Reviewing: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

In the first book of the Twlilight Saga, internationally bestselling author Stephenie Meyer introduces Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, a pair of star-crossed lovers whose forbidden relationship ripens against the backdrop of small-town suspicion and a mysterious coven of vampires. This is a love story with bite.

I cannot stress how much I was expecting to hate this book. Part of the reason was how much everyoneelse seemed to hate it, and the other was how much I hated the movie. (I didn't even make it past the first twenty minutes).

But I actually really enjoyed reading Twilight. It wasn't horribly boring, wasn't so stupid I could bang my head agains't a wall... It was fine. It was actually good.

And here's why:

Bella is (very) clumsy and socially awkward. She was terrified of starting at a new school in a small town (the people in small towns are super judgemental, and I speak from experience), terrified of not being accepted-- the list goes on. And I loved that she was protrayed this way. Because it's true! Bella isn't your typical "strong" heroine, but that was one of the main reasons I liked her.

However, she could be rather stupidly brave. In fact, I'm not really sure "brave" is the word I'm looking for. Maybe it's just "stupidly."

BECAUSE GIRL. The guy you're crushing on is a vampire . What part of that don't you understand??? HE. WANTS. TO. EAT. YOU. And you can't even trust yourself around him! He can't even trust himself.

She also lashed out at people she had no reason to. Okay, yes, I understand that certain circumstances were rather annoying, but the others were not. People were trying to look out for her, and she got snappy instead of grateful.

Edward was good, too. In fact, I liked him! The only part I didn't really like about him was how controlling he could be sometimes. Yes, it was mostly because he was worried about Bella, but still. If I'm not hungry, I'm not gonna eat. (Unless it's pizza)

I especially liked the banter between Edward and Bella. I loved how she didn't trust him at first (her only normal response to the things he did, like good God girl why are you not freaking out).

I did want to find out more about the vampires, what more they were capable of, but I suppose it all gets talked about further in the series.

There were other people who were definite secondary characters, meaning that you don't really get to know them, but they're personalities didn't blend and I had no problems keeping everyone mentally organized with who was who. Charlie, Bella's dad, was sweet. He's not greatly described, but you can tell he wants Bella to be happy, to stay, or at least come back to visit. He's clumsy with his words, but it shows in how he acts. 

I actually wouldn't have minded if this was a stand-alone. Yes, it had an open ending, but it was the good kind.

Reviewing: Catching Fire *Movie

This is not a spoiler free review.

Let me tell you a thing: Catching Fire was beyond amazing. In my opinion, it was ten times better than The Hunger Games. It was even better than Thor: The Dark World. And you know how much I loved that one.

The movie opens with Katniss kneeling before a lake. She has her staple bow and arrows, and she looks epic.

To stop this post from being as long as the review for Thor: The Dark World, I'm just going to make a list of my top heart-stopping moments.

1. How epic Katniss and Peeta look when they make their first appearance at the Capitol. I gaped at the screen for a full ten minutes.

2. Katniss' dress transformation at her interview with Caeser Flickerman.

THE WINGS, PEOPLE. THE WINGS.

3. When the arena makes its first appearance.

This moment wasn't heart-stopping from pure awe. This was from shock and just the general causes of heart failure.

This was no place for a Girl on Fire.

4. The baboons and poisonous smoke.

I almost had a heart-attack when this happened.

5. The revolution!

"I burn fires to feel joy." ~ Pitch Perfect

To be completely honest, there were so many more heart-stopping moments. Actually-- the whole movie was heart-stopping. I could barely function when the movie was over. 

Also, my dad's opinion on the Peeta/Katniss relationship is this: He does not want them together. He thinks Katniss is giving Peeta false hope and she should stop leading him on. Peeta is sincere. Katniss is not. Truth has been spoken and she needs to leave him alone.

I think he actually got mad.

My sister, on the other hand, sounded like she was having a panic attack near the end of the movie. She might have been. I wasn't paying attention.

All-in-all, this movie was epic and I need to own it. 

Rated all the stars in the sky.

Later,

Tansie G.