Twilight
So!
Under the combined pressure of C and L I finally cracked and - honestly wanting to cover the spine so no one on the bus could tell what I was reading! - I read Twilight.
What I liked:
1. The Characters:
Honestly I enjoyed Bella and Edward! I really feared these would be trope-created characters with no depth and doing nothing but 'staring dreamily into each others eyes', and while there was a lot of that - probably due to the extreme lack of sex, which will be covered later - I truly did enjoy them.
I thought Bella was fun - I liked that she was a seventeen year old middle aged woman, mildly sarcastic but also genuinely nice. I enjoyed the way she thought about things and puzzled them out. I like that she was shy and self-conscious and didn't consider herself pretty. And I really enjoyed her commitment to the things she wanted - Edward in book 1 and 2, everyone happy in book 3, and her family in book 4. Plus the idea that she really wanted to be a vampire and she wasn't about to take no for an answer.
Edward was fun too - I enjoyed his stalker tendencies perhaps a little too much, but I liked the way he was constantly poking fun at Bella (more book 1) and prompting her to rising heights (book 4 - and even 3). I like that he came across as someone who has been genuinely stuck at 17 for almost a century - I thought he was sarcastic and bitter, and yet overall a nice guy.
Jacob - I did like him. Especially in book 2 when he's sweet and wonderfully nice and yet a little bit dangerous in the totally-human-watch-me-ride-this-motorcycle kinda way. And I enjoyed his turnaround in book 4 tremendously.
-- at first the switch in POV at the end of book 3 and in the middle of book 4 really threw me, but I quickly got into it, and enjoyed the look inside his head. I thought it gave him more depth and made him a better character overall, to see the genuine conflict that drove him
And the rest of the Cullen's were fun, plus Bella's mom and dad. I liked the idea of her mom being an 'emotional child' and enjoyed the look at her various pursuits - taken up with abandon and then discarded nearly as quickly. I thought her mom's outlook on life helped make sense of Bella's. And I enjoyed Charlie, more in the leaked copy of Midnight Sun, where his inherent goodness shines through.
2. The Plot:
I actually enjoyed the plot, too. Book 4 totally threw me - I was expecting a lot but I have to admit not that! Book 2 actually surprised me for how much I liked it - I thought it would be much worse than it was, but I felt the author did a good job of handling Bella's depression, first her zombie-ness and then her recklessness. I'm curious to see if the movie does as good a job. (somehow I think not)
3. The Fun:
Overall it was a fun, fast read. I think I took down book 1 in an afternoon, and did most of book 4 from between midnight to 2am one morning and while on break from the OR the next day. It was like a candy pie - sweet and delicious and left me wanting more, even while I knew one piece was more than enough ;-)
What I Didn't Like:
1. The Characters:
Okay yes, I loved them all. But while they were fun and new they were also most certainly NOT. Bella was annoyingly martyr-like. Book three had me cringing at the horrible way she fell for Jacob's stupid kiss idea.
And about Jacob - OH MY GOD. Did that really happen?! Did he serious force himself on her and she did practically nothing? Okay yes - she slapped him. Good for her. But she broke her own hand doing it and he just laughed. Completely defeating the point. And he NEVER GOT IT. He was stronger than her and he used that against her in a way that WAS RAPE, of the kissing kind. And he never seemed to realize that was wrong.
OH SO VERY WRONG.
And the more minor characters, too: like Rosalie completely fell down on me in book 3 - that story about her turning? DID NOTHING. Something in the writing was terrible for that whole section. Maybe because the author was trying to use a different tone of voice to tell it from Rosalie's POV, but it fell horribly flat to me. I enjoyed her again in book 4, but the damage was done.
And I really fell for Leah in book 4 Jacob's POV. I did! And then I wanted more of her! And I got ziddly squat. I understand more important things were going on, but the author threw in some line back in Bella's POV about how though Leah still hated them all she was sticking around - and then wearing clothes - and then ...??? Being best friends? Staying on the outskirts? Did she ever go to college? Will anyone ever tell me?
