Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

DISCLAIMER: I decided to review this book here since all the other books in the series are reviewed on Deliciously Clean Reads. However, I do not consider Breaking Dawn a Clean Read. It's full of vampire sex and talk about sex. Every family, of course, must make their own decisions about what books to read, but since a find myself a bit of an advisor when it comes to what is clean...I don't think this book is appropriate for anyone younger than 18. That is my personal opinion.
For the purpose of this site, I have set strict guidelines on what is clean and what is not. Breaking Dawn would not make this cut, but I wanted to discuss it here since I was such a huge fan of the saga until this book and I know many others who were as well.

So, let's be casual here for a minute. What did you think about Breaking Dawn, the latest installment in the Twilight Saga? Did you read it?

There will be spoilers here, so you know, GO AWAY if you don't want to see them. Consider yourself warned.

Let me first remind you that I am one of Stephenie Meyer's biggest fans. I obsessed over Twilight which is reviewed here. I thoroughly enjoyed New Moon, reading it almost as obsessively...although I truly felt the torture Bella was going through being separated from Edward for so long. Eclipse wasn't quite clean read material, but kept me going on the series.

I was one of the thousands of people at Borders on the night of August 1st. I waited in line for nearly three hours before finally holding my very own copy of Breaking Dawn.

And...I enjoyed it...but I'll be the first to admit it was out-there and a bit too wacky at times. I didn't read it obsessively. I claimed that I was trying to be a normal human and not lock myself up for three days, but the truth is, I didn't find it as compelling as the others.

The first three Twilight books drew me in with their promise of passionate, forbidden love. In Breaking Dawn, love is no longer forbidden. It comes easily for Edward and Bella.

Of course, that doesn't mean Stephenie Meyer wrote a 750 page book without conflict. Plenty happens. It just isn't pulling Edward and Bella's epic love apart.

(Big spoiler here...) The whole pregnant thing was so weird. Maybe because I am pregnant and that is just not how pregnancy works. Then, as if it couldn't get weirder, Jacob imprinted on the baby! I think I screamed out loud when I read that part.

Finally, Meyer built up for the greatest battle scene yet in the Twilight books and then just let it fizzle out without an ounce of vamp action. I admit, though I'm into the series for the mushiness, I was disappointed not to see a battle.

Anyway, I know there are a lot of mixed reactions on-line. Maybe we have built the series up so much in our hearts that nothing would satisfy.

I liked the book. I'd still recommend the series to upper YA and adults. As for being clean read material, Breaking Dawn does include a honeymoon. It gets a bit steamy as it has before, but it certainly doesn't go into detail. I wouldn't recommend this book to young teens, though. It's just too mature.

Let me know what you think. On Goodreads, I gave Twilight 5 stars, New Moon and Eclipse got 4, and Breaking Dawn will have 3.

The Host and the Twilight Trailer

Okay Stephenie Meyer fans. The Host came out today. Did you buy it yet? My review is here if you missed it. By the way, I'm rereading it now and, as always with a Stephenie Meyer book, I can't put it down. She is an incredible storyteller. Go read The Host and tell me what you think.

And, while we're on the topic of my Stephenie Meyer obsession, did you see that the first trailer is out for the Twilight Movie? AHHH. I mean, I feel like an insane teenager. I've watched the trailer at least ten times...give or take a million. You don't want to miss it! You can find the links here at the Twilight Lexicon as well as nearly 1000 comments from screaming fans.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer

THE HOST by Stephenie Meyer (Due out May 6th. Pre-order here.)
Review by Emily, head mama of DCR and yes, lucky dog.

I never thought an author could make me cry over a dying alien...but that's Stephenie Meyer for you. I mean really, how many authors do you know who could capture the heart of the world through a vampire romance? Well, The Host's plot is every bit as cheesy-sounding. Yet, there I was, crying...enthralled...unable to put it down.

The Host started out a little rough for me. It is written from the perspective of a parasitic alien who has just entered into a human body. At first, I couldn't help but be a little turned off by the sci-fi aspect of the plot...but by about page 40, I was completely sucked in. Stephenie Meyer is talented at taking an out-there plot and making it ridiculously compelling and romantic.


As it says on the back of the book, this could very well be the first-ever love triangle that involves only two bodies.

Wanderer has lived on 9 different worlds and never found anything or anyone that would tie her down. She finds Earth to be the hardest, yet most intriguing, place she has ever lived. The hosts are so individualized. So emotional. They are strong. They fight. Wanderer feels weak because she can't completely get rid of her host body's original spirit...Melanie.

Wanderer remembers Melanie's memories, feels Melanie's emotions...and loves the man Melanie loves. But loving him means betraying her own species and way of life.

Many readers probably want to know if The Host is as good as Twilight. Well, probably not. Is it worth reading, though? Absolutely. It's full of adventure, mystery, romance, pain, family love, and turmoil.

A couple things I didn't love about The Host. First of all, I was disappointed with all the typos. Of course, it was an ARC, so hopefully they'll get most of those smoothed out before the release date.

Secondly, I'm not totally convinced that Wanderer ends up with the right guy. Of course, I'm not going to give anything away. Besides, The Host is reportedly the first in a trilogy, so anything could happen, right?

And, finally, be warned, Stephenie Meyer continues to use her smattering of "dang" words. Other than that, this book is a clean read.

