The answer to this question is easy. I know many people in the Twilight fandom hated Breaking Dawn, but I actually really liked it.

After I finished reading the book the first time, it was my favorite of the series because I loved that we got back to Bella and Edward and basically no interference from Jacob. I loved reading about the wedding and I loved Bella’s transformation (my two favorite parts of the book). I even didn’t mind Renesmee, not even the name, or Jacob imprinting on her. I just loved that almost everything was resolved in a way that I wanted it to be, meaning Bella was with Edward not Jacob.

I didn’t expect the backlash it got. I was completely blown away! I couldn’t understand why people hated it so much. I know Renesmee was a surprise, but I didn’t expect her to be so hated. Then, I kind of jumped on the bandwagon myself, but not to the same extent. I’ve never hated Renesmee, but I did start to see the book’s flaws, like the lack of conflict or action, Jacob imprinting on the baby of someone he was in love with only seconds before, and a very anti-climactic ending. But, I realized after reading it a second time that even with its flaws, I still love the overall story. Yes, I would’ve preferred there had been a huge war between the Cullens and the Volturi, but I’m happy to enjoy the book for what it is.

Breaking Dawn is no longer my favorite of the series because I realized that Twilight had to take precedence. After all, it did get me into reading and Meyer’s world. But, Breaking Dawn is a close second.

What about you? What book did you like that everyone else hated?

As far as the movie is concerned, I actually really enjoyed it. Yes, there were laughable parts (that weren’t meant to be laughable), but I still liked it. It’s the closest movie to its book, which I think has to do with Stephenie Meyer being a producer now. And, I’m really excited for the second one because I think they’ll do a good job with it (and add more action than the book has).

Before I talk about all the things that I loved, let’s get the few complaints I have out of the way.

• At first, I really liked the scene in which the wolves spoke to each other. I liked the disjointed images Jacob saw as he was running through the forest and all the other voices in his head. But, as soon as Sam and Jacob started speaking to each other, the voices sounded weird, kind of like Darth Vader meets Optimus Prime. And, the voices sounded overly dramatic.
• The imprinting scene was … awkward. But, honestly, I don’t think there was any other way to do it and it’s a little creepy in its own right anyway.
• The dream sequence, like all the other dream sequences in the movies, was weird. It’s not how I pictured it and I didn’t like that they used the wedding guests instead of the immortal children.
• The makeup and wigs are still awkward and fake-looking. Poor Carlisle and the blond Denali vampires (other than Irina). Although, I did think Jasper looked better in this one than he has in the others, which is a plus and a miracle.
• I’m one of the fans that actually enjoyed the book. But, I knew the story was very cheesy and seeing those scenes on screen made the cheesiness more real.
• The wolves seemed less real in this movie than in New Moon and Eclipse. I’m not sure why, but the animation didn’t seem as refined. But, at least it wasn’t Lupin terrible.

Not too shabby, right? I honestly don’t have a lot of complaints as you can see because I thought they improved on a lot of things this time around (especially the acting). I absolutely loved the following:

• Even though the birth scene was extremely gruesome, it was actually my favorite part of the entire movie. It was seen through Bella’s perspective which gave it a disconnected feeling. I knew it was described as that bloody and horrific in the book, but seeing it come to life was a little surprising because I guess I didn’t picture it that horrifically in my mind.
• I loved Bella’s transformation. Watching the Photoshopping happen on screen as she turned from a mere mortal into a beautiful vampire was just so cool! It was really well done.
• They did an awesome job making Bella look as emaciated as she did while she was pregnant with Renesmee. I wish they could’ve applied that makeup awesomeness to some of the vampires.
• Normally, I hate added scenes in movies. But, I actually really enjoyed that the Cullens and wolves fought after Renesmee’s birth. It gives me hope that there will be fighting in the second movie instead of just talking and diplomatic solutions.
• I like who they got to play Renesmee and can’t wait to see how her aging process works in the second movie.
• I told my friend Debbie that I haven’t liked Robert Pattinson as Edward. He just never sat well with me. But, in this movie, whatever they did to his makeup or hair made him more appealing. Now, if only he’d shave his chest, then he may be perfect or as close to perfect as an actor can get to Edward.
• Aro became my hero in the short scene during the credits! He’s a grammar Nazi like I am!
• I loved Bella’s wedding dress.
• And, of course, as always, I loved Charlie. Billy Burke is the best thing that happened to these movies.

Overall, I was very happy with the film. It did as good of a job as it could with the storyline the book had. So, if you’re like I am and you liked the book, then I think you’ll like the movie. But, if you didn’t like the book, then I doubt there’s a chance you’ll like the movie either.