2. The Plot:
Okay overall I did like. Horribly predicable in places, but then what book isn't at times? Still some things were way deux et machina - especially the sudden resolution of conflict between Jacob's pack and Sam's pack in book 4. This makes me hope there is some further series from Nessie's POV, because I don't understand why the author would build up all this delicious queasiness from Jacob's POV and then suddenly have Sam's pack willing to fight and die with them.
I mostly understand the reasons - Nessie, vampires = bad so let's kill them all - but it wasn't very much fun. I wanted a slower resolution of that conflict.
And the other books basically had no plot - I mean, 1 - 3 nothing really happened, right? So I can say I enjoyed the plot but I'm really saying I liked the love story and enjoyed book 4. Other than that - no plot.
3. The Horrible Teen-ness:
This is really my own fault - because I'm 25 and obviously ten years older than the targeted audience. So I shouldn't complain that this was such a toned down story it physically ached. Because we don't expect 15 year olds to be able to get big concepts.
And she tried - the good vs evil, the rape-ness (that was so not dealt with accordingly, see above) - she tried to bring in some big concepts but then DID NOTHING WITH THEM. Because this wasn't a serious novel about big concepts - it was about a star-crossed romance. I get that, really, I just don't have to like it.
4. The Omnipresent Het:
Okay this is also my fault, because apparently I've become addicted to slash and have started viewing the world through permanently glued-on slash goggles, but come on! This is the twenty-first century! And the rampant use of het-only terms had me grinding my teeth!!!
In the wolf conversations, only het terms are used for 'mate'. It's always 'she' - if you find 'her'. Now I understand that Sam thinks its all about having babies, and so then sure - males need females and such - but would it be too much to ask for a little gender-neutral language being used here?
I actually got so fed up after book 3 that I wrote - by HAND, on PAPER (because I was stuck in fiancee's apartment without computer or internet access) a fanfic where Jacob runs off and imprints on a male hitchhiker he stumbles upon how-many-k from La Posa. But he doesn't figure out he's imprinted at first because of the whole 'be who the mate needs' thing and its a guy. But he convinces Alex (*grin*) to walk back to La Posa with him, and on the three day trip he realizes Alex is gay and he kinda finds the idea of kissing him hot, and then things get heavy and Jake freaks out and Alex rolls his eyes and calms him does and says not to worry about it, he was going south anyways, and the Jacob realizes he's freaking out more because he's not freaking out because he actually imprinted on a guy whose HOT and he's all kinda confused.
But he calms down and Alex and him have a night - not that one, that one they just hold hands and Jacob sweats a lot - and then Alex meets everyone in La Posa and then figures out the whole 'werewolf' and then 'fights vampires' thing and kinda freaks out himself, and then Jacob has to calm HIM down and then there is sex.
I really enjoyed the idea! But then I read book 4 and completely and totally fell for Nessie and Jake, and so that screwed the non-existent Alex.
But I needed some serious angsty SLASH by the end of book 3, and though I liked 4 I didn't get it. Grrrr.
Why I've re-read Kushiel's Dart so many times the first six chapters have fallen out:
So all of this explains why when I finished book 4 I immediately grabbed Kushiel's Dart to read again. Because its a wonderfully angsty book with SEX and REAL DEATH and EVIL PEOPLE who are nonetheless GOOD PEOPLE and everyone is trying to do the RIGHT THING only the sex/death/real actual truly good angst keeps catching up with them.
And the whole serious so wonderfully gender neutral! When the Second of Dahlia's house dances at the Midwinter Mask in naught but dusky skin and a plethora of gauze we have no idea if they are male or female. And it doesn't matter because its HOT either way. Though the two (eventual) main characters are in lovely heterosexual love, the real taunting stuff is the historical romance of Antonius and his Prince and Phedra and her nemesis. Not that Joscelin is less than taunting and ripe with angst himself - love Joscelin - but het is most definately not the only 'real' (both good and bad, constructive and destructive) relationship in the novels.
Not by a long-shot.
Plus the plot is sex and intrigue and politics and war and all that good stuff.
It's a real novel, a real set, and I loves it.
Twilight is fun - tasty candy fun - and I hope everyone continues to enjoy it. But there is such better stuff out there, and I hope the teenagers of the world don't stop at the junk food but continue eventually onto the main course.
