Twilight~New Moon~Eclipse~Breaking Dawn

by Stephanie Meyer































Let me start by saying that I am in no way your typical, obsessed Twilight fan; I do not believe that Stephanie Meyer is in any way a "genius" and I have many critical remarks. That being said, this is the second time I've read the series.

Collectively, the series is intriguing, which is the reason Meyer got four successful installments out of it. However, my biggest criticism is that the characters are too perfect. Everything fits together like a perfect little puzzle, from Bella's maturity making it possible for her to connect to a 90 year old man, to the rivalry between Edward and Jacob, on Bella's behalf and because of their respective species.

Twilight is romantic and idealistic. The vampires that Meyer has created are unique and the special talents that some of them possess add drama.

New Moon is a little irritating in that Bella is so mopey and does not come off as mature at all. She's needy and helpless and a little crazy. Jacob is a sweet, endearing character, and has a few flaws that make him a little more relateable.

Eclipse is probably my least favorite in the series. Bella's attempt to maintain a friendship with Jacob is selfish and screams of High School drama. The whole book is forgettable to me.

Breaking Dawn is my favorite of the series. However, it was extremely anti-climatic.

Stephanie Meyer is a pretty good writer, but she is extremely long-winded and drones on with too many inner monologues. It's exhausting to remain aware of Bella's every thought. These books could each have been shortened by a few hundred pages. This time around, I found myself skimming paragraphs, sometimes skipping whole pages, and didn't feel like I'd missed anything.

Personally, I do not relate to any one of the characters Meyer has created, which I think is the real flaw. They are too perfect, too romanticised, too in love, too talented, too attractive. It would be easy to have a perfect relationship if you were in love with a perfect, attractive, ageless person with more money than you could ever spend. They don't get tired, or fat or even hungry. If I could spend my days admiring my flawless self in the mirror, tearing apart feather pillows with my flawless husband, studying art and music and whatever else I wanted to, and flying off to Italy at a moment's notice, my life would be pretty great.

I think this was a better read the second time, but I'm not sorry the series stopped at #4.

Lonestar Secrets

by Colleen Coble

Lonestar Secrets is the story of a single mother who moves back to the hometown she swore she'd left behind forever. The book incorporates mystery, suspense, and romance as Shannon Astor finds a way to make a new life for herself and her family against unlikely obstacles.

The elements in this story were interwoven successfully, although the plot was not very realistic. I enjoyed the dilemma centered around Shannon's twins. However, I think that could have made up the bulk of the plot line instead of being solved so easily. I was bothered that she was so hung up on Jack's supposed betrayal. I was expecting a huge scandal or an accidental murder and was met with a very silly and immature act which should have been left in High School.

Coble has an easy way of writing, but does give in to some cliches when developing the romance. She took a lot of random things and made them into a huge, interlinking conspiracy of sorts and there were a few details, like Mary-Beth's involvement with a certain man of note in Shannon's small community, that were a little too perfectly lined up.

The characters all seemed to be very uninteresting without the extraordinary events. That being said, Shannon's sass and confidence were very appealing in a heroine, especially one that let the reader glimpse some vulnerability behind her very genuine strength. Jack was also a likable, if predictable, character.

Overall, this book was an easy and enjoyable read, if not taken too seriously.

Catching Fire

by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire is the sequel to The Hunger Games. I was dying for this to come out, hoping it would be as good as its predecessor. Collins did not disappoint.

Once again, the story drew me in and ultimately left me wanting more. Although considerable less fast paced and action packed, the plot was compelling and far from dull.

I love how Collins continued the story, leaving unresolved issues unresolved without a quick resolution. The characters were no less charming in this installment and I continued to be caught between Katniss' conflicting emotions for Gale and Peeta. I loved the plot twists despite the fact that they weren't necessarily surprising.

This second installment provided even more character development in characters that I'd already fallen in love with and related to. The writing is extremely easy with great imagery.

I love this book, I love this series and I will be holding my breath until the next comes out.

Intertwined

by Gena Showalter

Five people, four paranormal talents, one body. Vampires, werewolves and deep family secrets. Romance, action and betrayal. That about sums up Intertwined.

There were so many elements to this book it could have either been a disaster or a fantastic success. Somehow, Showalter made everything come together in a very smooth and intriguing way. The characters were fun and interesting and the mystery behind Mary Ann and Aden's connection kept me guessing. The writing was very appropriate for a Young Adult novel. It was dynamic but light without being pretentious.

The main complaint I have is the fact that the book opens with a huge display of the paranormal talents contained within Aden's four companion souls and by the end of the book, those voices have become unnaturally secondary and their abilities have been ignored. The focus shifts gradually, but noticeably.

There will obviously be a sequel and I'm excited to see where the story goes.

Rewind

by Jeff Downs

After the belated realization that I had plowed through all of my library books, I went in search of something to read and descended upon the two boxes of novels given to me by an Aunt. Thus, the next two hours flew by, cuddled up on the couch with Rewind.

This was obviously a very quick read and the writing left something to be desired. The story was nothing new; a reinvention of A Christmas Carol. I loathe novels that have a story totally unrelated to religion, but have undertones or elements of religion randomly thrown in. This is especially prevalent in LDS novels, which is the reason I tend to stay away from them unless the story is fully based on religion. Rewind was especially annoying in that respect and I think Downs overplayed the Poor-Me-I'm-So-Pathetic-And-Depressed-And-It's-Making-Me-An-Ungrateful-Douche card.

That said, the last three pages of the book kept those two hours from becoming a total waste of time. There was a sweet surprise at the end, which I really should have seen coming, and an insight that left me pensive long after I turned the final page.

The Reluctant Heiress

by Eva Ibbotson

Once again, I was not disappointed by Eva Ibbotson. The one word that comes to mind each time I finish the last page of one of her books is 'beautiful'. The Reluctant Heiress was no exception.

Ibbotson is an immensely talented writer. She has found a recipe for success and, although her novels are strikingly similar, they work so well that I don't mind at all. I would not protest a slight departure from her idea of a hero, as I typically find it hard to really like her male protagonists. Similarly, although her heroines are all strong, determined and independent, somehow they each seem to have a very low opinion of herself, feeling that she doesn't deserve any better than she has.

A constant in Ibbotson's works is the unique way she gives a background to each minor character which is so fluid, woven so tightly into the story that you hardly notice it's there at first. The culture and history she wraps up in each story is interesting and relevant.

The Reluctant Heiress was a beautiful story with a wonderful antagonist and a clever, well turned out conclusion.

The Amaranth Enchantment

by Julie Berry

The Amaranth Enchantment was an unexpected find.

This book combined mythology with elements reminiscent of Cinderella. The writing was uncomplicated and the characters were likable. It was a little disjointed in trying to connect several story lines and I felt that there were two books that could have been written with the myriad of ideas floating around.

All in all, I liked this book.