Twilight, the first book I read on vampires, totally drew me into the element of romance between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen. I have read other vampire novels ever since but this one stays in my memory by far. The protagonist Bella is a quiet and reserved girl by nature but therein lays her distinct charm. Teenagers usually have that rebellious streak coupled with a prickly and know-it-all attitude that sometimes mellowed teens such as Bella come as a breath of fresh air. Bella didn’t feel the need to follow the crowd or balk under peer pressure. She was perfectly fine doing her own thing and keeping to herself. Although the feminine aspect of her character has been criticised it’s totally relatable if you are on the quieter side and don’t feel the need to explain yourself. Some teen girls are happy doing their own thing and don’t bother if they are accepted or not like that cool teen on the block. This mostly happens when you have a lifestyle that involves solo passions or interests or you are too committed to your career or studies. Then again some teens do end up with a sober personality because of the circumstances they grew in such as Bella’s family which wasn’t anywhere of the picket fence kind. But the endearing thing to note is that Bella did possess a deep caring attitude towards her parents though in a subtle way.
The attraction towards Edward was smouldering and intense although it started with a slow burn. Edward was the dream man in Bella’s life who had dashing looks and strength of personality that completely swept her off her feet. The romance had an innocent element that was not at all explicit or crude in any way yet was amazingly sensual and passionate in its sweetness. Edward projects as the strong silent kind while being immensely caring and protective towards his love interest. Being a vampire his behavior was unpredictable at times which initially caused a certain amount of friction in their relationship. Bella’s feelings for Edward completely took over her heart and mind. This was the first time she felt so intensely about someone which may be attributed due to the fact that she led a quite a lonely life prior to meeting him. The solitary side of her life was well reflected by the author through the dull and boring weather of Forks where they met.
I loved Edward’s way of handling Bella where he often withheld his passion in order not to hurt her in any way considering the cross-species aspect of their relationship. There were a lot of versatile characters in the book such as Bella’s friends, the Cullen family, and again the villainous vampires that came in later. The ending carried a lot of action and danger which kept my interest piqued all the way to the last page.
Moon Pearls 