The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer- Review by Carlyn

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The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer is a short story written for the Twilight saga for which Meyer created. The story is set during Eclipse, the third novel in the Twilight series from the point of view of Bree Tanner.Bree was a teenage runaway who was spotted by a vampire named Riley. She was searching through some garbage for food and he offered her a ride. Instead of food, she was turned into a vampire by Riley’s girlfriend, Victoria. Victoria creates an army of vampires so that she can have her revenge against the Cullens for killing her lover named James. However, Victoria tells her coven that the Cullens want to kill them so they can take over their territory which is a lie.

As a vampire, Bree is stronger than she’s ever been before. She’s able to run at super speed, lift extremely large objects and she has enhanced hearing and vision. Bree also has an extreme thirst for blood which can overpower her at times. The blood lust must be controlled so as not to expose the existence of vampires to the human population.

Many of the newborn vampires were chosen because they were miscreants that nobody would miss. Combined with their anti-social personalities and blood lust, they are easily provoked into violence and aggression. Bree tries to keep a low profile to avoid being killed by members of her coven. She sits with a vampire named Fred, who the others like to avoid. Fred has a mysterious ability to keep others away. Bree also makes friends with Diego who is Riley’s second in command. The two discover that Riley and Victoria have been keeping secrets from them and that they may be the real enemy.

The idea of this book came when Meyer was still writing Eclipse and she was writing character profiles of people. Bree Tanner was one of the characters and she has a small role in Eclipse. The Twilight saga is from the point of view of Bella Swan who is a human and the reader can only know what she knows so Bree’s story was unnecessary. This is not a standalone book. It’s best read by someone who has read the Twilight series or at least watched the movies. However, it is possible to read the book and fill in the gaps yourself or going on Wikipedia.

I’m still reading the Twilight books. I’m currently onto the last book Breaking Dawn. I really liked The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. I thought it was interesting to see from a vampire’s perspective in the Twilight world. In the Twilight books, Edward Cullen spends a great deal of time, telling Bella that he’s a monster and his efforts to control his bloodlust. I could understand his difficulty after reading this book. Bree  always talks about having an unquenchable thirst which only gets sated for a little while after each feed. Her blood lust is so great that she starts to view people as only food. Older vampires still have the blood lust but it is not as intense as newborn vampires.

I also liked reading Bree’s perspective when she meets the Cullens. They are certainly fascinating vampires as they are “vegetarian” for only drinking animal blood and they are civilized. Bree learns that she can have a normal life away from the violence and chaos that she has known.

Unfortunately, Bree doesn’t get a happy ending. It was no surprise since she meets her end in Eclipse.  I felt bad for her as she had only been fifteen when she had turned into a vampire and she had come from a broken home. Bree was also smart, resourceful and kindhearted. She would have made an excellent addition the to the Cullen family. This book is a great addition to the Twilight saga as it gives a new insight into the vampire world from a vampire’s perspective. It shows the uniqueness of the Cullen family and how they live peacefully and productively. They have come a long way to be civilized.  

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer -Review by Carlyn

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*contains spoilers

Eclipse is the third book from the Twilight series written by Stephanie Meyer. This is the Twilight book where the love triangle between Bella, Edward Cullen and Jacob Black build up and Bella needs to make a choice. Bella needs to decide on whether she loves Edward, the vampire or Jacob the werewolf.  The mythical beings are mortal enemies with only the love of Bella stopping them from destroying each other. In the meantime, Bella also has to finish high school and worry over a vampire army coming to kill her.

Jacob, Bella and Edward (l-r)

I kinda regret watching the Twilight movies because I’m sure that the books would be more thrilling if I didn’t know what was going to happen. In the book, there’s a series of murders happening in Seattle and people believe it’s the work of a serial killer. However, it’s actually the work of a vampire who is killing people to make a vampire army. Eventually, Bella and the Cullens realize that the vampire army was created to take them down. Bella and the other characters even joke about how every year, someone tries to kill Bella.

vampire army 

It is Bella’s impending death threat that brings an alliance between the Cullens and the werewolf clan. Both sides take it turns to guard Bella and train in preparation of the battle with the vampire army. Bella is distraught over the possibility that people she knows and loves could die in the battle but everyone else is convinced of a victory.

I found it admirable that Bella wasn’t really concerned over her own death but I was annoyed by the numerous times she had to be comforted.  There are many instances in the book where Edward places his palms on her face, looks intently into her eyes and tells her everything will be fine. The other characters all comfort her throughout the book too while Bella holds back tears. When she does cry, she cries for hours.

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Sometimes I wonder what attracts Edward and Jacob to Bella.  I think that the boys have qualities which are admirable and it’s easy to see why Bella loves them. Edward is protective, attentive, kind, and selfless and Jacob is friendly, brave, easy going and kind. I find Bella bland because she doesn’t have much interest in life. Bella is a passive person who has no other interest in life except being with Edward and becoming a vampire.  I can see why Edward was reluctant about granting her wish to be a vampire. I agree with Edward’s sentiments that she needs to experience more of life.

Despite my criticisms of Bella as a heroine, I still like reading the Twilight series. It’s a fun read because of the romance and action. I look forward to reading the final book.  

