Book Review: Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer

The Twilight Series from Stephenie Meyer is one of the most loved and most hates series of books, ranking right up with the Harry Potter Series from J.K. Rowling. Why is Twilight such a center of controversy? It's hard to tell, really. It seems that those who are outspoken against the books are against them because of the literary quality of the writing not being up to their standards.

Meyer does not follow the standard recipe for a fictional vampire, but she invented a version of vampire that has drawn a cult-like following. In the Twilight series, the main vampire family, the Cullens, are not your typical vampire. They do not feed off the blood of humans, in fact, they stand to fight against those vampires who do feed off the human population, especially in their chosen home of Forks, Washington. What also makes the Cullen family a unique sect of vampires is their ability to blend into the public without being detected.

The Twilight series, set in rainy Forks, Washington is the story of a young girl named Bella Swan. Bella's parents are divorced, but her mother, Renee, has recently remarried to a minor league baseball player. Bella chooses to move from Phoenix to Forks to spend time with her father, Charlie, allowing her mother to be free to travel with her new husband while he pursues his baseball career. Little does Bella know that moving from a large city like Phoenix to a small town like Forks will be the near death of her, several times.

While the books start off at a very slow, mundane pace of Bella's every day life in Forks, they do set the scene for what's to come further in the series. Once you get into the thick of the action, it's hard to put the books down. The story is sweet, sappy and romantic, but it's also intense, spine tingling and suspenseful as well. The Twilight series has something for everyone who enjoys reading Young Adult Fantasy. Adults have latched onto the series, just as much as the teenagers have, and sing it's praises just as much as the teenagers.

Is the Twilight series the next great literary masterpiece? Not to the degree that the works of Charles Dickens, but it has gotten people to read again and that's what matters the most. But, who sits and reads Charles Dickens, really? Scholars, mostly. Twilight is geared towards every day readers who just want to escape into a fantasy world for a while and Meyer has done quite well in giving us that kind of an escape in the series.

If you're looking for a fun, easy, but intriguing read, give Twilight an open-minded chance; you won't regret it.