the Twilight Saga / Stephanie Myer / #thebookwasbetter / #teamedward

the Twilight Saga / Stephanie Myer / #thebookwasbetter / #teamedward

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Stephanie Myer's greatest series is probably the most popular sci-fi collection after J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter. With four novels and two smaller books associated with the series, Myers provides her readers with deep insight into the lives of Bella Swan; a "pale face" girl who lives off books, sunlight, and maintaining a low profile, and her god-like classmate with a deadly secret and mysterious past. I've been absent from the blog for a while but it's been worth my time... because I've been spending it with the Cullens and I'm ready to tell you all about it.

#1 Twilight

The book: Forks is a small town drowning in green: forests surrounding everything, wet grass everywhere leaving no room for sand beaches or smooth sidewalks, and a green canopy of treetops and fog that keeps sunlight away and brings nothing but rain. It's a boring town with no excitement, few visitors, and most of the population is pale from the lack of warmth or brightness. This is exactly why Bella Swan detests the town, the place that her mother left many years ago, the place that Bella has to go back to while she leaves Arizona behind for a while. However, the drabness of Forks is the only thing keeping Edward Cullen and his family in town. This twist of fate leads Bella to Edward, the inexplicably quiet and unpredictable creature sitting next to her in biology. Edward seems to get upset just by Bella's presence and nothing makes sense until a series of miraculous events leads her to figure out who- or what- he is. As Bella gets tied up in the danger and risk of Edward's very existence, escaping death more times than he has, she decides that falling for a vampire is everything she could ever want... well, besides dying so she can live with him forever, a favor he just won't grant.

The movie: While there are many things about the movie and book that were spot on, there were just as many differences. I found that even though some changes made the movie better, like the scenes showing vampires attacking people throughout the region and the graduation cap collage in the Cullen home, the differences ultimately turned out in favor of the book. That's right folks, the book was better. The most prevalent issue was that a few of the rather important parts of the book were simply cut out of the movie, including the scene in the airport when Bella escapes Jasper's watch by taking an alternate exit out of a restroom and grabbing a cab to her mother's house. The buildup of worry that Bella had as she was followed around by a group of low-lives with terrible intentions was another important thing that got cut out. In the movie, the men basically had her trapped within a few minutes, whereas it was a while before they cornered her in the book. Alice's entire mysterious backstory was cut out! Finally, this is a small detail, but worth mentioning: Mike and Eric asked Bella to a girls' choice dance in the book, showing that they both liked her so much that they asked her to a dance that boys weren't allowed to ask her to. In the movie, they asked her to prom, which is still endearing, but let's face it, less romantic. I will admit, if Bella was Edward's "own personal brand of heroin", then why was he able to stop drinking her blood so quickly once he had drawn out the venom? I'll say the movie was a little more realistic when Carlisle had to urge Edward to stop killing her. Do you disagree? Is the movie better? Reach out to us and be sure to let us know what you think!

#2: New Moon

The book: In the last book, Stephanie Myer left us with a classic love story: boy falls for girl, boy has a dark secret, they fall in love and overcome some great obstacle, they're still in love. Yes, okay, great. Bella Swan risked everything- her life, the lives of her family and friends, even her mortality- to be with her Romeo, Edward Cullen. As her birthday approaches, Bella dreads that she will be aging beside her immortal love, who will never have a sign of wear or age on his body or mentality. When she finally accepts her birthday and decides to celebrate, things take a turn and Edward realizes he can't continue to risk Bella's life on his behalf. After Edward disappears, her entire being sinks into a numbing cycle beyond depression or heartbreak, into the depths of no longer feeling or wanting anything but the ability to hold herself together. Bella's life is not looking up, but she finds solace in Jacob Black, her childhood friend that won't give up on his love for Bella. No matter how many times she turns him down, or how many times he has to save her life, Jacob stays by her side. Until one day, when Jacob appears to have joined a mysterious gang, and Bella realizes she's being hunted by a fiery and fierce vampire looking for revenge. Meanwhile, her life goal is to never turn twenty. Bella's life is over, or so Edward believes when he plots his own destruction, and ends up risking the lives and souls of everyone he loves... or loved.

The movie: The Twilight saga movies may be more famous than the books themselves, but to fans of the novels, the films- thrilling as they may be- just don't measure up. The most important difference in my opinion is the character of Bella. While she may technically be the same person on paper, I feel like Kristen Stewart just isn't the Bella we all imagined. Don't get me wrong, I love the movies and look forward to reviewing them for you guys, but c'mon: #thebookisalwaysbetter. Now, let's get into the details. In the book, Jake and Bella spend a substantial amount of time looking for the very field where Edward revealed himself to Bella by showing her his diamond skin. In the movie, it's so inconsequential. Also, Bella's first experience with seeing one of the werewolves change form was not at a planned gathering that Jacob called, like in the book, but rather in a rainstorm when Bella tries to confront Jacob and ends up slapping Paul across the face. I know Hollywood wants the added drama, but that just didn't really match up. One major difference that was added to the movie but not the book actually created a more thrilling feeling in the movie. I'm referring to the ominous presence of Victoria! In the book, Bella could never have known about all the times Victoria got so close to her and to other characters, and because the book is a 1st person point of view from Bella's perspective, us reader's couldn't know anything Bella didn't know. Personally, I think Victoria getting so close to Bella in the movie was really captivating. One minor difference I'd like to point out before I move on is that when Bella and Alice first got to Volterra, there was no gate where Alice had to bribe the guards. That was an important part, in my opinion, because it added to the pressure and time constraints of getting Bella to the clock tower on time. Overall, I think the movie was great and I plan to watch it many more times, but I think the book was altogether better.

