Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review
Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer. Little, Brown and Company. September, 2007.

Eclipse Is the third book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. It is about a shy, yet very smart and inquisitive 18 year old girl named Bella Swan who is currently living in Forks, Washington with her father Charlie, away from her usual home with her mother in Jacksonville, and is also in love with, and dating, a vampire named Edward Cullen. Bella is very close to his adoptive vampire family, including Esme and Carlisle, the “parents,” and Edwards siblings, Rosalie, Emmet, Jasper, and Alice. In this story, Edward has just returned from leaving Bella and things are becoming back to normal. However, Jacob Black, Bella's long time friends from when she was little, and also who she leaned on after Edward left, is not at all happy with Bella spending time with Edward, and vice-versa. She has to choose who to dedicate her time with throughout the story, although they do end up compromising a bit. Also, in the beginning of the book, the Cullen's vote on whether to honor Bella's request of becoming a vampire and vote yes to change her come graduation. As it approaches, Bella doubts that she really wants to go through with this. And lastly, a new vampire scent is found in Bella's room, and it is found out that Victoria is leading a group of newborn vampires to come and hurt Bella and the Cullen's. Without giving away the ending, they join with the werewolves to try and stop them.
“Meyers Trilogy seethes with the archetypal tumult of star-crossed passions, in which the supernatural element serves as a heady spice.” –The New York Times
I absolutely love Meyers writing style. It is something I have never come across before and both helps me understand the book more, and brings it to life with astounding detail. It is the same as the two books before it, and shows the same level of curiosity from the characters, as well as description of the setting, and characters. For example, Bella and Edwards conversations always reach the depths of what they are talking about, and the characters (especially Bella and Edward) are very good at reading each others emotions, and figuring out puzzles, or what they aren’t told. She also completely changed my view of vampires, and I how I view them in stories. From coffins to skin that literally sparkles in the sunlight, her style uses the basis of vampires, but also adds new and unexpected twists to their presence. Meyer grabbed my interest on the first page of the series, and I was hooked ever since.
“Its late,” he said again, murmuring, almost crooning now, his voice smoother than silk. “Sleep my Bella. Dream happy dreams. You are the only one who has ever touched my heart. It will always be yours. Sleep my only love.”
Although I haven’t met her in person, I feel somewhat of a connection with Meyer, or at least her writing style. This is because in her writing, she likes to change peoples views on things that have already been described or written about, such as vampires, friendship, and love. I also try to change peoples opinions about things, and make them look deeper into what they really are. I have also related to one of the themes of the story, “love conquers all,” when my grandfather was dying, and I was with him and my mom. Although I could’nt relate to the actual story that well, I could clearly picture what it would be like through her writing. Her book changed my views on several topics in her story, and made me look closer into the “themes” or meanings of everyday things.