If more people read this blog, I might be slightly uneasy about reviewing a novel which seems to have caught the planet’s entire teenage girl population under its spell, much like vampire Edward Cullen and ordinary girl Bella are captivated by each other. Fans of the Twilight books apparently don’t take kindly to criticism of what has become a phenomenon, even if it’s well intentioned…If you’ve got no idea what I’m talking about, a quick catch-up is called for. Eclipse is the third of the Twilight books (First book Twilight followed by New Moon), and tells the ongoing tale of a High School girl who falls in love with a vampire. Oh, and there’s a pack of werewolves nearby.
Of course, there’s a bit more to it than that, but brevity is the basis of this blog – and I wish the same could be said of Stephanie Meyer.
Let’s be clear. The Wench - whom we established earlier this year was a 34-year-old woman rather than a giggling teenager – loves this nonsense, so I agreed to read the books and watch the films so at least I had some understanding of what she kept going on about.
That said, Twilight the book (and the film, if you must know) was perfectly acceptable fare. New Moon, the book, I liked less, mainly because it was chapter after whining chapter of Bella moaning about her plight and unhappiness. God, did it drag, and that would be my main criticism of the entire series – everything seems to take so long to happen.
However, I can’t deny I was entertained by Eclipse, and things built up nicely to the final battle (I don’t think a spoiler alert is required). And while I could offer many criticisms about the writing – too self-indulgent, a bit basic – at least the author knows her market, it’s reasonably entertaining and I didn’t resent the time spent reading the, count ‘em, 559 pages.
So, rating time:
#20 Eclipse, by Stephanie Meyer (Atom) - 6/10
Next up: Hearts and Minds, by Amanda Craig (Little, Brown)
6/10 is generous I think for the third book of identical drivel that she put out. My favourite thing in the world to read is series of fantasy novels, and I was so bored by this stuff that I finished after this one - third of four.
ReplyDeleteMaybe so. Referring to my ratings, though, 6/10 is 'pretty entertaining/passes the time', so that's more or less what I said - it's hardly a mark of quality!
ReplyDeleteI think there is a big jump from 6/10 to 7/10 and then likewise to 8/10.
I thought New Moon was dreadful - 3/10.