale skin. She is very shy and likes to blend into the background. An example of this is when she states, “I cut the engine as soon as I was in a spot, so that the thunderous volume wouldn’t draw attention to me,” (Meyer 14) Bella does this because she is extremely clumsy and doesn’t like to make a scene or have people stare at her. Her parents are divorced, and she has lived with her mother for the majority of her life in Phoenix, Arizona. When her mother gets remarried, she goes to live with her father in Forks, Washington. When she moves to Forks, she doesn’t expect people to want to be her friend because of her shyness. Bella shows this when she says, “If I couldn’t find a niche with three thousand people, what were my chances here?” (Meyer 10). In Phoenix, she wasn’t especially popular, and she was used to people not paying much attention to her. She explains this when she states, “I should be tan, sporty and blonde – a volleyball player, or a cheerleader perhaps – all the things that go with living in the valley of the sun,” (Meyer 10). When she gets to Forks, most people are extremely interested in her because she is new and from a big city.

This story takes place in an incredibly quaint, rainy town called Forks, Washington. The amount of rain there makes it plentiful in wildlife and forests. This town is perfect for legendary creatures like vampires. Creatures that people don’t even think exist except for in their minds and theatrical movies. Bella Swan ends up falling in love with a vampire named Edward Cullen. Edward is not like ordinary vampires. He is considered an abnormal vampire because he doesn’t feed on human blood. Edward only feeds on animal blood because he doesn’t like the thought of himself being a monster. Edward tries to stay away from Bella but he cannot because he loves her. When Edward takes Bella to play baseball with his family, who are also abnormal vampires, they come across three other vampires. One of these three is a Tracker. A Tracker is a certain type of vampire who can track certain humans like Bella. He tries to hunt her down and Edward tries everything possible to keep her safe.

I think Stephenie Meyer adds many characteristics to her writing. She has some of the best description and broad vocabulary I’ve ever read. For example, “Her voice held all the shock and condemnation of the small town,” (Meyer 20). Stephenie Meyer also has uses a style that I recognize from Edgar Allan Poe’s writing. She uses a “-” to change her mood or topic briefly. An example of this is when she states, “His arms formed an iron cage of protection around me – I was barely jostled,” (Meyer 345). Stephenie Meyer’s writing also makes things in the end hard to predict because she does not use a lot of foreshadowing in her writing.



What the author, is trying to teach the reader is that it doesn’t matter who or what someone is or how they look, anyone can find love or friendship even in the most unexpected people. Edward has been alive for almost eighty years and he has never shown interest in any girl. The only girl he has ever loved is Bella, a normal teenage girl. This book is so amazing. It made me think about what it would be like to live with having the risk of killing people when you don’t want to be considered a monster or a murderer. This book made me wonder, while I was reading, if Bella would leave Edward or if he would leave her to make it safer for Bella. Twilight also made me feel heartbreak when Edward was being loathsome to Bella in the beginning when he was trying to stay away from her.

I would give this book a rating five out of five stars because it is the most excellent book I have ever read. This book has everything: it has romance, action, horror, villains, and vivid description. This book can be read by anyone over twelve to adults. This book may not be good for younger children because the vampires may be scary, and the ending chills you to your bones. This is the type of book where once you start reading it, you can’t put it down. There are many positive reviews for this unbelievable book. The American Library Association listed this book as “Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults” and “Top Ten Books for reluctant Readers”. Another review said, “Propelled by suspense and romance in equal parts, [this story] will keep readers madly flipping the pages of Meyer’s tantalizing debut,” (Publishers weekly). Don’t let twilight come before reading this incredible book filled with suspense and romance.



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