Fabulous reads – Still no bite to vampire romance

Twilight (Twilight #1), Stephenie Meyer, ISBN: 9780316015844

I HAVE never been a fan of the Twilight Saga, so when the books recently landed on our editorial desks a colleague challenged me to review them as a popular classic.

What could I say, but #ChallengeAccepted? Sadly, the first book in the series left me less than impressed.

For those who have been living under a rock, Twilight follows the story of high school student, Bella Swan, who moves to Forks, Washington where she meets a decades-old vampire, Edward Cullen. The two inevitably fall in love, but they soon find out that there are looming dangers, other than Bella’s accident prone nature and Edwards’s blood lust.

There’s loads of potential for this story and I really tried to give this book a chance, but as the saying goes, the devil is in the detail, and that is where I felt Stephenie Meyer missed the mark with her vampire-themed fantasy romance novels.

There is nothing greater than working your way through a book, and then finally connecting the small ‘breadcrumbs’ the author has left, or being floored when you realise that the author cleverly planted some details to deceive you.

But, sadly, for me, this was absent from the first installment of the series.

In actual fact, I found it to be the exact opposite.

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The book occasionally included useless information and ornate language that did not fit the characters, or have an impact on the plot. One of the main examples is the fact that the vampires sparkle.

Other than Edward’s explanation that everything about vampires is supposed to be alluring, it felt forced and cheesy. I feel so much time was devoted to this piece of information and yet, the story would have made sense without it.

I also don’t understand why Meyer’s vampires, who seems to be virtually indestructible and can only be killed by other vampires, would live in secrecy among humans. There are just too many holes in the plot, which I felt hurt the believability in the story.

I also felt that there were times when the author left out important information and, as a result, it was difficult to understand and empathise the characters’ emotional responses.

It also takes forever for the plot to thicken and then the story ends too quickly when things finally become exciting.

There was a build up to an exciting fight scene, but Meyer copped out with a very anti-climactic ending. The first few chapters are literally one insufferable page after another of Bella swooning over the brooding Edward and him fighting his attraction to her.

In general, Bella is a very unlikable protagonist. She is selfish, shallow and develops and unhealthy obsession over Edward.

It was frustrating to read how she manipulates, uses and treats her friends and family – including her devoted father – all in an effort to advance her relationship with Edward.

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My biggest gripe with the saga, as a feminist, was encountering such a weak female protagonist. Yes, she bravely opts to sacrifice herself to save her mother, but then does not even try to fight back – at all.

The author also makes no attempt to give her a sense of humour, interests or a personality. All Bella ever talks about is Edward.

The author and the series romanticises unhealthy/abusive/possessive relationships. Both Bella and Edward act in unhealthy manners in their relationship, and it was horrifying to read.

One thing that Meyer’s did succeed in doing was creating and showing the strong attraction between Bella and Edward. I just wish it had been complimented by a strong plot as well as positive and endearing characters.

I am, however, intrigued and will be picking up book two soon.

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