Book Series Review: Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse

"I'd never given much thought to how I would die - though I'd had reason enough in the last few months - but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this." The opening passage of Twilight, the teenage book series penned by author Stephanie Meyer hooked me from the start. This is not your typical teenage romance novel, something both my friends and co-workers alike will attest to. Each of us has waited eagerly on baited breath for the next novel in the series to take up residence on Barnes and Noble bookshelves.

In Twilight, we meet Bella, living in Forks; a small town in the Olympic Peninsula of northwest Washington state. A junior at the only high school located within town, Bella recently transferred from Phoenix after the marriage of the flighty yet intuitive Renee also known as mother. In typical Bella fashion, she decided to finish high school under the care and supervision of her father Charlie. According to Bella, the decision was made with everyone's best interest in mind. However, unbeknownst to Bella, the decision was life-changing.

Fast forwarding to the first of school, the reader experiences through Bella's eyes, the moment she rests her gaze on the Cullen siblings upon entering the cafeteria. Inhumanely beautiful, Bella is unable to stop staring at them, especially the "lanky, less bulky one with un-tidy bronze colored hair." His name is Edward. He steals Bella's heart and later if they are ever to attain true happiness together will take her life. Edward, as all of the Cullens, is a vampire.

New Moon, book two in the series introduces the reader to the mysterious world of the werewolf. Heartbroken over the disappearance of Edward, Bella rekindles her friendship with Jacob. As she tries to heal the wounds of a broken heart, Bella is certain of two things. Edward is her soul-mate and life is unbearable without him. Jacob and Bella become inseparable - he is her sunshine in a world that is dark without Edward. A cruel twist of fate causes Edward to make a life-altering decision. A partial vision of the future leads Edward to believe that Bella kills herself and as in any classic tragedy, Edward decides to do the unthinkable. It is up to Bella, with the aide of his family to rescue Edward from himself.

This fast paced and sensual paranormal thriller keeps the reader in never-ending suspense. Eclipse, the third book in the series never misses a beat. In a battle for Bella's heart Jacob and Edward are forced to lay aside their centuries old vendetta and become allies to protect Bella. With only a few months before graduation, Bella contemplates the next phase of her life. Her turning. Yet she struggles with Edward's ultimatum - marriage. A vampire not by choice, Edward values Bella's humanity. Having been undead for over 200 years, Edward has lived vicariously through the lives of other humans to experience what he has lost. Acknowledging that Bella is his soul-mate, he is afraid to rob Bella of the experiences she will be forced to relinquish as a vampire. Bella in her naiveté cannot see through Edward's eyes nor learn from his experiences, knowing only that she is incomplete without him. Her only fear is being a disappointment to Renee by following in her footsteps - marrying her high school sweetheart. Over the years Renee has convinced Bella that only small town nobodies get married right after high school without experiencing all that life has to offer. What will Bella decide?

Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse left me on the edge of my seat wanting for more. This New York Times Editor's Choice and Bestseller has been heralded by Amazon as the "best book of the decade." If you enjoy, romance, paranormal, and suspense/thriller, this series is for you. Look for Breaking Dawn the fourth book in the series in the fall of 2008 and Midnight Sun:Edward's Version of Twilight release date to be determined.