A Twilight Fan's Perspective on the Short Story: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

The Twilight Phenomenon has swept the globe making author Stephenie Meyer a household name and securing her place as one of the highest selling authors of all time. So what happens when that author takes an inconsequential character from her beloved Twilight series and writes a book just for her?

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was written by Stephenie Meyer and released June 5, 2010. In addition to being sold in hardback, of which one dollar from every book goes to The American Red Cross, she has also released the book online at www.breetanner.com. The book can be read for free online until midnight on July 5^th.

The book has been met with mixed reactions by Twilight fans everywhere. Some fans couldn't wait to get their hands on it and because they like to read anything related to the Twilight series. Others feel it was an unnecessary book about a character that was only in a few pages of the third book of the Twilight series, Eclipse. Many wish that Mrs. Meyer would have instead completed her unfinished book, Midnight Sun, which is the Twilight book from Edward's point of view.

Personally, I was on the fence about the whole topic. While I completely agree that I would love to see Midnight Sun completed as it is related to the Twilight book that turned the world upside down with this epic love story, I was also curious to see if this new story could add any new info about our beloved characters.

In the end, I decided to read it online. It is a short read of only 178 pages, and spans from three months after Bree Tanner's transformation into a vampire to her unfortunate ending that was described in the Twilight Series: Eclipse. The story is bittersweet. Like all of Meyer's characters we fall in love with them fast, but Bree's story has a tragic ending that the readers are well aware of. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner follows a newly transformed vampire on her search for the truth behind all the lies of her new life. Bree is a smart girl and along with the help of two friends she starts to weed through the deception and lies she is being told by her coven's leader, Riley.

In the Twilight Series: Eclipse, we only see events through the eyes of Bella. If Bella is not around or another character doesn't tell her what is going on, we don't know either. This Eclipse novella from Stephenie Meyer gives us a glimpse into the world of vampires that are not tame or civilized. We also get to see the Cullens through her eyes as Bree looks them all over trying to figure them out. She is confused as to how Edward can stand so close to Bella and not want to bite her. She is also very grateful to the Cullens for sparing her life and for winning the fight against Riley and Victoria whom Bree holds a grudge against as well. Also, Bree, in her final moments provides the Cullens with valuable information that will be helpful for them to know in the future.

After concluding the book, I felt like it was an interesting read. While, it is not necessary to read, it did provide some back story and more insight into what was going on with the Volturi's agenda. Also, if you are a fan of the movies, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse which will be released on June 30, 2010 will have some of Bree's storyline included. I suggest reading The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner online before it is removed from the website, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and hope you do too.