I approached Twilight with an open mind, thinking there had to be some reason for it becoming a cultural phenomenon. I was sorely disappointed with what turned out to be a thoroughly bland read.
I can't say that I would recommend this book to anyone, not even those looking for a laugh at a book that's 'so bad it's good'.
Twilight takes place in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, a place I can assure you is much less exciting than it seems ( I grew up in nearby Sequim). A teen aged Bella Swan moves there from Arizona to live with her father and instantly becomes the most popular girl in school! (exactly why or how this happens is completely beyond me). Bella doesn't really seem to care about all this though and continues to be moody and apathetic until she encounters the mysterious Edward Cullen who turns out to be a vampire (but of course he would never harm a human!) and they fall blandly in love through copious pages of tedious dialog.
This book is rife with unlikeable, one dimensional characters. Bella has no personality! We learn nothing about her other than how much she hates Forks and how she is obsessed with Edward, of whom we know even less about (after all what drives someone who's like two hundred years old to fall madly in love with a mumbly, emotionally constipated teenage girl?)
Considering this is a work of young adult fiction, this book has some very disturbing anti-feminist themes. Bella is a horrible role model for any girl. Brimming with dangerous sexuality Bella must be controlled by the men around her, who fight for her like a prized ham. She has no power of her own and must rely on male characters to rescue her from whatever ill constructed perilous situation she is flung into by Stephanie Meyer's soporific 8th grade writing skills.
If you're looking for fantasy sci/fi young adult fiction do yourself favor and read something well written and exciting like The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix (Romance! Zombies! strong, independent female lead!) If teen romance is your thing try reading some Meg Cabot (good writing, funny, believable characters) or even Robin McKinley for those of you older than 14 (awesome thoughtful retellings of fairy tales chock full of action adventure and emotional complexity).
