Team Bella?!

Who ever came up with this is a GENIUS! LOL. 😀

Forever Dawn

I just finished reading Breaking Dawn and I don’t know if I can put into words all I want to say. I’m definitely happy about how things turned out. I didn’t expect it, I’m glad every one got their happily ever after. I don’t think Meyer could’ve gone any other way. Even for Jacob, for a moment there was a part of the book when I thought he’d fall in love with Leah. That would be my worst nightmare. I liked the fact that Meyer incorporated once again Jacob’s perspective in this book. I can tell she enjoyed writing through Jacob’s mind from the moment she made the epilogue on Eclipse. I really enjoyed his part, not to mention his chapter titles were funny. I just love how he was characterized – warm, strong, good-natured, brutally honest, stubborn and just a pain. I guess that you’re sensing I’m on Team Jacob now. 😉 I never expected it too. I’m happy that Renesmee came to be. Although the name sounds drag and she did put Bella through hell, I think it just makes the picture complete. I am also happy that Bella finally belonged. It’s obvious that she didn’t fit in – fragile, clumsy, the damsel in distress, just plain average. Now she finally found her place. Before I thought the cover was about Renesmee but Meyer said it represents Bella’s transformation. Heck, she saved everyone from the Volturi! Can you imagine? But I am relieved the blood lust didn’t happen, though it would’ve been great and exciting if it did. Somehow, it seemed anti-climatic. But anyways, let’s give a shout out to the other characters I loved especially: Alice, Carlisle, Emmett, Seth, Charlie, Rosalie, Garrett, Tanya, Zafrina, Aro and Mike, Angela, James, Victoria from the earlier books. I can’t believe all those times I laughed, cried and thrilled as I turn the pages away. The whole story is just the right mix of fantasy and reality, romance and suspense. It felt like I’ve been living in another world where these characters were true. It has definitely been a great journey. I thank Stephenie Meyer for it.

Twilight is special for me because it’s the one that made me want to start reading books again. I was never the bookworm before but now I carry my hardbound everywhere I go. I really grew attached to it. Like everything about it mattered. The day when I finished it, I didn’t know how to react. It wasn’t until the next morning that sadness crept up on me as I realized that it is over . Forever Dawn, if I may say. It was my habit every morning, reading Twilight has been my past time during my travel to work. I can’t help but wonder what happens after Breaking Dawn. Now I’m just hoping Meyer finishes Midnight Sun very soon. Of course I won’t end this post without talking about Edward. I missed him in a way, maybe because my attention was brought to another. For me, it just got divided. I do want Edward to be with Bella and I couldn’t stand them being apart. Edward Cullen is the most admirable and charming vampire that ever existed in literary history. Suddenly everything about them is not eerie and scary anymore. I never thought vampires can be seen that way, alluring, charismatic not to mention, gorgeous! I’m here now wishing he was real. Please Stephenie, I’m begging you to release Midnight Sun already! 🙂

“I can’t fight with an Eclipse”

I am just speechless and I don’t know where to begin. I know you may get tired of me talking about Twilight all the time. You can stop reading now ‘coz I’m about to let it all out. I grew attached to this more than I would’ve thought. This is for all the fans, like me.

I understand it now, why Jacob is special. Before he was just the ‘third party’ for me. Another Mike Newton or Eric, only difference is he really was friends with Bella. Plus the fact he was a werewolf; the vampire’s natural enemy, which made everything more exciting. But now, I know why Jacob holds dear to Meyer because he’s also that to me. Don’t fret just yet, I’m still on Team Edward of course! But this I can say, Jacob is a worthy ‘opponent’ and he gave a good fight. With how Meyer characterized Edward Cullen for sure you wouldn’t want anyone else for Bella.

