My rating: 2 of 5 stars
It’s was okay. Basically just more ansgt-filled fluff. A girl with no real substance of her own but is defined only through the way each boy/man sees her and behaves toward her.
Bella is certainly no feminist icon. She’s so immediately smitten by her man-of-the-moment that she is willing to give up her family, her education, anything that would ultimately better herself.
And Edward: so persistent in his “morals” that he’s just become dull. How many times must he (and Jacob for that matter, but mostly Edward) decide on Bella’s behalf how she should behave and how far they should go in their relationship? OK, so Edward was born at the turn of last century, but time moves on and you have to adapt.
I’m usually more drawn to vampire characters than werewolf characters, but in this series I’m more taken by the wolves. Here, the werewolves have history, tradition, the Quileute legends which seem to reflect their actual beliefs (according to Wikipedia anyway!); so they seem to be grounded in some form of reality. The vampires just seem to be self-absorbed, superficial, and vain.
I’ve given my review 2 stars, I didn’t hate the book – it was OK as a story in and of itself – BUT, as this is YA fiction, I’m concerned that it gives young girls/women an unbalanced view of their position in society. Think for yourselves girls! Don’t let the men in your life dictate who you are.
After reading this book, I’ve actually gone and watched the movies (just out of curiosity, you understand!). Actually, I enjoyed the movies quite a bit more than the books – apart from the irritating “perfection” of the central love story! Perhaps it’s because I can get the whole story in a couple of hours, instead of several days…
Anyway, as I won’t leave a series unfinished, I’ll read the last one at some point.
Click the image to buy a copy on Amazon.co.uk:
Crown Jules Presents 