Stephanie Meyer’s books are like a bowl of potato chips. I can resist for awhile, and in fact, with her latest, Eclipse, I did – waiting a few months after its release to get a copy from the library. But like chips, I can’t just read one chapter. I have to devour the whole book, even when I know it’s not good for me. She’s sort of the Dan Brown of YA lit – she may not be the best writer in the world, but she’s a great storyteller.

The Good
I have to say, and I know I’m going to get a lot of flack for this, that I think I actually like Jacob better than Edward. Being the vampire fan I am, I find this hard to believe even myself, but Jacob has so much more dimension and complexity to him as a character, while Edward is remote and inscrutable. I’m glad Jacob gets so much airtime in this novel, and found myself rooting for him even when I knew he’d be disappointed and hurt in the end. For me, the relationship between Bella and Jacob is so much more real, more substantial, than Edward and Bella’s inexplicable, instantaneous, “you-are-my-everything-and-I’ll-die-without-you” love. I know it’s Edward and Bella’s story, but Jacob’s is becoming much more compelling.

That said, I’m glad Edward was present for so much of the novel, one of my chief complaints with New Moon.

I also like that Bella began to think of the consequences of becoming a vampire. In New Moon, it seemed strange to me that she was so willing to give up everything in her life and her future – including her family – for Edward, without any qualms or hesitation. In Eclipse, she actually starts thinking and questioning what becoming a vampire will mean.

The Bad
Bella is willing to give up so much in her life, including her family, yet she has this very weird aversion to marrying Edward. With all that becoming a vampire entails, she’s worried about how her parents and friends will react to her getting married? If she’s going to discontinue contact with them anyway, why do they even need to know she’s married in the first place? It’s not that I think girls should rush off and get married right out of high school, but Meyer never really satisfactorily explains this for me. It just comes across as an obviously-manufactured device for stretching the story out into more books.

Edward and Jacob both do some pretty controlling, manipulative things to Bella, which she either blames herself for or forgives almost immediately. Jacob’s can somewhat be attributed to his youth, but Edward’s been around awhile—he should know better. And Bella needs to strengthen her backbone and stand up to both of them for more than two seconds.

The Ugly
Bella’s “I’m not worthy” attitude. Get over it, already! This is something that has annoyed me since Twilight, and it just keeps dragging on throughout the series. Ditto her “I’ll die without you” attitude. Ugh, ugh and ugh.
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Even though the book and its characters frustrated me, I still read it practically in one sitting, and I’m still looking forward to reading more in this series, although I don’t have nearly the amount of anticipation as I did after finishing Twilight. My patience with Bella, and her story, is starting to wear a little thin.

P.S. After writing this post, I went onto Amazon and read a bunch of Eclipse reader reviews, and it’s so interesting to read the range of views. Some of what I liked about the book, others despised. Some of what drove me crazy, other fans wanted more of. Some readers felt very strongly about things that never occurred to me. And some people are taking what is a piece of brain candy – much like Dan Brown’s stories – and taking it much too seriously. Stephanie Meyer’s books are a superficial treat, not a weighty meal.

P.P.S. I’ve decided to count Eclipse as one of my Armchair Traveler challenge books. Here’s why:

• The Northwest US, with its famous climate, is an integral setting for the series.
• I used to live in Vancouver, BC and would love to visit that part of the country again someday.
• I’m behind on my own challenge.