Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

second life of bree tanner cover

I'm sure everyone is familiar with the premise of this book by now, so let's just cut to the chase, shall we?

What I liked:

This is a very quick read.  I think I read it in three hours or less.

I liked seeing how vampires who aren't perfect tree huggers with superpowers live.

What I didn't like:

It's a good thing this book was so short, because otherwise I doubt I would have finished it.  I didn't feel any emotional connection with the main character or narrative tension in the story--and it wasn't just because I already knew certain things the characters didn't.  Meyer could have played with that, but instead she made every step in the plot painfully obvious and as a result it was pretty bland and uninteresting.  Yawn.

And I know y'all will be shocked by this, but once again the Cullens are made out to be perfect little loving balls of light.  It kind of made me sick.  And since when is Edward a redhead?

What I hated:

The cover.  I know it fits in with the whole white/red/black thing going on with the other books, but visually it's pretty lame.  And there's a scene from the book that I think would make a way better cover.  If I had PS on this computer, I'd totally make my own cover for this novella.

What I loved:

Fred!  He was awesome, and the only character in the entire book who was even vaguely interesting.  I very much wish this book had been about him.

I also enjoyed learning random sparkly vamp facts such as their kissing sounds like two stones smacking together.  Can you imagine the soundtrack in vampire porno movies?

Basically....

Not that I was expecting much from this novella, since it is so short, but I think it was a missed opportunity on Meyer's part.  She could have at the least made it interesting, perhaps drawn some parallels between the coven and gang psychology, or the young vampires' bloodlust and drug use, or something; but she really couldn't do much with the coven or bloodlust, because she working so hard to make Bree likable.  As a result, Meyer removed Bree from nearly all coven-related activity and, like the cheese she's named after, made her soft and bland.  And a victim, even before she meets the Volturi.  HM OKAY. 

I'm really glad I got this book from the library instead of buying it.



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