Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

After hearing so much raving at my high school about how amazing this book is, I finally decided to pick it up as a guilty pleasure. I'd browsed through it in the book store, and I knew not to expect much, but I at least expected to enjoy it (guiltily) for the aspects that have made this book so popular among teens. I expected a sexy hero, compromising situations, and at least some action. However, this book was awful. The characters were so paper thin two dimensional doesn't even begin to cover it. The language was awful and repetitive. Meyer repeats descriptions every third sentence or so, constantly ramming down the reader's throats how "beautiful" and "perfect" Edward Cullen is. She doesn't seem to realize that no matter how many times she uses either word, neither is an actual description. Never does Meyer seem to have come up with an original sentence, not a single original use of figurative language to describe anything, merely clichés every other line or so about how "beautiful" Edward's eyes are. Neither Edward nor Bella, nor anyone else, seems to have a shred of personality. Many of the characters of the novel seem superfluous altogether. As other reviewers pointed out, was there any point at all for any of Bella's many admirers other than to showcase how beautiful Bella is supposed to be? And is it just me or were there more members of the Cullen family than was altogether necessary? After reading this novel, I've come to the conclusion that Meyer has never been in love. This is more like a deluded fourteen year old's idea of 'true love' than anything solid. Bella needs help. She falls in 'love' with Edward solely for his good looks within a couple of days and is incapable of thinking of anything else. Every thought, every word is fawning over Edward's looks. She never seems to have anything to say about him except for his smoldering eyes, his smoldering voice, his male model body. The girl is seriously sick. Even when her mother's life is in lethal danger and she's knowingly walking towards her death all she can think about is how much she regrets not being able to be with her new boyfriend. Sick, anyone? For a work whose sole attraction is that it aims to be unabashedly smutty and fluffy and alluring to teenage girls, it's ultimate crime is that it's BORING. Bella's life is incredibly uninteresting, and Meyer gives a detailed description of everything the girl says or thinks or does for 500 pages (hint: it all has to do with Edward's perfect eyes/body/sparkly skin). There is not a trace of action until the last 100 pages or so, and that is thrown in and concluded so hastily that it hardly saves the work. We end up learning information about Edward's sister Alice in the last chapter or so, but we have such a poor picture of Alice that it doesn't make much of an impact on the reader at all. The truth is, heros are often as attractive for their flaws as for their better qualities. Edward and the entire Cullen family are entirely perfect. They're so beautiful it's practically painful, but no excuse for this is given. Evil vampires are apparently nondescript. Edward is the most perfect of his entire perfect family. He never says anything that upsets, he's interested in every detail of Bella's pathetic life, even when he does do something disturbing it's 'cute' and he never has anything interesting or thoughtful to say. A hero that is perfectly perfect in every possible way under the sun, as Mrs. Meyer won't let you forget, is no fun at all.