I cannot emphasize how I love this book. It’s officially my favorite among the three (I haven’t read Breaking Dawn yet, about to start). I think even more than Twilight, yes, the one that introduced us to Edward and Bella. It is a great foundation but Eclipse showed how much Meyer grew as a writer which greatly influenced the success of this book. Among the chapters, I found the first four really great and pretty much the last chapters from Fire and Ice. I enjoyed how the love triangle, cliché as it may seem, evolved deeper. I love Jacob now, I thought only Edward can give such classic quotes but he has many on this one especially on Ethics, the 26th chapter. His warmth and humor is enjoyable to read, his flirting ways with Bella and of course his trademark phrase, “Sure, sure.” I admire how Edward and Jacob fought for Bella without actually killing each other. The epilogue called Choice was such a blast for me because for once I stepped into the mind of Jacob and I thought I was actually going to burst with tears (many times throughout the book) when at the end he just kept on running as Bella started slipping away, for good. I credit him for stepping aside and finally deciding to settle as a good friend, but it’s good that he didn’t gave up too easily. I remembered what he had said: “I’m not going to cut you in half anymore, Bella.”, referring to that story in the Bible wherein King Solomon ordered two women fighting over a child to cut it in half. Don’t you just feel for it? I even believe that Bella love Jacob too, from the very start. But it’s just that she loves Edward more. Which begs the question which has gone on since time: can you really love two people at the same time? Maybe, one less than the other but still, love that person. Though not enough for you to choose him/her. I have to say yes. A no would be the logical answer or maybe even the right answer. But for every rule, there’s an exception. And I’d like to think Jacob and Bella is one example. Let’s not take credit away from Edward, though. Being the gentleman that he is, letting Bella find for herself her real feelings towards Jacob. Heck, he didn’t even get mad after Bella kissed back Jacob and realized that she’s in love with him too. He didn’t make her choose, he just wants Bella to be happy and you just have to love him even more for doing that.

To wrap this whole thing up, I’d share with you an excerpt from the book. One of my favorites that really struck me. It’s when Jacob finally decided to bow out the fight.

“He’s like a drug to you, Bella.” His voice was still gentle, not at all critical. “I see that you can’t live without him now. It’s too late. But I would have been healthier for you. Not a drug; I would have been the air, the sun.”

The corner of my mouth turned up in a wistful half-smile. “I used to think of you that way, you know. Like the sun. My personal sun. You balanced out the clouds nicely for me.”

He sighed. “The clouds I can handle. But I can’t fight with an eclipse.”

I have a soft spot for that last line. It became so clear to me.

New Moon Extras

 Oh my gosh! I thought I was already verging on Twilight addiction after having watched the movie and read New Moon (my take on it? read my review on Friendster) and now currently finishing Eclipse, but not til I stumbled upon the outtakes and the other extras on Stephenie Meyer’s website. Before I didn’t even knew what outtakes mean, I wasn’t such a bookworm back then. Well, you can actually take the word quite literally. This just mean that these are parts of the original draft that were taken off during the editing process from the final version, the published one. As Meyer said, every now and then the author loses a battle with her editor and with that sacrifices are made to a point that a storyline or plot is removed for reasons as simple as to just shorten the whole story or sometimes to make it more interesting. What’s so special about these outtakes? Among them (both Twilight and New Moon outtakes) there’s only one that I sympathize with Meyer for having cut, and that is “The Scholarship” taken off from New Moon. She thinks it was a funny story and I couldn’t agree more. The story actually goes on throughout the book and it was so fun. It happened after Edward left and Bella during her whole delusion stage was about to deposit her check from work just to find out that she had an extra 20 grand in her account! Later she found out that it was allegedly a scholarship from the Pacific Northwest Trust Company in which she didn’t apply for. Succeeding incidents were so amusing wherein after having e-mailed the Company and told them that she didn’t need any of it and she wasn’t deserving, she kept on receiving packages. First including a check worth 25 grand, but she burned it. Next one and this time actual cash for 30 grand, then burned it too. And after having realized from whom it was although no return address was stated, went to the Cullens’ abandoned house and threw the whole box on the front door but knowing Bella, so it went right through the glass windows and made a huge crack. Haha. 😀 And the nerve of Edward to deny it too after! So much for the non-interfering promise! I can’t believe him! Sugar daddy! Haha. 😉 Anyways, you can download the pdf files from her website and look for the outtakes (Click here). There are other extras too, like Meyer telling Jacob’s side of the story or the one about how Rosalie told Edward the sad news. Just everything a Twilight certified addict would be interested to read. Furthermore, if you haven’t known by now Summit Media is already on the works for the movie sequel! Yey! Target date would be late 2009 or early 2010. What’s the enthusiasm about? (FYI: I’m not so happy with the 1st movie) A new director is taking over in the form of Mr. Chris Weitz. Don’t know him, hehe. But since I’m a bit disappointed with Catherine Hardwicke’s work that maybe it’s a good thing that the timing made her backout from doing the 2nd installment (or so she says). Really hope this one turn out to be great! By the way, I really can’t wait for Midnight Sun. I hope Meyer finishes it soon so a 2009 release would be possible! As I just found out that it’s not just Edward’s version of Twilight but actually the whole series. What I’m most curious about is what had happened to him after she left Bella coz I already read the other thing which was what was going on his head the first time she met her. It’s on her website too. Hopefully, I get to start on Breaking Dawn very soon! Can’t wait! 🙂