I picked up this book when I was caught at the local mall for a few hours with nothing to read. Having read/heard a lot of hype about this series I decided to give the first book a shot. While not a huge disappointment, I was not as enamored of the story as many other people seem to be.

Set in the Pacific Northwest, Twilight is the story of Bella Swan, who has relocated to the very small town of Forks to live with her father after her mother remarries a younger man and moves to Florida. Coming from the hot and sunny big city of Phoenix, Forks is quite an adjustment for Bella. She becomes mildly obsessed with the Cullen family, a seemingly picture perfect family of overwhelming beauty and all just a little aloof. When Bella finds Edward Cullen is in her biology class, and seems to have taken an intense dislike to her she is bewildered by his behavior. After Edward seems to have a change of mind about her Bella becomes involved with him not knowing what the secret is that he and his family are hiding; not realizing that it is more terrifying than she could imagine.

I found this book an easy read, but rather simplistic. There was not a great deal of character development, especially of Bella, who seemed to be defined only by her feelings for Edward; which seemed to be expressed by more synonyms for the word beautiful than I have ever read before. Most of the other characters were also fairly one dimensional. Once Edward's secret is revealed his characterization seems a bit more developed, but the romance just didn't ring true for me; frankly I couldn't figure out what Edward found so attractive in Bella. I tend to doubt I will read any other books in the series, but I never say never.

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This book is pure, decadent cheese. It is brain candy for the middle school girl in all of us. My book club read it and they all scoffed, but I ate it up. I read the first two in days and pre-ordered the third one at 3 in the morning when I finished the second.

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I was totally surprised by all the negative reviews of this book/series. I found the first book at a garage sale and after seeing the previews for the movie decided it was time to read book one 'Twilight'. This books is listed as a teen read so I was pleasantly surprised to find myself engrossed in the story. After finishing this book quickly-because I LOVED it I had to rush right down to WalMart and buy the second book 'New Moon'. While reading book two I went to eBay and bought the other two. I LOVED the whole series and rate it right up there with the Harry Potter series (which was also written for teens.) I am a senior citizen and I still loved the story. I found it totally believeable with not only the love story but the intense dangerous situations the main characters encounter. After reading this series I then bought Stephenie Meyers latest book 'Host'. I HIGHLY recommend this author and especially the Twilight series to women of ALL ages. I give this series two thumbs up!

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Fun for grownups too. As a fan of Anne Rice, I had a real curiosity about this series as it's popularity grew. I thought I'd give Twilight a try even though it has been labeled as a "teen novel". The novel is a lightning fast read and puts you into the headspace of a 17 year old girl very well. I can see why it's popular with the teen set. It stirred up some memories for me of what that first real infatuation feels like as a teenager - so what if the heartthrob happens to be a vampire? Unlike Rice's Lestat, Edward is a vampire with highly evoloved feeding ethics living with a coven vampires who are like-minded, making for an interesting twist. The ending was a tad melodramatic for me, but that was the only reminder I had of who the author's intended audience is. I've just gotten New Moon and am looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Bella and Edward evolves... I'm not a real fan of the whole Vampire subgenre of romance novels, so I am hoping that Meyer is clever enough to keep the spark between the characters without resorting to cliches.

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I loved this book. i thought it would be just a , blah...yeah-it-kept-me-entertained book but i fell in love with it. it really made me feel like a highschooler again, madly in love.
im surprised at all the bad reviews about the characters and the plot. yes the romance and relationship is completely unrealistic, but that is the MAGIC of it! magic doesnt go by our rules or how we think things are supposed to happen. thats the point!
although i must admit, i would not encourage this book for IMPRESSIONABLE young girls.
all in all, a captivating book.

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Loved it! What more can I say. I read the books long before the movies came out, saw the movies and listened on cd. Can't get enough of it.

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It was nice to be able to listen to it while doing other things. Can't wait to get the rest of them in audio format..

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This was not a bad book. It is just stereotypical young adult. That is not top stuff on my list. Yes there is young adult I adore like His Dark Materials and Got Fang?. This was just not on that same level. It was much ado about nothing with Vampires and high schoolers. It was still a fluffy but enjoyable listen. I guess to me it lacked humor that other favorites have included. I also find that Bella is not a great female role model. I am actually having a hard time in general finding good female role models in books for my niece. I do not particularly hold that against this book. Its just worth mentioning.

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This was one of the most fascinating books I have read in a very long time. The love that Bella and Edward have for each other truly made me ache inside. Stephanie Meyer is a very talented writer who knows how to grab the readers attention and keep it. I was never once bored with this book, in fact I had trouble putting it down to attend to my daily activities. So far my favorite book for this year.

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Loved it! What more can I say. I read the books long before the movies came out, saw the movies and listened on cd. Can't get enough of it.

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One of the worst books I have ever read. The writing is so bad I could hardly make it through. The theme of the book is so obvious as to be redundant. Stephanie Meyer clearly reflects her religion in the writing of her book, despite public statements to the contrary (The husband having complete control of his wife, as if she were his property). Try reading Dracula for an excellent vampire book...What kind of real vampire sparkles?!?!

