Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer

Here are some of the reviews that Twilight has received:

Amazon.com
"Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands. 'Be very still,' he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen. Slowly, never moving his eyes from mine, he leaned toward me. Then abruptly, but very gently, he rested his cold cheek against the hollow at the base of my throat."
As Shakespeare knew, love burns high when thwarted by obstacles. In Twilight, an exquisite fantasy by Stephenie Meyer, readers discover a pair of lovers who are supremely star-crossed. Bella adores beautiful Edward, and he returns her love. But Edward is having a hard time controlling the blood lust she arouses in him, because--he's a vampire. At any moment, the intensity of their passion could drive him to kill her, and he agonizes over the danger. But, Bella would rather be dead than part from Edward, so she risks her life to stay near him, and the novel burns with the erotic tension of their dangerous and necessarily chaste relationship.
Meyer has achieved quite a feat by making this scenario completely human and believable. She begins with a familiar YA premise (the new kid in school), and lulls us into thinking this will be just another realistic young adult novel. Bella has come to the small town of Forks on the gloomy Olympic Peninsula to be with her father. At school, she wonders about a group of five remarkably beautiful teens, who sit together in the cafeteria but never eat. As she grows to know, and then love, Edward, she learns their secret. They are all rescued vampires, part of a family headed by saintly Carlisle, who has inspired them to renounce human prey. For Edward's sake they welcome Bella, but when a roving group of tracker vampires fixates on her, the family is drawn into a desperate pursuit to protect the fragile human in their midst. The precision and delicacy of Meyer's writing lifts this wonderful novel beyond the limitations of the horrorgenre to a place among the best of YA fiction. (Ages 12 and up) --Patty Campbell

From Publisher's Weekly'sstarred review: "The main draw here is Bella's infatuation withoutsider Edward, the sense of danger inherent in their love, andEdward's inner struggle—a perfect metaphor for the sexual tension thataccompanies adolescence. These will be familiar to nearly every teen,and will keep readers madly flipping the pages of Meyer's tantalizingdebut."

From Becky Anderson, of Anderson's Bookshops: "What a totally amazing debut! Twilightis that rare story that combines suspense, desire, love and friendshipwith an awesome twist on the vampire genre! Both young adults andadults will be "sucked" into Edward's and Bella's world and beg formore, especially after they turn the last page. I can't wait for thenext book!"

From Karen Rosenthal, Children's Department Manager for R.J. Julia Booksellers (printed in Publisher's Weekly's"Galley Talk"): "I'm not usually a vampire book reader, but I haven'tread a book in a long time that had as much sexual tension and creepyterror throughout as Twilight by Stephenie Meyer [Little,Brown]. The main character is extremely compelling. The protagonist isso consumed with her crush on him that she blocks everything else, andthe fact that he's a vampire adds a whole other level. It really is theperfect crossover book. It will appeal to kids who read fantasy anddarker books, but also kids who like more realistic fiction like Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, and all those kids who read Gossip Girl...It's a riveting action book but thoughtful as well. Sometimes teenbooks can be plot-driven and the quality of the writing goes out thewindow, but this one has both."

And some reviews from teen readers:

"Twilightis one of the most moving books I have read in a long time. It kept methinking about it long after I read the last page. Its heartbreakingromance and suspenseful twists made it hard for me to put the bookdown. Twilight allows the reader to experience a whole new outlook onvampires and how they interact around mankind. After reading this bookI recommend it to anyone who would enjoy reading about an incrediblysuspenseful romance."
Katie, age 16

"Stephenie Meyer's first novel Twilight is a gripping journey through the united worlds of fantasy and high school. As soon as I started reading Twilight,I couldn't stop. The plot is the thing that led me to the book in thestart. Boy meets girl, girl likes boy, boy turns out to be a vampire.The characters are so vivid, so intense, that you feel like if you lookup from the pages Isabella or Edward or Alice is going to be staring atyou. This suspenseful novel leaves me with one question... Is theregoing to be a second?"
Kelly, 15

"Twilightcaught my interest so much, I couldn't stand to put it down once Istarted. I read this book in one sitting and didn't finish until 5:00AM, but it was worth every minute. It's the love story between avampire and a human, and the love feels so real, it's hard to imagineit's just a book. The main character, Bella Swan, is instantlylikeable, and it's impossible not to empathize with the new couple astheir relationship starts to bud. The vampire, Edward Cullen, iscaptivating with his extraordinary beauty, ancient genteelness, andability to read minds. But just when the tension eases and it seemslike things are going to work out for them (and that's a hard thing tocome by, considering their separate diets), disaster strikes. The bookwas so much more than I expected; the love feels so real, and at itsheart, it's more a love story between two beings than anything else. Ofcourse, because one of them is a vampire, there's a bit of hunting andquite a lot of action as well. This was a thoroughly entertaining andenjoyable book—I recommend it completely."
Chenzi, 16