#3: Eclipse

The book: After her narrow escape from death, Bella is home. Sure, she almost lost her life trying to save her soulmate from an army of Italian vampires hoping for her immortality, but everything is okay now. Because Bella has Edward. And Edward has Bella. The two are ready to take on the world, or at least Forks, before Bella graduates and is turned by her new family. Until her human life ends, Bella is determined to mend fences with her best friend and check a few things off her bucket list just in case immortal Bella isn't exactly what's expected. But there's one human experience Bella must grudgingly endure if her love will let her join him in eternal existence: matrimony. If Bella and Edward are to get married, they'll have to survive long enough to get to the altar, which is easier said than done when a clan of newborn vampires is tracking Bella. After multiple confrontations with her loved ones- spanning from awkward to passionate to heartbreaking- the day comes for Bella's family to defend her, as well as their futures. Even after the Cullens and Quileutes have a breakthrough and a victory, Jacob is broken from head-to-heart with the crushing blow of a vicious vampire... and the news of Bella's engagement. When the dust settles, Bella is left with two loves, two lives, and only one book left in the series! Let's see how it all turns out for Bella Swan in the final book, "Breaking Dawn."

The movie: Overall, I think the third movie was the best one so far. Keep reading (in the section below) to find out how the last two turned out and hear how they all rank up. Once again, the book was superior by a mile, but the movie still turned out pretty great. Also, can we talk about Jasper's little southern twang for a minute? I mean, I love it! In the case of "Eclipse", the movie obviously had to exclude some details such as the history and stories of the Quileute tribe and the part when Bella cried and laid down with Jacob when he was injured after the fight. The movie also had some added bonuses, like the insight into the building of Victoria's army and the fact that Bella saw the part of the fight when Jacob was hurt. It was interesting to finally see what happened to him. I was sad to see that movie Jacob wasn't a shaggy wolf so he could keep his long hair for Bella's sake, because that was endearing, my friends. Also, Jake was in human form when he found out about the engagement, rather than a wolf howling in the forest and running away. Clearly, there were some major differences between the movie and book. However, the portrayal of the Volturi was spot on. It's great either way, but if you haven't read the books, here's your personal invitation to do so!

#4: Breaking Dawn

The book: Here we are, loyal readers. If you have stuck with me this far, thank you so much! Each and every post on this site takes a load of work to complete, especially the ones that are this big. Please like, comment, and share this post and check out our other pieces as well. Thanks for your support... now for the review! I have finally finished the last- and certainly greatest- novel of the Twilight Saga. It has been a long and emotional road getting here, and before I get to summarizing the book for you, I am pleased to share my true and final opinion on the whole series: It's amazing! I have read many books and series in my life, and this is now on my list of top 3 favorite series (tied with Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, of course!) Myer is a brilliant woman, to say the least. Her writing left me on the edge of my seat the whole time, and her foreshadowing... simply divine. If you are a reader with a taste for romance mixed with fantasy, this series is for you! Give it a read and check out the great movies, as well. Here's the summary! ⬇

Bella is nothing if not a survivor. She's made it through meeting a vampire, being attacked by them several times, being bitten by one, and even ticking off a werewolf. Each and every time, Bella has been saved by the unbreakable love of her life, or her best friend, or her almost sister-in-law, but she's never been able to save herself. Bella wants to be the one to do the saving, and be able to be with Edward for eternity. But that means surviving a few more things to get there. First: marriage, a daunting task that turns out to not be so bad. Next, she need to actually become a vampire, which involves a lot of venom and a lot of burning. Bella's plans to become immortal are derailed when she realizes she's pregnant with a child that almost her whole family is intent on destroying- before it can destroy her from the inside out. Gruesome and tiring as it may be, Bella's support system helps her through it and this hybrid, beautiful, lovable creature is brought to life. Then Stephanie Myer throws the readers that curveball where it seems like it's time for, "and then they skipped into the sunset and lived happily ever after", but there's still a couple hundred pages left. Thanks, Steph. A monumental misunderstanding leads to a few members of the family abandoning the cause while the rest try to undo their death sentence. Bella makes arrangements for her rapidly growing baby to escape with its unlikely guardian, and readers are left waiting for what's to come when the Volturi pick a fight with an underestimated family.

The movies: I am sitting at my desk writing this last part of the review about 2 minutes after I finished Breaking Dawn: Part 2. I have countless thoughts about the whole experience of the books and the movies bouncing around my head. It's time I admit something that I haven't been able to truthfully say in a long time... The movies were equal to, and in some cases, even better than the book. That's right, I said it. While there is no visual a movie could supply that would live up to having access to Bella and Jacob's thoughts in the book, it's just that good! Sure, there were some parts missing from the movie that would've helped, like Bella meeting J Jenks in a seedy part of town or some of the witnesses leaving peacefully at the scene of confrontation with the Vulturi. But these missing scenes were beautifully substituted with much better ones like the fight between Sam's pack and the Cullen coven after Renesmee was born. Or how Bella's immediate family went to seek out their witnesses instead of the witnesses being sent to them. I also like the little addition of Charlie being sent out of town right when the Vulturi were coming. Finally, there's the MONSTROUS difference that had us all crying and yelling at the tv when Alice talked to Aro. I don't want to spoil it, but it was... shocking, to say the least. I am thoroughly impressed by the movie and would like to give a little kudos to whoever was in charge of casting. The actors and actresses were great across the board, but I think Billy Burke, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, and Rami Malek were especially brilliant choices. The special effects crew also outdid themselves in creating vampire speed, Renesmee's growth, and the werewolves.

To sum it up, the Twilight Saga is a brilliant book series as well as an accurate, thrilling movie collection. Anyone reading this should begin reading the first book asap, and let us know in the chat, through email, or through Instagram what you think of the series!

Recommended for: romanticists, fantasy fanatics, people who just love it when their favorite books also have a great movie