Skip to main content

Beau's Transformation

I've taken the initiative and decided to read Stephenie Meyer's 10th Anniversary edition of "Twilight
Reimagined", AKA Life and Death. Meyer rewrote the story of Twilight with a change in gender roles for each of the characters, except Charlie, Renee, and Phil. I'm unsure as to why she wouldn't consider changing them, especially if she changed every other gender role (even down to the secretary in the high school or the biology teacher). It could be for the simple fact that (despite it sounding genderized), it'd be more difficult to have a workaholic mother who didn't notice every small thing about her child compared to a father. In all regards, however, what reader of the Twilight Saga didn't absolutely LOVE Charlie's character? Maybe it's for that simple fact that Meyer didn't change his role and for that, I can be content with. Despite the gender roles switch, the storyline was fairly similar to Twilight's overall structure. Subtle changes only made sense considering the change in gender roles, for instance going to a movie instead of dress shopping and then being surrounded by a group of people wanting to physically maim the main character as opposed to a group of men wanting to sexually assault the main character. Although, in addition to everything that seemed to change smoothly and make the storyline work, Meyer went ahead and CHANGED THE ENDING COMPLETELY.

Beau and Edythe were separated due to a tracker wanting to torture and kill Beau. The tracker did in fact bite Beau and infect him with venom and Beau began to change. It seemed Edythe was unable to do what Edward had done as far as extracting the venom from the bloodstream--lo' and behold--Beau became a newborn merely days later after an excruciating transformation filled with fire and an overabundance of information thrown his way from Edythe. Beau had a crash-course in understanding what it would be like to become a newborn, let alone full-blown vampire, compared to Bella and her three-more-booked saga line. I definitely think this decision was done by Meyer in order to have fans not harbor her on continuing through the series in the gender role switched view (admittedly I was becoming one of those fans until I'd gotten to the last few chapters and discovered this change). I was enjoying this book tremendously, almost more than the original Twilight edition. However, it was the epilogue that truly upset me.

I wasn't expecting a funeral to happen for Beau, even though it's the only decision that would make sense considering the circumstances that unfolded. I was truly upset for Charlie and heartbroken in having to read his reaction towards Beau's funeral. He got the short end of the stick in this entire story and considering everything he's done for his son within this storyline (and knowing everything he had done for Bella in the original series), I think Charlie got jipped. And for that, I was disappointed with the ending of this anniversary edition. It did feel pressured, pushed, and shoved into a "happily ever after", all things considered it's completely understandable. Meyer may not have wanted to write more in the gender switched roles. I think she could've taken advantage of it in showing more of the main character as a vampire. Readers saw Bella was change in the original saga and become a vampire past a newborn stage, I would've enjoyed to see more of Beau's abilities, if he had any.

Overall, it seems only fair true Twilight saga fans should attempt to read this book. I can't say for sure they may love it compared to the others, as I myself have my drawbacks, but all-in-all--once a Twihard, always a Twihard. 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

An All Too Familiar House

          Not the usual suspense-thriller synopsis I've become accustomed to when reading Lisa Jewell's novels, however, I was entranced by this novel from the get-co. The House We Grew Up In centers around a mother and her four children over the span of a decade. The mother, Lorelei, has an extensive hobby of collecting items that harbor a memory of time spent with her loved ones. Each and every memory-- meaning each and every item she just happens to come across. Lorelei is in fact a hoarder and it does not get better with time. It gets worse. In addition to Lorelei's intense and overbearing lifestyle, her children forego their relationship with their mother and each other in order to gain a sense of normalcy within their individual lives. One of Lorelei's children committed suicide at a ripe age of sixteen and her other three were simultaneously impacted by the act tremendously. Her other son took to finding a thrilling lifestyle in all the wrong places...

A Slaying Review

  Grady Hendrix has composed a story with southern charm, riveting suspense and extensive character development. This novel spans over 11 years, centered around the antics and pandemonium of a house wives' book club. The main character, Patricia Campbell, has two children and a husband who works full time outside of the home. She handles day-to-day schedules within the home, along with participating in community events. Patricia does have a past working full time as a nurse with extensive schooling, however, she chose to be a stay at home mother to better tend to her children and keep her family afloat comfortably. Participating in the neighborhood book club allows Patricia the opportunity to bond with her fellow stay-at-home mothers, all ranging with a variety of personalities and family sizes. With normal growing mundane, the neighborhood gains a single gentleman who reaches out to Patricia after a nontraditional meeting and inquires about assistance with fitting in. The tasks se...

Four-Walled Nightmare

I will always and forever say this - Lisa Jewell is the QUEEN of the suspense/thriller genre. I'm sure most who read her would agree with me in comparing her and/or referencing her written ability in crafting a phenomenal read to that of the infamous Agatha Christie in her time. Jewell's 2019 debut novel centers around a young woman by the name of Libby Jones, a competent individual with a safe, bright future ahead. Until, she receives a letter shortly after her 25th birthday informing her of a family inheritance worth a fairly decent price and then some . Jones is introduced to readers as the main character to follow, but other characters soon take stage in a plot-twisting novel where family ties don't always hold true with faith, love, and blood. Jewell has this astonishing ability to craft the perfect chapter, whether it be mere attention to detail, length of pages or strategic craftsmanship of paragraph and dialogue portions leaving the reader wanting more - causing th...