Mundie Moms

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Life and Death, Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer / Book Review



By: Stephenie Meyer
Published by: Little Brown
Released on: 10.6.15
Series: Twilight Saga #5
Source: purchased book
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Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Twilight! This special double-feature book includes the classic novel, Twilight, and a bold and surprising reimagining, Life and Death, by Stephenie Meyer.
Packaged as an oversize, jacketed hardcover “flip book,” this edition features nearly 400 pages of new content as well as exquisite new back cover art. Readers will relish experiencing the deeply romantic and extraordinarily suspenseful love story of Bella and Edward through fresh eyes.
I loved Twilight! It's a book that like many others, changed my life. Laugh all you want if you don't get it, but it did. Stephenie Meyer inspired me to not be afraid to branch out and follow my dream, though I thought I was past the age of doing so. Through her series I've also met some of my best friends, and was introduced to Cassie Clare's book. I credit a lot to SM, and the series she created. It's also through Twilight where I really discovered my love of reading YA, and I wasn't afraid to share that love. Back in those days it wasn't popular for a mom/adult to read YA.

 When I heard the 10th Anniversary of Twilight was being released I pre-ordered it, not knowing what the surprise for fans would be. Let's be honest, whenever you see the words "reimagined" next to a title of a book you loved, you may not have the highest exceptions for it. I admit it, I didn't. I thought it was a joke at first. Okay, maybe I was also upset over the fact that the 10th Anniversary of TWILIGHT didn't include Midnight Sun like I was really, really hoping for. This story is definitely  not Midnight Sun, nor is it the Twilight story I loved ten years ago either. Now I'm starting to sound like an ungrateful Twilight fan. Maybe it's because I was such a huge fan of Twilight, that I can't get past this reimagined story/world of Twilight.

My adoration, and respect for Stephenie Meyer and my love her her original story aside, I had a hard time with this book. Sure it's much more polished and well edited than Twilight was, something I never faulted Meyer on, and I liked that alternate ending, however I felt like I was reading Twilight except for different characters. Because it is Twilight verbatim. Yes, I know it's a reimagined Twilight, however, I excepted it to be more rewritten, vs retold minus different character names and gender roll switches. Before you think I had an issue with the gender role, I didn't at all. In fact, I liked the gender switch, but I couldn't get over the fact I was wasting my time reading this story, when I could be rereading the original story. There, I said it. I excepted a rewritten, reimagined, different Twilight than the one I already loved. 

Maybe I'm asking too much or maybe I excepted too much, but I really wanted a new, reimagined Twilight. Instead I feel like I got a recycled vision of the story I already loved. This was a major let down, and not at all what I excepted. Wow, that was a bit more blunt that I had intended it to sound. I don't like that I can't like this book. 

I adore Stephenie, and her original books. However this one just felt like, I don't know, a cop out. I seriously hate that, but that's what it feels like. Especially since Stephenie mentions in the beginning of this book, that she didn't have time to work on Midnight Sun, yet she had time to edit the entire Twilight book to create this story. I understand her original comment about not finishing MS, and yes it still ticks me off that someone ruined it for the rest of Meyer's fans, who still have hope that one day she'll write Midnight Sun. I don't think I'll be satisfied with a new or even a reimagined Twilight story, until then. Had this particular book been a whole new creation within the Twilight world, maybe I would have liked it more. What I read, I wasn't a fan of.

4 comments:

  1. Aw, hugs :( Gorgeous review Katie. <3 I'm sorry that this book was disappointing. Sad face. I have heard many people say that. Sigh. Still don't know if I wish to read it, lol. But I do own it, so maybe :) Thank you for sharing your thoughts about it sweet girl. <3

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  2. Reading it soon. It's so hard to go in with an open mind when so many of my friend's disliked it. Great review of a big disappointment.

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  3. I felt the same way!! And a book with no Edward...seriously!?!? Boo!!

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  4. It's a shame you couldn't like this one as much as you wanted to. I am a deep Stephanie Meyer friend, so I know I am going to be reading this one at some point. But yeah, I don't know if I am going to end up liking this one as much as the original story...

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