The Twilight Saga...finally

Okay, I need to preface this entire post with an explanation: I did not jump on the Twilight train when it left the platform. I was, at the time, teaching middle school English. While teaching the students had to write to me every week about the book they were reading. They did not have to choose from a list, it was a free for all as long as the books were at their level or above. Twilight was at their level and oh did I hear about it. I heard the plot from the beginning to the end, from the center to the outskirts. They even watched the movie, as it was released that year. Alas, I did not go into that room! Try to think of someone telling you the plots to these books, how corny they sound as they escape the inept words that ARE NOT Stephanie Meyer's. I know how it sounds, I've even made my husband suffer through these plots as I mumble and stutter them and he shakes his head up and down. So...all of that said, it must be said that I am in LOVE with these books! They are amazing, continuing as one long story of Shakespearean type lovers that are totally wrong, but inexorably right for one another! Taking it one book at a time...

TWILIGHT

I set off into the world of Forks with no expectation at all. At this time I only owned the one book. As soon as Bella's character started to unfold I was intrigued. She was not the typical teenage representative in books. She was an adult like character...add Edward and all of his first sign nuances and suddenly you had an irresistible mixture of mystery. Slowly, but not too slowly the love story unfolds and underneath his brimming desire for blood is an amazing gentleman who is in love, wanting so badly what may be the worst thing for him to have, both for her sake and his own. (See what I mean, sounds oh, so corny.)

I think the reason I fell so in love with this from the start is that EVERY girl can relate to Bella in some form or another. She does not see herself as beautiful. She is clumsy, that is known up front, even from her characters perspective. She feels like she has a very small place in the world to fit into. There is only Renee and Charlie and she gives up Renee for Renee's own happiness. Somewhere in all of that there lays at least a little piece of each one of us.

Then enters Edward...what girl (from 13 to 95) wouldn't want an Edward. Somewhere each of us wants, or has a small piece of who he is: brave, loyal, chivalrous, sexy, macho is a very sensitive way. It almost makes one sick how perfect a male character he is. Add these two in one mix and voila! Magic!

Who can forget in the chase that takes place, the call for vengeance that is brought down from such a doomed pairing as human and vampire! It is simply amazing! I fell in love with each one of the Cullens in their own way. Carlisle with his fatherly empathy and understanding. A vampire who is always willing to do the right things for the most ethical reasons. Esme who abides herself pain to watch her "children" suffer. Who wouldn't love Alice, the keeper of the family, using her special powers to keep them all as safe as possible. Jasper, the gentleman, although in this book little is known of his story. Emmett, the teasing older brother, who EVERYONE is intimidated by. Rosalie, the spoiled egotistical sister...who ones attains new pity for once her story is told. And Edward...ever the gentleman.

NEW MOON

My heart was broken...in the very beginning, from the moment he walked away. October, November, and December were aptly written for the broken hearted. How it feels when times stops because what you care to live for walks away.

I did not see this coming in the plot line, and let it be said that is was awesome to have a surprise slap you in the face while reading these books. This one fading into Twilight so well! I was so glad that when I started the series, I knew from the start that I was going to go on a reading spree with these. I prepared myself. I went out when I was on chapter three of Twilight and bought the rest of them... Dang good thing I did too!!! I would have went into some sort of withdrawal had they not been there for me to pick up and continue!!!

Sorry, back to the book. This was so well written, as an Edward fan, we all could use some more of his gentlemanly woes, but the development of Jacobs character was very well done. Just to name of few of his wonderful traits to Bella: loyalty, kindness, friendship, inclusion, trust, and of course, I always picture him as being pretty hunky myself. It's just the gist I got from Meyer's descriptions. But then to bring the book back down and around to the element of the Volturi (sorry, side note: I LOVED the image of Carlisle office with all of the paintings in it, each telling a small piece of vampire history. Great mental image for me...and the Cullens house in the movie is NOTHING like the house in my head...) What a great element to introduce...now these guys gave me the creepies like real (not veggie) vampires should. Just creepy really. Aro...what a strange character!

