Twilight by Stephanie Myers

Before accessing this novel, I must begin by stating the following: I would not have picked this book out on my own! In fact, the book club I joined a few months ago is reading this, and despite my pessimistic attitude towards this book, I finally purchased a copy and began reading it. Now that I have read it, I can access this book as being poorly written and very stale. What is noteworthy is that Twilight and the Twilight Saga (which includes Twilight and its three sequels is a huge hit right now). It is very popular among teenagers and young adults. It is also a big hit among some moms, yes, as silly as it seems there are Twilight mom fans out there. This poor girl, Bella the main character of this book, is not thrown to the wolves when she moves to live with her father Charlie, rather is euphemistically handed over to a vampire. Where are Bella's parents? I think the key topic every older sister or mother should address to their teenage sister or daughter reading this is: Edward and Bella's relationship is an example of an unhealthy co-dependent bond that one should be very careful to avoid. The only good and potential benefit I can see coming from this and the subsequent books in the series is: the publisher should put this book into an SAT or ACT study prep format. Meaning that vocabulary words on the SAT and ACT verbal section should be bolded and defined throughout the story. These books are a huge hit among teenagers, especially teen girls, who should be encouraged to be well educated and to avoid a crush or a pseudo-boyfriend whom has the intention of thirsting for her blood or any other alternative negative designs.

My rating: 1.8 out of 5

My alternative recommendation, especially during this pre-season of Halloween and All Hallows Eve, is the Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. This book is masterly written, full of historical detail and has an interesting plot. I read this book last year. It is suspenseful and well worth reading. If you like history and are looking for a vampire thriller, pick this academic alternative. This book is based on Vlad Tepes the misinterpreted Romanian "vampire"!

My rating of the Historian: 4.2 out of 5

I need to add Dracula by Bram Stoker to my further reading list!