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer- Review by Carlyn

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I now have a better understanding about Team Edward and Team Jacob after reading New Moon. The second installment of the Twilight series introduces a rival for Bella’s affection. Edward breaks up with Bella when an accident almost caused her to become a vampire’s dinner. He reasons that it’s too dangerous for her to be associated with vampires and he vanishes from her life. Bella is heartbroken to the point that her father fears that he has to hospitalize her. It is only when her father suggests that Bella live with her mother that Bella starts to begin to participate in life again. She cannot bear to leave Forks, the place where her romance with Edward started.

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Bella’s father insists that she spend time with friends and forget about Edward. Bella goes through the motions of everyday life to please her father but remains apathetic for the most part.  A dangerous situation sparks a hallucination of Edward which compels Bella to seek more risky situations just so that she can see Edward again.

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Bella motivated by her desire to see Edward again (at least in her mind), decides to fix up some motorbikes, hoping that a thrilling ride might bring about the hallucinations. She asks an acquaintance, Jacob Black to help her restore the bikes and during their time together their relationship grows. Jacob falls in love with Bella but Bella can’t forget Edward. To further complicate matters, Jacob discovers he is a werewolf and as such is a sworn enemy of vampires.

I liked New Moon as I learnt more about the Twilight universe. I liked reading the first few chapters that detailed Bella’s grief as I know what it’s like to be in funk. I admired how Bella knew that Edward was her true love and couldn't forget him even though six months or so had past. She reminded me of damsels in fairy-tales and myths who weep all day for their lost love.  Although, there were times where I thought Bella needed to pull herself together because she frequently needed to be comforted. I also liked Jacob who was very different from Edward. Jacob was a warm and upbeat person who could joke around with Bella., Jacob and Bella didn't have to be as careful around each other as Bella had to be with Edward. Edward had to try hard to resist Bella’s blood and Jacob didn't have a blood-lust for humans.

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What I really liked about New Moon was learning more about Jacob. Personally, I would have liked Bella to end up with Jacob because the love between Bella and Edward is too intense. Remember this is a guy who before they were dating, would sneak into Bella’s bedroom without her permission to watch her sleep. Edward is very protective of Bella which leads to them always having some inane argument. The argument always ends with Edward trying to persuade Bella with a loving glance and murmur which is enough to set Bella’s heart racing and lose her focus.

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I can see that Bella would have been happy with either of the boys. They both are smitten with her and would do anything for her.  There’s always fan fiction if I ever want to see more of Jacob Black. I wonder how I would react if I were in a love triangle. I’ve always found the situation when I have seen in books or movies to be an unfair situation especially when the person that everyone else is fighting over takes too long to decide. Although, I know that soap operas are meant to draw out the most drama. It’s a pity that because of the hype of the movies, I know the gist of what happens in the Twilight books. I think it would have been very thrilling to find out that Jacob was a werewolf. 

Twilight by Stephanie Myer- Review by Carlyn

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Before you start, no I have not been living under a rock and don’t be such a snob. I know some people consider the Twilight series as a blight on literature but I think that sometimes books just have to be entertaining.

 I recently bought the entire collection of Twilight books second hand for twelve dollars. I’ve previously read some of the Twilight books but have never finished the series. So I want to finish the series and discover what my feelings are towards the books now that the hype has faded.  I confess, I had some disdain when I first read Twilight some years ago. I was a big Harry Potter fan and J.K Rowling is a phenomenal writer so when I read Twilight, I felt that Stephanie Myer’s writing was mediocre and too simplistic. Now I don’t compare Twilight with anything else and appreciate the books.

Some day Twilight will fade into obscurity so here is the gist of Twilight for when that day comes and someone reads this review. Twilight is about seventeen years old Bella Swan who goes to live with her dad after her mum remarries. Her dad lives in small town called Forks where it rains a lot and nothing much happens. On her first day at her new high school, she notices a beautiful group of teenagers and is drawn to one particular boy. His name is Edward Cullen and he is a vampire. The two fall in love which has complications since he wants to eat her but he resists. Bella wants to be with him forever but Edward views vampirism as a curse.

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The love between Bella and Edward is all consuming and very little happens in the book until the end. Bella is quite a passive person who is not very interested in the world around her . Edward is aware that Bella should experience life so encourages her to forget him and reach the typical milestones for her age.

Some of the criticism about Twilight is that Bella Swan and Edward are idealized characters. Bella has most of the boys in town in love with her; she’s brave yet extremely fragile and clumsy. Edward is a gentleman, handsome, sensitive and protective. I once watched an interview where the reporter asked a fan why they liked Twilight. The fan said that it perfectly captures first love. The books show how when first in love, people are in adoration of each other and are willing to do almost anything for each other. I think that Twilight shows a girl’s fantasy of love as Edward is Bella’s knight in shining armor.  

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Personally I like Bella and Edward. I like Bella because she cares deeply for the people she loves and although she needs to be rescued twice, she tries to find her own way out of danger. The flaws I don’t like about her is the anguish she feels at certain stressful points in the book. I wanted her to get it together as it was really more of a time to focus and figure out what to do next.  I liked Edward because he’s a knight in shining armour.

I look forward to reading the rest of the books. I pretty much have an idea of what happens due to its popularity.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?