Unfortunately, I can’t embed it. But, here’s the link to the spot. (There may be a geographic redirect for people outside of Utah–annoying–so you may need to scroll down to the Live Interviews section and click the “What’s Next for Twilight Fan Club?”) My friends Danylle and Jamie were able to be there live this morning to answer questions after the spot aired. They represented our group well.

Once you watch the segment, come back and tell me what you think. I’ll tell you what I think right now, but don’t read it until after you’ve watched the clip. (I don’t want to taint your view, lol.) After seeing this, I feel like Yzma from The Emperor’s New Groove. “Is that my voice? Is that MY voice?” Seriously, is that how I sound? I think I may need to invest in a voice coach so I don’t sound so annoying. And, I may need to take a public speaking class so I can learn not to “um” as much as I do, lol.

It was fun and I’m excited that our group got our 15 minutes of fame and that we could mention and promote other local authors too.

PS–When I was being interviewed, I mentioned how we had the chance to meet other fans around the country and that we’re friends with much more than just our local group. But, it didn’t make it into the segment.

The one thing I realized I forgot to say, which may be okay since my post is already a few miles long, is that I have friends from all over the world because of Twilight and the Lex. I love those friends just as much as I love my local Utah friends and I hope I get to meet the ones that I haven’t met someday and see those that I have again. My friends are seriously the best!

Once upon a time, I didn’t like to read books but I decided to read a little-known book (at the time) called Twilight. The story intrigued me so much that I wanted to know more and I wanted to talk about it a lot. I couldn’t find anyone to oblige me–my husband couldn’t have cared less (not that I blame him) and my co-workers and friends liked the book but not as much as I did. I noticed on the back of the book that Stephenie Meyer had a website so I decided to check it out. From her website, I was introduced to the Twilight Lexicon, the premiere online fansite for the Twilight Saga.

I had never been compelled to find people who shared the same obsession as me before. I had never wanted to join an online fandom, not even with Harry Potter. (That was probably because I had people in real life to discuss the books with.) I decided to join the Lex thinking that I’d be bombarded by a bunch of tweens and teeny boppers and stop frequenting the fansite after a week or so. To my surprise, I found that there was a fairly large adult presence and many of them were from Utah.

About four months after joining the Lex, I was invited to meet some of these Utah women. We got together at a restaurant and I felt like I had met my kindred spirits. They aren’t kindred spirits just because of our connection through Twilight; Twilight was merely a vehicle that moved us all to the same point where we could meet. We’re kindred spirits because we were each looking to fill a void in our lives. We all have fulfilling lives through our families, school, jobs, church, etc. But, we needed something more … a way for us to be ourselves without wearing the wife, mom, student, and employee hat. This group gave us that.

We’ve now been together for a little over four years. Their friendship, love, and support has meant a lot to me. We’ve helped each other through different trials and adventures in each of our lives. I honestly don’t know where I’d be if I hadn’t found these wonderful ladies. My life definitely wouldn’t be as fulfilling as it is with them.

The reason for this post is that my friend Danylle was contacted by our Channel 5 News. Stephany Beshara, the producer of the morning show, is planning to do a Twilight week during the week Breaking Dawn, Part 1 comes out. She wanted to interview people who are fans of the franchise and who have had their lives significantly impacted by these books.

On Saturday, part of our group got together and three of us were interviewed by Stephany, including me. It was so much fun to talk about how we met, how our lives were changed by Stephenie Meyer’s books, how not only our group has become fast friends but how we have made friends from all over the world through the Lex and other fansites that we still keep in contact with, and what we’re doing now that the franchise is coming to a close. (We’ll be featured on November 14 or 15 at 6:00 am. I plan to TiVo it so I can download it and post it on my blog.)

Many members of my group have moved past Twilight while others, like me, still enjoy the Twilight Saga (mostly in book form). But, none of us can deny the impact these books have made on our lives. I’ll always be grateful to Stephenie Meyer for facilitating a way for me to meet these wonderful ladies.

(Fortunately, when I met these lovely ladies, I had just started blogging. I’ve been able to document most of our adventures, including our trip to Forks with other Lexicon members and our many author parties.)

My friends and I, thanks to his wife and my good friend Debbie, got to see the first few minutes of it when Tarl had just started his work. I thought it was awesome even when it was less than a quarter of the way done. Now, the animation is finally finished and I think it has surpassed the potential I originally thought it had. I absolutely adore it! Tarl is a very funny guy and his humor really comes out in this, which makes it all the better.

