From the long list of awards mentioned, it’s painfully obvious that this book is one of a kind. Dripping with romance, fantasy and perfect beings that could never be real, Twilight by Stephenie Meyer has completely captured the attention of its readers. I, for one, think that Stephenie’s use of words is completely extraordinary. Once one completes a page, there would be an impulse so strong to continue, to dwell deeper into the story. Now, you might wonder what about this book that enraptures its audience, and makes it worthy of those titles above.
Twilight stars a young, seventeen year old normal girl, named Isabella Swan; or more commonly known as Bella in the book. She moved to Forks, a shady place filled with moss and rain. Having originated from Phoenix, Bella wasn’t fond of the new climate she would have to dwell in. But that wasn’t the point. Due to her mother’s remarriage, she decided to with her father in this small town in order to give her mother the time she needed with her new husband. She had expected herself to dread the place, abhor it. That was until she met Edward Cullen, seemingly the most perfect guy on earth. With his chiseled good looks and perfection, it was hard to believe that he was even human.
And the thing is he’s not one at all. Meet Edward Cullen, a vampire. But he doesn’t feast on human blood, but rather, on wild animals. You could consider him a ‘vegetarian’ among his kind. While Bella’s attention had completely been captured by Edward, she was oblivious to the fact that he thirsted after her blood. But his morals had enabled to keep himself at bay, despite the fact that the temptation was insanely overwhelming. But as time progressed, this desire was overtaken by another sort as the two began to fall irrevocably in love. The amazing part of it all was that it didn’t seem cheesy at all. Despite the fact that it was fiction, you couldn’t help but feel that the story is completely realistic; which is ironic, especially when one of the main genres is fantasy. It was strange that though the story was completely devoid of any erotic material, the words that splashed across the page was more sensual that none other.
And that wasn’t all. Aside from romance, there’s always a teensy bit of action where the vampires would showcase their supernatural powers which consisted of heightened senses, super-strength and super-speed. Aside from Edward, his vampire coven/family consisted of many others, those of whom shared the same diet. And all of them carried exceptional powers that they call their own. Edward has the ability to read minds while another, like Alice had the ability to see into the future. They’re a powerful bunch... but it didn’t mean that they had a lack of enemies- not at all. In fact, since Bella had the uncanny ability to get herself into trouble, the vampire coven had their hands full trying to protect their little human friend.
To conclude on my opinion on the book’s content, I would like to ensure the future readers of this book that it isn’t dark at all. Quite the contrary, the book focuses on life – not lust, but love as commented by Stephenie Meyer herself. I would recommend this book to everyone, though it’s doubly appealing to teenage girls or mothers. Even if you don’t belong in this category, it’s alright. The pull of this book is simply out of this world. People are actually debating if Stephenie Meyer would be the next J.K Rowling, or not.
As a final titbit, you can borrow this book in the school library, though I would advise you to be alert or you would never be able to get your turn with it. Twilight is truly an amazing story that would sweep any teenage girl off her feet.
By Cheryl Tan