Still More Confessions of a 31-Year-Old "Twilight" Addict

by Stephenie Meyer
-Twilight Series, Book 3-
(New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2007)
Hardcover, 629 Pages, Young Adult Fiction

Some say the world will end in fire,
Some say ice.
From what I've tasted of desire
I hold with those who favor fire.
But if it had to perish twice,
I think I know enough of hate
To say that for destruction ice
Is also great
And would suffice.
- Robert Frost

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Well, I'm finally caught up on this ridiculously addictive series. I had to set this one aside for a while after reading New Moon because of gearing up for finals in school. Way back at the end of October when I finished New Moon, I asked the teacher who had loaned me (and gotten me hooked on) Twilight and New Moon to borrow her copy of Eclipse. (Thinking about it this way, makes me think that she was like my dealer. C'mon, man. I just need the last book, man. Don't hold out on me, man. C'mon, man. Just one more book, man. Please, man. I need it, man. Yeah ... I admit it; I'm a Twilight junkie jonesing for my next hit.)

Anywho, once classes were over and I didn't have to think about the books I was reading anymore, I dove right back into Bella's world. While Eclipse is better than New Moon, it still did not hit me the way Twilight did. Meyer's writing has gotten better, but that's not the draw here. She has also gotten a better handle on action sequences - there's a fairly epic battle scene in Eclipse that is almost as good as the Battle of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. But the writing and the action and the plot (which, again, is that of a more mature writer, but still very simple by most standards) are not what keep bringing readers back to this series.

It is Meyer's talents at characterization, and in Eclipse her talent for weaving characters out of words is on full display. Bella, Edward, Alice, Charlie and especially Jacob become very real on the page and in the mind. This is what has hooked me on these novels, and this is what will keep me coming back to them with each new release (there are going to be at least two more). Meyer's characters are simply amazing. However, for all the focus on the growing romance between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, it is Jacob Black who really steals the spotlight in Eclipse. Meyer has created one of the most soulful and sympathetic second bananas in young adult fiction since Ron Weasley or Quigley Quagmire.

Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse are by no stretch of the imagination great literature. Nor are they even good literature. However, they are satisfying literature and often that's all you need in a book; something that will satisfy you and will let you escape into another world for an hour or two. If that's what you're looking for, then by all means pick up Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse. They provide the perfect escape into another world for however long you need. Now, the only problem is I have to wait until August for Book Four to come out. *sigh*