blished 2005

434 Pages

Synopsis
When seventeen year-old Bella Swan leaves sunny Arizona to live with her father in the small
and gloomy Pacific North-West town of Forks she doesnt expect to like it. After all she has
made excuses not to go there enough times over the past few years. If living in Forks, with its
constant mist and rain, wasnt bad enough she will have to make a whole new set of friends and
settle into a new school.
Bella soon makes some new friends at school but when she sees a boy called Edward Cullen
sitting with his brothers and sisters in the cafeteria she is instantly intrigued. Edward is
stunningly attractive, almost inhumanly beautiful, and yet he is an outsider too. Although
Edward and his family have lived in Forks for two years they have never really been accepted by
the townsfolk.
At first Edward is aloof, sometimes it almost seems like he cant stand to be in the same room as
her, but eventually they strike up an unlikely friendship. Even as Bella falls hopelessly and
irrevocably in love with Edward, she still cant work out exactly what makes him so different to
everyone else.
On a trip to the beach, Bella is told of the local legend about the cold ones, a group of blood
drinkers who have sworn off hunting humans but are still not welcome on Indian land because
vampires are not to be trusted. Realising Edward is vampire changes nothing for Bella, she
knows that she still loves him even if hes not human.
Edward and his whole family are vampires. Edward himself was made a vampire when he was
seventeen years-old, although that was at the end of World War I. For Edward his love for Bella
is both a delight and a torment. A delight because she is the first person he has loved since he
was made a vampire. A torment because although he has sworn off human blood and only hunts
animals the craving for human blood never truly leaves him and the very scent of her also stirs
his hunger for blood.

The Review
Twilight is the story of Edward and Bellas romance. Forget any vampire romance you have read
before, Twilight is so unique it is almost like its in its own genre. The book is marketed at
Young Adult readers but it has the ability to cross age barriers and will satisfy both teenagers and
adults alike.
The story is told in first person from the perspective of Bella, so the reader only ever know what
she knows, making Edward and his family a mystery that is slowly unravelled through out the
book. Even by the end of the book I was still thirsting for more of the Cullen family back story hopefully their characters might be developed further in future books. Bella herself is a well

written and realistic character, shy and lacking in confidence, her sarcastic inner voice narrates
the story for the reader.
Twilight is simply and yet beautifully written. The descriptions of Forks leave you feeling like
you can almost smell the damp air and hear the rain falling on the roof.
The romance between Edward and Bella is both touching and compelling. There is a
melancholic feel to their impossible love, yet at the same time they both are unwilling to give up
hope that their relationship is not doomed. The book reaches a fever pitch of excitement as the
romance between Bella and Edward turns into a frantic race to stay alive.
I have heard Twilight described as a vampire story for people who dont like vampire stories
and I think I would agree with that. This book really has something for everyone. Young adult
readers, vampire fans or romance readers will all find Twilight to be an appealing story.
For a Young Adult novel the book is quite long but dont let that put you off reading it because
each page is to be savoured. Believe me, this is one book that you wont want to end
Following the film's success, New Moon and Eclipse, the next two novels in the
series, were produced as films the following year.

New Moon
Main article: New Moon (novel)
Edward and his family leave Forks because he believes he is endangering Bella's life. Bella goes
into a depression until she develops a strong friendship with Jacob Black, whom she discovers
can shape-shift into a wolf. Jacob and the other wolves in his tribe must protect her from
Victoria, a vampire seeking to avenge the death of her mate James. Due to a misunderstanding,
Edward believes Bella is dead. Edward decides to commit suicide in Volterra, Italy, but is
stopped by Bella, who is accompanied by Edward's sister, Alice. They meet with the Volturi, a
powerful vampire coven, and are released only on the condition that Bella be turned into a
vampire in the near future. Bella and Edward are reunited, and she and the Cullens return to
Forks.

Eclipse
Main article: Eclipse (Meyer novel)
Victoria has created an army of "newborn" vampires to battle the Cullen family and murder Bella
for revenge. Meanwhile, Bella is compelled to choose between her relationship with Edward and
her friendship with Jacob. Edward's vampire family and Jacob's werewolf pack join forces to
successfully destroy Victoria and her vampire army. In the end, Bella chooses Edward's love over
Jacob's friendship and agrees to marry him.

Breaking Dawn

Main article: Breaking Dawn

Bella and Edward are married, but their honeymoon is cut short when Bella discovers that she is
pregnant. Her pregnancy progresses rapidly, severely weakening her. She nearly dies giving birth
to her and Edward's half-vampire-half-human daughter, Renesmee. Edward injects Bella with his
venom to save her life and turns her into a vampire. A vampire from another coven sees
Renesmee and mistakes her for an "immortal child". She informs the Volturi, as the existence of
such beings violates vampire law. The Cullens gather vampire witnesses who can verify that
Renesmee is not an immortal child. After an intense confrontation, the Cullens and their
witnesses convince the Volturi that the child poses no danger to vampires or their secret, and they
are left in peace by the Volturi.