Series Review: Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer

Series Review: Is this series worth your time? Does it get better as the novels progress? Or does it get worse? Find out below:

Synopsis for Twilight (from Goodreads):

Isabella Swan’s move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella’s life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife-between desire and danger. Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite,

Series: Twilight Saga
Author: Stephanie Meyer
# of Books: 5 (Series Reading Order Here)

There are also novellas.

Book Order: Chronological
Complete?: Yes
Genre: Teen, Romance, Vampires, Paranormal, Love Triangles
Heat Rating: cool
Point of View: First Person, Single
Publication Dates: October 2005 – August 2020
Source & Format: Library & Own–Hardcover
Movie Review: Catch my thoughts on the movie here!

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I was in the middle of Grade 10 when I picked up Twilight. This was just before the Twilight Saga got really big and I was just beginning to hear about it. My friend had bought a copy so I decided to give it a shot.

My Series Review:

I really enjoyed Twilight–I know, scary :O I actually reread it immediately after I finished it. I will admit that at this time, I wasn’t the reading junkie I am now, so I hadn’t read a “paranormal romance” book in a really long time. AND, I was in the target audience so of course it was going to appeal to me. I thought Edward was swoon-worthy, Bella was borderline irritating and the concept and plot was interesting. Sure, a glittery vampire is ridiculous but it is a fictional book and when it comes to paranormal fiction, I give a little more leeway to somewhat absurd concepts. The writing was nothing superb but it was easy to read and a quick read as well.

(FUN FACT: Many people “accuse” Vampire Diaries of being a rip-off of Twilight when in fact Vampire Diaries was published nearly 15 years earlier ;))

I have a theory about New Moon that I think most people who have read the series will agree with me on. Here it is: if you are Team Jacob, you love this book; if you are Team Edward, you can’t stand this book. Of course there are exceptions to this theory but for the most part, it remains valid. As an admitting Team Edward fan, I HATED New Moon. This is when Bella passes the border from irritating into the annoying-beyond. The simple way to sum up this book is as “depressing”. I don’t enjoy reading ~400 pages of mooning over a guy and that is all that we get. Oh, and let’s not forget the introduction of a love triangle–ugh.

I’m not sure if Eclipse if my favourite because it is significantly better than New Moon or because it has a plot and some action to it. Either way, this is probably my favourite of the saga (Twilight would be second). What I don’t like about this book is the character Edward becomes. The best way is to describe him is as a sissy–where did his backbone go?! I wish he would have fought a little harder for Bella instead of doing the “I love her so much that if it makes her happy to be with someone else, it makes me happy” routine he does here. It’s an ironic move on Edward’s part considering the effect this decision had on him in the previous, painful as the teeth-pulling work that is New Moon? Come’on Edward, we all suffered during that book and we know you are lying!

In my opinion, the series could have ended as a trilogy and I would have been satisfied. I get the distinct impression that Breaking Dawn is bonafide fan fiction. I seriously feel like every possible scenario fans discussed on a forum was thrown into this book and then published. It is basically just an extended (a very long extended) epilogue. It is also a whole lot of build-up to a massive action scene that doesn’t meet expectations. I think this was an attempt to have the series “grow” with its readers (like Harry Potter does I am told) but it just didn’t deliver. I was severely disappointed in this novel and it tarnishes my thoughts about the series as a whole.

The Novellas:

As for the novellas, they are alright. Midnight Sun was originally going to be a full length novel from Edwards POV but it was leaked before it was finished. It’s cool to read it after you have just finished Twilight but it would be better as a full novel or just as key scenes. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner didn’t blow my mind but it provided an interesting perspective to the events of Eclipse. Neither of these novellas are needed to read the rest of the series.

Series Rating: 3/5

Twilight 4/5 | New Moon 2/5 | Eclipse 4/5 | [The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner 2/5] | Breaking Dawn 2/5 | Midnight Sun N/A

If you are a young teen girl (and perhaps some younger adults), you will enjoy this series but for the rest it’ll probably be a pass. There is nothing fabulous about this series BUT, I do credit Twilight for popularizing vampires again. I think without the attention it garnered, a few of my favourite book series (and TV shows!) wouldn’t be published or at least brought to my attention, so thanks!

Read if You Like: vampires, YA paranormal
Avoid if You: dislike love triangles

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See what I though of the movie here

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