Eclipse
3rd book in the Twilight Saga
by Stephenie Meyer

Eclipse is the third installment to Meyer’s tale of a young girl, Isabella “Bella” Swan, who has come to live with her father in the small town of Forks, Washington. Also living in this town is a family of vampires abstaining from drinking human blood, and on the neighboring reservation reside werewolves. In the previous books Bella had unwittingly attracted the attention of a vampire who likes the ultimate hunt, and after his demise, his lover vowed to hunt Bella down. As if a vindictive vampire lurking in the background wasn’t enough there is also the Volturi, the uncontested rulers and law enforcers of the vampire community, to contend with. They’ve issued an order, turn Bella into a vampire soon or she dies. Considering the fact that the love of Bella’s life, the vampire Edward Cullen, isn’t too keen on her becoming a vampire, you just know it’s not going to be an easy trip.

The stage is set for quite the supernatural showdown as the third book opens, and I must say that Ms. Meyer does not disappoint in that aspect.

The situation between Bella and Jacob Black, a young werewolf who is head over heels in love with Bella, is unresolved in the beginning of the book. I was actually concerned about how this relationship would develop since Jacob had a somewhat bratty attitude towards Bella and Edward’s relationship initially in the first book and parts of the second. As he became a werewolf and underwent changes however his sullen outlook took on a more angry tone that held a hint of danger. It’s hard though to blame Jacob or to look at him as an interloper. Meyer did a fantastic job on writing a character that the readers can be angry with while at the same time sympathizing with him and cheering him on. On one hand you want him to be the victor in the fight to win Bella’s heart, and on the other hand you know Bella and Edward really do belong together. For this reason, the ending that Meyer chose for this love triangle was very poignant and struck this reader hard. The pain that the characters feel is truly heartbreaking, and yet you can’t think of an alternative that would have left all three happy.

For the most part this book passed far too quickly. There was not a moment that I felt the novel dragged, although some parts did feel slow and a bit awkward considering the book’s pace and tone however. For example, although I desperately wanted to know Jasper’s history, the point in the story that Meyer chose to have Jasper reveal it felt horribly out of place. I cannot imagine a person who seemingly enjoys appearing as a mystery, to interrupt a planning session to tell the newcomer their entire history. Jasper’s flashback was rather lengthy, although quite rich with detail, and would have been better told chopped up. When Jasper decides to reveal his past the Cullens and Bella are in the middle of determining who is stalking Bella and what their plans are. It would have fit the story and the pace much better if Jasper had elected to reveal only the portions of his tale immediately relevant to their planning; how he knew what they [the enemy] were planning on doing and how to fight them.

The rest could have been revealed at a later time when Bella inquired about it or when she was alone with Jasper and Alice. Due to the length of the tale of Jasper and its odd placement I was admittedly tempted to start skimming some portions so as to get back on track. Rosalie’s own revelations seemed a bit out of character initially but they were thankfully better placed and more concise since Rosalie, upon finishing her brief tale, immediately got to the point of why she revealed it.

The Cullens are not the only characters for whom we get a back story to either. Also revealed in this book are the legends of the Quileute tribe and how they came to be werewolves as well as some personal information on the members of the tribe and the werewolves of the tribe. Edward, after hearing some of their thoughts, commented that the tribe was like a soap opera and after reading this book I think you’ll agree. ;)

Aside from the poorly timed histories of characters there is one other thing that upset me a little while reading this book, the miraculous well being of the main characters. I don’t want to reveal too much about the actual showdown itself but it seemed rather odd to me that the Cullens, who give the impression of fighting with their kind rarely, were all able to escape the fray with hardly a scratch on them where as the wolves, who greatly outnumbered them and are equipped with the abilities necessary to take down a vampire, took far more injuries. Experience aside, it seems highly unlikely that given the sheer size of the enemy that they would all step away unscathed. I’m not saying that I wanted any of them to die or be maimed for all eternity, but I would have liked that it be depicted more realistically.

Overall I found the third book to be on the same level as the previous two. Despite its length it flew bar far too quickly for this reader’s liking and left me eagerly anticipating the next book. Hopefully there will be a fourth, because I for one, do not want to see it end where it is. There is one question that has existed since the very first book and it has yet to be answered. Will Alice’s vision of Bella becoming a vampire and joining them come to pass?

Joana’s rating: your great-great grandkids will still be hearing about this book

Reviews for other books by Stephenie Meyer
  1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer [Now Reading]
  2. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
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