A High School Romance Adventure What?! (Twilight by Stephenie Meyer)

When a young adult novel hits the bestseller lists, it had better be good. When that same novel is the author's first published novel, it's probably astounding.

And that was what I found, upon reading Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. Frankly, I was reluctant to read it at first, since one peer who suggested it to me has a way of finding books with fascinating premises but horrible story executions. But when a separate unconnected friend suggested it (who's 14), I knew it had to be worth my college-compressed time to read it.

Hey, it's a high school romance adventure vampire novel. I was curious.

Did that curiosity pay off! The story alone held me and dialogue intrigued me on the first read-through. And I read it a few more times (only then becoming actively aware of some awkward points that lacked a needed transition), startled that a book on such a dark topic that's usually associated with gutter language and sexual content should be so amazingly clean.

Except for the few damns and a few details (sexual tension and some sadism), it could be a children's book. Even most juveniles could read it and not be scarred by anything but the sugary-sweet sappiness. The violence and other more mature themes are handled in a manner appropriate for younger audiences.

Twilight is a romance novel. Love-crazy teens may want to avoid it for their own health because it's so incredibly sappy. Even usually-rational girls may find themselves, after reading Twilight a time too many, cooing like those infatuated girls they tend to mock. (Oh, guys might not like this novel too much.)

A wallflower ends up—despite her realization that she's acting with unacceptable foolishness—hopelessly interested in a breathtakingly handsome boy in her class named the oddly old-fashioned "Edward." She's convinced Edward hates her but has an odd knack of suddenly being there to help her when she's in (mortal) danger. He's hopelessly in love with Bella, but, er… she's exactly the type of human that happens to trigger every single "eat her" instinct in his body. Pesky scents.

That I liked it at all is tantamount to Stephenie Meyer's skill with story telling. I avoid even touching strict romance novels except to maybe glance dutifully at something that's making a friend laugh. Okay, so Twilight technically isn't a strictly "romance" novel with the vampires thrown in, but they just replace the mafia and aliens some other books resort to.

What does Twilight teach its market of young adults? The plot most obviously points out that taking things into your own hands instead of trusting those who know what they're doing doesn't always produce the best results. The story clearly states that overly-intimate activity between Bella and Edward is impossible unless he wants to accidentally kill her, but even then the twosome are a bit… closer than many "women's purity" advocates would find appropriate.

In addition to that, Bella acts without parental knowledge or consent in many occasions. This is due to the character having grown up in the situation of being her mother's "mother" rather than an intention to teach rebellion on the writer's part, but younger readers should read with care till the sequel, New Moon, reveals just how much trouble that overly independent attitude can cause.

Overall, it's fun, has depth, and has a multitude of lines you can snicker to friends later!

Also by Stephenie Meyer
New Moon