"Wow! I must admit, that when I heard about Twilight,by Stephanie Meyer, I was very intrigued. A book about a regularteenage girl— just like you and me— falling in love with a gorgeousvampire? Who wouldn't want to read it? I was hooked from the firstpage, and as I read it, it only got better. Twilight is greatbecause it seems so ordinary; is it possible for this situation tohappen in your life? Imagine seeing a guy, more handsome than anyyou've ever seen, and not being able to tear you eyes away from him.Imagine that the force of your mutual chemistry feels like electricity.I promise you that every girl will want to be Isabella Swan. Throw in alittle danger, a sticky situation, and a love more powerful than eithercharacter has ever known, and what do you get? Stephenie Meyer's Twilight. It is definitely a book worth reading."
Rachel, 16

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Night Angel Trilogy: The Way of Shadows

The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

(2008-11-03)
October 2008, Orbit Books
ISBN 0-316-0337-7
688 Pages
http://www.thewayofshadows.com

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Brent Weeks bursts onto the fantasy scene with his debut novel, The Way of Shadows, the first volume in his Night Angeltrilogy. The story, on the surface, is a fairly typical assassin-with-heart-of-gold bildungsroman. Weeks’s plotting,chararacter development and overall stortytelling ability help to make the novel rise above those somewhat clichéd trappings into animpressive debut novel.
Young Azoth is a street urchin in an unstable gang looking for a way out. He is constantly beaten, shamed and only caresfor two other people in the group – Jarl and Doll Girl. At this stage in his life, his tormenter is the sadistic Rat who beats everyonesmaller than himself. Azoth sees a way out though, if he can apprentice to the legendary assassin Durzo Blint, then surely Azoth can make abetter life for himself. Of course the story wouldn’t really go anywhere if Azoth didn’t apprentice to Blint, but Weeks plays outAzoth’s struggles engagingly well. The first quarter to fifth of the novel deals with Azoth on the streets and coming to be Blint’sapprentice. Once Azoth becomes Durzo’s apprentice in full he assumes the name Kylar Stern, both becoming who he feels he is meant to be andcasting aside all ties to his former life.
Even though Azoth/Kylar has the desire to become a killer for hire, or a wetboy as they are called in Weeks’s harsh world, he is not a morallyunlikeable character. Much of the same can be said for his mentor Durzo Blint, but again, Weeks does a good job of both working within thecliché of the cranky mentor and making Blint stand on his own. Weeks surrounds Blint with an air of mystery not unlike Chains from ScottLynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora or Chade from Robin Hobb’s Farseersaga. Indeed, the relationship between Kylar and Durzo is very reminiscent of the relationship between Fitzchivalry Farseer and Chadethroughout her excellent Farseer saga. This isn’t a groundbreaking revelation by any means because I suspect Hobb and Weeks(and Lynch to another level) are mining some of the same sources. Weeks does an admirable job of making this relationship and these characterswork on their own merits within his saga.
Weeks’s story follows the growth and maturation of another staple character of the genre – the young regent. In this case,Logan Gyre is the young prince who is ‘destined’ to grow into the noble ruler. I though Weeks’s characterization of Logan was just as even asit was with Blint and Azoth/Kylar. Kylar and Logan, on the surface, are polar opposites. Where Kylar grew up on the worst of streets, Logan wasgifted with a royal lineage. Where Logan is large and blunt, Kylar is smaller and less obvious.
The Way of Shadows is a big fat novel and I mean that in all good connotations of thoseterms. The world Weeks depicts in this novel is harsh: the protagonist is a killer-for-hire as is his mentor, his best friend is a maleprostitute who serves both men and women, one Durzo’s closest companions, the enigmatic Momma K., is the head of a brothel, and waysof killing are spoken of very matter-of-factly. In addition, The Way of Shadow contains manyof the elements of a solid fantasy novel: magic, murder, an über-powerful enemy pulling the strings, a nigh-omnipotent enchantedsword, and a chivalrous knight. By no means; however, is this simply a paint-by-numbers novel. In many ways, I would liken Weeks’s approach tosome of the new fantasy authors who are embracing these standard elements of the genre and spinning them out with an entertaining voiceof their own. I’m thinking of writers like the aforementioned Scott Lynch, as well as Patrick Rothfuss, Joe Abercrombie, and BrandonSanderson. In other words, if somebody were to ask me for a recommendation on a well-written, high fantasy that exemplified theexpected elements of the genre, I’d pass them a copy of The Way of Shadows.
Granted, the novel is a debut and isn’t without its flaws however minor they are. At times, the characters tend to speakanachronistically. That is, some of their phrasing and objects to which they refer seem out of synch with the implied technological level andsocietal advancement. Some of the names struck me as less than original. I doubt Weeks was aware of Joe Abercrombie’s novels whichalso feature a character by the name of Logen when he was writing The Night Angel trilogy.However, the name Logan is already very popular as the comic book character Wolverine. That said, Brent Weeks is off to a solid career asa fantasy novelist with The Way of Shadows, the most impressive debut novel I’ve read this year.
© 2008 Rob H. Bedford

