Eclipse (Twilight Saga, #3)

by Stephenie Meyer

[ladygrey]

I woke up at 5:46am. I was really awake and pretty sure I couldn't coax myself back to sleep and it seemed like a perfect time to finish reading Eclipse.

I liked the second half of this book much better than the first. The first half was a perfect example of Stephanie Meyer's unnecessary lengthiness. The primary struggle was Bella being conflicted about her relationship with both Edward and Jacob, their conflict and the uneasy peace they created for her and the set up that someone is still after her. That could have been very neatly accomplished in 3 chapters, not 17 (I know, I tend to exaggerate).

And it was also desperately obvious. Really, the werewolves and vampires or going to form an alliance and fight together? no idea.
Really, Victoria is the one forming an army in Seattle to get to Bella? not a clue. I was incredibly disappointed that the Cullens couldn't figure that out, nor did they realize that the stolen clothes and mysterious visitor were connected to both Victoria and the army in Seattle. It was such a shock to everyone and came so late in the book, but really it was desperately obvious from the first headline Charlie read in the first chapter. She went to all that work to set up and remind us that Victoria had a personal vendetta against Bella. Who else would be targeting Bella? If she let her characters be as smart as her audience that would have cut out another 4 chapters right there.

All that being said, the second half was good. I really liked Edward and Bella negotiating and comprising on the whole proposal idea. And I loved Jacob and Edward talking in the tent. I like how honest these characters are with each other. There's no lying or hiding feelings or that sort of convoluted messiness. The truth can be messy enough without all that. So, I pretty much liked every conversation in the last third of the book: Edward and Bella and Jacob and Bella and Jacob and Edward. It all worked really well and I enjoyed it.

I was a little confused, at first, by the epilogue. She's written the whole thing from Bella's first person, so even though Leah is saying "Jacob" since it was written in the first person I just thought somehow she was still talking to Bella and Jacob was there but then I kept reading and couldn't find him in the scene and was really confused until I went back and started again, realizing it was Jacob's first person. but that was probably just me.