Book Review – ‘The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner – An Eclipse Novella (Twilight Saga)’ by Stephenie Meyer

Book Description:

Fans of The Twilight Saga will be enthralled by this riveting story of Bree Tanner, a character first introduced in Eclipse, and the darker side of the newborn vampire world she inhabits.

In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of Bree and the newborn army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion.

If you’re not a huge fan of the Twilight saga, have no idea who Bree Tanner is, and if you’re just curious about all the hoopla for this Eclipse novella ‘The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner‘, I’d suggest waiting for June 7th when the novella will be posted for FREE (for a month) on the official Bree Tanner website. It’s supposedly Stephenie Meyer’s gift for her devoted fan base (and NOT a project whipped up to further cash-in on the Twilight craze *wink*wink*).

** Read the novella in full on this page! Note that you can only read in online and can’t download it! Only until July 5! **

Now, if you are totally gaga for the Twilight saga and need bragging rights (like my niece, which is how I got to read this) or want to participate in all those in-depth discussions on your friendly neighborhood Twilight forum – go ahead and get a copy (note that a dollar per sale will be donated to the Red Cross). I suggest the hugely discounted hardcover version ($6.99) since the publisher is basically ripping off Kindle owners ($9.99! for a novella is too much).

Now, for a Stephenie Meyer-written product, I have to say that this novella is actually (surprisingly) a pretty good read – for me at least, it’s a huuuge improvement over the Twilight books. Maybe because it’s so short, but it’s a very fast, easy read, does not drag at all, and wonders of wonders! has pretty sympathetic & relatable characters. I’ve always thought that the supporting cast for the Twilight novels were much more interesting than the Edward-Bella-Jacob triangle, and this novella kinda proves that point for me. I had no idea who Bree Tanner was when I started reading the novella, and it was only in the last scenes where the novella overlaps with Eclipse that my memory finally got jogged – oh, yeah, she was the newbie who surrendered! And then, I felt sad for her tragic end since in a few short pages, I actually got quite attached to little Bree Tanner.

Ms Meyer writes in her foreword that this novella finally allowed her to inhabit the world of the ‘real’ vampires – thirsty killers who truly look on humans as food. And she actually succeeds – IMO, given the limitations of a novella, these newbie vampires that populate ‘The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner’ are actually more fleshed out and believable than the lame glittery vegetarians in the Twilight novels or the lame Volturi who were more into posturing than say, actually doing any real damage. Yes, Bree is a bloodthirsty & unapologetic killer, but she is also a scared 15-year-old just trying to survive and find her way in this new Vampire society. And she actually finds two vampire friends worth keeping – Diego (who inspires more than friendly feelings in Bree & with whom she forms a sweet almost-love story) and ‘Freaky’ Fred (who has an interesting talent that hasn’t been mentioned in the series before). I found it very interesting how Ms Meyer developed the relationships between Bree and the two boys, particulary Fred (who hardly even talks, but somehow, Ms Meyer manages to paint a pretty good picture of him).

I can’t quite believe I’m saying this, but I almost wish that Ms Meyer had extended this to a real full length novel – I would’ve liked to meet Bree before she became a vampire for one thing & how she changed when she was ‘turned’. And for that matter, I would’ve liked more insight on Diego and Fred and how all those lost gang kids were recruited into Victoria’s newbie army.

‘The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner – An Eclipse Novella (Twilight Saga)’ is available on Amazon as a Hardcover ($6.99), Kindle Edition ($9.99), and Audio CD ($18.48).

If you enjoyed this post, get free updates by RSS Or by Email. [tweetmeme source=”randomizemeWP” only_single=false https://randomizeme.wordpress.com%5D