Friday, April 22, 2011

A Review of 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella" by Stephenie Meyer (Audio Book)

"Bree Tanner can barely remember life before she had uncannily powerful senses, super human reflexes, and unstoppable physical strength.  Life before she had a relentless thirst for blood... life before she became a vampire.


All Bree knows is that living with her fellow newborns has a few certainties and even fewer rules: watching your back, don't draw attention to yourself, and above all, make it home before sunrise or die.  What she doesn't know: her time as an immortal is quickly running out.


Then Bree finds an unexpected friend in Diego, a newborn just as curious as Bree about their mysterious creator, whom they know only as her.  As they come to realize that the newborns are pawns in a game larger than anything they could have imagined, Bree and Diego must choose sides and decide whom to trust.  But when everything you know about vampires is based on a lie, how do you find the truth?


In another irresistible combination of danger, mystery, and romance, Stephenie Meyer tells the devastating story of the newborn  army as they prepare to close in on Bella Swan and the Cullens, following their encounter to its unforgettable conclusion."

I have to say, this was no great.  There aren't very many books that I've read and/or reviewed where I can say that about them.

I was okay with 'Twilight' and the rest of the series.  We're good acquaintances; not too friendly, not too formal.  I think we could exchange fist-bumps if the need arose.

What I didn't like about this book was it tied into Twilight, but not really.  I did a little bit of research after I finished listening and I found out that Bree Tanner was a character in Eclipse.  I'll be honest, Eclipse felt like a filler book, which is why I really don't remember what happened in it besides Bella was trying to convince Edward to turn her into a vampire (and I think they get engaged too, spoiler).  So when I found out that Bree Tanner was a bigger character in the phenomena than I though, I tried to think of where in Eclipse she turns up.  I couldn't think of anything.

What I liked was through this book, we get to learn a little more about newborn vampires.  Those I do remember from the series.  The fact that they were used as tools for combat was interesting too.

Not only did this novella make me feel clueless and lost, but it also made me feel like I was listening to another one of the 'Twilight' books.  Once again, there's someone after Bella and they don't understand the Cullens or their dynamics.  Overall, I could have lived without this read.  It just felt useless and I really wish that it had been different in many ways.  I give 'The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner':
Thanks for reading!

--Jude

4 comments:

  1. i've heard the same thing in other reviews! thanks for sharing, i think i'll be skipping this one!

    Diana

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  2. You definitely won't be missing anything if you don't read it. I'm glad I didn't waste any time reading it (just listening and being confused...).

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  3. I liked seeing the Newborn side, but I felt this one was just a money-making scheme just before the hype of the movie, to get more people to go. Good review!

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  4. I believe your analysis is spot-on! I haven't seen the Eclipse movie yet, but none of the Twilight movies have been very good to begin with... although New Moon was better than Twilight, but I forget why...
    And thank you! I'm glad that you liked it!

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