I wanted to share his talents with you. Even if you’re not a Twilight fan, you should take the time to watch it; I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! Unfortunately, I can’t embed the movie, but you can watch it here. After you watch it, come back and let me know what you think! (If you want to check out more of his work, you can go to his website Tarl’s Scribbles.)

In this case, the movie may actually be better than the book. (I love the book, but I was a bit disappointed with the anticlimactic ending.) At least the movie has more action!

Last week’s reading covered chapters 21 through the epilogue and here are the discussion questions:

1. In chapter 21, James calls Bella telling her he has her mother and the only way he won’t kill her is if Bella comes alone. What would you do in that situation? Come alone or tell Alice and Jasper?
2. Was everyone else as shocked as I was when I first found out about the Alice/James situation? Do you think this adds to the story line or was it not needed? Why do you think they chose not to include these details in the movie?
3. Edward had to do something extremely difficult in order to save Bella from becoming a vampire. Have you ever had a similar situation in your life where you had to push your will power to its limits?
4. Bella and Edward get into the “to change Bella or not to change Bella” argument in the hospital. If you were Bella, would you want to become a vampire? Why or why not?
5. Twilight ends with everyone going to the prom. Did you go to your prom? Was your experience similar to Bella’s? Feel free to include pictures.
6. Extra: It’s over … final thoughts?

My Answers

1. I’m not sure. I think I’d want to tell Alice and Jasper because they’d have the better resources to protect me and save my mother (and it’s just more logical). But, I know one of Bella’s fears is that one of the Cullens would get hurt in all the falderal with James. With that being said, I’d probably want to do the same thing Bella did, but I’d be too scared to do it.
2. I was very shocked to find out that James had something to do with Alice’s transformation. I don’t think it was absolutely needed and that’s why it was left out of the movie. Personally, I like back story like that, though; I like finding out more about the Cullens. And, since Alice’s transformation was a mystery, I think James having something to do with it is a perfect way to integrate it into the story.
3. No, I haven’t ever had to push my will power to its limit like that. I don’t know how I’d do if I ever had to.
4. If I were Bella, I’d want to be a vampire to be with Edward for eternity. However, as myself, I wouldn’t want to be one. I’d rather be some other type of mythical creature, like a witch from Harry Potter or a Shadowhunter from Cassandra Clare’s series. I could still live, age, grow, and be a part of the mythical world. (And, no, I don’t have any desire whatsoever to be a werewolf. Werewolves are my least favorite mythical creature.)
5. I went to my senior prom as a junior. I’m very much like Bella and hate to/can’t dance. But, I caved into peer pressure and went. I had a pretty good time, but definitely not as good as Bella had with Edward. It’s all about your date, and mine left something to be desired.
6. I’m so glad I participated in this reread-along. I wouldn’t have reread Twilight any time soon if I hadn’t participated. Rereading it helped me realize that I love this story every bit as much as I did when I first read it. I now plan to do a slow reread of the other books in the series. Thank you to all the hosts for such a fun reread along and great discussion questions!

Last week’s reading covered chapters 16-20 and here are the discussion questions:

1. If you where in Carlisle’s position, do you think you would’ve been able to fight off your vampiric urges? Would you ever bring someone into that life as he did with Edward and Esme?
2. We are introduced to Edward’s playful side in these chapters, before he gets all manic about the new vampires. I think we have a better picture of who he is. If you had to describe him in five words, what would they be? Good and bad qualities, whatever you like!
3. While rereading, I’ve been taking notes: observations that I’ve come across and comparisons to the movie. One of my notes deals with page 383 in which Edward screams at Alice there’s no other option. The first time around, I didn’t get that he meant the future that Alice saw for Bella as a vampire, but now that I know the whole story I see that’s what he meant. Has this happened to you? Do you have any examples of things that are clearer now, or things that you have realized while re-reading?
4. We haven’t talked about this yet, but I think the idea of your human gifts amplifying in your vampire life is interesting. What do you think your gift(s) would be?
5. We’re coming to the end of the book. What is your opinion of it on this reread? First, when was the last time you read it? Second, do you feel you like it more, the same, or less this time around?

