Twilight by Stephenie Meyer: Take 2!

     I just finished rereading Twilight, in honor of the final installment of the saga coming out into theaters this last week. And I thought to myself... while I'm at it I might as well rereview the book as well. I went and reread my initial review, and realized that I didn't give as in-depth a review as I have other books.
     I am going to begin by summarizing my last review. I read this book because I wanted to try something new and because at the time my friends were very interested in the series, both books and movies. I liked the book in general, though I was still skeptical about the whole vampire/human love dynamic. My favorite character was by far Edward. And I found the characters to be relatable. 
     My impression after rereading it is slightly different. I still very much enjoyed the book. But after two years I will say that my opinions have changed just a little bit on other aspects. I thought Bella was intelligent when I first read the book, and I think she might be average book-smarts wise and even observant, but she lacks a good chunk of common sense. All throughout the book her thoughts narrate the events, and she often thinks to herself that she should be afraid. "Common sense told me I should be terrified." -Chapter 13. This is just one example. Her lack of common sense just rubbed me the wrong way after rereading it. 
     Another thing that I noticed, probably more so since I have read the entire series and watched all the available movies, is Bella's willingness to pretty much sell her soul. Edward states that he doesn't want to damn her to an eternity of night. Edward isn't shy about telling Bella what he thinks has happened to his "afterlife" because of being a vampire. But it doesn't bother her at all that he pretty much believes that he is damned for eternity. She tries to convince him, and I think at times herself, that their afterlife isn't an issue, that either it doesn't exist or that because of all the good he has done by refusing what he is, that surely he couldn't be eternally lost. Being someone who strongly believes in a heaven and a hell I had a hard time "accepting" this concept, and I still have a problem with it and essentially Bella because of it. 
     Edward is still probably my favorite character. And while I was reading I came to the conclusion of why I think it is that I enjoy this book so much, as well as why other people do, even though it is a 2nd rate book in terms of idea and writing skill. I believe it is Edward that is the key to it's success... at least in my mind. All throughout the book Edward does many heroic things saving Bella's life time after time, always putting her first. And he dotes on her. He is romantic, and open! He talks about what he's thinking (most of the time) and how he feels, and he is honest with her. What woman wouldn't want that in a man? Bella never has to, logically, question where she stands with him, because it is as obvious as the nose on his face, or probably more like the eyes on his face. 
     However I think that the author could have been a little more tactful in showing teens, her main reading audience, what a normal, healthy relationship looks like. Teenagers have gotten the completely wrong idea about what a relationship looks like based on this book. Edward for all intensive purposes stalks Bella leading up to them actually being in a relationship. He technically does so when they are dating also, but she knows about it and is okay with it so it isn't "technically" stalking. .. :/ And he's borderline controlling, he does it to keep her safe, but girls are going to get in their heads that a guy being controlling is doing it because he cares and in the "real" world that more times out of naught is not the case. Then Bella, not so much in Twilight as in New Moon, goes to pieces when Edward leaves or says he's leaving or when she isn't around him. Girls are going to think that's normal to depend so completely on their significant other... and to an extent it is... but they also need to understand they need to be independent as well. I'm not saying all teenage girls are going to base life experiences off of this book, and I pray they don't, but when a person is young and doesn't really have any life experiences to base things off of they have to go with what they know... tv, books, magazines, etc. So I believe even though I enjoy the romantic aspect of this book, I think Mrs. Meyer could have done a better job making it less confusing to the younger readers, so that they didn't get a skewed idea of a healthy relationship. 
     Like I said in my first review I found many of the characters to be relatable... well aside from turning into a wolf or wanting to suck people's blood. I mean more their emotions. Bella doesn't feel like she's beautiful or worthy of Edward's attention, like so many girls feel. It might just be me, but I also relate to the fragility of Bella compared to Edward, mostly because I feel the same way around everybody. Its hard to think of the many small ways that the characters are relatable, and I can only speak for myself, obviously.   
     I know several people who don't care for this series and have asked me time after time why I read this "smut"... and I've had various reasons that I've given, but after rereading it this last time I think I have summed up why I enjoy the book as well as the series. Though I don't like the vampire vs werewolf thing, and how monsters are romanticized, I like the world of fantasy and I like romance books. This just happens to bring those two genres together... and most importantly into a book that I don't feel dirty reading. So many books now a days are raunchy, don't even get me started on how much I don't understand out erotic books fall under the romance genre according to our society. I can read a modern love story that isn't full of sexual tension or garbage along those lines. Because with Edward being so much more powerful then Bella that element is eliminated, well until the final book when Bella and Edward get married, and the author tries to keep as much mystery as possible. Pretty much in one sentence... I will continue to enjoy this book series because it has my two favorite genres rolled into one series, and it doesn't make me feel dirty to read like so many books now-a-days do. ​

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