Having enjoyed Stephenie Meyer's Twilight so much, once my eyesight improved I leaped on New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn so that I could finish the rest of the series and continue to receive my Edward Cullen fix.
I can report that, sadly, my Edward related experiences in the last three books were a pale imitation of the vampire I fell in love with a couple of weeks ago and that my crush is now officially over. Burgeoning teen romance is so much more interesting than reading about the practical challenges that a Vampire/Human romance causes!
The characters in these books in the series face more peril than in Twilight and this makes for a more serious tone. Thrown into the mix are the global politics of a community that lives for hundreds, if not thousands of years and a local clan of Werewolf types and with this, things were always going to get tricky. Edward and Bella's romantic antics take a back-burner too as they focus on facing these challenges and also in line the author's religious beliefs about "naughties before marriage" and that effectively holds their relationship in stasis for a while. Which is not what you want when you are only reading a book because you have a sad crush on the lead male!
I'd say easy reading but only worth tackling if you have a burning desire to know What Happens Next, or if you are a "finisher/completer" character type like myself, but if not then read Twilight and keep your love for Edward intact.
Oh dear. This is just too tragic. It's time for a Bookling confession.... I am in love with a vampire and his name is Edward Cullen. *swoon*
There. I said it out loud. And in public. Gulp.
All a little sad, I know, as I am far too old for this sort of thing and poor Mr B has had to put up with me cackling in glee and swooning over a vampire in a book written for teenage girls rather than sensible wives who are definitely Old Enough To Know Better. However be that as it may, it's real true love foever and ever and, as there is a whiff of the Darcy about this chap, I hope I am forgiven.
For those of you not in the know, Edward *swoon* Cullen is the romantic lead Stephenie Meyer's Twilight (Twilight Saga) books. The first three (of four) are currently on sale at Red House books for a mere £7.99 so (of course) I could not resist adding them to my basket so I could finally find out what all the fuss is about.
For those who have been living under a rock (as I was!!) here's what it's about:
"When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town. But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella.
Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility makes her feel almost physically ill. He seems determined to push her away ? until, that is, he saves her life from an out of control car. Bella will soon discover that there is a very good reason for Edward's coldness. He, and his family, are vampires and he knows how dangerous it is for others to get too close."
No wonder this book has been such a hit! Definitely a guilty pleasure for an adult, but it's such an enormous amount of fun that I honestly could not keep the grin off my face as I read it. Yes - it's pretty obvious what's going to happen but there's something about an incredibly intense teenage romance that is just so addictive. Oh - and did I mention that Edward Cullen is a major part of the appeal of this book? I'm delighted that I have the next three books to read (did I mention that the last book in the series was on sale as well and might have slipped into my basket?) and I look forward to more of the same!
Oh. And there is a film version coming out on the 19th December. Where the chap who was Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is playing Edward. Which is something I am going to have to take some deep breaths and get used to! I've not used the official trailer here as watching it could remove some of the pleasure of reading the book but here's a teaser to end on. Enjoy!