My Answers

1. Knowing what I’ve learned about myself in the last few years, I tend to give in to instant gratification. It’s my addiction in life. Because of this, I don’t think I’d be like Carlisle. However, if he sired me and told me about his lifestyle, then I might be able to resist my instincts. I think if I were as lonely as Carlisle and I encountered someone on their death bed, like Edward or Esme, then I’d change them.
2. Intense, loving, protective, old-fashioned, chivalrous.
3. Yes. Many Breaking Dawn haters don’t want to admit that Stephenie Meyer had planned Renesmee from the beginning. They feel as though Meyer came up with the idea of a half-vampire/half-human baby out of nowhere in regards to the rest of the series. However, as I’ve reread Twilight, there are tiny hints that plot Meyer’s course. For example, when Bella is researching vampires on the Internet, on Page 133, she says: “It seemed that most vampire myths centered around beautiful women as demons and children as victims; they also seemed like constructs created to explain away the high mortality rates for young children, and to give men an excuse for infidelity.” I realize this refers to the immortal children more than Renesmee, but that’s because other than Nahuel, half-vampire/half-human babies didn’t exist. And, the whole reason the immortal children are brought up in Breaking Dawn is to prepare for what’s coming. I don’t think Meyer would’ve mentioned these myths if she hadn’t planned Renesmee from the very beginning.
4. I tend to worry a lot about how others are feeling. I want everyone to be happy and not feel left out or sad because I know so well how that feels. I think I’d have a similar gift to Jasper’s. However, I don’t think I’d be able to control the emotions around me; I’d just be able to feel them and know how to act accordingly.
5. The last time I read Twilight was in 2008 when Breaking Dawn was released. However, I did listen to the audiobook at the beginning of last year. When I listened to the audiobook, I found myself getting annoyed with the descriptions because I was around a lot of Twilight haters at that time. And, I was still trying to decide whether I was going to give up on the series like most of my “Twilight” friends already had. Now, that I’ve decided that I don’t care how other people feel about Twilight, for good or bad, and that I still love the series, this reread is going a lot smoother. In fact, I feel the same giddiness I did the first time I read it. And, I’m glad to be there again.

Last week’s reading covered chapters 11-15 and here are the discussion questions:

1. Do you think the name “Twilight” for this book is fitting with the story? Do you think a better name could have been chosen? What about the series and the names as a whole?
2. On this re-read, what’s your favorite part of the book? Is it the vampires, setting, plot, characters, Edward, or something else?
3. Edward shows his stalkerish/controlling tendencies during these chapters for the first time (at least Bella is aware), did this bother you the first time you read Twilight? Does it bother you now that you’re re-reading it? Should Bella be more worried about it?
4. Do you find yourself, during or after reading another paranormal/supernatural book, comparing it to Twilight? If you do, why do you think that is? Is it because it’s popular or because it’s just a book that makes an impact?
5. Bella is introduced to the Cullen Family in chapter 15, who is your favorite Cullen and why?

My Answers

1. I think “Twilight” and the rest of the names fit the series really well. They give the reader a sense of what to expect in each book. “Twilight” is the end of Bella’s old life and the beginning of a new one. “New Moon” is the darkest period in Bella’s life, just as a new moon is at night. “Eclipse” is the eclipse of one love over the other. And, “Breaking Dawn” is the beginning of Bella’s life as a vampire (and mother).
2. Each time I read Twilight, my favorite part is the interaction between Bella and Edward. I love the conflict their relationship has because, at this point, it doesn’t involve a love triangle. (I hate love triangles.) I wish more YA romances had this type of relationship conflict. I also love the draw Bella and Edward have to each other. And, I love the sexual tension described so well between Bella and Edward. I think this tension is, by far, better than just giving in to those feelings. Once you give in, there’s nothing more to anticipate.
3. Edward’s “stalkerish” tendencies have never bothered me because it’s just a story. Also, the circumstances of the story kind of dictate that Edward be a little over protective of Bella–she’s accident prone, hangs around a bunch of vampires (and werewolves), and is a magnet for danger. If I were Edward, I’d be a little concerned about her safety too. Now, if this were a real relationship and this book was contemporary fiction, not fantasy, then his controlling behavior (and Bella’s obsessive infatuation) would definitely bother me. But, being the type of story Twilight is, it doesn’t bother me in the least. In fact, I’m always shocked when someone talks or complains about it.
4. I compare most YA romances to Twilight because it was the first YA romance I ever read. I don’t compare writing; I compare the feelings in each book. If I feel the same angst and conflict that I did when I first read Twilight, then it’s a safe bet that I’ll love the book I’m comparing to Twilight.
5. I love me some Jasper Hale! I think his character is intriguing. I love that we don’t know much about him, at this point, other than he has a hard time with the Cullen’s diet and he can manipulate emotion. And, I love his and Alice’s relationship. It’s so sweet and cute.