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one of my faves

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Loved reading this book even though I had already seen the movie, so much more depth than what you got from the movie!

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Much better than the movie. Stephanie Meyer makes it easy to visualize the story as you read.

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The first book in the series was great. Though I read it last since I seen the movie first. I will say the book is much better than the movie. I think the movie was good in it's own right, just kind of a shorter version. My fave scene was the day they did blood typing in class,that would have been great in the movie. Also the back story about how Alice became a vampire they should have included that, but I guess that's why you have to read the book.Amazing Book.

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I don't find this to be the best written book I have ever read, but I love the story and the way the characters interact. I think this is a great start to a great series.

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Very interesting, attention-capturing fiction. Has romance, but isn't trashy. I read the books after seeing the movies, and am very glad I did. The books explain so much that the movies can't.
Edward, one of the main characters, is old fashioned and believes in abstinence until marriage, and practices great amounts of self-control to stay true to his beliefs. Bella, the other main character, is typical of the insecurities and flaws of us women. It is a great rendition of most girls dream of being loved, protected & saved by the guy she loves. With a sci-fi twist.
I also like the way this series is written in the first person perspective...from Bella's viewpoint. Can't wait to read the full version of Midnight Sun, Ms. Meyer's telling of this story from Edward's perspective.
I have read it twice, actually. Am working my way through the whole series a 2nd time. I'm a female adult. My husband and my 16 yr old son both read & enjoyed the whole series. They are close Twilight fans, too. I personally wouldn't allow my younger children read these, yet. I think, IMHO, that the content is more appropriate for 14+. A bit edgy at times, and has heavy themes, along with a few curse words every now & then. Warning: the sexual content picks up considerably in the final book, although it is non-explicit, and is in the confines of marriage. Also, I found that the curse words increased a little with each book. Sad that she couldn't have simply left it out altogether; although I realize Ms. Meyer was trying to draw us a picture of Jacob's (& the other tribe member's) character, and the roughness therein.

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I have heard of so many people getting addicted to this book. When I found it at a thrift shop I decided to give it a try - if I couldn't get into it then I could put it on paperback swap and not loose anything (just gain a credit). I could not put this book down. I LOVED it and am looking forward to reading the second book and watching the movie. A friend once told me "if you read the book you may neglect your kids" it was true (okay so they weren't neglected but did get less attention for the few days it took me to read the book)

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Loved this book. No, it's not high-brow literature but it's a great story and I enjoyed reading it. The rest of the series isn't as good as this one.

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This is an engaging story that draws you right in from the start. A teenage girl moves from Sunny Phoenix to the rainy northwest near Seattle. The story chronicles her experiences at her new school where she meets an interesting group of kids. The story is woven artfully between love, danger, vampires, jealousy, devotion. Great read, didn't want to put it down.

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An excellent book. The first volume of the four-book Twilight Saga. When I first heard about it I was doubtful (teen vampire romance not being my usual preference for books), but then I found the boxed set of all the volumes for a great price. I decided to give them a try, and I'm very glad that I did. In the first book you essentially get to read about the formation of the relationship between Edward Cullen (vampire) and Bella Swan (human). While the writing (and editing) of the books are not of the best quality you can find, the originality and entertainment present in the books make them all well worth the read. I had trouble putting them down until I was finished, and wouldn't mind reading them again. Definitely highly recommended.

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I could hardly put this book down--and subsequently read all four books in the series in rapid fire. I am not a "vampire" believer/reader. These books were great though!

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I loved this book. This series made me remember how much I love to read. Stephenie Meyer is a genius!!

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The Twilight series is just too much teenage angst for me. I find the Sookie Stackhouse series to be much more interesting, not to mention amusing also.

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I loved this book and cannot wait to finish all of the series. I read alot and when I have a great book, I have a hard time putting it down. I am 3/4 of the way through the 2nd book of the series.

The book was in good conditon, thank you.

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I have a hard time writing a review for this book as a reader, and not as a FAN. Because yes, I am a Twi-hard. I am a card-carrying member of TwilightMoms and a slightly tormented member of Team Edward.

And if you haven't read the series, most of that means nothing to you. So let me be a little less familiar and tell you why you should read this book.

Yes, it's young adult fiction. Yes, vampires are "trendy" right now -- and that alone will lead some readers to abstain. But author Stephenie Meyer has worked some magic in this series.

Twilight uses a tried-and-true formula -- the star-crossed lovers. But its not social status or family feuds or race or anything else quite so mundane keeping romantic leads Edward and Bella apart. There's something a little darker lurking under the surface. They're not only from different species (and frankly, different centuries) -- Edward, a "vegetarian" vampire that doesn't prey on humans, thirsts for Bella's blood above all others. Not that that stops them from falling madly in love.

(sigh!)

Now, is the book great? Probably not. Meyer's first attempt at writing isn't perfect, but she also admittedly calls herself a storyteller and not a writer. And the story is amazing. The characters are well-developed and easy to care about, and the book is a quick read.

I recommend it to almost everyone I meet. Seriously. Read it in spite of the hype, whether you are 14 or 40. And be prepared with its sequel, New Moon, waiting in the wings when you finish. Because this addictive series will sink its teeth into you. [close]

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