The Host by Stephanie Meyer

I really enjoyed the Twilight series but had not heard much about this other book by Stephanie Meyer.  Then I heard it was going to be made into a movie and I had to read it because the book is ALWAYS better than the movie.  But in this case I am kind of hoping it's the other way around.

The book wasn't bad.  I just could not get into it and thus it took me forever to read!  It is a big book and I felt like maybe she should have cut some stuff out because it just was soooo LONG and not gripping me that I came to hate it a little. 

I know it sounds weird but it is about these aliens called "souls" that take over human bodies here on earth.  The main character "Wanderer" or "Wanda" has lived many lives on many different planets in many different bodies.  But this is her first time on Earth.  And her "host" Melanie is not very cooperative of her body being taken over. 

Melanie never completely goes away and they eventually become "friends" I guess you could say.  Melanie's thoughts and feelings are so strong that "Wanda" starts feeling them too.  This leads to them go look for her brother Jamie and her love Jared.  They are in hiding because they do not want to be taken over by the souls.

There is so much that happens and it was a pretty good story.  I can't wait to see the movie.  But I definitely didn't love this book just because it took me sooo long to get through so I only give it 3.5 out of 5 stars.

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

Oh Stephanie Meyer, how you have captivated my mind with your romantic magical world and your increasingly thick books (768 pages this one!). But it was so worth it. Breaking Dawn was the crowning glory on this series. Just when Eclipse had left me feeling like nothing really got accomplished, this one accomplished everything I was craving and things I never even thought to crave! Amazingly, in the end, it left me wanting even more!

In this book, everything the other books have been building up to happens. Then you get thrown twist after glorious twist. It is about love and family, power and protection, magic and fairy tales. Some chapters will leave you sighing and smiling with warm fuzzies. While other chapters with leave you gasping at things you never saw coming. Most chapters toward the end will run together as you race to find out the outcome. And the end left me happy with the outcome but turning the page hoping to find the start to a brand new story.

At one point in the book I literally had to get up immediately to call my friend Heather and gush about what had just happened. If you read this series you will be both thankful and frustrated by other fans. The ones who have already finished might let some big plot line slip or talk non-stop about how much they loved it which will push you to read at all times just to find out what happens. Those who are behind you in the series will frustrate you because you just want them to hurry up and finish so you can discuss EVERYTHING that happens! Either way you will find yourself talking about this series.

I give this one 5 out of 5 stars! (my first perfect score)

(Email me if you want to discuss because seriously I LOVE talking about all things Twilight, but don’t want to give away too much here!)

P.S. I am SO hoping for a follow-up series!

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

The Twilight saga continues with Stephanie Meyer's third book Eclipse. Edward is back in this book, but things are complicated because he does not feel comfortable with Bella's friendship with Jacob Black. Bella wants to become of vampire. Her life in in danger (yet again). Lots of drama that all escalates to an epic battle. It was pretty good, but I was left feeling like nothing that I wanted to happen really happened. Which is probably why I dove with in to the fourth book right away to find out what happens next.

I will tell you that I am still annoyed with Bella sometimes. I like Jacob and kind of feel bad for him, and Edward almost starts to annoy me. I am in love with the story, but the "I can't live without you" love stuff is starting to get sickeningly sweet. I would probably not be friends with someone like Bella and seriously, what the heck is so special about her that every falls in love with her? But then I find myself wishing I was her and had a love like her and Edward. Really, I am seriously obsessed, so you know it's got to be good!

I give this one 4 out of 5 stars.

I'm hoping to finish the fourth book this weekend!!

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

I wasn't overly impressed with the first Twilight book. I could take it or leave it. But now I am hooked. I read this book obsessively. When I wasn't reading, I was thinking about what might happen next in the story. A lot of people have said they didn't like this book in the series, but I loved it.

In New Moon we go deeper into this secret vampire world. Edward is not as prominent in this book, but that was ok with me. Bella is sad through most of this book, which I could relate to.

I don't want to give away any of the plot line, so I will just say trust me, there is a reason this series is so popular. It is super romantic with lots of drama. The chapters are long, but it is an easy read. Each chapter ends with a cliff hanger which makes you want to continue reading. I think this style helps you get through the 500+ pages really quickly.

I will say I think this is dangerous for young girls to read. I mean Bella's whole world is Edward. It is the kind of love everyone dreams of. But this stuff just does not exist in real life, so don't get your hopes up girls.

It is a great book though. I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars!

I also saw the Twilight movie this weekend. It was good. Edward was hot. Some scenes where very cheesy though. They did a good job with the normal scenes, but the love scenes with just Edward and Bella were cheesy and just laughable. They were some of my favorite scenes in the book and the movie just ruined them.

I'm going to see the movie again this week though, so it must not be that bad.

I'm also hoping to borrow the third and fourth books from someone soon so I can continue escaping to this super romantic vampire world!

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

If you haven't heard of this series by now, you might be living under a rock. People are comparing this to the Harry Potter craze. I had so many people recommend this series to me that I just had to read it. When I first started Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, I thought I was going to become obsessed and finish it over the weekend. But to be honest with you I just couldn't get in to it for the first half of the book. It was the story of this high school girl, Bella Swan, who moves to a small town in the Northwest called Forks to live with her dad. She slips easily into high school life there and meets Edward Cullen. He is beautiful, dazzling, and kind of weird at first. Of course you should know this by now- he is a vampire. All the guys are crazy about Bella at her new school, so I'm guessing she probably isn't so bad herself. But for the first 300 pages or so it was just this little high school story.

I think the turning point for me was the baseball game. After that chapter, things started moving really fast and I got into it. For those last few chapters I could almost get the Harry Potter comparisons. It was exciting and you had to use your imagination to visualize what was going on. But Harry Potter this is not. It is a good book and I will read the others in the series: New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn. I will also see the movie. But I'm not jumping right in and reading all four books overnight. I'm going to take an Edward/Bella break for now, but I will come back for more.

I give this book 3.5 out of 5 stars.