Under the combined pressure of C and L I finally cracked and - honestly wanting to cover the spine so no one on the bus could tell what I was reading! - I read Twilight.
What I liked:
1. The Characters:
Honestly I enjoyed Bella and Edward! I really feared these would be trope-created characters with no depth and doing nothing but 'staring dreamily into each others eyes', and while there was a lot of that - probably due to the extreme lack of sex, which will be covered later - I truly did enjoy them.
I thought Bella was fun - I liked that she was a seventeen year old middle aged woman, mildly sarcastic but also genuinely nice. I enjoyed the way she thought about things and puzzled them out. I like that she was shy and self-conscious and didn't consider herself pretty. And I really enjoyed her commitment to the things she wanted - Edward in book 1 and 2, everyone happy in book 3, and her family in book 4. Plus the idea that she really wanted to be a vampire and she wasn't about to take no for an answer.
Edward was fun too - I enjoyed his stalker tendencies perhaps a little too much, but I liked the way he was constantly poking fun at Bella (more book 1) and prompting her to rising heights (book 4 - and even 3). I like that he came across as someone who has been genuinely stuck at 17 for almost a century - I thought he was sarcastic and bitter, and yet overall a nice guy.
Jacob - I did like him. Especially in book 2 when he's sweet and wonderfully nice and yet a little bit dangerous in the totally-human-watch-me-ride-this-motorcycle kinda way. And I enjoyed his turnaround in book 4 tremendously.
-- at first the switch in POV at the end of book 3 and in the middle of book 4 really threw me, but I quickly got into it, and enjoyed the look inside his head. I thought it gave him more depth and made him a better character overall, to see the genuine conflict that drove him
And the rest of the Cullen's were fun, plus Bella's mom and dad. I liked the idea of her mom being an 'emotional child' and enjoyed the look at her various pursuits - taken up with abandon and then discarded nearly as quickly. I thought her mom's outlook on life helped make sense of Bella's. And I enjoyed Charlie, more in the leaked copy of Midnight Sun, where his inherent goodness shines through.
2. The Plot:
I actually enjoyed the plot, too. Book 4 totally threw me - I was expecting a lot but I have to admit not that! Book 2 actually surprised me for how much I liked it - I thought it would be much worse than it was, but I felt the author did a good job of handling Bella's depression, first her zombie-ness and then her recklessness. I'm curious to see if the movie does as good a job. (somehow I think not)
3. The Fun:
Overall it was a fun, fast read. I think I took down book 1 in an afternoon, and did most of book 4 from between midnight to 2am one morning and while on break from the OR the next day. It was like a candy pie - sweet and delicious and left me wanting more, even while I knew one piece was more than enough ;-)
What I Didn't Like:
1. The Characters:
Okay yes, I loved them all. But while they were fun and new they were also most certainly NOT. Bella was annoyingly martyr-like. Book three had me cringing at the horrible way she fell for Jacob's stupid kiss idea.
And about Jacob - OH MY GOD. Did that really happen?! Did he serious force himself on her and she did practically nothing? Okay yes - she slapped him. Good for her. But she broke her own hand doing it and he just laughed. Completely defeating the point. And he NEVER GOT IT. He was stronger than her and he used that against her in a way that WAS RAPE, of the kissing kind. And he never seemed to realize that was wrong.
OH SO VERY WRONG.
And the more minor characters, too: like Rosalie completely fell down on me in book 3 - that story about her turning? DID NOTHING. Something in the writing was terrible for that whole section. Maybe because the author was trying to use a different tone of voice to tell it from Rosalie's POV, but it fell horribly flat to me. I enjoyed her again in book 4, but the damage was done.
And I really fell for Leah in book 4 Jacob's POV. I did! And then I wanted more of her! And I got ziddly squat. I understand more important things were going on, but the author threw in some line back in Bella's POV about how though Leah still hated them all she was sticking around - and then wearing clothes - and then ...??? Being best friends? Staying on the outskirts? Did she ever go to college? Will anyone ever tell me?
