Twilight (Twilight Saga, #1)

by Stephenie Meyer

[cherryblossommj]

When these books first came out, I noticed them everywhere, but did not know anything about them nor have a desire to read them. My DH kept commenting about how cool the covers looked. Finally, my group of book blogging friends were getting into them, so I was hearing more about them. Then the debates started.

As always when a general market book hits my "Christian" blogging friends there are skeptics. There are people like me who just look for quality fiction and it can be Christian Market or General and it doesn't matter where it came from as long as it is "quality". A comparison to the craze that this saga has caused, especially with the movie hitting Hollywood this month is to Harry Potter. I did not get on the HP bus until after the first movie and third book were published, but now I'm a die-hard fan. There are the "Christians" out there that are completely of the mind that HP is evil and it supports witchcraft and the Bible says that's evil, so I won't read it. etc etc. Well, I thoroughly ended the HP series, and realize that it is first and foremost Fiction. I get my theology from my Bible, not from fiction books, end of story.

When it came to reading this series, I was hearing the debates... "It's about vampires." "It's evil, and God does not want me exposed to that evil." "The Bible is against it." So, I had not read them. I did not know anything more than what I heard, and just was fairly ambivalent to the entire situation. Then, DH was in the grocery store check out line and called me to check to make sure he got everything on the list and then some. During normal marital grocery store conversation, he said "Oh, hey, you know those books that everyone is so crazy about? They're on sale here at the checkout line. It's two hardback, two paperback. You want them?" (For those of you who do not know me, I'm a book-junkie. I love books. The problem is books are expensive, therefore, I only buy books that I'm crazy about reading. Since my wallet has become attached to my DH's income, book spending has decreasing exponentially, as books are not of dire importance to my sweet DH. Therefore, if DH wants to buy me books, I do not care what it is. BUY IT!!!!) Thus, my interest was fully peaked and I was prepared to read!

Our move was started, and most things were packed, and now I have this pile of books to read. I was excited. So when there were lulls in packing and unpacked I was enveloped into the narrative world of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight...

Oh my goodness! I had no idea what I was missing!

To my understanding, this is a teen saga (four books in a series). It's a romance, it's a suspense, and it's about vampires. Through all of the debates that I read. One topic was on whether or not as a parent you should allow your teen to read these books. Well, they are meant for teens, which should mean sure they'd be okay. But today that is not always the case, so my best advice and pre-read opinion was to read the book first and discuss it with your teen if necessary, or to read it in cue and the same, discussion, etc. The best comment that I read from someone who had read the series was how to first realize that it is fiction, and not something to "change your theology about". And then, she went on to highlight her opinion that the book was about abstinence as a main theme, and how can there be something harmful in that! She said that the book is about a vampire boyfriend who desires his human girlfriend in a vampire thirst and how he works to abstain from hurting her and going about what is best for both of them. Imagine! So, with this thought in my head, as well as all of the people screaming, burn the books, I jumped in to read.

Wow. Stephenie Meyer is a new favorite author for me. I am just plain ecstatic that I already have the rest of the saga to read, because if I did not, I would be on my way to the store to buy them immediately, before they are sold out! Call it a teen read, I do not care. I would say that it is an everyone read, but that definitely a teen could read it (safely) and love it. This is another one of those books that pulls you into their world and takes you on an adventure ride of love, friendship, family, jealousy, fear, and chills. It is a fact that a main theme through out is to live by what is right and not by what you simply and ultimately desire. There is a path for life and even though you may change it at your will, your efforts may cause more harm than good if you follow yourself instead of what is true and just.

As a reader, I was fully enraptured in the day to day life of Bella and her emotions for Edward. I cannot wait to read the rest of the saga and I cannot wait to see the film! I do hope that it does it justice. Bella is an average teen. Going between parents in two states, and being a klutz prone to humiliation, she just rides on the sidelines of life with her good grades and normal behavior. Her story is one that any romantic girl who has loved or desires to love can fall into and be held to the pages as the story unfolds.

I recommend this book for anyone and everyone. It truly is a keeper for my shelf. Put into the realm of the supernatural, this story portrays all that is dear and near as any Romeo and Juliet story in a different atmosphere can. There will always be two people that by appearances should not be together. It is in the making it work and love enduring that proves that there is a way for anything to happen when you follow what is good and not evil.