The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide by Stephenie Meyer Review

Title: The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Young Adult, Reading Guide, Companion

Page Count: 543 pages

Publish Date: April 12, 2011

Book Type: Library Hardcover 

Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers

ISBN: 9780316043120

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: Fans of the #1 New York Times bestselling Twilight Saga will treasure this definitive official guide! 

This must-have hardcover edition--the only official guide--is the definitive encyclopedic reference to the Twilight Saga and provides readers with everything they need to further explore the unforgettable world Stephenie Meyer created in Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. With exclusive new material, character profiles, genealogical charts, maps, extensive cross-references, and much more, this comprehensive handbook is essential for every Twilight Saga fan.

My Review: I like this cover of this one. It goes well with the rest of the series and I enjoy how the puzzle pieces are representative of filling in all of the questions (aka putting the puzzle together). The book is also really well made. The pages are very thick. It’s super substantial.

My favorite part of the book was actually the interview/chat in the beginning, conducted with Shannon Hale. It was inspirational and gave a bit of insight into the writing of the series. At 60 or so pages, it is quite the interview. I never got sick of reading it, though. It seemed as if they just transcribed their entire conversation instead of having it be a formal interview, which I appreciated.

I really enjoyed all of the pictures throughout the book. They were all so beautiful! Also, the section where they show the covers (and title translations) from other countries was really fun. Plus, there is a “Fan Art” section. There are some really talented people out there. How awesome would it be to have your art featured in the book?

There were certain things that weren’t mentioned that I would have liked to know more about. I’m not even sure if the movies were mentioned at all? I also would have liked to hear a bit more about Midnight Sun (which I am really hoping gets finished someday). I haven’t read the “leaked copy,” but I did read the excerpt she posted on her site ages ago (I think it was just Chapter 1?) and I remember enjoying it. I thought that her writing had really improved and would have liked to see a finished copy of that.

All in all, I do wish it would have included some more/different things, but I did enjoy it. I think any fan (or previous fan) of the series will appreciate it. This book kind of brings you back into the world of Twilight and reminds you of why you enjoyed it in the first place.

Have you read this one yet? What is your favorite companion/informational book about a book? Hah. That sounds awkward.

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer Review

Title: New Moon (The second in the Twilight series)

Author: Stephenie Meyer

Genre: Young Adult, Vampire, Love Story

Page Count: 563 pages

Book Type: Hardcover

Publisher: Little Brown

ISBN: 9780316160193

This review is a blast from the past.... my thoughts on this series has changed slightly since then. Perhaps I’ll update this at some point.

Picture from Amazon

From Goodreads: I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES…
For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning. . . .
Legions of readers entranced by the New York Times bestseller Twilight are hungry for the continuing story of star-crossed lovers Bella and Edward. In New Moon, Stephenie Meyer delivers another irresistible combination of romance and suspense with a supernatural spin. Passionate, riveting, and full of surprising twists and turns, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

*This review was originally written by me for College Lifestyles*

My Review: Let me start by explaining that I used to be completely anti-Twilight.  I was an avid ‘Harry Potter’ fan and was pretty distraught thinking that there was another series being compared to it.  I read the back of Twilight to get an idea of what it was about and I laughed even harder.  Alas, I ended up buying it just to see where all of the hype was coming from.  I ended up really enjoying it for what it was.  Even though the books are long, they are definitely what you would call “easy reads.”  The first book, Twilight, gave us the budding romance between vegetarian vampire Edward Cullen and clumsy human Bella Swan.  The next paragraph may be a little spoiler-y… just a warning!

Where Twilight is filled with young love, New Moon is filled with teenage angst.  There is relationship turmoil, a secretive best friend and an international trip that could save something very precious.  After probably the worst birthday party known to man, the Cullens leave and Bella’s world is turned upside down.  She not only loses the “love of her life” Edward, but her best girl friend, Alice.  Bella is catatonic through a good portion of the book and she only finds solace in her best friend Jacob Black; however, Jacob starts to become secretive and Bella hits a low point once again.   Bella is a self-proclaimed “adrenaline junkie” racing motorcycles and cliff diving throughout the novel.  This is her only way to feel Edward’s presence again.

New Moon is definitely a bit heavier than Twilight was, but it is a necessity to the series as a whole.  I have to admit; when I first read this book, I was less than thrilled.  I think it truly takes a second reading to appreciate it.  Also, after watching the movie, I have become even more of a fan.  It is kind of nice that the characters in the series are far from perfect.  Each and every character has their faults as well as their strengths.  Hey, you can always give the Twilight series a chance because you probably couldn’t find a bigger hater than me… and now I am eating my words.