Twilight

This book is the first in a relatively new Young Adult Fiction series by Stephenie Meyer. From what I've seen and heard, it is wildly popular--the new "it" book. And although I enjoyed it, I have to say...it's not that great.

First of all, the story is about a high schooler named Bella who gets involved with a group of young vampires. I have to admit, I'm completely tired of the whole vampire theme, so I was afraid that would put me off, but surprisingly, the author's take on it was fairly engaging. But then Bella is supposed to be falling in love with this one guy, and I don't think I ever got an inkling of why she was in love with him except that he's beautiful and has a magnetic personality. In other words, her loooove has no basis in reality. Ah, teenagers.

My other major criticism has to do with the plot structure. The book starts out with a suspenseful teaser, a piece foreshadowing the lcimax of the book. But then you spend an enormous amount of time NOT getting to the point, and the entire thread of the story involving the climax is only introduced in the last 100 pages or so (out of almost 500). So that part felt rushed and very Deus Ex Machina.

Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading it and you can bet your buttons I'll be reading the rest of the series. It was just so easy to read and easy to follow and easy to predict, at least so far. And it wasn't boring or tedious. And since I've been seriously ADD about my reading lately, that's saying a lot.