On her website, Stephenie Meyer says this of The Host...."Despite its genre, The Host is a very human story. There aren't any gadgets, ray guns, time warps, black holes, spaceships (okay, there are a few spaceships mentioned), or any of the other sci-fi standards. It all takes place on the planet earth in the present day and is, at its core, a love story (I can't stay away from the romance, I'm a sap)."

I agree with this assessment, although I had my doubts at first. I mean, really, who would cry over an alien unless it was a pretty human story, right?

A Comic for Stephenie Meyer Lovers...

Love Bella and Edward? Check this Twilight-inspired comic out.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/mutts.asp?date=20071022

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer-Review and GIVEAWAY!

I finished the much-anticipated third book in the Twilight series several days ago. I have been debating whether or not to review it here on Deliciously Clean Reads. Here's the trouble. It doesn't quite qualify for Clean Reads because it says da** and he** more than a few times. AND although there is no sex in the book, it does get awfully steamy. However, since the first two books have been reviewed here, I have decided to discuss this one, too. Besides, I ended up with an extra copy... Okay, so there's the disclaimer, now to the review.

Eclipse is the third novel by Stephenie Meyer. (My review of Twilight is here, and my sister's review of New Moon is here.) I enjoyed Eclipse more than New Moon but not as much as Twilight. Actually, if I hadn't been hung up on my disappointment that the book wasn't quite Clean Read material, I would have been able to say I truly loved Eclipse.

I enjoyed the dynamics between Edward and Bella and Jacob and Bella, and Edward and Jacob, for that matter. Jacob, knowing that Bella plans to join the vampires, makes desperate move after desperate move to win Bella's love. He forces her to see that she does actually love him, too. So, the love triangle is fleshed out.

For the first time, we get to know the stories behind Edward's "siblings", Rosalie and Jasper. Edward's family feels more real than ever before.

Before you start thinking this installment in the series is just about feelings, let me tell you this, I think there is more action in this book than the previous two. However, in an effort not to have spoilers here, I won't go into details.

I know some of my fellow bloggers have been less than enthusiastic about Eclipse, but I'm going to stick behind this series. I still love it and will absolutely be buying the fourth the moment it is released.

Review by me, Emily.

whimsy books

Oh, by the way, I happen to have TWO copies of this book. Do you want one? If you do, leave a comment on this post by Monday, August 20, 2007. Tell me what you think of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. One commenter will be drawn from a hat and be the owner of a brand-spanking new copy of Eclipse. Good luck!

New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

New Moon, Stephenie Meyer’s sequel to Twilight (reviewed here), picks up in a difficult place, where everything that has happened between Edward and Bella is threatened. After having felt like he had put the love of his existence in jeopardy time after time, Edward decides to leave Bella without a trace of his existence, hoping and believing she will be better off. She manages to get into trouble regardless. Feeling as though her heart will never heal from the emptiness without her darling immortal in her life, she puts her life in serious danger. The hidden Cullen family can’t ignore it anymore, but there is a misunderstanding. Bella must race against time, common sense, and friendship to save her relationship with Edward.

This book was a torture and a thrill the whole way through. I found myself stumbling to finish page after page as fast as I could. It was so easy to drift into the world of Bella and Edward that I couldn’t put the book down! It drove me crazy sometimes, but that’s why I absolutely loved it. Stephenie Meyer is a phenomenal writer who uses rich words and tugs at every human emotion possible. I definitely recommend this series to everyone. After all, who doesn’t like to get lost in an enthralling world of fantasy? Now looking back I wish I hadn’t finished it so fast so that I wouldn’t have to wait for the third book to come out in August; maybe I’ll just read them again!

Posted by Sarah B., my adored sister.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

If you like clean books that are utterly un-put-down-able, the first book I recommend reading is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. If you haven't read it yet, get thee to the bookstore! If you have read it, make sure you check out the page about Twilight the Movie.


In Stephenie Meyer's first book, Bella moves to her dad's house in the gloomy little town of Forks where everyone knows everyone. The students at Bella's new high school are fascinated by her, but her fascination is centered on the Cullen family. In Bella's words, "I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful. They were faces you never expected to see except perhaps on the airbrused pages of a fashion magazine. Or painted by an old master as the face of an angel. It was hard to decide who was the most beautiful--maybe the perfect blond girl, or the bronze-haired boy."

Thus begins the tale of Bella and Edward, dear perfect Edward. I don't want to give anything away about this book. (In fact, I'm totally jealous of you if you haven't read it yet. You get to experience this romance for the first time.) But I will say this, although this is a "vampire love story", it appeals to readers who have never read or cared about vampires before. In fact, Stephenie Meyer calls it "a vampire book for people who don't like vampire books", and she claims to have never read a vampire book or seen a vampire movie prior to writing Twilight. It all came to her one night in a dream.

In short, Twilight is a tremendous tale of unrequited love. But it is not only a love story. There are also intense vampire chases, threats to loved ones, and hilariously clever day-to-day life experiences.

Twilight is the first book in the series. New Moon comes next. Eclipse will be released late summer 2007. And more are in the works. Hurray for that!

Recommended Readers: 14 and up. This book will appeal to adults.


I had the chance to hear Stephenie Meyer speak at BYU recently. You can see my notes here at my other blog. And here is a top ten list I created after reading Twilight.