2. The Plot:
Okay overall I did like. Horribly predicable in places, but then what book isn't at times? Still some things were way deux et machina - especially the sudden resolution of conflict between Jacob's pack and Sam's pack in book 4. This makes me hope there is some further series from Nessie's POV, because I don't understand why the author would build up all this delicious queasiness from Jacob's POV and then suddenly have Sam's pack willing to fight and die with them.
I mostly understand the reasons - Nessie, vampires = bad so let's kill them all - but it wasn't very much fun. I wanted a slower resolution of that conflict.
And the other books basically had no plot - I mean, 1 - 3 nothing really happened, right? So I can say I enjoyed the plot but I'm really saying I liked the love story and enjoyed book 4. Other than that - no plot.
3. The Horrible Teen-ness:
This is really my own fault - because I'm 25 and obviously ten years older than the targeted audience. So I shouldn't complain that this was such a toned down story it physically ached. Because we don't expect 15 year olds to be able to get big concepts.
And she tried - the good vs evil, the rape-ness (that was so not dealt with accordingly, see above) - she tried to bring in some big concepts but then DID NOTHING WITH THEM. Because this wasn't a serious novel about big concepts - it was about a star-crossed romance. I get that, really, I just don't have to like it.
4. The Omnipresent Het:
Okay this is also my fault, because apparently I've become addicted to slash and have started viewing the world through permanently glued-on slash goggles, but come on! This is the twenty-first century! And the rampant use of het-only terms had me grinding my teeth!!!
In the wolf conversations, only het terms are used for 'mate'. It's always 'she' - if you find 'her'. Now I understand that Sam thinks its all about having babies, and so then sure - males need females and such - but would it be too much to ask for a little gender-neutral language being used here?
I actually got so fed up after book 3 that I wrote - by HAND, on PAPER (because I was stuck in fiancee's apartment without computer or internet access) a fanfic where Jacob runs off and imprints on a male hitchhiker he stumbles upon how-many-k from La Posa. But he doesn't figure out he's imprinted at first because of the whole 'be who the mate needs' thing and its a guy. But he convinces Alex (*grin*) to walk back to La Posa with him, and on the three day trip he realizes Alex is gay and he kinda finds the idea of kissing him hot, and then things get heavy and Jake freaks out and Alex rolls his eyes and calms him does and says not to worry about it, he was going south anyways, and the Jacob realizes he's freaking out more because he's not freaking out because he actually imprinted on a guy whose HOT and he's all kinda confused.
But he calms down and Alex and him have a night - not that one, that one they just hold hands and Jacob sweats a lot - and then Alex meets everyone in La Posa and then figures out the whole 'werewolf' and then 'fights vampires' thing and kinda freaks out himself, and then Jacob has to calm HIM down and then there is sex.
I really enjoyed the idea! But then I read book 4 and completely and totally fell for Nessie and Jake, and so that screwed the non-existent Alex.
But I needed some serious angsty SLASH by the end of book 3, and though I liked 4 I didn't get it. Grrrr.
Why I've re-read Kushiel's Dart so many times the first six chapters have fallen out:
So all of this explains why when I finished book 4 I immediately grabbed Kushiel's Dart to read again. Because its a wonderfully angsty book with SEX and REAL DEATH and EVIL PEOPLE who are nonetheless GOOD PEOPLE and everyone is trying to do the RIGHT THING only the sex/death/real actual truly good angst keeps catching up with them.
And the whole serious so wonderfully gender neutral! When the Second of Dahlia's house dances at the Midwinter Mask in naught but dusky skin and a plethora of gauze we have no idea if they are male or female. And it doesn't matter because its HOT either way. Though the two (eventual) main characters are in lovely heterosexual love, the real taunting stuff is the historical romance of Antonius and his Prince and Phedra and her nemesis. Not that Joscelin is less than taunting and ripe with angst himself - love Joscelin - but het is most definately not the only 'real' (both good and bad, constructive and destructive) relationship in the novels.
Not by a long-shot.
Plus the plot is sex and intrigue and politics and war and all that good stuff.
It's a real novel, a real set, and I loves it.
Twilight is fun - tasty candy fun - and I hope everyone continues to enjoy it. But there is such better stuff out there, and I hope the teenagers of the world don't stop at the junk food but continue eventually onto the main course.