Twilight: The Graphic Novel Vol 1 - Stephenie Meyer and Young Kim

When Isabella Swan moves to the gloomy town of Forks and meets the mysterious, alluring Edward Cullen, her life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. With his porcelain skin, golden eyes, mesmerizing voice, and supernatural gifts, Edward is both irresistible and impenetrable. Up until now, he has managed to keep his true identity hidden, but Bella is determined to uncover his dark secret...

Beautifully rendered, this first installment of Twilight: The Graphic Novel is a must-have for any collector's collection.

The current trend to turn successful novels and series into graphic novels is one which has passed me by to a certain extent. Whilst I know for example that there is a graphic novel of Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, I haven't yet managed to read it. In fact, most of the graphic novels that I have read have all started out as graphic novels and not been converted from an existing series. I actually think I prefer the idea of the upcoming Outlander graphic novel a bit better. Rather than a straight retelling of one of the existing books, it is a companion story and will have new events to share with the reader.

This graphic novel was a pleasant surprise, in that it tells the story that is familiar that is told in the first of the Twilight novels and in a some what altered fashion in the movie, it was good to see that the imagery used in the graphic novel didn't seem to have been influenced by the movie in terms of the way that the characters were portrayed. The only thing is that I still like the way that Charlie Swan looks in the movie! I can't remember who the actor is that plays him, but for me he is still one of the best parts of the movies.

Young Kim has done an excellent job of illustrating the events in the book, and bringing Stephenie Meyer's words into a new medium. 

I would say that I would happily drool over the Edward from the graphic novel more than I would ever drool over Robert Pattinson. Jacob not so much.

One thing that Bella from the graphic novel and the movie do have in common is that they both have good hair! I know that for graphic novel Bella was drawn that way (to paraphrase Jessica Rabbit), but it doesn't stop this hair-challenged person being envious!


This book counted for the Vampire Series challenge, and I have now completed that challenge. I will do a wrap up post later this week.

Actually, yesterday was a bit of a Twilight day really, because in addition to reading this, I also went and saw Eclipse with a group of friends. I liked it a lot. The movies have definitely improved a lot. I do look forward to watching Breaking Dawn, but I must confess that I am concerned with how a few things are going to be portrayed given that there were a few moments in the book that had me wanting to throw the book at the wall! I guess we will see in due course how I like the movie.

Breaking Dawn cover

I was messing around tonight on Amazon when I saw that the cover for Breaking Dawn, the fourth book in the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer, is now up



I've really loved all the other covers in this series, but this one is really plain and boring. Maybe the cover doesn't matter as much because they already know it is going to be a bestseller regardless??

Which Twilight character are you?

Saw this over at BookNut and had to give it a go!

Which Twilight novel character are you?

You're Bella Swan - You are intelligent and kind but not quite sure what you want out of life yet. You have a feeling there's something more out there for you. You're attracted to those who are real and avoid the fake. Sometimes you're a bit accident prone, but your true friends will always be loyal to you and come to your aid when you need it.
Take this quiz!








Quizilla |
Join

| Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

I don't recall seeing that before

I am as big a fan of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer as anyone, but I must confess that I am a little concerned at how much hype there is going to be around the release of Breaking Dawn.

Today I was browsing through my Amazon recommends list over and Breaking Dawn was one of the things that was recommended. Nothing unusual there...until you look at the cover image. Normally if the cover hasn't been released yet, then there is a No Image....errr.....image. But not for this book! This is what is shown for Breaking Dawn.


In case you can't read it, the bottom right hand corner says "Cover to be Released Summer 2008...".

I don't think I have ever seen that before. A sign of the hype to come?

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob -- knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which?

Please note that there may be spoilers for those who have not read the first two books in this series......Sorry!

With all the talk a couple of months ago about Stephenie Meyer knocking Harry Potter off of the number 1 on the bestseller list, I have been somewhat surprised to see so many average reviews of this book around the place. Having now finished this book, I can however see where this is coming from.

Bella is just about to graduate from high school, and that also means that the time where she will be turned from human to vampire is rapidly approaching too. Edward is still not really happy at the prospect of turning Bella so soon, and has imposed his own conditions on this happening, which Bella is not sure that she can meet. She also has to try and reconcile her relationships with Jacob and Edward, as it turns out that they are actually mortal enemies, whose species are fore sworn to fight to the death!

So while Bella is constantly being reminded of the reasons why it is either good to be human, or why it would be difficult to be a newborn vampire, there is a big problem in nearby Seattle with a series of murders. The police are convinced that they are looking for a serial murderer, but the Cullens are convinced that the problem is not a human one, rather a vampire one.

Things change when it is determined that the vampire problem in Seattle is linked to Forks, and that in the end, will end up targeting Bella, and suddenly the vampires and the werewolves must learn to work together to save themselves, and to protect Bella.

There is much that is familiar about this third book - we have a main female who is apparently irresistible to all paranormal creatures (maybe Bella is actually related to Sookie Stackhouse who seems to be just as irresistible to vampires, werewolves etc) and we have a love triangle that include sworn enemies and a beautiful girl.

As to how reviewers are reacting to Bella, I do see where they are coming from. Bella seems determined to put herself in situations where either Jacob or Edward need to either save her, or where Edward in particular has to be the person who shows the maturity and self control to take control of the situation and bring it back under control. Yes, Edward is much older than Bella, but she did seem determined to push him to the limits of his control all the time. She also was quite insecure in many ways, but I am not sure that that is not understandable given the previous events, and that she is marked for death...in more ways than one! Yet despite that, Bella also seems to take any opportunity she can to deceive Edward, or dupe the people who care about her most. Then again, it is very much normal for me to be more hero focussed than heroine focused, and in this case I like both Edward and Jacob. I think that Bella will have to end up with Edward, but I would like to see Jacob happy as well!