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Other Reviews for The Way of Shadows (Book 1 of the Night Angel Trilogy)

RisingShadow.net says, “For those who love assassins, corrupted power figures, twisted politics, and disturbing magic, this is the book of all books.” Sci-Fi Fan Letter says, The Way of Shadows is the kind of book “you can’t put down even though you have to eat, sleep or work.” Books Monthly calls it “an extraordinary debut…an astoundingly good fantasy world.” Un:Bound says, “Weeks really has a knack for creating complex, realistic, and very human characters… Intrigue and tension pull you through to the next page, and for the first time in years I actually flicked a few pages ahead to see if someone was really dead…. a delight…” Harriet Klausner, extraordinary #1 reviewer for Amazon.com, gives 5 out of 5 stars, noting the “shadowy twists that feel genuine and quite exciting… Especially fascinating are the poetic legendary assassin [Durzo] and his new apprentice [Azoth]“. Wannabe Writer says, “I was soon hooked. It’s exciting, full of action but interesting characters too, the world is wonderfully realised, the use of magic imaginative, the fight scenes thrilling…” Sffworld.com calls it “an impressive debut…if someone were to ask me for a recommendation on a well-written, high fantasy that exemplified the expected elements of the genre, I’d pass them a copy of The Way of Shadows.” Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review says, Brent Weeks infuses the book “with energy and intrigue while giving us plenty of opportunity to get to know both the city and the people who live there…. Anything can happen and you’ll find yourself constantly surprised when it does.” BookspotCentral.com says, “it made me turn off television, it made me skip dessert, it even made me skip a shower once…unless something extraordinary happens in the next month or two, this is going to be my book of the year for 2008.” Memoirs of a Rabbid Hotdog says, it “kept me glued to my chair for the duration of the book.” Fantasy Book Critic says, “so engrossing that after I stayed up late to finish it, I stayed up late again to reread the book!” It is “a superb epic fantasy that will absorb you from start to finish…Highly, highly recommended.” The Literary Cat says, “With liberal doses of magic, politics, and warfare, the six hundred-odd pages really will fly by.” Fantasy Cafe says, [minor SPOILERS in linked article.] “The Way of Shadows is a fast-paced, entertaining read that is difficult to put down.” She also really liked the term wetboys: “It sounds like they should be the guys that fetch water for all the important people…” So picturing Adam Sandler as Durzo Blint could be problematic. Blood of the Muse says, “Overloaded with fun, The Way of Shadowsis an absolute joy. Filled with a pantheon of unforgettable and epic characters and an intense, high-octane and twisting plot, the book has me eagerly anticipating the sequel Shadow’s Edge. The Bookbag calls it "a captivating page-turner that verges on the unputdownable.” Fantasy Book News and Reviews says, “this book might take my label of best book of the year…” Grasping for the Wind remarks on “a depth of character [epic fantasies] often lack….Yet it never bogs down for lack of action, or suspense.” The Civilian Reader says, “Solid, extremely well written, and deftly plotted…” The Fantasy and Sci-Fi Lovin’ Book Review says, “The Way of Shadows” is a pretty big book, 688 pages, but it reads really fast… hard to put down” Pat’s Fantasy Hotlist: “I believe that The Way of Shadows and its sequels…will sell extremely well, regardless of the fact that it will likely not be held in high esteem by the SFF fandom’s ‘in crowd.’” Having invoked “gritty” YA lit, and SFF fandom’s “in crowd,” Pat’s review provoked a rebuttal. And some discussion of what is and is not Young Adult fiction. I swear I don’t pay people for these. Download (lit) PDF maryamah karpov