ECLIPSE

So, da' man is back in this book. It's not the fact that I didn't love this fact, him being away and the whole separation thingy goin' on in New Moon was Romeo-and-Juliet-style heartbreaking but now where is Jacob left but dangling. Kinda' annoyed me, and as much as I appreciate Bella through this whole thing, her back and forth, who do I love-who do I choose kinda' got to me too. I'll tell ya' why. She loved Edward, she always had, since she knew what love was...well, that just don't go away. So why was she even draggin' Jacob along...yeah, he volunteered for the draggin', and yeah, he wouldn't let go. But give the poor boy a break, she might have been a lil' more honest about the whole life riskin' to hear Edward thing. Oh, well, leads to a great plot. In the mean time the reader falls in love with Jacob as well, so when the books ends and she is with Edward (as it should be, of course) here's poor, lil' lost Jacob running from his feeling, his life, himself. I literally cried at the last chapter of this book. It left me so empathetic for Jacob. He loves her so much and as much as she loves him, it's never enough...he is not her Edward. The hole he leaves will never be as deep.

Yet another relation to life that girls grasp onto in this series. There is always a first love, sometimes they are worth the love that is expended on them, other times, not so much. But even if they are worth it, they are often not kept. Do you give up on your Edward to have your Jacob? Do you take the one who is there for you, who tries to cheer you when you are torn apart? There is no shame in it at all, both of them are good, both of them are men who will keep and protect you, love you, but will Jacob's love ever be as fulfilling as Edwards. Will it be the same sort of happiness? Ah yes, once again I read a lot into my reading! Ha!

BREAKING DAWN

Now this book was not the same type of crack-cocaine addiction as the other three were. I loved it, but in a very slowly ingested way. That is what has been taking this post so long. This one was the most like smut of the four, not to say that it was explicit in any way. It was not. Now it was very apparent that Bella and Edward had sex in this book. After all they have a daughter in this book (Renesmenee...I think that's how you spell it, either way...really). And this books makes it VERY apparent that vampires are highly sexual creatures, either way. There were just a few things that didn't sit well with me in this book...well, at least in the beginning. Her getting preggo so quickly was a ta-dow. I was thinkin' that in an almost 800 page book that maybe that twist would come at the end. True to form, Mrs. Meyer shazzams us with a page turner from the start. (another side note: who wouldn't want that honey moon, eh?) It was also interesting to think of the immortal children from the stand point of Interview with a Vampire, it is forbidden to make one so young who cannot fend for themselves. But Renesmee is not, she is a hybrid...

It was interesting to watch Bella take her place among the vampires so easily as well. For feeling so outta' place amongst the humans, she was in like Flynn amongst the vampires. Needless to say this whole series intrigued me. I am, without a doubt in love with the Twilight series, better late than never!

Official side note: Moments that made me cry from the books.

Edwards goodbye to Bella...whoa! Tear jerking moment

October...November...December...broken heart!

Rediscovering Edward and how he was broken while they were apart (I feel so 13ish right now!)

Bella's true objection to Jacob Black and how he runs from himself and all he's known (End of Eclipse...whoa, bad tear jerking moment)

The very end where Bella can finally share her thoughts with Edward! (Loved it!)

In conclusion, I am reading Midnight Sun right now...so close to being finished and it really pee's in my Wheaties that it was pre-published without permission and so is now destined to remain unfinished. I want to write Mrs. Meyers and beg for her to finish, but I have not found a way to reach her (and yes, I've already looked it up). So my plea is on my blog. For the sake of all of us who are in LOVE with Bella, Edward, Jacob, the Cullens, Forks and everything they bring that is mythological...please finish Edwards point of view. It is, so far, like all of the other ones a master piece, shining new light of facets of Twilight we did now know existed...how could we, we only see it from Bella's POV! Please Mrs. Meyer, show us the rest. Please !?!