Having said that, there was still much to enjoy in this book. The writing was still good (it kept me up until 2am reading last night) and there were plenty of fun moments, including when Edward could read Jacob's thoughts. The night that the three of them spent in the tent was really well written and quite poignant, as two very strong and very different males wrestled with their feelings for Bella.

It was interesting to me when the news stories were happening a while back, how there was such emphasis on the fact that there was no sex in these books, but sex was very much present in this book, maybe not as in the fact that any of our three main characters were having it, but there was certainly a lot of thinking about it and talking about it.

One other thing to mention. Someone on a board that I am on mentioned that she felt that Meyer really laboured the point about Edward being really cold to the touch. To be honest, I don't recall noticing it before, but once it was pointed out to me, it was very much obvious that it was constantly mentioned, but at least in one scene it did mean that Jacob (who is a highly heated creature) gets to do something for Bella that Edward can't, bringing an interesting dynamic to the story.

In conclusion, I did quite enjoy this book. Maybe not as much as Twilight, but it was certainly on a par with New Moon in my opinion. I will still be reading the next book in the series! I will be looking forward to seeing the next cover as Meyer has been quite lucky in the cover stakes in my opinion!


Rating 4/5

Other Blogger's Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida
Where Troubles Melt Like Lemon Drops
Melody's Reading Corner
Books Love Me

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of an evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may just be beginning....

Passionate, riveting, and deeply moving, this vampire love saga is well on its way to literary immortality.

Yes, I know....everyone else in the world is currently obsessing on the next book in the series, Eclipse, but I have only just read New Moon (a couple of months ago), and now have to try and put a review together! I took this to Adelaide with me when I went to visit, and it was a nice way to escape from things when interactions with my mother and the ex got a bit much!

Edward decides that it is for the best if he and Bella split up, because when she gets a paper cut on her finger when opening a present on her birthday she is suddenly more than just attractive to her vampire family. Bella is absolutely devastated that Edward has left her, even though she can still "hear" his voice in her heart, and the book is very good at portraying that devastation. The only person who can seem to get through to Bella is her friend Jacob. The only problems are that Jacob has more than just friends feelings for Bella, and, well, he's going through some changes of his own, and these changes mean that he is destined to be the mortal enemies of the vampires.

When Edward finally returns to Bella's life, it is because this time she needs to save him from himself, as he has decided if he can't have Bella then it isn't worth living. What follows is a desperate flight to Europe to find him, and save him before he gives himself up to the powers that be. Bella seems determined that she needs to be turned into a vampire so that they can now be together, but Edward manages to talk her out of it. I guess it is a theme that will continue to be present through the next book in the series as well.

With it's cast of vampires and werewolves, this book is still an enjoyable read, but for me, not quite as compelling as Twilight was. Despite some of the average reviews that are around, I am still very interested in reading Eclipse. Hopefully I will get to it soon.

I do have to say that I love the covers in this series. So simple but beautiful and effective! Not so keen on the UK cover for Twilight but still!

Rating 4/5

Other Bloggers Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balance precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

Deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. This is a love story with bite.

I wish I could remember where I first saw this book mentioned so that I could thank them! Being a relative newcomer to vampire books (only having read one other), this book was completely fresh to me.

When Bella Swan moves to Forks, she goes from being a non entity in Phoenix, to being mega popular in her new school. Unfortunately the only boy she is interested in is Edward Cullen, and well, he's not really a boy. The fact that he disappears on sunny days, and never seems to eat anything, are the first clues as to his real...um, identity I guess!

As for Edward, he is instantly attracted to Bella, and goes out of his way initially to avoid her, because when you are attracted to someone, that tends to end quite badly! Gradually though, Bella and Edward gravitate more and more to each other and Edward begins to learn that he has more control over his desires than he initially thought. As Bella gets herself into more and more scrapes Edward becomes almost like her bodyguard.

Whilst most of the town of Forks has no idea that the well respected Cullen family are anything other than the fine standing citizens that they seem, albeit with very impressive cars, there are certain people who do know and who are trying to warn Bella away from Edward. Edward is also dealing with some resistance from within his own family, but gradually they begin to accept her. However that acceptance nearly turns to a tragedy when some newcomers come to town and find Bella with the Cullens.

The characters in this book are delightful, and there are several very funny moments, including some charming moments when there is a sense of tiredness around living as an immortal. For example, at one point Edward is talking to Bella about two of his brothers and sisters, who have chosen to be each others life partners, and he says something along the lines of "I suppose we'll have to go to their wedding in a few years...again".

Edward and his family are able to be integrated into society as the vampires in Meyer's world don't have to sleep all night in coffins, can be seen in the sunshine and can live on something other than human blood. Having so integrated has the added benefit of allowing them to occasionally take on very human traits.

This was a very enjoyable read, and am looking forward to reading more about Bella and Edward when the sequel is issued later this year. Oh, and both this book and the sequel (called New Moon) have really nice covers in my opinion.

Rating 4.5/5


Other Bloggers Thoughts:

The Bookworm - Naida
Passion for the Page
Not Enough Bookshelves
Paperspine
Katrina's Reads
Sophisticated Dorkiness